בעסער הערן קללות איידער הערן נעבעך

Renowned Greek photographer Vangelis Kyris presents a striking series of portraits featuring over 80 models adorned in traditional garments from Jewish communities worldwide. These photographs, printed on cotton and intricately embroidered with gold and metallic threads, breathe new life into historical attire, connecting past traditions with contemporary artistic expression.

The exhibition is available at MUZA - Eretz Israel Museum. Photos via @/eretzisraelmuseum

So, first, some context for why this matters. Jewish art is consistently taken by goyim to be about Anything other than Jewishness. This is both because non-Jews rarely know anything about the Jewish experience but, due to epistemic injustice, and because people don’t like us and don’t want to acknowledge anything we create as Jewish in character.

As for the specific case, relentless dehumanization by society is an essential aspect of the Jewish experience and rhetoric calling us vermin is exceptionally common. It has broader applicability because many people face similar dehumanization, but it is important to understand that he is writing about that experience from that as a Jew. You cannot remove the Jewish context from Jewish art. Like death of the author allows for many interpretations of art, but it needs to be done in the appropriate cultural context. Like people who call steven universe (the character) a christ allegory. Rebecca Sugar is a Jewish person and is not writing a show with christian themes because that’s not her cultural perspective. In the context of Kafka, when a Jewish person writes an allegory about dehumanization the experience of that in regard to Jewishness is always going to be central. Moreover, we are literally talked about as being non-human. While the “lizard people” shit wouldn’t be around for a while, we were (and still are) considered to be physically demonic. To this day people ask to feel the horns we supposedly have on our heads. That, and much of the propaganda of the time was calling us vermin, in the animal pest sense. The art made by Jews is going to be Jewish art with Jewish perspectives. When the central themes of a work are ones deeply intertwined with the Jewish experience as dehumanization and social isolation, the work will invariably be considering the Jewish angle *on* that subject because it is too inseparable from Jewish life. I’m not saying it is considering that exclusively, but I am saying that, yes, it’s about Jewishness and refusing to acknowledge that directly plays into the long tradition of removing Jewish roots, identity, and themes from Jewish art and claiming it’s for/about everyone. If you’d like a more thorough analysis of the parts of the specific Jewish themes in the work, and the cultural background Kafka is drawing on when exploring these themes, there should be no shortage of Jews who have actually read the novel discussing the details if you search for it. Probably a few journal papers as well.

jewish + rromani lgbt solidarity!

Like “shalom” is actually a very different concept than “peace”?

“Taharah” is conceptually nothing like “purity”?

“Tzedakah” isn’t actually “charity”?

“Toevah” isn’t actually “abomination”?

🇺🇸 Adafina is a classic Sephardic Sabbath stew similar to cholent among Ashkenazi Jews. It was prepared before sundown to comply with Sabbath laws, ensuring a ready meal the next day. This slow-cooked stew combines meats, vegetables, chickpeas, and eggs, transforming these ingredients into a delicately textured and flavorful dish. The recipe emphasizes using organic ingredients to enhance the taste, with the key ingredient being time, as the long cooking period perfects the flavors.

🇪🇸 La adafina es un guiso clásico sefardí para el sábado, similar al cholent entre los judíos asquenazíes. Se preparaba antes del atardecer para cumplir con las leyes del sábado, asegurando una comida lista para el día siguiente. Este guiso cocido a fuego lento combina carnes, vegetales, garbanzos y huevos, transformando estos ingredientes en un plato de textura delicada y sabor exquisito. La receta destaca el uso de ingredientes orgánicos para mejorar el sabor, siendo el tiempo el ingrediente clave, ya que el largo período de cocción perfecciona los sabores.

🇮🇱 La adafina es un guiso klasiko sefardí para el Shabat, parecido al cholent entre los djidyos ashkenazis. Se preparava antes del eskurezimiento para kumplir kon las layes del Shabat, assegurando una komida lista para el día sigyente. Este guiso kochido a fuego lento kombina karnes, verduras, garvanzos i wevos, transformando estos ingredyentes en un plato de textura delicada i sabor eskisito. La rezetika sujere uzar ingredyentes organyikos para mejorar el sabor, siendo el tiempo el ingredyente klave, pues el largo peryodo de kochura perfecciona los sabores.

