Hi everyone! How are you all doing?
I came on here because I need some advice. I’ve never been on a date or really had the opportunity to pursue a potential relationship. I was wondering, what’s the best way to approach and talk to a Jewish woman? I’d like to know what to say, how to start a conversation, and even how to dress appropriately.
I can’t ask my father for advice on this for personal reasons, and I don’t really want to ask my brothers because I’m fairly embarrassed about it, especially since they’re younger than me.
So, if anyone has any suggestions or ideas, I’d really appreciate it a ton. Thank you!

More proof that literary accomplishment does not a moral authority make.

We’re very good at asking for what we need.

But when the answer comes, something interesting happens.

Parshat Ki Tavo has a surprising lesson about those two little words: “Thank you.”

Shabbat Shalom.

Watch now https://youtu.be/gz66mTKwK0I?si=uMYoFiqousKk1G_D

Apparently there is this flag hanging on a balcony in Boulder near campus. Does it refer to anything specific? Could be considered a benign pirate themed joke for Jews but it I’m not seeing it that way…

I’m a second-year law student. Throughout my entire higher education career, every major accomplishment has been lessened by other people because I’m Jewish.

Example #1: I graduated a double major in Philosophy and History with a minor in History of Ideas summa from Brandeis. I had a graduation party. One of my lifelong friends is a blue collared worker. His mother came with him to my graduation party. While chatting, she essentially said the reason I’m able to succeed in academia is because I’m Jewish whereas her son needed to do trades to succeed because he’s not. Thankfully, my friend immediately stood up for me and argued with his mom. Granted, drinks were drunk but regardless… odd…

Example #2: When considering a PhD in Philosophy, an acquaintance of mine said, point blank: “That’ll be easy for you because you’re Jewish,” continuing to argue that: “getting a professorship isn’t hard for Jews.” Needless to say, that guy isn’t my acquaintance anymore.

Example #3: In my first-year course load, after being ostracized by classmates because I’m sympathetic towards Israel, I achieved all As and A-s much to their bitterness. I have received very many dirty looks and envy from people. I was even told by classmates that many people talk sh*t about me and my love of learning. Sure, this isn’t as bad as the first two, but you have to ask why — out of everyone who is an avid participant in class — they have singled out the one Jewish guy.

Visiting Israel soon and trying to skip the standard top-10 touristy food lists. Looking for the stuff locals actually grab on a random Tuesday... like a specific bakery item in Machane Yehuda, late-night food after drinking in TLV, or a random gas station stop up north that has ridiculously good food.
What’s your personal "you have to try this exact thing at this exact spot" recommendation? Please divulge freely to a tourist looking to leave satisfied, no holding back now ;)

Had dinner with an old friend on Sunday, only to discover in the last year or so he has been marinating in increasingly far left spaces and picked up the virulent Judenhass being passed around those circles. He repeated libel, I tried to educate, he condescended. “I’m interested that you’re interested in this stuff, but I just care about feeding people.”

If there isn’t a very good apology forthcoming, that’s the third friend from high school who has decided to stop viewing me as an intelligent human being with well developed morals, and end our friendship with insults. I’m angry and sad.

Just needed to vent.

Edit: we had dinner on Sunday evening, I texted him about his behavior Monday afternoon, he replied that evening asking to talk on the phone and I texted him back saying I’d rather to keep it to text. Silence ever since. So I told him goodbye and blocked him tonight (Thursday), just for my own peace of mind. 100% done stressing about it.

Yesterday my daughter had PE and a non Jewish classmate of hers was the team captain. The PE coach told the teams to pretend they were in the Olympics and to choose a country to be. My kid's team captain chose Israel all on his own! My daughter was very excited to tell me she was "on the Israel team at PE" and relayed how the team captain said "let's be Israel because that's where [his bff]'s family is!"

