Shalom! In my

Chatterbox: Down to Earth

Shalom! In my

Shalom! In my experience, there aren't many Jewish people all in one place. I'm lucky to have an irl Jewish friend like me! I'm kind of curious if there are any Jewish CBers (besides me) and what their life has been like. Right now, I'm going through the process of being bat mitzvahed. And Passover is coming up!

submitted by WiLdSoNg, I cOmE fRoM tHe StArS!
(March 30, 2023 - 2:16 pm)

WiLdSoNg, there are Jewish CBers. I am Jewish, and I’m pretty sure there are a few others. I’m only 9 (almost 10), but I’m already preparing for my Bar Mitzvah!

submitted by Golden Lion Tamarin
(March 30, 2023 - 3:35 pm)
submitted by top
(April 1, 2023 - 4:32 pm)

Jewish CBer here! I mean, it depends on who you ask because my mom isn't Jewish but I celebrate holidays and fast for Yom Kippur and stuff... Anyway I really like the diversity found on the CB; you can meet people you have things in common with, and you can meet people with experiences different from yours.

submitted by Wolfy
(April 1, 2023 - 7:41 pm)

Yeah about Yom Kippur, last year I insisted on completely fasting even though my parents were against it. Don't get me wrong, we are very religious, and my father is the rabbi at our local synagogue, what I mean is, they didn't want me fasting. The year before, I had had a single quarter-bagel for breakfast and didn't eat other than that. I agree, I like the diversity on the CB; and the ethnicity ratio here is super disproportionate of the entire world (less than 1% of believers in the world are Jewish).

CAPTCHA says vovfa. Maybe the hebrew letter vav (ו) and the musical note fa, or F? Oh, CAPTCHA is singing the vav sound on the pitch of an F!

submitted by Golden Lion Tamarin
(April 2, 2023 - 2:01 pm)

Hey there! I'm Jewish too! Like Wolfy though, my mom is not Jewish, but my dad is, and my sister (Wolfy) ans I are. I mean, we celebrate the holidays, but we don't regularly go to synagogue, and my sister and I don't go to hebrew school, or keep kosher. We're kind of "bad Jews" if you're strict with it. But I think we're fine.

submitted by Phoenix, age 11, Rising from the Ashes
(April 2, 2023 - 8:03 am)

Phoenix, there is not really a such thing as a "bad Jew". Everyone should celebrate the holidays and observe as much as they are comfortable with. 

submitted by Golden Lion Tamarin
(April 2, 2023 - 12:13 pm)

Thanks, I was trying to tell her this irl and you put it perfectly.

submitted by Wolfy
(April 2, 2023 - 2:26 pm)

Yeah, you're right. It was just a really bad joke. Sorry if it made anyone feel weird, like I said, it was just a really bad, dumb joke, and was trying to put it in a simple way, while trying to make it "funny". Like I said, sorry if I upset anyone.

submitted by Phoenix, age 11, Rising from the Ashes
(April 2, 2023 - 4:32 pm)

My situation is kind of opposite. My mom is Jewish and my dad is not. We're not strict with it at all; we don't keep kosher or go to synagogue at all. This year, I chose to have a Bat Mitzvah and it was entirely my choice and I'm having so much fun. I am one of three Jewish kids in my middle school so it's really nice to connect with other Jewish kids.

submitted by WiLdSoNg
(April 3, 2023 - 4:52 pm)

I'm Jewish too. We don't really go to the synagogue though.

submitted by Suki, age 13 eons, Nowhere
(April 6, 2023 - 9:09 am)

My family (and even the first name I was given at birth) are Jewish! Fun fact, my French (paternal) grandmother is Jewish, despite her mother and 11 siblings being staunchly Roman Catholic.  You can imagine how well that works out... :/

By total coincidence, but my cousins (second removed) are also Jewish, but it's because of my... um, aunt-in-law? Their mother? Idk, Basically my paternal grandfather's brother's son's ex-wife and kids. Anyway.

I also used to consider myself Jewish earlier in life, but now I'm a soft atheist. I think that religions are really cool and important to the formation of cultures around the world, but I don't personally subscribe to any. At the same time, I love to hear about any stories/practices from any religion/culture, and don't mind discussing theology in general or talking to people that are religious! :)

However, I think one of the biggest turn-aways from Judiasm for me is what I believe is the overall lack of LGBTQIA+ support and as gender inequality promoted by many affiliated pockets of practitioners. I know that not every group is anti-LGBTQ+ or treats women as second-class citizens, and that each is based on a relatively old religion where different practices and beliefs were commonplace due to the time period, but... Seeing the good and happiness that comes from the LGBTQA+ community and equal rights, and the harm that crushing such communities/people does, it's hard to believe that groups fiercely opposed to it could be doing good in the world. 

And of course, that's not a condemnation of anyone who is religious or practices Judiasm, it's just something to be mindful of, in my opinion. Not everyone is like the few bad apples, and everyone has their reasons; it's just vital to be mindful and aware of your actions, lest you unintentionally hurt others, I've found.

submitted by Jaybells, Lost, somewhere
(April 2, 2023 - 9:39 pm)

Yeah, I totally get what you're saying about LGBTQIA+ intolerance in Judaism. I feel really lucky that my synagogue is totally open to lots of things. During one of our mitzvah groups, our teacher asked us if we would prefer her to say mitzvah ceremony instead of bar/bat mitzvah.

Benbi says, "taxgo". I don't do taxes yet, Benbi.

submitted by WiLdSoNg
(April 5, 2023 - 2:21 pm)

Hello. This probably won't be read, but I have some comments on this. 

The only supposed anti-LGBTQ reference in Judaism is a particular verse in scripture that has been misinterpreted to prohibit being gay. Not many people felt that way at the time, but now more LGBTQ+ people are participating in synagogue events and scholars realized there needs to be an alternative interpretation of it to welcome more LGBTQ people. So, Judaism doesn't necessarily frown on LGBTQ people. 
submitted by Sinusoidal
(December 8, 2023 - 4:57 pm)

Hi! I'm not Jewish, but my grandpa is. Our family celebrates Passover, but that's about it. 

submitted by Avara, she/her
(April 3, 2023 - 1:03 pm)

Hiiiii I'm also Jewish!! I already had my Bat Mitzvah! Here's a tip for anyone who will be b'mitzvah'd: don't wait for the last minute to write a dvar. My sister rewrote her entire thing the night before, and I finished mine like 3 days before. Sure, they were good, but it was stressful. 

Speaking of stressful, THE FIRST PASSOVER SEDER IS TONIGHT?? like whaaaaaaaat. But tomorrow night I'm going to my bff's house for seder!! I'm very excited. Anyways gotta go (don't start singing, Rainbow!!) and help get ready some more byeeee l'hitraot (meaning bye in hebrew) I'll be back later

submitted by Rainbow, age [Lost], Raise A Glass To Freedom!
(April 5, 2023 - 1:08 pm)