r/JewsOfConscience 1d ago

Discussion r/JewsOfConscience Free Discussion Thread

Hi everyone,

This is our weekly 'Free Discussion' thread, where you can discuss anything. Tentatively this includes meta-topics as well, but as always our rules still apply.

We hope you're all having a good week!

12 Upvotes

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13

u/Adept_Thanks_6993 Orthodox 1d ago

I miss my cat

3

u/ShakeTheGatesOfHell Non-Jewish Ally 22h ago

I used to know a snuggly kitty who was always wanting pats and attention. She died at 15 of diabetes. I miss her so much 😭

4

u/Adept_Thanks_6993 Orthodox 17h ago

BDE

My cat's fine. I'm just in Ireland and she's in the States

7

u/kaizoku-ni-naru Jewish Anti-Zionist 22h ago

Chag sameach!! I've decided I want to try and go back to shul in the New Year, but I'm going to be upfront with the Rabbi about my non (anti) zionist views. I miss Jewish community.

5

u/enharmonicdissonance Converting 1d ago

Chag sameach! How's everyone's hanukkah going so far?

3

u/EntertainmentDry4360 Non-Jewish Ally 19h ago

It was confirmed recently by 23& me that at least one of my dad's grandparents was Ashkenazi Jewish. We have an 100+ year old baptismal certificate that is dated from when they were an adult but I had originally thought they might have just been a German Protestant marrying into a hardcore Irish Catholic family.

Is there a way to reconnect with this heritage without a full conversion?

3

u/PlinyToTrajan Non-Jewish Ally (Jewish ancestry & relatives) 16h ago

Of course. I'm in this position too.

You can explore anything you want. Including cuisine. I suggest looking for a Jewish or kosher-style deli in your area. I'm not kidding.

3

u/EntertainmentDry4360 Non-Jewish Ally 15h ago

I suppose with the rise of easy and cheap genetic testing lots of us "my family has been European Christian forever" people have Ashkenazi ancestors popping up left and right.

If I'm honest I'm also worried about getting into it with Zionists as I am extremely pro-Palestine.

2

u/PlinyToTrajan Non-Jewish Ally (Jewish ancestry & relatives) 15h ago

I knew my Jewish grandfather, but he was very much nonobservant and he married a Protestant (my grandmother). He maintained a lot of cultural practices, though, such as placing high value on higher education and professional credentialing, and making and seeking out Ashkenazi foods.

23andMe is a great resource for understanding one's ancestors. Has it identified any living relatives you could contact?

There are plenty of pro-Palestine American Jews. They are a minority, but they aren't vanishingly rare.

2

u/EntertainmentDry4360 Non-Jewish Ally 10h ago

I mean my dad was the same but tbh I never saw that as "being Jewish" traits.

Unfortunately I don't live in the US.

1

u/PlinyToTrajan Non-Jewish Ally (Jewish ancestry & relatives) 8h ago

I mean, they're not exclusively Jewish traits . . . .

1

u/BolesCW Mizrahi 11h ago

Jewish affiliation is matrilineal. The parts of the Jewish world that accept patrilineal descent are clear that the home must have a consistent level of observing Jewish ritual and tradition. You need to go through a formal conversion if you want to be accepted as a Jew; vague ancestry determined by a percentage of similarity to others in a proprietary database is definitely not enough.

-2

u/EntertainmentDry4360 Non-Jewish Ally 11h ago edited 11h ago

You know that this great grandparent never asked my opinion on their conversion, right?

Also just saying, my fathers grandparent's birth religion would have been enough for many antisemitic regimes to have targeted him in the past.

"Vague ancestry " lol bruh I have their adult baptismal certificate issued in NYC. This isn't Cherokee princess grandma nonsense, this a traceable person who definitely existed.

I literally said this is my heritage, I'm not planning on going to Israel or being a rabbi.

5

u/PlinyToTrajan Non-Jewish Ally (Jewish ancestry & relatives) 16h ago

How will the protest movement adapt, as of January 20, 2025, to the Trump Administration and GOP control of both houses of Congress?