#i'm just extremely bothered by what is going on and why non jews are just

[fangerine]

i'm not jewish. i think, maybe a great great grandparent was but that's neither here nor there. but even though i'm not jewish, i was always made aware from a young age how rampant anti-semitism is in not just the united states where i live but globally. when i was 12, my mom encouraged (made me) read "the diary of anne frank". i believe it was only then that i began to truly recognize just how horrible the holocaust was. i don't think my public education did a very good job of teaching people how evil it really was. there seemed to be some sort of assumption that kids "just know". we didn't see the horrors of it actually displayed in books. i know that a world history class can't spend the entire time on one event but a few pages can't ever grasp the ruthless slaughter of six million innocent people. memorizing numbers and dates for some test worth five points will never get the message across to kids that something as horrible as that happened much less than a hundred years ago.

i grew up christian. i'm not anymore but i will never EVER in the good ol' united states of america be afraid of being attacked for my religion. christians can fuckin' whine and complain all they want about being "persecuted" but the fact is that in 2021, the FBI reported that over 50% of religion-related hate crimes were anti-jewish.

over fifty fucking percent.

we always say "never forget" and "never again" but you can find countless surveys where an alarming amount of people either don't know or fervently deny that SIX MILLION PEOPLE WERE SLAUGHTERED FOR BEING JEWISH.

i know the persecution of jews goes much further back than the holocaust but hopefully, my point is clear.

in the past few weeks, i saw a burned apartment door of an elderly jewish couple in paris. they would have been toddlers when germany occupied france in 1940. i saw jewish families in germany with the star of david spray painted on their doors. i've seen people in protests proudly waving nazi flags in new york city. samantha woll, a synagogue leader was just murdered outside of her home in detroit. i can go on but i think you see the picture.

i'm not jewish but i don't need to be for these disgusting acts to horrify me. what i've come to realize (and maybe this is wrong) is that the hatred of jews has become so frequent in our society, that it's not really looked at anymore. it's not "newsworthy" and therefore, many people just don't care.

i'm not sure what i can do except speak up. i fear for the safety of jews all around the world. there are so many ignorant and hateful people out there making it so dangerous. jewish families aren't sending their children out of fear that something could happen at their schools. jewish people are scared so please, don't be ignorant. know the history. for non-jews like myself, we have a duty to educate ourselves and listen to a group of people who have been targeted and violently persecuted for centuries.

for jews who see this post. i'm sorry this increase in hatred towards your community is happening. i can't possibly begin to know how you must be feeling but know that you aren't being ignored by everyone. your cries for justice are NOT unheard.

if there is anything that i can do to help, please reach out. if there's anything wrong with this post, please say something. i am trying my best to be educated but know i don't and will most likely never have the full picture. i would love to add links, resources, and whatever else that is useful and important.

#anti semitism #antisemitism #judaism #jewish #also if you're jewish and i'm being out of line right now #you can gladly tell me to delete this or shut up #i'm just extremely bothered by what is going on and why non jews are just #crickets atm

[spacelazarwolf]

I truly think the people who downplay antisemitism and act like fighting it isn’t as important as fighting other injustices do not understand that zionists can easily point to words like theirs and say: “That. That right there is why Israel needs to exist and continue what it’s doing.”

Because if Jewish life means so little to them to make them care, maybe them hearing that they’re dumbasses sabotaging the causes they believe in will.

EXACTLY!! WHICH IS WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING!!!!!!!!

and i know gentiles hate it bc then they have to give a shit abt jews, but sometimes in order to achieve liberation you have to do something you don't like. it fucking boggles my mind how non palestinian gentiles can justify last weekend's massacre as "necessary for liberation" but they can't stomach simply sitting down with jewish organizations and saying "hey what can we do to get you on board with our movement? what can we do to ensure that you don't need israel?"

like i'm sorry but if you're going to be an activist, sometimes you have to do things that seem unfair, or that are extremely unpleasant. trust me, i have not enjoyed my conversations with political zionists. but i have left them with that person asking questions they weren't asking before, asking why we should have to be the ones constantly being tossed around the globe instead of the people in the countries we live in confronting their own bigotry and hatred of us.