"I go to synagogue with my family, the whole great messy extended clan of grandparents and cousins and all, and my grandfather who is now five inches shorter than I am and a hundred pounds lighter and also-by-the-way-eighty-five-years-old reaches out when we get to the part of the path that isn't paved and takes my hand and puts it in the crook of his elbow to steady me as we walk. When I sit, I don't plant my feet, knees spread wide, and rest my forearms on my thighs during casual conversation; I don't use the booming voice of my butch lungs that can get the attention of a crowded room in full voice, but the musical one, a full octave higher, than I use to speak into silence when I give a speech.

Our rabbi, who has known me since I was the universe's most awkward preteen girl, puts a big, warm hand on the small of my back as we walk, guiding me with him. I try to make it look natural, but I know that if there's a butch watching ze's laughing hir ass off inside, seeing me suddenly trying to do the entire dance backward in heels. Okay, not really heels. You know what I mean. But it does feel exactly like when I dance with my father or grandfathers, the only people left in the world who still want to lead me, and I have to hang on to my dad for dear life because he's the only lead I know stronger than me and can get me through. Paradoxically it's much easier for me to follow him, strong and sure as he is, and let myself be easy in his embrace than it is for me when I dance with my grandfathers, and their weak leads leave me helpless and ungainly on the floor. Without any traction I can't find a gender, or even a rhythm."

[Image: Quote reading “A young man studying for conversion turned to his teacher and said, “But, Rabbi Kushner, Fitzpatrick isn’t a Jewish name.” To which Kushner replied, “It will be.”]

☕️ This morning, when I added creamer to my coffee and stirred it in, I stirred clockwise to bring the intention to fruition and I just asked for a good, positive day.

🍓 For dinner, I went over to my partner’s new apartment and brought a jar of strawberry jam which I read was a Sephardic tradition upon moving to a new place. My partner took a spoonful of the jam and placed it in a small dish I picked out. It was for the sheydim of the house to snack on as a sort of introduction and to prevent negative feelings from the sheydim.

❌ Then I looked into curses and hexes. I don’t think I’m quite ready to do that yet and I’m a little hesitant karma-wise, but there’s some politicians and transphobes that really have it coming, so I’m studying it and on the lookout for a good beginner one.

⚧ When I got home, I cleaned and organized my space lightly. I carved the trans symbol into my candle and lit it with the intention that it should strengthen the trans community (myself included).

🎵 Now I’m listening to one of the songs on my witchy playlist, watching the candle, and reading up on some low energy magic for spoonies.

I’m re-watching the Prince of Egypt, and the whole God saying “totally, just kill a lamb and paint your door with it’s blood so I know not to kill your first born children” really strikes me as a ruthless Pagan God move…

So my question is… What the fuck?

Some secondary and follow up questions? are:

God sent plagues, but that feels like a lot more work than just saying “Hebrews grab your shit, revolt, and leave, you easily out number the Egyptians.”

God appeared to Moses as a burning bush… Why not something idk, more obviously god-like? He has ultimate power and chose to look like flaming shrubbery.

This story is so weird, because you could change the names of the people and places, then tell me it’s a fantasy story about some Pagan God that wants to deliver his worshippers out of bondage.

But also fuck everyone else who’s having a rough time? He doesn’t care about delivering anyone else, including future enslaved races? Just the Hebrews… That one time… :/ Dude sounds like some choosy guy who has to use a surrogate… Must not have ultimate power if he can’t come down from his high throne and do it himself??

But basically, you’re approaching this from a heavily christian-normative atheist perspective. I don’t think asking Xtians about this story will help, because this is the most fundamentally Jewish story to be tackling. 

Here goes:

“totally, just kill a lamb and paint your door with it’s blood so I know not to kill your first born children” really strikes me as a ruthless Pagan God move…

Animal sacrifice absolutely exists in the Torah and during the first and second temple periods. The fact that Judaism explicitly bans all human sacrifice is seen as (in historical context) a huge step away from pagan ritual sacrifice. Many scholars believe the shift to animal sacrifice in general is reflective of understanding man’s more primal urges, and redirecting it away from murder or human sacrifice. 

