Happy Pesach wherever you are and however you sat it! Our unique cultural traditions are beautiful and worth celebrating!


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Happy Pesach wherever you are and however you sat it! Our unique cultural traditions are beautiful and worth celebrating!

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pleaaaaaase y'all the process of having a manufacturing facility declared kosher has nothing to do with a rabbi blessing the food
pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase stop
you can literally google what is required
This touches on something I feel like most Christians (cultural and/or practicing) reaaaaallllly don’t get which is that rabbis traditionally aren’t clergy/priests in the Christian sense.
A rabbi isn’t a divinely-ordained speaker-for-God whose primary role is leading worship. Traditionally, rabbis are experts in Jewish law, practice, culture, history, etc.
A rabbi doesn’t have any sacred/spiritual/magical powers to bless things that any other Jew doesn’t have. (And that’s not how blessing things works in Judaism anyway. It’s an expression of gratitude, not a transmutation or instillation of magic divine power.)
The reason a rabbi is involved is to *make sure everything’s being done correctly.* Because they’re an *expert*.
Not to “bless” anything to fill it with godpowers or whatever.
Yes yes this.
You call in a rabbi to supervise and make sure that a kosher food production facility is set up properly the same way that you call in a master electrician to check and make sure all the lines are set up correctly. The electrician isn't blessing your production line any more than the rabbi is - they're both there to make sure shit is being done right.
So what you’re saying. Is the rabbi is like kOSHA?
This made me laugh so hard I wheezed.
here’s the thing, gentiles. there is pretty much no “critique” of judaism you can make that a jew hasn’t already made.
“circumcision is bad!!!!!!!!”
plenty of jews agree and have been wrestling with this practice for decades.
“the bible says being queer is bad!!!!!!!!!”
these verses have been torn to shreds by jews for decades if not centuries. i know dozens of queer rabbis, and most of my friends are queer jews. my rabbi has a trans kid and frequently goes to our state capitol to yell at the government for being transphobic.
“what even is the point of keeping kosher!!!!!!!!!!”
we have entire books written about this and discuss it frequently.
“but israel!!!!!!”
congrats! ur just antisemitic.
in conclusion, there is no Hot Take you as a non jew can have abt judaism and jews that hasn’t already been discussed to death by jews. your dumb one liner has already been pondered for 200 years by a bunch of nerds in kippot on a tuesday afternoon. your revolutionary opinion is old news. you are boring. make some jewish friends and learn something.
So my Jewish friend showed me the Talmud, and, not even kidding, it's like the old Tumblr nested reblogs, but in print.
Gentiles discovering Talmud like this because of the ways it’s like the internet is unironically and wholeheartedly one of my favorite intercultural things. <3
the last ten nights of Ramadan are here! insh'Allah we find laylat al-qadr (ليلة القدر) on one of these nights and find peace, healing, and forgiveness in qiyam al layl and ibadah in this time. ameen!
اللهم إنك عفو تحب العفو فاعفُ عني
Places of Worship Around the World: Edmonton, Canada
Al-Rashid Mosque
Al-Rashid Mosque is the first mosque ever built in Canada.
It first opened in December 1938, when Canada's Muslim population totaled about 700 people (nowadays it's estimated that there are around 1,053,945).
If you're looking at that mosque and thinking "Huh. That's a weird-looking mosque..." you're not wrong, and there's a reason behind the unorthodox shape of the building: it wasn't designed/built by a Muslim.
It was designed by Ukrainian-Canadian contractor Mike Drewoth, who modeled the architecture after the Eastern Christian (Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox) immigrant churches of the time.
Here's what it looked like upon first opening:
The building shown above is now mostly unused for worship and is maintained for historical purposes, as the Muslim Edmontonian population has long grown too large to be accommodated in the original building. The primary building that's used nowadays looks like this:

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Greco-Buddhism is the term given to refer to the cultural syncretism of Hellenistic and Buddhist culture in ancient Bactria and the India (present day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Northern India) between the 4th century BCE and 5th century CE. The style gave rise after the invasion of Bactria (present-day Afghanistan) and the Indus Valley by the Greek armies of Alexander the Great, and flourished under the subsequent Indo-Greek Kingdom and the Kushan Dynasty, who incorporated the Greek Alphabet and other aspects of Hellenistic culture into their own society. The result was an interesting combination of Greek artistic elements in the local Buddhist art. It is generally believed that the first anthropomorphic images of the Buddha emerged during the Greco-Buddhist period in the 1st century CE. Scholars credit many stylistic elements of the image of the Buddha, such as his halo, stylistic curls, and top bun style to Greco-Roman artistic influence. Interestingly, many standing images of the Buddha at this time also depict him in a Greek contrapposto. Many deities from the Hellenistic pantheon were also adopted into Buddhist religion. The most notable examples are the deities, Heracles, Tyche, and Boreas, who eventually became associated with the Buddhist deities, Vajrapani, Hariti, and Oado respectively. Aspects of Greco-Buddhism managed to filter into Buddhist art within the Indian subcontinent and Eastern Asia as the religion started to spread eastward. Greco-Buddhism is one of the greatest examples of long distance cultural and artistic exchange in the ancient world, spanning between two continents and adapting elements from countless different cultures, most notably, Greco-Roman, Persian, and Hindu.
