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I’m logging off all socials for tomorrow, so I just want to say to my fellow Jews:
I hope you are safe. I hope you are hugged. I hope nothing bad reaches you.
Please take care of yourselves. Not only in physical safety, but mentally too. If social media becomes too much, allow yourself to log off. Try to do something you like - I know it may come with a sense of guilt but I’ve found it helps while grieving.
Feel all you need to feel. Cry all you need to cry - and if that means not crying at all, that’s ok, too.
No October 7th will ever be the same for any of us. This is the first anniversary, hopefully the next one will be a little more bearable. עם ישראל חי
I don't think people on this website understand what "you should love jewish people more than you hate nazis" means
do you hate nazis because they're fun to hate on and easy to ratio? or because of the material harm they have caused, are causing, and will continue to cause? when you see a nazi, do you see an acceptable target? or do you see an active threat? what do you do to help jewish people outside of these situations? anything at all? do you have positive views on judaism? do you try to better yourself by listening to jewish voices on topics of bigotry?
I'm not going to complain about a nazi getting punched for being a nazi, but the issue isn't as simple as just punching nazis. you need to love jewish people more than you hate nazis if you want to address the root causes of antisemitism
In the Jewish calendar, the anniversary of the Simchat Torah pogrom hasn't happened yet. Simchat Torah is in a few weeks. But if the rest of the world is going to desecrate the memories of those we lost on this day, we must commemorate the pogrom on the Gregorian calendar as well.
I will never be the same person I was before October 7th. We as a people will never be the same. But that's what has allowed us to survive all these millennia - we don't try to go back to how we were: we rebuild, we move forward. When the first Beit Hamikdash was destroyed, we began to set our calendar. When the second Beit Hamikdash was destroyed, we began to record oral Torah. Through thousands of years of successive colonization, genocide, and exile, we have recontextualized and reiterated to ourselves and to the world what it means to be a Jew.
We are Ivrim- people from the "other side", never fully part of the dominant society, but proud of who we are.
עברי אנכי ואת ה' אלוקי השמים אני ירא
"I am an Ivri and I revere YHVH the Lord of the Heavens"
[Yonah 1:9]
We are Yehudim- descendents of the majesty of the united sovereignty of Malchut Yehudah, yearning to return to the time of peace and unity under David and Shlomo.
ליהודים היתה אורה ושמחה וששן ויקר
"The Yehudim had light and joy and happiness and esteem"
[Esther 8:16]
We are Bnei Yisrael- all descendants of the man who wrestled an angel and conversed with G-d
ושמרו בני ישראל את השבת לעשות את השבת לדרתם ברית עולם
"And Bnei Yisrael shall observe the Shabbat to establish the Shabbat for their generations as a forever covenant"
[Shemot- Ki Tisa 31:16]
We are a small nation scattered across the globe, united time and time again by immense loss. But there will come a day when we are united with one heart and one soul not by tragedy, but by joy.
We will rebuild. We will survive. We will dance again.
✡️עם ישראל לעולם חי🎗️
Tashlich is a Jewish new year ritual of casting off the previous years sins/worries/fears/etc in the form of throwing bread into a river and this year about fifty jews watched in disbelief as my dog slipped quietly into the water and began pac man style sucking up chunks of soggy floating bread and we were absolutely powerless to stop her
Shana Tovah to all my Jewish and Jewish-adjacent folks out there!
May this year be better than the last.
Rosh Hashanah is the start of the Jewish new year. We say l'shana tovah, which means have a good year. Apples and challah (dipped in honey) are symbols of hope for a sweet new year. :)
Chronic illness vibes refusing to stop for the high holidays shouldn’t surprise me, but I’m still upset about it
Shanah tovah!!! May 5785 be filled with sweet wishes, everlasting hope, and peaceful blessings. 🍎🍯✡️
I made Gary (my gecko) a tiny Tallis and yarmulke for Rosh Hashanah and he wished u all happy new year
Shana Tova! Today is the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish near year. May it bring the best for everyone!
שנה טובה ומתוקה!
For the past month of Elul (and for this past week for the Ashkenazim lol), we have been reciting selichot, preparing for Yammim Noraim, the days of awe. And finally, tonight is the start of Rosh Hashanah.
So what’s so special? Why did we take the extra time to prepare? Isn’t it just the start of a new year, Nothing more?
There are two reasons why we blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah:
One is a wake-up call, now is the time to do Teshuvah, now is the time to return to Hashem. We’ve sinned, we’ve transgressed, but now is the time to do better. We can always come back on the derech, the path.
Like how a king is announced with trumpets. Reason number two for the blowing of the shofar is that we are pronouncing Hashem as King of kings, Master of masters, and Host of hosts. We’ve grown comfortable throughout the year and we remind ourselves now of Hashem’s greatness while we renew our covenant with Hashem.
This year, when you hear the Shofars blows. Take the time to feel, to acknowledge, and to appreciate. May you have a year as sweet as Apple and Honey. Be plentiful in Mitzvot like a Pomegranate is in its seeds. And always dwell in the house of Hashem.
לשנה טובה ומתוקה
-רנה 3>
I wasn’t going to post anything else today with all that has happened in Israel but evil will not win.
While my heart and prayers are with all the victims and my people, here is a simple lesson on Jewish traditions during Rosh Hashanah.
Traditional Rosh Hashanah foods are symbolic, reflecting hope, renewal, and blessings for the new year. Key examples:
Apples in honey – Wishing for a sweet new year.
Round challah – Symbolizes life’s cycle and continuity, often sweetened with raisins.
Pomegranates – Represent abundance and the 613 commandments
Fish head – Symbolizes the hope to lead and make progress.
These foods are part of the Rosh Hashanah seder, accompanied by prayers and blessings for a fruitful and positive year.
The days leading into the HHDs are the worst for me. It's always the time of year I never feel "Jewish Enough." I have been wrestling with this thought all day and thought I might come here and remind you, kind reader:
You are Jewish Enough just as you are.
Every day I think about how I opened up to a friend about a threat that was sent to my synagogue, and her initial response was confusion, followed by a statement that whoever sent the threat should know that “Judaism is not the same as zionism.”
I’ve never felt more scared realizing that people I know and work with could rationalize threats of attacks at local American synagogues if the synagogue was ✨Zionist✨
And I think about it all the time, because that was supposed to be a statement of comfort in her mind. With the implication was that I was a good, non Zionist conversion student and had nothing to worry about.
It’s not that people can be grossly antisemitic. Their intention and values were just aimed at the wrong place?? 🤨🙄
I know this isn’t a new line of thinking. But it was jarring to hear it said to my face.
The Tanach writing Moses as having a bad stutter from burning his mouth as a baby and needing his brother Aaron to come with him to talk to the Pharaoh and still not being questioned once as God's prophet has done more for Jewish disability rep than 95% of current media.
If you can understand that it is wrong to misgender a trans person you don’t like, but can’t understand that it is wrong to be antisemitic to a Jewish person you don’t like, well… good luck, Charlie.
I’ve been seeing a lot of people talking about accepting Orthodox Jews recently. And while I’m very happy that we’re getting some positive attention for once. I’ve noticed a lot of peoples arguments for why Orthodox (they really mean modern orthodox) Jews are cool is that they’re “not like ultra-orthodox Jews”. So here’s your reminder that if you don’t accept Jews you consider “too orthodox” then you don’t accept Orthodox Jews period.
Internalized antisemitism isn’t a cute look babes.