another thing that bothers me is the people that frame this as just "jews r white supremacists that just want to colonize and kill palestinians for fun or bc they want their land!!!!!!" if you are going to be an effective tool for palestinian liberation, or liberation of any kind, it is imperative that you understand the motivation behind your "opposition." most parents of trans kids who don't want their kids to be trans or get treatment aren't doing it bc they fucking hate their kid and would rather they die. most of the time, they genuinely care about their kid and don't want them to be hurt by this perceived evil. are they right? fuck no. but screaming at them is going to make them firmer in their beliefs. what actually helps, and i say this as someone who has actively been a part of this work, is meeting them where they're at. you can't drag them over a fence, but if you can convince them to unlock their side of the gate, you have a much better chance of getting them to come through to the other side.

obviously this doesn't work with people like the transphobic politicians who are making these laws, and it won't work for bibi and his party. but if your target is diaspora jews who support zionism, it absolutely will work, because i have seen it work. if you approach them with patience and understanding and a willingness to address the concerns you have, you are a billion times more likely to be successful in getting them to join the fight. anything less than compassion is allowing yourself to become a tool of the israeli government and the institutions that support it.

#ask avishai #i/p

[yellowjets]

Response to Ilhan Omar 2.0

Two undeniable truths about Ilhan Omar: she hates Trump and she hates Israel. You cannot argue this. Omar has made it her mission to cause fear of Israel in the Democratic party, misrepresent them, use that fear to incite more hatred against Trump, rally against him, and further her own political agenda.

1. "Under pressure from Donald Trump"

What the average American may not understand, is that Bibi doesn't do anything he doesn't want to do. Trump's comments may have been the green light to go ahead with this decision, but it is highly likely it would have happened anyway. Israel gets pressure from many world leaders about other issues and Bibi chooses not to listen. Trump does not hold some sort of power over him, and Omar suggesting otherwise is really just an attempt at causing more fear of Trump on the left.

2. "Trump's Muslim ban"

Ahh yes, the old Muslim ban, something that never actually happened. Again Omar uses a false American concept to sweep the real reasons she's been banned under the rug. Both Omar and Tlaib are supporters and advocates of BDS, a movement that is widely accepted as not only anti-jewish, but also has been proven to heavily effect Arabs living in the West bank in a negative way. All it does is breed hatred towards the Jewish state and leads to boycotts of Jewish businesses outside of Israel. (Remember the last guy who did that?) This is the reason they are refused entry, not because of faith. You really think the leader of any other country would allow people in who directly call for the boycott of said country and its people? Absolutely not. But of course, Omar knows she can lie about this because people are ignorant and will not bother looking for correct information.

3. "Limits our abilities to learn from Israelis"

Yay! The first true statement. Unfortunately it's irrelevant considering its pretty difficult to learn from people you're busy boycotting. Literally no one, not a single person on this planet actually believes you want to "learn from Israelis". This was an expose Israel mission from the get go. One that has been conducted many times before, and usually ends up with not much to expose, and turns into some libellous exercise instead. Recently there was an assertion in a final year test in Australia that the IDF destroys homes in the West bank because the Muslim population refuses to accept Judaism. This is unbelievably untrue, and extremely damaging to Jews everywhere. This is the sort of mess Omar and Tlaib would have come back spouting. If you don't believe me, two seconds ago Omar was talking about a non existent Muslim ban in Israel.

4. "Resisted peace efforts"

Now I'm not exactly sure which peace efforts Bibi has participated in, but when the most recent peace deal has been rejected by the Palestinian government, Hamas is still firing rockets from Gaza and organising protests that involve incendiary kites and balloons, as well as Molotov cocktails and burning tires, the Palestinian government is still encouraging terrorism from the West bank by paying out families of terrorists, and changing the schoolbooks in Palestinian classes to be even more anti-jewish, when all of this is realised, it really fair to say that Israel has resisted peace?

5. "Restricted movement of Palestinians"

I think you spelt "Israelis" wrong. Palestians, while yes they do have to go through rigorous security and checkpoints between borders, are able to move freely between all areas of the West bank and Israel. Israelis, however, are unable to go to many parts of Palestinian run areas in the West bank, many of which include holy sites for the Jewish people. A Palestinian, may take any bus in Israel or the West bank, an Israeli may not. Unless of course Omar means Israel blowing up terror tunnels... That would tend to restrict Palestinian movement, but I'm sure any normal person would agree to that one.