Greco-Buddhism particularly flourished in the ancient region of Gandhara which encompassed the land around the border of Afghanistan and Northern Pakistan. Excavations in the archaeological site of Hadda, located near the Kyber Pass in Afghanistan, recovered over 23,000 examples of Greco-Buddhist art. Many of these sites, unfortunately, were destroyed or heavily damaged through looting and vandalization by the Taliban in the 1990s. The artifacts that have survived are a testament of a very rich and diverse cultural syncretism.
Images: 1) Statue of the “Hadda Triad.” A Giant statue of the Buddha sits between the two deities, Vajrapani/Heracles and Hariti/Tyche who are sculpted in the Hellenistic style. From the Tapa-i-Shotor Buddhist complex in Hadda, Afghanistan. c. 2nd-5th century CE. This statue was destroyed in the 1990s by the Taliban. Only photographs and illustrations survive.
2) Sculpture relief of the Buddhist gods Hariti/Tyche and her consort Pancika. The two figures are donned in Greek style dress and Hariti/Tyche is holding a Hellenistic-style cornucopia. From Gandhara, Pakistan, c. 3rd century CE. British Museum.
3) Bronze statuette of a seated Buddha. From Gandhara, Pakistan, c.1st-2nd century CE. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
4) A reliquary known as the “Bimaran Casket.” The Buddha, pictured in the center, is depicted in a contrapposto pose. He is surrounded by two deities, Brahma and Śakra, inside Greco-Roman style arched niches. From Hadda, Afghanistan, c. 1st century CE. British Museum.
5) Indo-Conrinthian capital decorated with a seated Buddha. From Gandhara, Pakistan. 3rd century CE. Musée Guimet
A dervish or darvesh (from Persian درویش, Darvīsh via Turkish, Somali: Daraawiish, Arabic: درويش, Darwīš) is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or “Tariqah”, known for their extreme poverty and austerity. In this respect, dervishes are most similar to mendicant friars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus.
Many dervishes are mendicant ascetics who have taken a vow of poverty, unlike mullahs. The main reason they beg is to learn humility, but Dervishes are prohibited to beg for their own good. They have to give the collected money to other poor people. Others work in common professions; Egyptian Qadiriyya – known in Turkey as Kadiri – are fishermen, for example.
Some classical writers indicate that the poverty of the dervish is not merely economic. Saadi, for instance, who himself travelled widely as a dervish, and wrote extensively about them, says in his Gulistan:
“Of what avail is frock, or rosary, Or clouted garment? Keep thyself but free From evil deeds, it will not need for thee To wear the cap of felt: a darwesh be In heart, and wear the cap of Tartary.”
Rumi writes in Book 1 of his Masnavi:
“Water that’s poured inside will sink the boat
While water underneath keeps it afloat. Driving wealth from his heart to keep it pure King Solomon preferred the title ‘Poor’: That sealed jar in the stormy sea out there Floats on the waves because it’s full of air, When you’ve the air of dervishood inside You’ll float above the world and there abide…”
There are various orders of Dervishes, almost all of which trace their origins from various Muslim saints and teachers, especially Imam Ali. Various orders and suborders have appeared and disappeared over the centuries. Dervishes spread into North Africa, Turkey, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Iran, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
Other groups include the Bektashis, who are connected to the janissaries, and the Senussi, who are rather orthodox in their beliefs. Other fraternities and subgroups chant verses of the Qur'an, play drums or whirl in groups, all according to their specific traditions. They practice meditation, as is the case with most of the Sufi orders in South Asia, many of whom owe allegiance to, or were influenced by, the Chishti order. Each fraternity uses its own garb and methods of acceptance and initiation, some of which may be rather severe. [x]
I have a question for writing a Sikh character in a book: In researching I saw that hair should be combed at least twice a day. I had the idea of the characters romantic partner combing their hair for them in the morning, then again at night, as an element of their relationship. Does someone else combing your hair count or would the character need to comb it themselves as well to fulfill that aspect?
Hey - @writingwithcolor would be a better place to ask this!
