why are jews different from 'gentiles' whatever that means?

[ooglymoogly]

do they come from different stock? do they have different genes? are they a different color? what the hell is the diff. enlighten me..and what the hell difference does it make anyway? this is 2005 for god sakes...

[Taverner]

1. It's all in the cut

Thank you, thank you, I'll be playing all week

[gater]

2. So all those guys in the porn movies are Jewish?

[LeftyMom]

4. Nope

If they have the whole deal it doesn't show when it's in business anyhow. Especially if one's had thier business expanded surgicaly.

[NAO]

89. Per Tammy Faye Baker, Ron Jeremy is a NY Jew (link)

"Ron Jeremy just called me and I told him I was well. He said God answered my prayers. It’s so cute because Ron’s a New York Jew and I told him he was right. God did answer his prayer."

http://www.retrocrush.com/archive2004/tammyfaye/index.html

[jdj]

94. tasteless, but to be fair to her:

These are two gay friends of yours?

Most of my friends are gay. I’m not kidding you.

You’re a fag hag?

Most of my good buddies are gay. I like a lot of them. Many of them have stayed at the house. They come through to see me. I’ve got so many gay friends that I write to and who I’ve adopted. I’ve got one young man who I’ve unofficially adopted. He calls me mom. I try to help him through some of the things he’s going through in his life right now. I’ve kind of unofficially adopted several young gay men. I’m just there for them as mom. They all call me mom. I answer to that name happily and with great humility. I preach to a lot of gay people.

Does your love of gay people alienate certain Christians?

There are a lot of Christians in the gay community too. Some of the nicest people I’ve met in my life ever are gay and my husband agrees with me.

Being gay can be tough.

I know it is and that makes me sad. Your life shouldn’t be any tougher than anyone else’s. I have a special love in my heart for the gay and lesbian community. I have these two lesbian ministers that I go preach for all the time.

They have a wonderful church. I’m happy because for a long time the guys would fill my one-woman shows. We’d have a ball together, but very seldom would the girls come. Now they’ve opened up their hearts towards me too. To me people are just people. I don’t care what they do in their bedrooms. That doesn’t make any difference to me.

[ooglymoogly]

3. lol

[drdtroit]

61. Not true -

raised Roman Catholic and we were all "cut".

[Clark2008]

106. If it helps...Muslims are cut, too

I was married to one.

[DrWeird]

5. 4,000 years of seperation...

isolation, marriage within the religion, distinct language, etc. has led to a distinct Jewish ethnicity to some degree or other.

There are rare genetic diseases, if I'm not mistaken, that certain Jewish communities have to look out for.

[TwentyFive]

6. Maybe this is too broad of a question....

You could fill several books explaining just how different jewish cultures came about - let alone getting gentiles involved. And who are gentiles? Are they non-jews or christians?

Interesting topic....I would recommend finding a book at your local bookstore.

[Eric J in MN]

39. "gentile" means people who aren't Jewish (nt)

nt

[gater]

7. The term gentile...

was used to describe people that the Jews believed were not part of the covenant with God...but in the New Testament, Paul, for example, mentions often that Jews and gentiles were all welcome to follow the teachings of Rabbi Jesus and join a new covenant, eventually leading to Christianity.

[Yupster]

80. That was the result of the Council of Jeruselum

As the apostles began to travel the world they found many people open to Christ's message, but there was resiaitance to join. The main resistance involved circumcision.

A formal council was called in Jeruselum to determine who could be a follower of Jesus.

The result was a compromise in which the apostles agreed that for a person to be a follower of Christ they would have to do four things. (Come on memory) They were not worshipping idols, not being immoral sexually, not eating strangled meat and not eating blood.

The dog that didn't bark in the list was circumcision. It was determined that a follower would not have to be circumsized to be a follower of Christ, and the movement quickly grew throughout the Roman Empire.

That was the point at which the followers of Christ became a separate faith from Judaism. The Council of Jeruselum determined a follower of Christ did not have to follow Mosaic Law, and the Mosaic law that concerned the most gentile believers was the circumcision.

This is all in the Book of Acts for anyone who wants to correct my faulty memory.

[dave123williams]

8. Well here's the short answer...

"Gentiles" are anybody not Jewish. You are refered to also as 'Goyim' which is a Yiddish word that's a bit more, umm, not a compliment.