At any rate, the sacrifice of the lamb and painting of the lintel with lamb’s blood could have any number of possible parallels or reasonings. 

It’s worth noting that sacrificing a lamb would be considered to be inappropriate by the Egyptians, which is mentioned right there in the text of Exodus. (I assume you didn’t read it):

(Chapter 8) 21 Thereupon, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and he said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.” 22 But Moses said, “It is improper to do that, for we will sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to God our Lord. Will we sacrifice the deity of the Egyptians before their eyes, and they will not stone us? 23 Let us go [for] a three day journey in the desert and sacrifice to the Lord, our God, as He will say to us.” 24 Pharaoh said, “I will let you go out, and you will sacrifice to the Lord, your God, in the desert, but do not go far away; entreat [Him] on my behalf.”

The Egyptians had Sheep/Ram headed Gods, so it’s not surprising that sacrificing a lamb for God would indicate that the Jewish people are truly not Egyptians, especially if an Egyptian might be inclined to stone someone for doing this. 

The choice of sacrificing a sheep might very well be completely intentional as an affront against Egyptian oppressors. We have corroboration historically about the importance of rams and sheep in Egypt:

Herodotus, in his survey of Egyptian customs, writes (Histories, 2:42):

Now all who have a temple set up to the Theban Zeus (=Amun) or who are of the district of Thebes, these, I say, all sacrifice goats and abstain from sheep… the Egyptians make the image of Zeus (=Amun) into the face of a ram… the Thebans then do not sacrifice rams but hold them sacred for this reason.

So this isn’t just a random “pagan” act, this is a group of people intentionally sacrificing an animal held sacred as representative of a pagan god, because that is what God requires and asks for. The Egyptians would never sacrifice a sheep, if the sheep represents some of their deities – but the Hebrews, who do not worship pagan gods, most certainly would. 

If you read chapter 9, you will also see Pharaoh try and command that the Hebrews should leave behind their sheep and cattle (in part to prevent their sacrifice) - which they refuse to do. 

The “sacrifice” of the lamb fulfills a few different purposes:

 it is considered sacrilegious by the Egyptians, thus setting them apart from the pagans (and symbolically showing a willingness to destroy pagan gods)

the lamb is meant to be cooked and prepared so that the families can eat it. It’s a meal to be prepared in light of the fact that they’re preparing to flee. 

Torah also tells us the blood is a sign for the Hebrews, and not the Egyptians. The blood is actually marked on the inside of the door (as per Rashi’s commentary on the Hebrew), and therefore the only people who can see the blood would be God (who is able to see all) and the Hebrews from inside their homes. It looks more impressive to do it the other way when you animate it, though. 

The verse shows us this: 

And the blood will be for you for a sign upon the houses where you will be, and I will see the blood and skip over you, and there will be no plague to destroy [you] when I smite the [people of the] land of Egypt.

Rashi explains: And the blood will be for you for a sign: [The blood will be] for you a sign but not a sign for others. From here, it is derived that they put the blood only on the inside. — [from Mechilta 11]

and I will see the blood: [In fact,] everything is revealed to Him. [Why then does the Torah mention that God will see the blood?] Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I will focus My attention to see that you are engaged in My commandments, and I will skip over you.” -[from Mechilta]

Your other questions are also interesting: 

God sent plagues, but that feels like a lot more work than just saying “Hebrews grab your shit, revolt, and leave, you easily out number the Egyptians.”

Well, again, have you read a haggadah? We uh, talk about this once a year. If God had let us flee Egypt and not bothered with punishing our oppressors – that would have been enough! 

 Ilu hotzianu mimitzrayim, v'lo asah bahem sh'fatim, dayenu!

So like, in general, you can’t attend a passover seder without questioning…why God bothered with the plagues. 

God appeared to Moses as a burning bush… Why not something idk, more obviously god-like? He has ultimate power and chose to look like flaming shrubbery.

