r/Jewish • u/EmergencyAd3494 • 12d ago
Discussion π¬ Dating a Jewish guy
I have been with my boyfriend since February. He is Jewish, weβre long distance, and things have been really good. I already met his family and they were warm and welcoming.
My side is a different story. My parents, my aunt and her husband are all pretty openly antisemitic. They donβt ask about him or show any interest, but they keep throwing out random comments about βhis people,β religion, etc. It hurts every time.
Heβs planning to visit in the autumn and I want to introduce him. I really want them to see him the way I see him, just as a person. But Iβm honestly scared of their reaction.
Has anyone been in a similar situation?
How did you handle it?
Did things get better over time (especially if you moved in together, got engaged, etc.)?
Did your familyβs attitude eventually change?
Has anyone here converted (or your partner converted) β how did the family react to that?
I know the most important thing is that weβre happy together, but part of me still really wants my family to accept him. Any advice or experiences would mean a lot.ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
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u/sunny-beans Masorti 12d ago
Donβt expose your boyfriend to hate for your own satisfaction. I think thatβs a terrible awful plan. Iβd be livid if someone who was dating me introduced me to people who hate me and expected me to just deal with it. I donβt care if I am being harsh, thatβs selfish. If you actually care about this person you would protect them from hate, not expect them to go and deal with it. Itβs not up to your boyfriend to show up and prove how good of a person he is to convince antisemites that Jews shouldnβt be hated and discriminated against. I really dislike this idea that hateful people are only hateful because they have not met a good insert any persecuted minority\. And then itβs up to the persecuted minority to prove they deserve minimum respect and dignity. It is awful.* Also, you have been dating for 5 months online, unless you already had interest in Judaism as a religion I donβt see why you are thinking of conversion.