[image description: a light blue square with text on pink banners reading “Call for stories from trans and nonbinary persons on solidarity, allyship, & intersectionality.” At the center of the square is a first in varying shades of brown surrounded by the trans flag colors and rainbow flag colors; around it is a ring of symbols from various world religions. / end id]
_______
Blessed Are the Binary Breakers, a multifaith podcast of trans stories, invites trans and/or nonbinary persons of any (or no) religious background to share their stories or thoughts around solidarity, allyship, and intersectionality for a special episode of the podcast.
Of particular interest are stories or thoughts that bring faith into the conversation.
Questions you might answer in your submission:
How can trans persons act in solidarity with each other and/or with other marginalized groups?
How do various marginalizations intersect, particularly in your own life?
How can or do faith communities support trans persons of various intersectional identities? How have they failed to do so?
What role does the Divine play in trans solidarity?
What are stories from your own life of you giving or receiving support?
Submissions are due September 1– send them to [email protected].
Send audio or video of yourself speaking if you’re okay with your voice appearing in the episode; or
send a written transcript for Avery to read on your behalf.
Include your pronouns, whatever name you want to go by in the episode, and any other info you want to share (age, location, hobbies, faith info, etc.)
Try to keep the submission between 1 and 9 minutes long!
Send any questions you have my way, and please feel free to signal boost this post on or beyond tumblr!
What are the different kinds of Judaism and what makes them different?
Ooooooookay this is a Big Ask and honestly I’m kind of overwhelmed with Life right now so Disclaimer: This is almost all from memory with only minimal referencing during its composition. I apologize for mistakes present. It’s an oversimplified answer.
First of all, Judaism has denominations, cultures and movements. Denominations are the big, major divides of a religion; like how Islam has Sunni and Shia, and Xtianity has Orthodox vs Catholic (and all the subcategories that descended from each, xtianity is kind of bonkers when it comes to religious disunity…). Cultures are how the different customs and “flavors”, if you will, of a religion differ from place to place (like how Irish Catholicism just feels different from Italian Catholicism which feels different from Latine Catholicism). Movements are sub-categories within a denomination that have the big questions in common, but differ on the details (such as the varieties of Protestantism).
So, in Judaism, there are three major denominations: Rabbinic Judaism, Karaite Judaism, and Ethiopian Judaism. You might also argue that Samaritanism counts as a branch of Judaism, so I’ll touch on it, but note that it is controversial - it’s kind of a lumper/splitter issue. In categorizing life a lot of the distinctions between genera and species break down with fossil organisms so scientists are constantly arguing over whether or not a group of related animals are all different genera or different species within the same genus - it’s like that. If Samaratanism isn’t Judaism, then it’s like, one of its closest relatives on the religious evolutionary tree. Etc.
What is Judaism? Judaism is an ethnoreligious tradition and cultural system which is united by the idea of treating the Torah, a group of five books called Genesis (Bereshit), Exodus (Shemot), Leviticus (Vayikra), Number (Bamidbar), and Deuteronomy (Devarim), as a sacred text and guide for life. Judaism holds that if there is a deity, there is a single Deity, indivisible and absolute. Judaism holds that the Jewish people, defined by a common ancestry (from a semi-mythical figure Yaakov ben Isaac v’Rivka), were the only group of people to accept the Torah and to, thus, live the way to be closest to HaShem. Since around two thousand years ago, Jews have also been defined by their rejection of Jesus as the Moshiach, the moshiach being a concept of a figure who would come in after the world was perfected (or if the world just went completely caput) to usher in an age of peace and joy. Jewish people consist of those who treat the Torah as an important text and who reject Jesus as the Moshiach, and were either born into a Jewish family or converted into the Jewsih people. The things that make different Jewish groups different are entirely based upon how they interact with the Torah and what they believe the origin of the Torah to be, as well as the specific place of the Jewish people as the ones who accepted the Torah.
So, big divisions. Samaritanism is a denomination of Judaism or an Abrahamic religion very close to Judaism who do hold a version of the Torah sacred and continue to carry out many of the rules of the Torah more closely than even rabbinical Jews do today (more on what that term means in a bit). However, they hold that the holy site of the Jewish people is not the city Jerusalem, but rather Mount Gerizim. They consider themselves to be the descendants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, rather than the Southern Kingdom of Judah, from Biblical times (long story, basically the twelve tribes of Israel, so people who considered themselves descendants of Yaakov, split up, you know, family disputes, and all that). As such, they aren’t Jewish in the sense that they aren’t from Judah, but they do a lot of the same things that Jewish people did and study a very similar text to Jewish people, and fulfill a lot of the qualities of Judaism (ie, they don’t think Jesus is the Moshiach, they have the one Deity, they treat the Torah as sacred, etc.) So, are they Jews? Definitionally no. But also kind of yes. There are very few of them, less than one thousand, all found in modern Israel/Palestine.