A bush that is on fire but does not get burnt is pretty impressive. But again, I guess you haven’t actually read exodus, because it’s not just a burning bush:

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from within the thorn bush, and behold, the thorn bush was burning with fire, but the thorn bush was not being consumed. So Moses said, “Let me turn now and see this great spectacle why does the thorn bush not burn up?”

An angel appears in the fire, the thorn bush is on fire, but does not burn. Then God appears. But eh, maybe that isn’t as wild as you want it to be, so the following exchange between Moses and God is a bit more…miraculous. First God turns Moses’ staff and turns it into a serpent, and back into a staff. This is the first sign Moses can use to prove that God is here. And then… 

And the Lord said further to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom,” and he put his hand into his bosom, and he took it out, and behold, his hand was leprous like snow.

And He said, “Put your hand back into your bosom,” and he put his hand back into his bosom, and [when] he took it out of his bosom, it had become again like [the rest of] his flesh.

…you might want to picture it a little bit like this:

– You best start believing in holy stories, Moshe. – you’re in one. 

But again, you don’t need to believe in this literally or accept it as literal. But I think it’s a bit silly to say it’s not “miraculous” enough or something. 

This story is so weird, because you could change the names of the people and places, then tell me it’s a fantasy story about some Pagan God that wants to deliver his worshippers out of bondage.

Except you couldn’t, which is why it’s a story about the Jewish monotheistic God. If you swapped out the name of God and the people, it would still be a monotheistic story. 

You could take “In order that they believe that the Lord, the God of their forefathers, has appeared to you, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.“ 

and instead say “the King, the Ancient One of their forefathers, has appeared to you, the God of Maharba, the God of Caasi, and the God of Bocaj,” but you’re still fundamentally naming a monotheistic deity. 

But also fuck everyone else who’s having a rough time? He doesn’t care about delivering anyone else,

Again, this isn’t true, and even PoE illustrates this! Watch it again, and you’ll notice Egyptians dropping their weapons and walking alongside the Hebrews, even crossing the sea! and why else would God give commandments before the Hebrews cross the sea about what to do with the converts and strangers living among them?

Exodus 12:37-38:

The children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot, the men, besides the young children. And also, a great mixed multitude went up with them, and flocks and cattle, very much livestock.

These are the others, fleeing with the Hebrews. Anyone who wanted to flee was able to do so, and join the Israelites. 

including future enslaved races? Just the Hebrews… That one time… :/

Well there’s a few ways to look at this. But I don’t believe this is an issue of “just this one time.” 

1.) the issue of the Jewish people being enslaved and kept from Israel is an issue because if the Jewish people fulfill their end of the covenant (contract) then God should also fulfill their promises. An exodus from slavery in Egypt had to occur for the return to Israel to happen. The covenant is a contract. God is making good on their end of that contract with the exodus. 

So here, God intervenes lest they fail to uphold a contract. 

2.) But also, ultimately, Judaism promotes the idea that in times of distress mankind should act as if there is no God, and do the right thing. We take action because it is up to us to take that action. It was ultimately up to the Israelites to leave Egypt, even if God made it seem more possible to do so. It was up to the Israelites to pack their things and prepare their rations and even up to them to bravely step forwards into the sea and keep going, even though it took time for the waters to part. (Some say the waters did not part until the Israelites were so far into the water that it would have drowned them.) 

So have other people been liberated from slavery? Absolutely. You have two choices - you can say it was because of “God” or you can say it was because of the hard work of abolitionists and slave uprisings. It’s not a mystery why the African American community references Exodus so heavily in gospel music - Jewish freedom is a template for all freedom (and anyways, there are also black Jews!). So did God free black slaves, or did black men and women and abolitionist allies work tirelessly for that freedom? Couldn’t it be both? Shouldn’t we say, be capable of going “If God freed us then, then now our lives should be also dedicated to freeing everyone else?” Why would you assume mankind is free from the work of liberation? It is our job to work for freedom on behalf of others, not to just sit on our ass and expect God to do the work. 

