I'm Jewish AMA

[Bobbiepin]

Just that really, brought up (relatively) orthodox if that makes a difference.

Please note, I have an opinion on the situation in the Middle East but I don't believe that Zionism is a part of Judaism and don't really want this to turn into a discussion over Israel.

Also, I can answer to my knowledge of the faith and my experiences, others may have differing understanding and wouldn't agree with my opinion.

Re the Cohens, my surname isn't actually Cohen, it's anglicised, but I remain a Cohen and you can get families who surname is totally different, but are still Cohens.

Re the young Orthodox kids going about, yes I think they are expected to be quite independent, given the large families (often older daughters look after the younger ones) and also mums tend to be very busy and don't have time to ferry their kids everywhere.

I've not thought about the good skin thing, but the poster who said Chassidic women often have very good skin is right - sadly I expect it may just be not much exposure to UV rays and a lot of life spent covered up and indoors.

@GorgonLondon Hmmm 🤔
Are you sure there is not some special miracle concoction that is passed down through generations?

I'm disappointed! My credit card had been poised in suspense all day, waiting to learn of the secret ointment of eternal youth before I purchase the lot

You know I've never noticed that about Hasidic women but you're totally right. I'd there is some miracle concoction, us less frum Jews know nothing of it. I would imagine their chicken soup recipes have security tighter than the crown jewels.

Mona don't despair, Bobbie may well be right - we wouldn't know about it either!

I am a failure as a Jewish mother, I've never even made chicken soup.

My mum's chicken soup, on the other hand, transcends food and is like the elixir of life. I remember my then-boyfriend trying it for the first time while very hungover and couldn't believe how much it cured him.

He's now my husband. Possibly largely as a result of that chicken soup

Why do Orthodox Jews create rules in order to break others? An Eruv is a case in point; an imaginary line so you can break the rules of Shabbat. Why not just say, “You know what? Carry the darn tray of food and push the buggy! God doesn’t care!”?!

Ok so there’s still hope 😀
Somebody out there knows👀

How do you decide which rules to follow and which to ignore? For example you don’t eat pork or shellfish but don’t keep separate milk and meat crockery. Is there a hierarchy of rules?

Make, it's just how it is. It's a bit my granny in the 1930s switching lights on for neighbours - why make someone commit a sin on your behalf or else how do you argue it's not a sin for others who are not in the particular religion so it's fine they do so.. I would say it's because they are quite rules based (and there is nothing wrong with most rules - groups need rules to live in harmony together).

Gorgonlondon If you are looking at your ancestry, you will find the following website fascinating. There is lots of information about individual towns and you can search for names and towns. We were lucky enough to find that a very distant relative had conducted extensive research into my partner's family tree.

www.jewishgen.org/databases/

@PETRONELLAS I know the north London Jewish 'look' you mean. I don't think it's surprising if you consider that many Jewish people belong to the same race: it's the same as being able to tell that someone is East African, or Polish, or Icelandic. Not all Polish people look alike, but there's a common enough 'type' that you can often tell if someone is.

Have just seen @Bobbiepin say that she considers Judaism a religion not a race. I hope you didn't find my comment above offensive; I have heard many Jewish people talk about the Jewish race and I suppose ashkenazi Jews do, by and large, originate from the same geographical location of you go back far enough.

Reasontobelieve Thank you so much, I do indeed know the website and it's great. But we ended up employing a researcher in Poland who was able to find out more in a few days than we had ourselves in years.

Lucky that someone had done your partner's tree already!

itssquidstella Personally I don't think there's anything offensive in what you've said. It's true that many Ashkenazi Jews are very closely related and a lot of us do look alike, though not all. As you say, it's the same with Polish or Nigerian or Somali people - you can't tell all of the time, but of course there is a resemblance.

Being Jewish is complicated. I don't follow any of the rules really, but I am without question a Jew. On the other hand, I know a rabbi who converted (from Christianity) and has no Jewish 'blood' (so to speak) but is a far more observant Jew than I am. It's a funny one!

@makeitstopneville the Eruv line baffles me too. It's up there with 'cover your hair to be modest and preserve your beauty for you family but spend loads of money on wigs that you don't cover'. I think its a kosher way of "modernising" things to make certain things easier. Women want to go to shul and without an eruv they wouldn't be able to.

@itssquidtella no offence taken at all, I understand your point.

@pandapiefortea its a totally individual thing. I can't explain a rational reason why I mix meat and milk but refrain from eating pork etc. There is no rational reason, just a feeling that one I'm comfortable with and the other I'm not.

Riveting AMA - so interesting & informative!

It agree . A brilliant AMA.

I agree , even.

Thank you both.

Great thread.

I find Judaism fascinating, ever since discovering Faye Kellerman as an author. My favourite bits of her books were always the parts where she wrote about Jewish customs and Orthodoxy.

Thank you. I've not read anything she's written but I'll keep an eye out. You may want to read Jodi Picoult's The Storyteller. It covers the holocaust and lots of Jewish traditions. It's a great read.

Such an interesting AMA. I'm fascinated by Jewish culture.

Where do you buy your brisket? Do you have a special recipe?

This is a fascinating thread. I studied Judaism for my A Levels, but clearly either wasn't listening properly (likely) or have forgotten a huge amount over the past 20 years. Submit this thread to the A Level RS exam boards, I say - I've learnt far more here than in two years of studying!

Thank you Bobbie, Gorgon and everyone else contributing!

Where do you buy your brisket? Do you have a special recipe?

A kosher butcher's in North London. No special recipe, just cook it low and slow for hours until it falls apart.

Yes she's a great author. The first one is called "The Ritual Bath" and centres on a crime committed at the mikvah in a yeshiva. I found myself more interested in the Jewish content and explanations than the actual storyline!