Ethiopian Judaism (Haymanot) is a very unique denomination of Judaism based on a group of Jews who migrated to Ethiopia and settled there, creating the Beta Israel community. They hold the Torah sacred and follow its laws, believe in one deity, and reject Jesus as the Moshiach. However, because their traditions and laws diverged before the onset of rabbinic tradition (again, more on that later, it’s the biggest group so I have to save it for last), they do act very differently from most other Jewish groups and thus constitute a denomination rather than movement. They celebrate Jewish holidays a little differently, sometimes even at different times, and have their own holidays in addition. They also have important texts that are not found in any other branch of Judaism. There are 135,000 Ethiopian Jews around today, with 130k of those found in Israel, 4k in Ethiopia, and 1k in the United States. Unlike Samaritanism, you can convert to Ethiopian Judaism, and currently there are a lot of Ethiopian Jewish customs slowly working their way in to more mainstream Judaism as Ethiopian Jews integrate more in Israel.
Karaite Judaism is a form of Judaism descended from a somewhat reactionary movement from a little more than a thousand years ago. Rejecting rabbinic writings (again, just, wait), they declared that only the Tanakh (”Old Testament,” basically the Torah + Prophetic Writings + Other Spiritual Writings) was sacred and everything else should be held in equal esteem, but not sacred - so they rejected things like the Talmud and rabbinic commentary. They lived mainly in Egypt and the middle east and did spread to Eastern Europe. Today, most Karaite Jews live in Israel - there are about 50,000 of them total and 40,000 are found in Israel. The Ukraine and United States each have about 1,000 Karaite Jews. Though they don’t usually take converts, they do interact with Rabbinic Jews to varying degrees (my Rabbi once officiated a wedding between a reform Jew and a Karaite Jew). Unlike traditional Rabbinic Jewish practice (see below), Karaite Jews define Jewishness based on if the individual has a Jewish father - if they do, they’re Jewish.
Rabbinic Judaism is the most common form of Judaism, with millions of followers around the world with a variety of cultures and customs. Rabbinic Jews hold that in addition to the written Torah, the five books of Moses listed above, G-d gave the Jews the oral Torah, the laws and statutes and explanation of the Torah as discussed by Jews, at Sinai - meaning it was just as sacred. This meant that the Talmud and other writings by these scholars of Torah - known as rabbis - was as sacred as the original Torah. The Talmud and other writings such as commentaries and midrash thus became foundational for rabbinic Jewish practice, elaborating on the laws and customs set in the Torah and expanding on them. Traditionally, Rabbinic Jews define Jewishness based on the mother - if your mother is Jewish, so are you.
Rabbinic Judaism, being the most populous denomination, varies extensively in ways that aren’t as fundamentally different as whether or not you accept the Talmud or the varying different writings of the Ethiopian Jews as sacred. Unlike Xtianity, however, where the movements are the second deepest division level and culture is the most minor differences; in Judaism movements are actually third tier. The second tier is culture.
There are a lot of different cultures of Rabbinic Judaism based on location of origin. How they are divided is under some debate - there are either two, three, or many different groups. Though all these groups accept the Talmud, the further commentaries made by rabbis after the era of the Talmud differs (so, a little more than a thousand years ago on) and their history differs due to that different location of origin.
Sephardic Jews are one of the two biggest divisions of Judaism. Sephardim are either 1) Just Jews who originally come from the Iberian Peninsula, 2) Jews who come from the general region around the Iberian Peninsula including Morroco, 3) Jews from former Islamically-controlled regions such as the Iberian Peninsula and West Asia/Middle East, 4) All Jews who aren’t Ashkenazim. The confusion comes from the fact that the specific interpretations of Jewish law unique to the Sephardim of the Iberian Peninsula also apply to every other Jewish culture other than the Ashkenazim - so while there are different Ashkenazic and Sephardic versions of prayers, there aren’t differences in prayer in Mizrahim (see in a second) and Sephardim, for example. Sephardic Jews have their customs and interpretations heavily influenced by the cultures of the Mediterranean region - which influences music, prayer structure, relationships around gender and marriage and sex, and food (especially food). There are about 2.2 million Sephardim alive today, most residing in Israel, with notable populations present in France and the United States.
Mizrahim are those Jews who come from MENA regions - Middle East and North Africa. So, oftentimes they’re lumped in with Sephardim, but while they share similar theological and philosophical customs, they often have very unique cultural characteristics in terms of food, marriage rituals, etc. Though Mizrahi Jews have a lot of things in common, they also have specifics from community to community based on country of origin. They do, however, follow many of the same specifics of religion as the Sephardim sensu stricto. There are about 3.5 million Mizrahim alive today, who are almost entirely all in Israel due to the expulsion of Jewish populations from most MENA countries in the second half of the 20th century, with notable populations occurring in the United States and Russia, two other locations of migration.