6. "Limited public knowledge of the brutal realities of the occupation"

My FAVOURITE! Just because you, Omar, seem to have very limited knowledge of pretty much anything Israel/Palestine related, it doesn't make that Bibi's fault. The truth is out there, maybe like, go on Wikipedia as a starting point. The reality of the "occupation" is that Gaza is uninhabited by Jews, and has had no IDF presence for the last 5 years. The West bank has areas totally run by the PA where Jews cannot enter, and an IDF presence to limit terrorist attacks on Jewish civilians. That is the reality.

7. "Aligned himself with islamaphobes like Donald Trump"

Fair point, also irrelevant when you yourself align with and support terrorists who openly call for the destruction of the Jewish state, and the wiping out of the Jewish people.

8. "It is my job..."

It is not your job to lie about the realities of the conflict, to express biased support for one side, attempt to go to a country with the intent to "expose" (read: lie about) it, and then whinge about how you weren't allowed the opportunity to learn from them when you have already expressed intent to boycott those who could teach you.

9. "Insult to democratic values"

My right to kill someone is outweighed by their right to live. Your right to go to a country with the intent of supporting it's enemies, who have called for its destruction and the murder of its people is similarly, outweighed by their right to live.

Final thoughts:

Israel made the right decision. These women would have come in with the intent to slander Israel when they got out. That would inflame the already existing conflict even more and potentially cost lives of both Jewish and Palestinian civilians. For Omar and Tlaib to sit there and whine about it is pathetic. They know why they can't go, they know by making a fuss they will gain support, but Israel knows the cost of letting them in will be greater.

#israel #zionism #antisemitism #omar pls stop its getting embarrassing

[scarletwitching]

I'm curious about Wanda's whitewashing controversy. Especially with the X-Men and Gifted buzz, you don't see nearly as much criticism over Erik or Lorna not being played by Jewish actors, or "Peter" being more whitewashed than either MCU twins. It's really jarring to see someone censure Elizabeth Olsen in one post while hyping Fassbender or McKellan in another. Obligatory "I know you don't like MCU questions," but do you think you could shed light on what seems to be a prevalent double standard?

I have no clue why people didn’t care when it came to Quicksilver in the X-Men movies. I saw someone say once that it was fine because Evan Peters “looks Southern European” and ummmmm………………. 

As for Magneto, I have some thoughts.

I think the big answer is here is “the US-American view of race,” if that makes any sense. The US view on things tends to be treated as default in English language fandom, and viewing goywashing (is that the term? I think that’s the term) as different to whitewashing is a very US-American view.

You’re assuming that Ashkenazi Jews and the Roma/Sinti occupy identical or interchangeable places in the great nonsensical mess that is race… stuff. I don’t want to get too deep in the weeds on this because it’s way above my paygrade and people tend to end up here when they try, but it’s not necessarily hypocritical for people to view different groups differently. Whitewashing takes more than one form, and a person might think one example is unacceptable, whereas another is a “missed opportunity.”

Plenty of people put Wanda in the “missed opportunity” category too. And others say that casting an actor who isn’t Jewish as Magneto is automatically not okay. The latter group tend to not be in X-Men movie fandom because it’s been twenty years and he still hasn’t been played by a Jewish actor.

Then there are people who are begrudgingly okay with Magneto being played by non-Jewish actors thus far, but would be extremely annoyed if they cast another Magneto who still wasn’t Jewish. (I’d say I’m in this camp.)

There are also people who think Magneto should be Sinti because he was for a time and none of these characters have backstories that make sense.

Putting all that aside, there are other mitigating factors, such as:

Magneto is established as Jewish in the first scene of the first X-Men movie. Unlike Wanda, who has three giant crosses on her bedroom wall. The obvious counterargument is that they can just make Wanda Roma or Sinti and Jewish at some later date, but 1) that seems to be firmly in Emma Stone in Aloha territory, at least to me and 2) Olsen herself is… yeah. She was cast half a decade ago and still doesn’t understand what her character’s ethnic background is. She’s never bothered to learn anything about any of this. She doesn’t care. Even if you think it’s okay for a hypothetical WASP-y white person to play a character who is Jewish and Roma or Sinti, I think this WASP-y white person has disqualified herself.