Yiddish is kind of a hodgepodge language comprised mostly of German and Hebrew, and was kind of a shorthand spoken by most European Jews until the Nazis wiped them out. It's more of a dead language now, but you can find it's influence appearing strongly in modern English. The next time somebody calls you a 'schmuck', think about looking it up.

Judaism is a religion, not a race. Racially, Jews, like Christians, come in all racial shapes and sizes; African, Russian, European, American, Argentenian, and Israeli. You name it.

Judaism, from an ethno-religious standpoint is separated in to two major divisions. Ashkenazi Jews hail mostly from Eastern Europe; Poland and Russia. Sephardic Jews are from North Africa, Spain and England. The 'Sephardim' are fewer in number. Finally, the major sects of Judaism found here in America are Orthodox (very, very conservative), Conservative (slightly less conservative than the Orthodox), Reform (more sectarian and liberal), and Reconstructionist (a recent development that holds that personal autonomy overrides Jewish Law).

Here's an excellent article on the subject:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism

Which I'll excerpt here:

"According to Jewish law, someone is considered to be a Jew if he or she was born of a Jewish mother or converted in accord with Jewish Law. (Recently, the American Reform and Reconstructionist movements have included those born of Jewish fathers and gentile mothers, if the children are raised practicing Judaism only.)

A Jew who ceases to practice Judaism is still considered a Jew, as is a Jew who does not accept Jewish principles of faith and becomes an agnostic or an atheist; so too with a Jew who converts to another religion. However, in the latter case, the person loses standing as a member of the (practicing) Jewish community and becomes known as an apostate in said community, though this might not affect his standing with non-practising Jews. In the past, family and friends would often formally mourn for the person, though this is rarely done today.

The question of what determines Jewish identity was given new impetus when, in the 1950s, David ben Gurion requested opinions on mihu Yehudi ("who is a Jew") from Jewish religious authorities and intellectuals worldwide. The question is far from settled and is one of the recurrent tensions in Israeli politics and in the divide between Orthodox vs. Reform (or Conservative) Judaism."

[ooglymoogly]

14. so the mother....all she has to do is say i am a jew and i read the torah

in other words it appears to be just an illusion to effect political aims

[AlienGirl]

18. The mother has to have been born Jewish or converted to Judaism

Her child would then be Jewish.

Of course, if the kid's father is Jewish, the kid is recognized as a Jew by Reform Jews.

Tucker

[dave123williams]

27. Incorrect re the Father.

I'm of a mixed marriage, and was raised Reform; I was widely considered 'not quite really Jewish' in our Temple.

[AlienGirl]

31. My rabbi said there was a resolution about it

declaring a child Jewish if one parent is Jewish and the child is raised Jewish.

:shrug:

Tucker

[dave123williams]

33. That's one convention; I'm talking about acceptance or lack thereof.

[AlienGirl]

36. Sorry, I meant "officially" not informally...my mistake.

[dave123williams]

23. It's not that simple; and no, it's not about effecting political aims.

From below:

Christians have 'sacrements', and our little cut is much like that. It's symbolic of Abraham's covenant with God regarding the 'nation of Jews'. I think there's something in the Old Book about him sacrificing his son Issac...you can go look it up.

As a result of this hazing, it would seem that we're 'the chosen' people, though history has proven that to be a dubious distinction....'chosen for what?', some would ask.

In many ways it's about the confluence of several living, evolving documents, of which the Torah is only one. The Talmud, the Mishneh Torah...there's lots of 'commentary' documents, developed over thousands of years, that can be applied to understanding your ethical place in the world; what it means to do good, that what good things you do in this life is what determines your closeness to the divine; it in no way is about accepting God as a 'personal savior'.

In Judaism, the onus is on us to do right in this life; it's not like the eternal 'sin/guilt/forgiveness' cycle to which a lot of Christians subscribe.

This particular idea can be broken down in to three ethical pillars; tzedaka (charitable acts - feeding a hungry person), gemalut hasadim (and act of 'loving kindness', like helping a sick person to die) and h'arivot alavah (respecting all living things).

Mostly, what would make you a Jew is having a Jewish mother. That's the baseline; how far you go with it is up to you, but I got the feeling you were asking about the actual practice of the religion.

So; there's another fundamental difference with the 'goyim' as well; we don't recruit new members; proselytization is widely considered to be tacky in the Jewish community.

We've been around for about 6000 years; there's actually quite a bit to it beyond holding a book as sacred and having your foreskin cut off.

If you're interested in understanding beyond your current ignorance of the religion, I would suggest that you start reading now; you won't be done when you're a very old person.