There are a lot of other groups of Jews that don’t fall into the Mizrahim, Sephardim (sensu stricto), or Ashkenazim (give me a second) that I really do not have the spoons to go into specifically but will touch on: there are the Bene Israel from India who now mainly live in Israel; the Cochin Jews, another Indian Jewish group, mostly residing in Israel today as well (both of these groups, though deriving from other Jews very very early on, do follow the Talmud to some degree); the specific Italian Jews who differ from other European Jewish cultures and lived in Italy since Roman times; the Romaniotes who are native to locations such as Greece and Turkey and most of whom were killed during the Holocaust which is a huge freaking bummer; various groups of Chinese Jews such as the Kaifeng Jews who unfortunately were oppressed into dropping their Judaism but are now reclaiming it; the Bene Ephraim, yet another Indian Jewish group who are kind of controversial but they are currently practicing “modern” Judaism; the Abayudaya Jews of Uganda; and so many more I’m just going to give up now
FINALLY. Ashkenazim are the largest group of Jews, with up to 11.2 million people of Ashkenazic descent, mostly found in the United States (up to 6 million Jews live in the USA), with nearly 3 million in Israel, and many found throughout the world. This group of Jews is where we find the Jewish movements, which is why we did this in this order. Reform, Renewal, Conservative, etc. are all Ashkenazic movements of Judaism. Ashkenazic Jews are those Jews who stemp from populations in central and Eastern Europe such as Germany and Russia. Ashkenazic Jews have a lot of differences in custom and culture and liturgy compared to Sephardic Jews (sensu lato) due to their location of origin and the cultures they formed themselves in. Given that this is the largest group of Jews, especially in the United States, most Jewish culture you picture is probably Ashkenazic in origin.
When emancipation happened - ie, Jews were allowed citizenship in their various counties of dwelling, most notably those in Europe - there was a lot of division over how much Jews should integrate with the surrounding society. This lead to the formation of different movements within Ashkenazic Judaism. While many Jews who aren’t Ashkenazic now follow the philosophy of these movements, they are fundamentally Ashkenazic in origin. This is due to, primarily, many of these other cultures not being as isolated from the surrounding gentile culture as the Ashkenazim were - Ashkenazic Jews were extremely isolated whereas Sephardic Jews oftentimes developed their culture and practice already integrated into the surrounding society, and though that changed later on (most notably after the Spanish Inquisition) the original culture and the attitudes towards Jewish law were developed within that integrated society. So, Ashkenazic Jews were faced with the problem of: what the heck do we do now that we can interact with people normally. Though these are the origins of the movements, the way these movements define themselves today is actually a bit different, so I will be focusing on the modern interpretations.
Reform Judaism was the first of these movements to arise, mainly as a response to the need for a Jewish practice that allowed acting like the gentile citizenry. As such, it started out being very gentile-esque in practice, beginning in the 19th Century of Germany; molding the way prayers were said after Xtian protestant service, focusing on appearing like gentiles (for example, no longer wearing kippot in service), etc. [Note: this did not make them Xtian. They did not believe that Jesus was the Moshiach and they still had the basic characteristics of Jews - Torah and Monotheism, and were decidedly rabbinic Jews, holding the Talmud as a major portion of their Jewish practice]. However, this did take the reform movement extremely far away from Jewish culture and identity. As such, during the 20th Century it began to return more uniquely Jewish practices to the religion, as well as to the service of prayer. Today, Reform/Liberal/Progressive Judaism defines itself how it views the Torah and what that means for what commandments/laws they observe and how - though the Torah is sacred, Reform Jews believe that the Torah was authored by divinely inspired human beings who were limited by their understandings of culture and society at the time, and as such, over time Jews have modified and adapted this instruction over time as culture has evolved. This is in fact clearly seen in the writings of the Prophets, the Rabbinic Writings, Talmud, and commentaries. As such, Reform Jews believe that Judaism is an evolving tradition, and that it is up to Jews to continue to add to our understanding of revelation and what it means to be Jewish over time, in addition to opening up Judaism to be a more inclusive tradition. For most Reform Jews, this means that commandments/law/mitzvot are a matter of choice. You choose to adopt the mitzvot based on how you feel they would help you to lead a Jewish life. This movement especially focuses on tikkun olam, the Jewish notion of social justice. Reform Jews also see Jewish-ness as being both a factor of ancestry and of upbringing - so, reform Jews consider anyone to be born Jewish who has at least one Jewish parent, and was raised exclusively within Judaism with no other religions.