Again, no surprise that Jewish Americans were involved in abolitionism throughout the world and heavily involved in the US civil rights movements. 

Dude sounds like some choosy guy who has to use a surrogate… Must not have ultimate power if he can’t come down from his high throne and do it himself??

…Choosy, absolutely. Not having ultimate power is endlessly debatable. One way or another, it happened, and certainly God sent down the forces to do so in Exodus. But also, uh, you realize a lot of this was a learning and teaching process, right?

If someone can give me a real solid answer as to why God sounds just exactly like some Pagan Gods (with the lambs blood, water into blood, plagues and shit) then I will shut the fuck up. Until then, imma be questioning this :/ :/ :/

Like I said, lamb’s blood is in direct contrast/opposition to local Pagan worship.

The Nile running red with blood is actually deeply symbolic – recall that in the beginning of the Exodus story, the first born Hebrew sons are being thrown into the Nile River. So what God is doing is illustrating the fact that the Nile was filled with the blood of the Hebrew people - specifically their firstborn sons - and this is the blood which Pharaoh was responsible for shedding. It’s similar to Macbeth, when Lady Macbeth hallucinates blood on her hands after her murderous act. Except here, the entire Nile turns to blood, haunting Pharaoh with the blood of the slaves his father had murdered. Talk about facing the reality of your actions. This is where the blood comes from. 

There’s also a part of the seder where we discuss the four questions (why is this night different from all other nights?) and then we discuss the Four Children, each child covering a different attitude towards the story. To paraphrase: 

The Wise Child asks: What does this all mean? What are the laws we are commanded, the customs and traditions we uphold? 

The Wicked Child*** asks: What does this mean to you? [Why do you even bother with all this?]  ***wicked isn’t like, “evil” it’s more like “challenging.” or “isolated” from the community by distancing themselves. 

The Simple Child asks: What is it that we’re doing? What’s the seder about?

The Child Who Does Not Know How to Ask doesn’t ask a question at all, and instead can be prompted into thinking of questions to ask, being helped to understand things, or may just be too young to formulate the question– and yet we still must include them. 

Each “type” of question is meant to be met with an answer. So asking these questions might be discouraged in xtianity, but is part of the Jewish tradition. 

It’s okay if you don’t believe everything, or don’t take it literally. Honestly, that isn’t why I answered your questions - I’m not concerned about convincing you of the truth or literalism of the story. I just think it’s fair to want honest answers to interesting questions. Personally, whether or not it happened literally isn’t really a big deal for me, or even where i derive meaning when hearing the story. Faith means something different in Judaism than it does in xtianity, so I don’t have any kind of investment in trying to convince you to “just believe” because someone said so. 

I HAVE 

UPDATED

Operation Solomon • Jewish Museum London

Ethiopian Jews being airlifted from Addis Ababa to Israel on May 24, 1991, as part of Operation Solomon. This covert operation involved 34 jumbo jets of the Israeli air force, hundreds of soldiers and the evacuation of 14,200 Jews. It was prompted by the worsening political situation in Ethiopia under the government of Mengistu Haile Mariam.

A Jewish community was first established in Ethiopia sometime after the destruction of the First Temple in around 587 BCE. The origin of the Ethiopian Jews is unclear though most believe that they are the descendants of King Solomon and Queen Sheba. Throughout its history, the community has been referred to by numerous names like ‘’Falasha’’ which means ‘’stranger’’ which shows how their Christian neighbours viewed them as strangers in their land and ‘’Beta Israel’’ which literally means ‘’house of Israel’’. This name shows the community’s own deep connection to the Torah and their faith.

Ruda, Ruta graveolens ​רודה, is one of the most commonly used and venerated plants among Jewish communities.

"As a woman from Bulgaria recalled, "When we were sick, my mother used to perform livianos of lead. Also she used to boil mint, a little rue, a little lemon. All mixed up. She would boil it like a tea, strain it, and give it to us to drink for stomach ache. There we didn't go too much to the doctor, as we do here. Things of the house, they did things to us at home. All the medicines were prepared for different pains. Everything helped" (8).

Learn more about rue and the use of herbs in Judaism.