[ooglymoogly]

62. i understand there is emence wisdom in the jewish religion

and i know all others are based on it. but so are the jewish writings based on more ancient writings, gilgamesh, alweyahh elohim etc. my point is we are none of us so different that we can claim a mandate to rule over others.

[dave123williams]

101. Who said anything about ruling over others?

Weird.

[yinkaafrica]

50. Kind of like calling someone an Infidel

I guess we are more alike than we wish to believe

[dave123williams]

102. Well, that's just part of human nature...

The need for community, and defining the 'other' to generate a sense of identity...all people do it.

However, you'd have to go quite a way back in world history to find the last time the Jewish people were on the business end of calling someone an infidel, and then killing them for it.

In that way, we're not very much like contemporary Revelationist Christians or Wahabist Muslims, at all.

[Karenca]

9. Religion: Judaism – Ethnicity: Jewishness – Politics: Israel/Zionism.

REALLY SHORT ANSWER:...

Don't Conflate Judaism, Jewishness and Zionism

Judaism with Jewishness. The former is a religion, while the latter is an ethnicity (or race, if one can use this loaded term loosely).

Both Judaism (the religion) and Jewishness (the ethnicity) must of course be sharply distinguished from Israeli policies and the Zionist political ideology that underlies them.

[ooglymoogly]

10. so having the apron cut and adhearing to the tora

would make me a jew

[DrWeird]

15. If by that you mean converting to judaism...

yes, I'd consider that a jew.

[dave123williams]

20. Adhering to the Torah is foundational, but not what it's all about...

Christians have 'sacrements', and our little cut is much like that. It's symbolic of Abraham's covenant with God regarding the 'nation of Jews'. I think there's something in the Old Book about him sacrificing his son Issac...you can go look it up.

As a result of this hazing, it would seem that we're 'the chosen' people, though history has proven that to be a dubious distinction....'chosen for what?', some would ask.

In many ways it's about the confluence of several living, evolving documents, of which the Torah is only one. The Talmud, the Mishneh Torah...there's lots of 'commentary' documents, developed over thousands of years, that can be applied to understanding your ethical place in the world; what it means to do good, that what good things you do in this life is what determines your closeness to the divine; it in no way is about accepting God as a 'personal savior'.

In Judaism, the onus is on us to do right in this life; it's not like the eternal 'sin/guilt/forgiveness' cycle to which a lot of Christians subscribe.

This particular idea can be broken down in to three ethical pillars; tzedaka (charitable acts - feeding a hungry person), gemalut hasadim (and act of 'loving kindness', like helping a sick person to die) and h'arivot alavah (respecting all living things).

Mostly, what would make you a Jew is having a Jewish mother. That's the baseline; how far you go with it is up to you, but I got the feeling you were asking about the actual practice of the religion.

So; there's another fundamental difference with the 'goyim' as well; we don't recruit new members; proselytization is widely considered to be tacky in the Jewish community.

We've been around for about 6000 years; there's actually quite a bit to it beyond holding a book as sacred and having your foreskin cut off.

[JohnLocke]

91. That's "torah." Why don't you read and stop posting shit like this? (nt).

[sakabatou]

109. Yes, adhearing to the tiger makes you Jewish.

Japanese joke.

Tora = tiger

[Moloch]

11. What is a Goy?

Is it the same thing as a gentile?

[AlienGirl]

25. Basically yes

"Goy" comes from the Hebrew word for "nation."

As in the words to the song "Lo yisa goy" (see http://www.rachelcross.com/prayerforpeace/lyrics.htm )

Tucker

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[UncleSepp]

17. Sounds more like he's an asshole

I think what you're hearing is the hate filled ramblings of a complete asshole who is also a Jew. He might use his religion or ethnicity to justify his hatred of other people, but that doesn't mean you have to do the same. That's the thing about assholes - assholes come in every religion, all genders, all colors and sizes. There are assholes in wheelchairs. There are rich assholes and poor assholes, and even Jewish assholes. Assholeism is universal.

[alexisfree]

82. a republican asshole!!! .......

[saltpoint]

19. Hi, alexisfree. All 62 thousand of us will in fact --

-- be over to your place this evening, and we'll confront the man upstairs on his bigotry.

If you think it would be more effective, we'll bring torches and pitchforks and attack dogs as well.

His worldview doesn't represent all Jewish people. You know that, right?

[alexisfree]

83. hey!!!! Thank you for your support!!!