Orthodox Judaism was the second of these movements to arise, as a direct response to reform Judaism. Also known as traditionalist Judaism, they teach that the Torah, as we have today, was written directly by God. As such, it is not open to interpretation at the fundamental level, and all its laws have to be followed exactly, both from the Torah and the rabbinic writings, in order to live a Jewish life. Though Orthodox Jews often consider themselves the “original” Jews, and ascribe their movement to all Jews prior to the emancipation origin of Jewish movements, it is actually a lot more nuanced than this, with the ideology and methods of thinking about the law evolving in direct response to modernity. Orthodox Jews follow the mitzvot to the letter, with the differences amongst various groups arising due to cultural differences from community to community, rather than differences in how they view mitzvot/the law. There are a variety of Orthodox Jewish communities today. Modern Orthodox Jews are those who still view the Torah as divinely written and the mitzvot as binding, but try to integrate themselves with gentile society to the degree allowed within that system. They think that interacting with the outside world will enrich their Judaism, and that they are able to evolve with society without abandoning Jewish law (most progressive forms of Orthodox Judaism are Modern Orthodox). Haredi Judaism, in contrast, are those Orthodox Jews who utterly reject modern life and remain as isolated as possible from the outside world. Most Haredi Jews live in Israel. Hasidic Judaism is a spiritual Orthodox Jewish movement that arose in the Ukraine and is notable for focusing more on the spiritual and emotional aspects of Judaism than the scholarly ones (as opposed to Haredi Jews). Hasidic Jews often isolate themselves a lot like Haredi Jews, but usually not to as much of an extent; and sometimes they integrate in modern society much like Modern Orthodox Jews. One subsection of Hasidic Judaism, Chabad, focus extensively on outreach to non-Orthodox Jews to attempt to have them return to Orthodoxy (kiruv), and are definitely one of the least isolationist Orthodox Groups. Focusing on proper practice of the mitzvot is the focus of Orthodox Judaism. Jewishness in Orthodoxy is defined by maternal descent - if your mother is Jewish, regardless of your upbringing, so are you; but if your father isn’t, you aren’t either. Given their emphasis on strict adherence to Jewish law, many Orthodox Jewish groups do not accept conversions by any other movement as valid - it depends based on conversion to conversion and community to community, but it is a major source of controversy between Orthodox Jews and all other Jewish movements.
Conservative/Masorti/Traditional Egalitarian Judaism is the third movement to have arose as a reaction to both Orthodoxy and Reform Judaism. Recognizing that pure adherence to the law was not entirely possible in the modern era, but considering reform judaism (at the time) to have gone too far, a middle road was attempted by this group (note: their name “conservative” has nothing to do with political stature, and most jews in this group fall left of center politically speaking. most Jews fall left of center politically speaking, but that’s not what we’re talking about today…) Conservative Judaism focuses on preserving tradition and Jewish law while allowing for changes to occur due to need or an evolving understanding of social justice - many hallmarks of conservative Judaism include requiring women to conduct the same mitzvot as men, etc. A movement extremely focused on scholarship, there is a constant debate between members on a variety of deep theological questions, with members both believing the Torah was written by Gd and that it was written by Divinely Inspired humans, that it is influenced by culture, that we are contributing to it today, et cetera; but the mitzvot remain important if not outright binding. In addition, it was very dedicated to maintaining Jewish practice as Jewish, and did not go through an unfortunate gentile-if-ication of service as reform did (though, with reform as the movement it is today, conservative and reform judaism are oftentimes indistinguishable from one another in practice, if not in philosophy). Jewish Law and history and texts are subject to criticism and scientific scholarship, while still being adhered to as closely as possible. Conservative Jews, therefore, see Jewishness as being defined the same way the Orthodox Jews define it - by maternal ancestry - however, they’ll often allow patrilineally descended Jews a more easy conversion process (oftentimes calling it reaffirmation instead), especially if they were raised Jewishly.
Reconstructionist Judaism is the fourth movement to evolve, which views Judaism primarily as a civilization rather than a religion, and thus tackles questions of Jewish practice from that lense. Evolving from conservative Judaism, it often has been at the forefront of major developments in Jewish Egalitarianism, ordaining the first woman rabbi. Reconstructionist Judaism was founded on the knowledge that evolving understandings of science and history would prevent traditional theological claims to remain amongst Jews. As such, Reconstructionist Judaism seeks to remold Jewish claims - rejecting Anthropomorphic depictions of Gd, rejecting the idea of Jews as the chosen people; etc, and instead focuses on Judaism as the culture and traditions of the Jewish people, and thus playing a fundamental part in the survival of Jews as a civilization. Reconstructionist Judaism maintains that Jews have to define their civilization in each generation, and that their purpose is to help repair the world around them. Reconstructionist Jews believe that contemporary morality does have precedence over Jewish law, but Jewish law is still important, if considered mainly tradition and cultural practice rather than law in the strict sense. Reconstructionist Jews thus follow a similar choice model as reform jews, though coming from a slightly different point of view; oftentimes, they are more traditional in liturgy and practice of mitzvot, since they descended from conservative Judaism. Reconstructionist view of Jewish ancestry can vary extensively, with some congregations accepting patrilineal descent, and others not.