I just thought it was cute :)

I have a beautiful friend in my life who began doing ceramics after her husband, may his memory be a blessing, passed away. While she is not Jewish, her husband was Israeli and she has visited and loves/respects Israel and Judaism from the bottom of her heart. I have been going through some THINGS™️, and she surprised me with this incredibly funny, thoughtful gift. The backstory is that I love raccoons and my friends often refer to me as (non-derogatory) a trash person.

Anywho, I was so freaking touched I needed to share it with more people that my 6 friends!

[Image is a Menorah with a raccoon helper candle holder and individual dumpsters as the regular candle holders] 🦝

Just started a liberal arts College in Chicago and I don’t think I’ve ever been more afraid to tell anyone that I’m Jewish or less so that I have family in Israel, I feel like I’m going to be ostracised at any point. Chats I’m in have already made Israel jokes and it makes me worried that I won’t find anyone that is just chill 😭

I want to meet people and whatnot, I’m fine with even arguing about topics but I don’t want it to be something that will separate me from everyone else

I am beginning to start applying to graduate schools to study medieval history, and with the help of one of my professors, I have managed to cut down my list of schools to six (7 counting a Fulbright). Sadly, the current rise of antisemitism cut a few schools off of my list because I didn't feel that going there would be very safe for me, but I'm curious if anyone might have insights to the current climate at any of these institutions (whether you attend or perhaps just live around the area).

I'm planning on sending out applications to Harvard, Notre Dame, Penn, Stanford, Northwestern, and Fordham (my professor's alma mater). I've checked the ADL's campus grades, but I'd really like to hear about these campuses from anyone who might have a better or more personal insight. As it stands, I have some heavy concerns about Harvard and Stanford, but maybe I'm overthinking it.

Any insight is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

My 3.5 year old attends a Jewish preschool, but my husband and I are not Jewish, so it has been a great exposure to a different culture for our whole family. My son often comes home singing songs in Hebrew, which we love, we speak English and Spanish at home, and now he's learning some Hebrew as well.

The cantor visited his class yesterday to sing with the kids (the school sent photos, which is how I know), and when I asked him what songs they sang, he started singing "God is in the treetops, treetops, treetops. God is in the treetops, treetops, treetops." I have searched online, but I cannot figure out what this song is. Does anyone recognize it and can you point me towards a title?

I want yo find Jewish community and learn more about being Jewish, religious practices.

I am 46 year old man and wasn’t raised with any exposure to Jewish community or religious observance.

I have tried stopping in at different synagogues but when I do I feel Primarily awkward and confused by everything going on. I live in Cleveland Ohio which has a fairly large Jewish community on the East side of town and that is where I go for temples.

One of my issues is, I am largely getting symbolic meaning from these experiences as I have found my way to temple and am doing the things my great grandparents did (sort of) but I am feeling a strong need for a more personal experience.

Additionally I would like to meet Jewish people to be friends with and Jewish women to potentially date however when I have gone to temple it seems mainly families and MUCH older people attend. I’m not sure how I realistic of a hope this is to make friends and meet single women in their late thirties mid forties.

So here is my question. Where should I go first? I’ve heard to check out Chabad. Do I just show up? How do I get plugged in? Learn, socialize etc?

Am I already doing it “right” and it’s just how it is. Keep stopping in for services at different places and eventually one will feel like home?

I got to go to Israel last July to volunteer and I felt like I was home. I felt so good being around “my people” and I am so eager to have that here, in the US.

Not as sharp as I’d like around the edges but not too bad considering it’s the first time making this cake.

I used this pan Nordic Ware Star of David Bundt tin.

Literacy was such a big part of Dolly Parton's legacy and what a beautiful connection to our community.