.....the other day he ask "why you not visiting anymore? Did I did something to you…. I won’t bite!!!! No shit!.... I know you will…..all the repukes does…:grr:

[saltpoint]

96. I wish you could spend some time in some of the --

-- predominantly Jewish areas on Long Island. Their public schools are really strong, for example. I was taken in by one of these families when I was young and my affection for them is boundless.

This neighbor of yours sounds as if he doesn't challenge himself very much.

I think you're wise to find other people to hang out with.

[alexisfree]

98. ....yes they are really nice...my other neigbors..

are really nice...they are Jewish as well…. love them!!!! love them!! love them!!!.....I had never tell him anything regarding he's attitude, I do respect older people..so ...maybe that is why he still thinks I am he's friend..??

[saltpoint]

100. Can't say what he thinks but --

-- I hope you will choose any friends you want -- no matter their backgrounds, etc.

You're a free agent.

[AlienGirl]

21. He's just one guy

If one random nutbar is enough to make you "understand why people dislike Jews," how many other prejudices have you developed based on sngle random nuts?

Tucker

[alexisfree]

84. ....he is evil except my other neighbors a cross ...

from him..... they are orthodox Jews and they are really sweet couple!!!

[AlienGirl]

86. Okay, you have three Jewish neighbors...

One out of three is an asshole, and on that basis you've decided "Jews are full of hate."

Why haven't you generalized the behavior of the nice couple and decided based on them that Jews are sweeties? Why is it so easier for people to form a prejudice based on a negative example than a positive one?

Tucker

[alexisfree]

87. OK but.......

He doesnt take a shower except once a month. He calls customer service and talks to call center operators because he is lonely and drives around with no insurance and no license. And he says arabs and gays are evil. My gay neighbors just moved out because of him. However I get my revenge when the mormons come over to knock on my door i send them upstairs to try to convert him. All I hear is yelling and slamming of the doors. DONT know what he said. But Im sure its something evil

[AlienGirl]

92. None of that is caused by, or relevant to, him being Jewish!

[AlienGirl]

93. None of that is caused by, or relevant to, him being Jewish!

[alexisfree]

97. Christian, Jew, Buddhist, Islamic, catholic,....he was born evil

so you can understand...better...no matter he is nuts!!! just happens to be a Jewish...

[Tinoire]

95. Yeah... but you know.. Ass-holes in every group

I've been smeared as being anti-Semitic right here in River city by real ass-holes flying under the rader who have NOTHING in common with the Jewish people I frequent.

Let me share with you... My Jewish friends looked at our very own I/P forum and 9 out of 10 them had the same reaction- "Nudniks". Of course, my friends are from Progressive groups like "Jews for Peace" & they're pretty astute at spotting...

You live next to a Nudnik. He only represents the Nudniks. Ignore him and his sad, pathethic little existence.

Keep sending those Mormons up though- I love it! Jehovah's Witnesses would be better if you can find any ;)

[alexisfree]

99. hey thanks..!!!

yes some of them just like my race, some of Latinos can be a fucking pain in the ass!!!!

[DrWeird]

26. Sarcasm is funny.

so is hypocrasy. I love it when people say:

"those (insert any race, religion, gender, etc.) are a bunch of bigots!"

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

51. That asshole does not speak for me (one who happens to be Jewish).

Nor does David Frum, Wolfowitz or Bill Kristol. There are assholes of all religions, races, etc.

[alexisfree]

85. he is ..an.... ASS.!!!

I been putting up with him for the past 3 freaking years ...oh god is great!!!!!!!!! and he will be brought to justice...

[Name removed]

105. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

88. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[killbotfactory]

13. Gentiles aren't descendants from abraham

And didn't have their foreskins cut off...

It's racist, if you ask me. Like almost all ancient cultures. When Moses and the israelites escape from the egyptians in the Bible, they go apeshit slaughtering entire cities and villages in what amounts to little more than ethnic cleansing.

[ooglymoogly]

24. but but but suppose i'm descended from jesus or his family

jesus was a jew and yet a christian boggle boggle boggle

[DrWeird]

28. Where are you going with this?

What is your point?

What are you thinking?

[AlienGirl]

29. I'm thinking he likes ham on his pizza n/t

[DrWeird]

30. That wouldn't be kosher.

But then again, neither is this thread.

