5 Things Your Jewish Friends Want You To Know
1. There are many Jewish heritages
There is no single "Jewish heritage." Judaism means diverse things to diverse people. Some Jews identify as religious, others as culturally Jewish, others as traditional, and still others as spiritual—and often some combination of the above! Jewish tradition, religion and culture are a mile wide, and a mile deep, and Jews are equally diverse in how they relate to it.
Likewise, there are various Jewish ethnic groups, such as Sephardi, Mizrahi/Arab, and Ashkenazi (to name only some). Each group has its unique traditions and cultures, which together make up the full diversity of Jewish heritage. At the end of the day, there is no single way to be Jewish and no single definition of a Jew.
(& FYI, it's considered rude to ask a non-White Jew how it is that they're Jewish and if they converted)
2. Holy Books
The Torah is the core of the Jewish holy books (and it's actually five books: Genesis through Deuteronomy), but it isn't the only one. The Jewish bible is actually called the Tanakh, which starts with the Torah but also includes books by the prophets (Joshua, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and so on) and other writings such as Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and more. Twenty-four books in total!
Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash
Plus, biblical interpretations traditionally also take into account works of commentary written by rabbis over the centuries, such as the Talmud and Mishnah. It makes for a rich and profound body of texts that many Jews study to this day.
3. Chag sameach, happy holidays!
Is a Jewish friend celebrating a holiday, and you’re unsure what to say? “Chag sameach” is the Hebrew equivalent of “happy holidays,” and can be used to wish Jewish people a joyful holiday respectfully—no matter which holiday it actually is! It can also be combined with the names of specific holidays, like “chag Hanukkah sameach.”
Keep in mind the Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, so Jewish holidays “change dates” every year compared to the calendar Canada uses. The years are different, too: in the Jewish calendar, it is currently the year 5782.
4. Antisemitism
Antisemitism has a long history here in Canada and continues to the present. The notorious “None Is Too Many” policy is one example: in the late 1930s, the Canadian government under Prime Minister Mackenzie King rejected Jews seeking refuge in Canada, who were fleeing rising antisemitism and fascism in Europe. More recently, antisemitic conspiracies have spread online in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, among other things.
Antisemitism is a form of racism, and like all forms of racism, it has particularities that make it distinct. In order to fight antisemitism, though, it’s important not to separate it from other forms of oppression: the fight against antisemitism should be situated within a broader struggle for racial justice. In fighting for justice for one group, we fight for justice for all!
Photo by Taylor Brandon on Unsplash
5. Jewish activism and solidarity: an old tradition
There’s a long tradition of Jewish activism and resistance, including Jews playing active roles in solidarity with other groups. Jews have been prominent in such diverse causes as labour organizing, the South African anti-apartheid movement, the struggle for abortion rights, and more. For many Jews, their commitment to social justice roots back to the Jewish values of doing “mitzvahs” (good deeds), or the concept of “Tikkun Olam” (repairing the world).
Today, there is a strong Jewish movement working to end the Israeli system of apartheid imposed on Palestinians: one example is the Together Against Apartheid campaign recently launched by Independent
Jewish Voices Canada (@ijvcanada).
Source: Independent Jewish Voices Canada