Humanistic Judaism is the fifth movement, and probably one of the most dramatic changes in Judaism seen amongst all the movements. Humanistic Judaism takes the culture-society focus of reconstructionist Judaism and rejects all supernatural aspects of Judaism, instead focusing on Jewish cultural and peoplehood identity. Most humanistic Jews do not believe in Gd, but rather focus on Jewish history as their part of the human story, and in upholding traditions and Jewish custom independently of a deity. Ethics had to be maintained in order to serve human needs, and Jewish freedom had to coexist with freedom for all human beings. Jewishness is, thus, defined extensively by peoplehood and self-identification, and humanistic jews do take converts. Given their lack of belief in a deity, however, very very few other Jewish groups accept Humanistic conversions.
Renewal Judaism is the sixth and final “movement”, though it fancies itself as not so much a movement as a trans-movement endeavor/attitude change to invigorate all Jewish traditions with more spirituality, excitement, and joy. Taking many of these principles from Hasidic Judaism, this movement applies these joyful and spiritual aspects to all philosophies on mitzvot and the origin of Torah. Seeking to unite Jews based on their similarities rather than their differences, there is an extensive amount of focus on Jewish mysticism, music, and evolving social justice including gender equality in the mitzvot. Rather than considering meditation and mysticism to be “new”, renewal heavily emphasizes that these aspects of Judaism have always been there, and that the movement is actually attempting to bring back these aspects of Judaism that had received less focus over time. Many of these changes begun by renewal Judaism have been adopted by the other movements, influencing many changes in practice from community to community.
So, if I were to sum this all up - you’d go to reform jews for your social justice, to orthodox jews for your mitzvot, to conservative jews for your torah scholarship, to reconstructionist jews for your jewish history, to humanistic jews for a non-theological perspective, and to renewal jews for your davening/prayer. That’s a gross oversimplification but it’s also fun, in a way.
Of course, keep in mind that all these movements are more institutions than they are people. Most Jews actually don’t identify strictly with one movement or another - instead, they go to shuls they like the feel of, but oftentimes have philosophies that line up with other movements that aren’t the movement of their shul. I’d consider myself, for example, to be most closely alined with renewal Judaism, but I go to a reform temple because I love the community there; and I do feel a call to try out conservative Judaism. Also keep in mind that many Jews are just secular - they don’t practice any form of Judaism at all, but because Jewishness is defined by peoplehood as well as religious practice, they are also Jewish.
I… hope… this… answered… your… question…
So if I were to sum it up into a diagram:
… okay I already noticed a mistake so long story but the Abayudaya actually follow Ashkenazic liturgy bc a lot of them got converted by the Masorti movement but let’s just leave it at this for now
Have fun?! Wooo Judaism

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South Pole Priests Find Faithful In The Frost (2:40)
It would be natural to imagine that dealing with the fierce climate in Antarctica leaves little time for religion. But as RT found out during a visit to the southernmost continent, that is not the case. Perched atop a picturesque, rocky hill overlooking the sea, sits a typical and tiny Russian Orthodox church. The scene, which looks like it was taken right out of a Siberian picture-book, is in fact one of the views of Russia’s Bellinsghausen Polar Station. So far, this is the only Russia’s Antarctic station that has a church. This makes the Trinity Church the southernmost Russian Orthodox church on the planet.
If you’re bi and religious in any way, please please know that your God, whoever they are, loves you and created you and that you’re perfect just as you are
Hi! For the past 6 years I’ve felt strongly called to become a Catholic nun; I love Mary, the idea of constant prayer, routine and stability, a quiet spiritual home. However, I’m not a practicing Catholic (although I am baptised) and crucially, I find it impossible to believe in Jesus. I love God, I just don’t see Jesus as God, and don’t really want to. Do you think it’s still worth reaching out to a convent? Tysm 💖
I would reach out and just be honest. Who knows what they would say, I think they would probably be at least understanding (and if you have no luck at that… reach out to an Anglican convent). Alternatively, you could keep quiet about your personal beliefs. Convents usually have retreats, and I recommend doing those for a while to see if you like that lifestyle. Good luck with your discernment!
Mod Lydia
Do your sikh mods have any advice for writing sikh (and punjabi?) characters respectfully? I'm writing a comic, but I have no idea if I'm supposed to draw them without dastar when they are at home. Sorry for the trouble, and thank you.
It depends on how devout the person is. There’s no rule against seeing a Sikh’s hair so if you did draw them with their kes open or in a topknot it wouldn’t be disrespectful. Most people wear their turbans at home or another type of headcovering. Some don’t. Most people also spend some time at home without the dastaar on so their hair can breathe. More devout people always keep a turban on them - tying it around their waist or draping the cloth over the top of their head.