[AlienGirl]

32. The pizza truck approaches methinks

[ooglymoogly]

57. i'm saying what the fk is the diff

i'm saying it seems to me an illusion for political reasons to destroy others in the name of religion, and i don't just mean jewish. i started the thread because i don't know why people are so different or pretend to be so different.

[Karenca]

64. Jesus was a Jew...Jesus died a Jew.

He was not a Christian...Never was.
There was no such thing as 'Christian' when Jesus was alive.
He was an Orthodox Jew, who traveled the land preaching Judiasm with a leaning towards Buddhism.


Years, and years, and years after Jesus' death...the New Testament was written. Christianity became a religion....This was very poltical, by the way.

If Jesus were really the son of God
and he could see the world as it is today,
and the Evangelicals,
and the fanatics who kill in his name,
I betcha,
he'd resurrect himself.

[donheld]

37. That would make 90% of America Jewish.

And didn't have their foreskins cut off...

[saltpoint]

16. 'Was told early on by an older cousin that it had to do with --

-- the hoody on your wiener.

I've since come to a broader understanding of the question, but we were 10 and 13 at the time, so I accepted his version as gospel.

Paul was called to Jerusalem so that this issue could be dealt with. Christian churches do not exactly DWELL on this passage of the New Testament, but it is there nevertheless.

[AlienGirl]

22. Also, why do you care?

[ooglymoogly]

35. i care because of the death and destruction in the middle east

it is on the verge of destroying this planet, all in the name of a zealot religion, which is equal to stupidity be it zionism, islamism, christianity or what the hell ever. we are all human beings and that is it...the rest is fkn blsht...and anybody who hasn't figured it out is stupid....rant rant rant....pouring another martini.... slipping

[AlienGirl]

38. Why do you equate all Jews with the Israeli government?

Israel, like the US, has a right-wing government in power right now. But that doesn't mean there's something "wrong" with Jewish people in general--it simply means that any country can get a stupid government.

You know, you *could* convert to Judaism, get Israeli citizenship, and then help vote the Likud party out!

Tucker

[ooglymoogly]

46. i don't

and i know there are many jewish people in this country and in irael who are horrified by what is going on. that is why i asked the question. people are who they are not who they were born to be. good people have no religion that regulates their goodness, they are good because they are just good loving people be they jews arabs blacks gays or whatever...and that is a fact

[DrWeird]

40. Islamism?

The main problem with the middle east is a bunch of American bigots blowing everything up.

Have another one.

[AlienGirl]

43. The main problem is the oil wars

[ooglymoogly]

41. rant on

i care because people are chopping other peoples heads of in the name of religion, i care because people are strapping themselves in explosives and blowing up Innocent people in the name of religion, i care because this country is waging war in the name of religion, i care because we are degenerating into chaos in the name of religion, i care because idiots in the white house are throwing this country in the crapper in the name of some belief they are in touch with god......boy that martini is doing the trick....i care because i care

[Name removed]

44. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Tacos al Carbon]

45. Yes, those Jews

Chopping people's heads off, strapping bombs to themselves, waging wars in the name of religion ... what can we do about them?!?

Drink less. Read more.

Oh, and by the way, you mentioned Zionism. Can you tell me what that is?

[ooglymoogly]

47. frankly my dear i don't have a clue

[DrWeird]

48. Winner of the Understatement of the Year Category...

nt

[ooglymoogly]

53. taco whatever and deweird

you call me a bigot yet it should be clear this has nothing do do with bigotry, or me understanding zionism which i don't. it has to do with what is going on in the middle east which i do know something about and that my friends as you well know is not pretty.

[AlienGirl]

55. And how is that relevant to the original question?

[ooglymoogly]

65. it doesn't but as you can see the discussion has changed

i am being called a bigot by two people on this thread and i am defending myself.

[AlienGirl]

68. So you asked essentially, "What makes a person Jewish?" because

...because you wanted to discuss beheadings in Iraq and suicide bombers? The issues don't seem to connect in any way.

Tucker

[ooglymoogly]

75. as you can see from the beginning of this thread and the first

25 or so posts it was just a friendly discussion and then tacos, shrubadub and deweird came in to assume i am a bigot and changed the whole tone of the thread and which i must say i am not. you at least have been inquisitively polite which i appreciate. i do after all have thoughts of my own and when challenged i respond but i do not think anything i have said could be called bigoted since that is as foreign to me as stupidity

[AlienGirl]

79. I still want to know what the original post

has to do with the beheadings, etc. that you made reference to.

