Judaism: The Hole Story
(My nom-de-internet notwithstanding, that's not a typo)
It never fails. Any time I make a non-Jewish friend, I can start counting the days untill The Question gets asked. Usually it's a few months into the friendship, after we've established all the boundaries. I can also tell when it's coming by now, because it is almost always prefaced by something like "Hey, you know, there's something I've always wanted to ask about Judaism…"
"Is it true you guys have marital relations through a hole in a sheet?"*
Sigh.
I'm convinced this Urban Legend (hey, it's on Snopes – that makes an official UL, right?) comes from the fact that, traditionally, many Jews are reticent to show even the slightest public displays of affection. It's not that we don't love our spouses, it's that passion is a private thing. Somewhere along the line that became something to be mocked. I don't get that, myself. But then, I'm odd.
What I did not know about this myth was that there are Jews out there who buy into it!
Recently, we were at a Shabbat meal where someone at the table spouted off that Satmar Jews engage in intercourse through a hole in a sheet and wasn't that pathetic.
I was floored (as was just about everyone in the table, including this person's spouse, who proceeded to correct him/her in no uncertain fashion) to hear one of our own uttering an anti-Semitic taking point!
Of course, that was before I started reading Jewish blogs more.
Is it just me, or do a lot of Jewish bloggers have a mad-on for Charedim, Chassidim, and just anyone living a more Yeshivish lifestyle than them?
It interests me that many of us bloggers claim to be liberal, but when it comes to some of our own people choosing to live a lifestyle that we don't agree with. I mean, if we can be open-minded about homosexuality but not about our co-religionists, what does that say about us, as people?
Yes, I took issue with those who are violently protesting the Gay Pride parade. However, that was not meant as a sweeping condemnation of the Charedi community. It was meant to be specific to that very small fringe minority who have taken it upon themselves to ignore the actual Torah and follow their viscera. Such people do not represent Charedim as a whole, thank G-d.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Shabbos and may we be Zocheh to live in a world where Jews don’t make up reasons to hate each other.
It never fails. Any time I make a non-Jewish friend, I can start counting the days untill The Question gets asked. Usually it's a few months into the friendship, after we've established all the boundaries. I can also tell when it's coming by now, because it is almost always prefaced by something like "Hey, you know, there's something I've always wanted to ask about Judaism…"
"Is it true you guys have marital relations through a hole in a sheet?"*
Sigh.
I'm convinced this Urban Legend (hey, it's on Snopes – that makes an official UL, right?) comes from the fact that, traditionally, many Jews are reticent to show even the slightest public displays of affection. It's not that we don't love our spouses, it's that passion is a private thing. Somewhere along the line that became something to be mocked. I don't get that, myself. But then, I'm odd.
What I did not know about this myth was that there are Jews out there who buy into it!
Recently, we were at a Shabbat meal where someone at the table spouted off that Satmar Jews engage in intercourse through a hole in a sheet and wasn't that pathetic.
I was floored (as was just about everyone in the table, including this person's spouse, who proceeded to correct him/her in no uncertain fashion) to hear one of our own uttering an anti-Semitic taking point!
Of course, that was before I started reading Jewish blogs more.
Is it just me, or do a lot of Jewish bloggers have a mad-on for Charedim, Chassidim, and just anyone living a more Yeshivish lifestyle than them?
It interests me that many of us bloggers claim to be liberal, but when it comes to some of our own people choosing to live a lifestyle that we don't agree with. I mean, if we can be open-minded about homosexuality but not about our co-religionists, what does that say about us, as people?
Yes, I took issue with those who are violently protesting the Gay Pride parade. However, that was not meant as a sweeping condemnation of the Charedi community. It was meant to be specific to that very small fringe minority who have taken it upon themselves to ignore the actual Torah and follow their viscera. Such people do not represent Charedim as a whole, thank G-d.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Shabbos and may we be Zocheh to live in a world where Jews don’t make up reasons to hate each other.
posted by - Typo Lad | 8:32 AM
1 Comments:
"Is it true you guys have marital relations through a hole in a sheet?"
I don't think I've ever been asked that!
Anyway, nice post.
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