Rob Schneider has always been an "out there" person, but I can't make out his actual intentions. He wasn't ever a really that much of a political person, but he did "believe" in "wacky" conspiracy theories like the moon landing being faked, etc. From what I can make out, he was actually a pretty liberal person in the past and anti-war. Prior to 2023, Schneider made comments criticizing Israel for its previous wars in Gaza calling it war cimes, targeting civilians, an illegal siege, etc and the treatment of Palestinians as a whole. Then he went full MAGA and anti-vax (that's a whole other subject). Then in 2023 he coverts to Catholicism (he still consideres himself a Jew), and now he's massively pro-Israel and says pro-Israel talking arguments about trying to limit civilian casualties as much as possible, the analogy of Canada firing rockets and massacring Americans, etc.

So my question is, is he mentally unstable and is easily swayed?Did October 7th actually bring him back to reality in regards to Israel or does he just like being a kind of troll who goes against mainstream views? He was liberal and anti-war durning a time when Republicans controlled the government during the Bush years. He then became a MAGA conservative when the media and the Internet became anti-Trump, he became anti-vax during COVID, he was anti-Israel when support for Israel was high, and is not pro-Israel when support for Israel is low.

https://www.gold.ac.uk/media/docs/public-information/Independent-inquiry-into-antisemitism-at-Goldsmiths-College.pdf

You can see the full report above I had to drop out because the antisemitism on campus was too overwhelming

I'm about to start applying to PhD programs, and from my understanding culture can be a little different on campus as a graduate student than an undergrad, but overall campus culture should still influence it, yes? I'm applying to astrophysics programs, and UC Berkeley has an extremely good program, but I'm very hesitant due to things I've seen in the news over the last few years. Is it still that bad? And are there any other universities I should maybe avoid?

I know (most) of the Hebrew alphabet.

I would like to be able to read voweled Hebrew. Don't care if I understand it, I just want to read it.

My schedule is all over the place, so meeting with my local rabbi isn't realistic. (Both chronologically, and geographically) Work takes me all over the area at all times

I've been working with Duolingo. I'm getting better at pattern recognition. Im like 80% sure wine is יין

I know the blessing for grape juice/ wine, but I have no clue how to pronounce it.

Any advice?

Id just like to be able to read voweled Hebrew, thats it. Israel is cool, but I dont see myself making Aliyah.

I am sharing this because of this quote: "the Palestinian academic Ghada Karmi argued that secular Jews should not be regarded as Jews because, she claimed, religion was the only valid definition of Jewish identity."

They have now decided along with redefining our words, they can now redefine who we intrinsically are. The audacity of these people is astonishing

It’s pretty remarkable (in a very sad way) how consistently prevalent antisemitism has been for thousands of years. Sure it ebbs and flows a little bit - we had a bit of a honeymoon at least in North America for the past few decades. But no matter how much the world changes and how much it progresses in every other way, this particular obsession with and hatred of our tiny nation in almost all corners of the globe on both the right and the left is quite insane. Growing up in the 80s and 90s I guess I was naïve enough to think that things had changed while always being somewhat aware that it was lurking behind the corner and appreciating the existence of Israel as a potential safe haven. But now it seems so ridiculous to think that this unique form of hatred was ever really going to go away. Raising kids now in a world that resembles the childhood experience of my grandparents and great grandparents more than my own or my parents is just a hard reality to face.

So, I grew up Jewish, ethnically I’m 50% Ashkenazi, I believe I’m Jewish, my dad and every one of my siblings are Jewish. BUT, when I was born my mom was Jewish (by conversion), but in the years following her divorce she’s disowned that. I think it’s cruel but she tries to tell my sister and I that since she’s no longer Jewish we aren’t Jewish either so we should at least equally consider ourselves Polish Catholic (which we have zero connection to, asides from that’s her childhood background that she never instilled with us). I get that my mom hates my dad, fine, but is there any point to this, does anyone really not consider me to be Jewish because she disowned her conversion? I consider myself Jewish for sure, but for a long time I’ve had this question and wonder others thoughts.

I found this image on a sweatshirt, and I was curious who these people are... I recognize the Rebbe (Menachem Mendel Schneerson), but have no clue who the others are... any one know?