Tucker

[Tacos al Carbon]

59. Really? And what do you know about the Middle East?

What can you possibly know when you bring up Zionism but don't have a clue as to what it is? You complain about beheadings and people strapping bombs to themselves but you're not concerned with Muslims ... just Jews. I don't know if I called you a bigot. If I didn't, please pardon the oversight.

[ooglymoogly]

67. that is blsht

the strapping of bombs is an arab weapon.

[Tacos al Carbon]

72. Do you know that you're making no sense?

And no, suicide bombing is not an "arab" weapon. It is, in fact, a tactic used primarily by Muslim fundamentalists. For example, the very non-Arab Muslim fundamentalists in the Philippines. When was the last time a Christian or other non-Muslim Arab was a suicide bomber?

On edit, it's also completely bigoted to smear all Arabs this way. Saying that suicide bombing is an "arab" weapon makes about as much sense as saying that cross-burning was a "white" tactic.

[Tacos al Carbon]

49. I had that feeling

why don't you go to a library and get a clue?

[Karenca]

56. SURPRISE..!!! The Largest Atheist Populations.. Top 10 Countries. ..

Top 10 Countries
With Highest Percentage of Atheists

Country Percent Atheist

1. East Germany 88.20%
2. Slovenia 29.80
3. Russia 27.30
4. Israel 25.60
5. Netherlands 24.10
6. Hungary 23.30
7. Norway 14.90
8. Britain 14.00
9. West Germany 12.10
10. New Zealand 11.50

[dave123williams]

103. I'm suprised the Russians aren't #1; they're very stoic people.

[Karenca]

107. Not a single country even comes nears East Germany w/88.20%! .. nt

[Tacos al Carbon]

42. I have a feeling

that this is one of those "I'm just asking a question" threads that really isn't. But then, the OP may have found a friend for life in AIF.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

52. I hope the starter of this thread is asking because he/she is

seriously interested in engaging in an enlightened discussion and not to stir up trouble (I ask perhaps naively...).

[Tacos al Carbon]

54. It's a nice thought

But read the thread. the OP apparently has zero interest in learning about Jews and Judaism. Just a garden variety ... well, you know ... complaining about "that shitty little country" and "those people."

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

58. Anyone for locking this thread?

[AlienGirl]

60. I'd rather use it as an opportunity to educate

[ooglymoogly]

63. well that is a stretch

there is no mention or for that matter thought of 'that shity little country' your words. what the hell is going on in your head?
get real.

[AlienGirl]

66. How many Jewish people do you know?

[ooglymoogly]

70. a bunch

i was engaged to a beautiful person who was of jewish parents and i never got the difference.

[Karenca]

71. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE.

Now Democrats, and Repukes...There lies a difference..........

[AlienGirl]

73. So you've answered your own question!

[Orangepeel]

81. are Catholics different from Protestants? Germans from Italians?

Being Jewish is both a religious and a cultural distinction. Why is that hard to understand?

Are you asking if these distinctions are worth killing people over? That's a silly question. Sane and non-evil people would say, "of course not." But there are a lot of crazy and/or evil people in the world, of all races, religions and ethnic identities.

I saw "Hotel Rwanda" tonight. Very powerful movie that takes place when the Hutu in Rwanda were slaughtering the Tutsi.

[Isere]

69. Why this thread?

Or do some people just like to provoke?
And what does it have to do with Democratic politics?

[dave123williams]

104. It's American Politics...it used to have some Democrat influence...

There's kind of a large correlation between American Foreign policy and the American relationship with the Jewish State. Therefore, it's relevant to Democratic politics. QED.

[AlienGirl]

74. Here, read this book:

Judaism for Dummies

[Tacos al Carbon]

77. Actually, that looks like a great read

Might make a nice stocking-stuffer or birthday present.

[AlienGirl]

78. It's quite good!

And Rabbi Ted is great in person too. Last Shabbat service he gave a very moving talk about the tsunami and the upcoming inauguration, and how both should be met with responses more constructive than anger.

Tucker

[NAO]

90. Book Recommendation: Jewish History, Jewish Religion

Jewish History, Jewish Religion : The Weight of Three Thousand Years
by Israel Shahak

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0745308198/qid=1105767807/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/104-6424535-4495136?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

[bobweaver]

76. They are not different. They are just as screwed up as all of us are.

[T_i_B]

108. I was taught...

...that "Gentile" is a term for a non-Jewish person.

And no. I don't believe it makes any real difference from a Christian perspective.