There have been Jewish creators behind the camera, shaping the direction of Magneto’s story in the films since the beginning. One of the reasons people want actors cast who are the same ethnicity as the characters is the cultural insights they can bring and the way that affects the overall product. While it’s not the same thing, having people behind the camera who are from that culture is also important. You may not like Singer or Kinberg or the choices they made (I don’t), but at least, they’re there. There are no Roma or Sinti creators deciding what happens with Wanda. Bendis and Loeb were on the creative committee back when Age of Ultron was being made so that’s two Jewish voices theoretically in the conversation at the beginning, but 1) I doubt the creative committee had much say and 2) it’s Bendis and Loeb. The guy who made everyone hate Wanda by making her commit a genocide, and the guy who made everyone hate Wanda by making her fuck her brother.

There are several other Jewish actors who have been/are currently in superhero movies, playing some of the most recognizable characters in the genre. Having other Jewish actors in the mix, even if they aren’t playing explicitly Jewish characters, takes the sting out to some extent. (For some people, not everyone.) There are no Roma or Sinti actors in any superhero movies. That voice is absent from the genre, on and off screen.

Then there is the second biggest thing, which is the performance. Whether or not people like the performance and the character overall affects how they view these things. The movie version of Magneto is generally well-liked, even though he murdered millions of people. Fassbender and McKellen have an easy confidence in the role that elevates even bad movies.

That said, my appreciation for Fassbender went way down when I learned certain things about his personal life. I feel uncomfortable with uncritically supporting him or movies he’s in. Why do people keep doing it? I don’t know. No clue.

Olsen has trouble imbuing her characters with personality. They tend to be defined by what happens to them, rather than internal characteristics. They don’t usually feel distinct from one another. Some of that is the writing, both in and out of the MCU, but it’s also her performances. That’s not me saying she’s a bad actor. Acting is an art. There are variety of skills involved. It’s not just columns of “good” or “bad” actor that you sort each person into. You can be talented in some areas and fail in others. In this genre, crafting a noticeable personality is key. 

(There’s an argument to be made here about MCU Bucky and how he’s supposed to seem empty for much of his screentime and the ways that’s different and also the same, but this post is NOT getting any longer.)

For me personally, there are other things that make a difference. Whedon copy-pasta’d Wanda’s background in the MCU from an Azeri-Iranian character in Millar and Hitch’s Ultimates 2. You can’t take elements from a character of color’s life and give them to a white character in the adaptation like you’re grave robbing a corpse.

…

Okay. Yeah, I guess you can do that, but you shouldn’t.

There’s also the issue of how the US military is handled in the MCU. That’s my biggest sticking point and why I don’t like posting about these movies. There is enormous cowardice in the way Wanda’s arc in Ultron is constructed. Some of Iron Man’s victims finally get a voice. That’s theoretically a good thing. But any scenes that acknowledge the US military’s involvement were cut. And Whedon chose to cast, not just an actress who isn’t Roma, but the blondest, palest actress he could find. And any mentions of their status as an ethnic minority were cut. And they do evil things that make no sense for no reason. And the movie does not care to explain their thought process. And they can only be redeemed by joining Iron Man.

The real problem here is the MCU can’t have brown people saying, “Iron Man is bad,” and explaining why they feel that way and not murdering random people to get back at him. The MCU won’t contextualize its main character. It won’t talk about the crimes he committed (war crimes), who he committed them with (the US and other military powers), and who he committed them against (mostly people of color).

So, if Wanda is going to represent his victims, she has to be white, evil for no reason, and act in completely nonsense ways. And that makes all of this even worse than regular examples of whitewashing.

#anonymous #answered #mcu #movie wanda tag

[wenevergotusedtoegypt]

If Judaism is the one religion and the greatest, then why do jews incorporate things from non jews? Why doesnt it mention which art and literature is acceptable for jews to read and use? If the torah is perfect and everything is within it, why bother learning math, English literature, science etc? Maybe I'm intetpreting the torah too literally. My point is if it is perfect, why do so many jews go off the derech & immerse themselves in the "goy" world?

If Judaism is the one religion and the greatest, then why do jews incorporate things from non jews?