Why Sikh Celebrate Diwali - Myths and Gurmat Itihaas
Happy Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas everyone! As promised, here’s why Sikhs should observe today with utmost reverence.
Myth: Celebrating Diwali is purely cultural and has nothing to do with Sikhi.
Gurmat Itihaas: The celebration of Diwali in the Sikh Panth originated loooong before the Bandi Chhor of Dhan Dhan Sri Guru hargobind Sahib Ji Maharaaj. Sri Guru Amar Das Ji gave hukam on this day that all Sikh should gather together on this day and spend it as a day of sangat and remembrance of God. This was not a recommendation, it was a hukam. So when you whine about going to the Gurdwara on Diwali seeming ritualistic, well, actually, it’s not! It’s hukam. :)
Myth: Today has little importance in Sikh history
Gurmat Itihaas: Not only was this a day of obligation for sangat, but many important events occured on this day. We all know the Bandi Chhor story; Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji was wrongfully jailed by the Mughal regime due to religious persecution. Eventually, after seeing the overwhelming amount of pressure being put on them, the Mughals allowed Guru Sahib to leave, but Guru Ji refused. He said, I will leave only if you allow these 52 other Hindu kings that you have kidnapped to leave with me. The jailor laughed and said, “You can take those many kings who can grab hold to the hem of your robe.” Guru Sahib then sent for his Sikh to sew him a special robe with 52 tassels. Each king grabbed onto one, and they all left the jail in Gwalior and arrived home in Amritsar.
On this day too, Sai Mian Mir, a Sufi Muslim who was very dear to Guru Sahib, laid the foundation stone for Sachkhand Sri Harimandir Sahib (colloquially known as the Golden Temple) under the grace of Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaaj, and the architecture of Baba Buddha Ji. It is one of the holiest temples in Sikhi, and holds a special place in the hearts of Sikhs worldwide.
Also, if Diwali wasn’t important, why would Bhai Mani Singh sacrifice his life to celebrate it? Bhai Sahib was martyred by being cut joint by joint as a result of him gathering at Harimandir Sahib to celebrate Diwali against the wishes of the Mughal regime.
Myth: Lighting lamps is not a Sikh practice, and it is completely meaningless.
Sikh Itihaas: When Guru Hargobind Shaib returned to Amritsar, he was greeted with aatishbazi (fireworks) and a big deep utsav (festival of lights). You have to understand that his return was more crucial than we think it is, because he didn’t leave by himself, but rather he broke the shackles of oppression for the other 52 kings. The light of our world came back to our world on this day. Why not celebrate with light? Yes, we don’t light lamps for Ramchandr or Lakshmi, but we light them for our Guru.
Bhai Gurdas Ji writes in his Vaaraan about the lighting of lamps and how it is an alangkaar (symbol) of the shortness of life. Why are lit, we burn as the years progress, eventually the oil of our breath runs out and we are extinguished. This isn’t talking about not celebrating Diwali.
At the end of the day, today is day of joy. With no joy in our lives, with nothing to look forward to, we are left with a boring life, and that’s not what Sikhi is about! Stop turning into a Western orthodoxy. Have fun. Light lamps. Stuff your face with gulab jamuns. Enjoy your day.
Happy Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas!!!

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Friendly PSA to non-Jews:
Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Sunday, September 29th and lasts through sundown Tuesday, October 1st.
Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Tuesday, October 8th and lasts until Wednesday night, October 9th.
During these days, please be thoughtful of those who observe them by not scheduling meetings, conference calls, or deadlines. For teachers, please do not schedule tests, presentations, or other mandatory activities. And remember that many of us host family and/or other guests for these holidays.
For those who celebrate Christmas, imagine if everyone wanted something from you between the mornings of December 24th and December 26th while you had multiple things cooking, preparations to be in services, and family and friends coming over.
Be thoughtful, kind, and inclusive.
And greetings: “Happy New Year” is appropriate to say on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. “Have an easy fast” is appropriate to say on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement when Jews traditionally fast for 25 hours.
Thank you!!
A transgender couple celebrated their love in Bengal’s first ever trans wedding
Tista Das, a transgender activist and actress, married her partner Dipan Chakraborty in a Hindu ceremony in Agarpara, Kolkata in front of friends, neighbours and family members.
The couple met while Tista was working at a trans legal clinic. Dipan is also transgender.
More over at Pink News.
“This wedding will boost the transgender community. It will have a huge impact as the trans community fears being rejected by society. I wish Dipan and Tista a happy married life. They are both wonderful human beings,” said Aparajita Bose, a member Human Rights Law Network Kolkata, to The Times of India.