“Things” is very broad and I’m not really sure what you’re referring to, so it’s hard to address this question.

Why doesnt it mention which art and literature is acceptable for jews to read and use?

There is absolutely both halachic and hashkafic discussion of this topic.

If the torah is perfect and everything is within it, why bother learning math, English literature, science etc?

There’s plenty of math in the Gemara, for one thing. 

Science is necessary for medicine, and the Torah obligates a sick person to consult with a doctor in many situations. That’s just one example. Science is not outside of the realm of Torah.

A more prolific reader is a better writer, and it’s important for a Jew to be able to communicate Torah ideas in writing.

But more all-encompassingly, a person must have skills to earn a living (a father is obligated by the Torah to teach his son a trade). Without a basic education a person’s ability to work, especially in today’s world when a certain educational level is an automatic prerequisite for many positions, is severely limited. Therefore even if there doesn’t appear to be an overtly G-d-related reason to study a particular subject, if it will aid a person in earning a living, that is actually a Torah reason for studying it. G-d didn’t set up a world where we are meant to be ascetic, but rather one where we are instructed to infuse the material with spirituality. There is no contradiction.

Maybe I’m intetpreting the torah too literally.

I don’t think it’s that, but rather that you’re lacking knowledge.

My point is if it is perfect, why do so many jews go off the derech & immerse themselves in the “goy” world?

First of all, going off the derech and having involvement with the non-Jewish world are not synonymous. Let’s make that very clear.

Next, you’re assuming that if the Torah is perfect, that means that all people who teach it teach it perfectly, and all people who profess to follow it do in fact do so. If those were the case, then you’re right, it would be extremely suspect that people go off the derech. But neither one is the case, because along with the perfect Torah, G-d created an imperfect world with imperfect people. Receiving a twisted version of Torah in one’s education and seeing supposedly religious people act hypocritically is not particularly conducive to encouraging a person to stick with the Torah lifestyle, even though neither of those things are in fact part of the true Torah lifestyle.

#anon #replies

[brehaaorgana]

i just can't stop thinking about what you said about angels & black holes. i barely have the words. would you mind if i used information from your post in stories? i'm not jewish (don't really practice any religion) & I know very little of jewish theology, but I would do my homework to avoid being disrespectful. I'd be writing about different worlds entirely where the concept of religion wouldn't exist.

@big-mama-y

I’ve been asked (or not asked) this question a lot, and the answer is pretty much always No, I don’t want someone using my creative writing to fuel their own creative writing ventures. 

I’m grateful you bothered to ask, it’s a courtesy I don’t always get. I’ll give a detailed explanation as to why, not to be mean (again I’m glad you asked) but to help you understand! 

But basically my reasons for saying “No,” are as follows - 

General: 

I am using this concept as part of my own Jewish SF story, which I intend to publish at some point. 

I am also a writer, and want my own writing to be used for my own benefit and not the benefit of other writers. 

I assume no one but myself will stay true to the intent of my post except for me, and I don’t want to relinquish control or approve of something that I don’t actually have the final say for in the finished product.

Specific:

If your world doesn’t have a concept of religion, then you are telling me that your world doesn’t have the capacity for this concept anyways. If you don’t have Jews, you don’t have this concept. I mean that’s….relatively straightforwards, Jewish religious philosophy is the backbone of this idea.  No amount of research would work if Judaism doesn’t…exist. 

Also by telling me these worlds don’t have “religion,” I have to wonder what exactly you mean. The academic definition of religion is very uh…shall we say, fluid. Extremely so. “Religion” would include everything from formal state religions, to folk superstitions, to philosophies and codes of ethics and morals, to particular ideologies. 

I assume based on what you’ve said you view the concept of religion as  Christian-normative (meaning you picture all religion as similar to how Christianity exists in our society). This isn’t how Judaism works - since it’s not simply a religion, but a personhood/ethnicity/culture AND religion. There is not a neat divide between secular and non-secular Jewishness, but rather a fluid continuum of Judaism and its expressions. Which is to say that atheist and agnostic Jews can still go to synagogue regularly and can still be very religious, but also that religious practice isn’t limited to expression inside a synagogue. 

I am writing this. 

If you would like access to free for the taking writing ideas, might I recommend Saturday Story Prompts?