<p>Ilovepoker, sorry to be rude, it's just that Hanukkah is not a major holiday. The American Jews are sellouts to materialism and they created a holiday on par with Christmas so that their children wouldn't be jealous of their friends.
So can anyone else tell that I'm having a horrible day? :)</p>
<p>like10thousand- you said what I meant so much more eloquently- thank you!!!! I absolutely bow down to you for your last statement though: "Next time you want to make an ignorant comment, please don't do it on the Yale board where people tend to be intelligent and thoughtful."</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Oops, I didn't notice the two posts in front of mine...</p>
<p>thanks :) i'm all for p.u.s.s.y-footing around, but not when someone manages to insult my christian- and jewish-ness, not to mention everyone else on the board, all at once.</p>
<p>props to everyone who responded! intolerance should never, ever be accepted.</p>
<p>Can people convert to Judaism or do you have to be born into it/marry into it? I've heard a lot of conflicting comments from my Jewish friends on that topic.</p>
<p>If your mother is Jewish, doesn't that make you Jewish? Like any religion, you're going to hear a lot of conflicting things - a lot of Protestants don't believe Catholics are Christian, some Born-Agains don't believe anyone else is a Christian. What I believe the general standard is that if your mother is Jewish or you convert, then you're Jewish.</p>
<p>You can convert, but it's kinda hard. You have to be really dedicated, and rabbis will try to turn you down. If you want to, you can watch a "Sex and the City" episode about it. It's actually very informative (and obviously very funny). Charlotte wants to convert to marry Harry.</p>
<p>Okay, here's whats really been p.i.s.s.i.n.g. me off. I read an article on AOL about Christman carols being banned in school or something. So I clicked on a discussion link, and I saw the worst comments in the world. A bunch of people said things like "America was created for Christians, if you don't like it go back to where you came from" and "If so many people love Jesus, maybe you shoud let him save you too." I wanted to hurt those people! Ugh! What is wrong with the world!!! Where do these people come from???</p>
<p>Here is the link: aol://5863:126/mB:548794</p>
<p>Or try this then click on Post: <a href="http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20041208132009990010%5B/url%5D">http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20041208132009990010</a></p>
<p>Thanks for the responses you guys. But this just raises more questions. I don't want to turn this to an information session so I promise these are the last two but...Why would rabbis try to turn you down? So if your father is Jewish and your mother is not, then you are not Jewish?</p>
<p>They turn you down to see if you are really committed. After three times of turning someone down, then they will help you.
Traditionally, if your father is Jewish but your mother is not, you are not Jewish. Most people (non-Orthodox people) don't believe that though.</p>
<p>about the crazy AOL christians: i don't know.... people who don't have any perspective make me kind of sick. i'd like to think they can't help it... but...
it's like homosexuality. why can't everyone get it through their heads that it's NOT A F-U-C-K-I-N-G choice, that love between people of the same sex is JUST as valid as het love? (not that I feel strongly about this or anything...)</p>
<p>Yeah, my dad's Jewish but mostly non-practicing, my mom's christian and feels VERY strongly about her religion, so I'm a christian (but not in the dumb self-righteous way!), so I guess the mom-dad thing applies to me. My great-grandmother on my dad's side was VERY upset when he married a 'gentile...' ;) but he's the oldest, and such a trendsetter.</p>
<p>I know many people who are in the midst of converting, although I admit that it is very difficult. Still, in some parts of the world, perhaps where devoutness among Jews is not declining as it sadly is in our country, there is less skepticism, and conversion is much easier. When I went to a synagogue in Brazil, I met almost 30 students who were studying to convert. It's a really big thing down there.</p>
<p>And thanks to everyone who reacted to that last statement...I'm sure that ilovepoker didn't mean it offensively, but it definitely bothered me. Like Michelle, we've been lighting the candles and saying the prayers, but we just don't have time to worry about gifts and things! If anything, we're appreciating the true value of Chanukah, and postponing the materialism.</p>
<p>Oh...that's pretty interesting. I like how it's almost matriarchal in the manner it's passed down. It makes for a refreshing change. Whenever I think of converting I remember the movie "Keeping the Faith" with Ben Stiller and Jenna Elfman. I tried your link but you have to be an AOL member to access the news. Being a Buddhist, I also get distrubed when people make disgusting comments like that because it lacks the acceptance that is preached in their religions. Still, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. I think that it may be simply an overreaction to the overreaction of others. Like, maybe these people don't genuinely feel that way, they're just frustrated with being PC. There should always be a medium. I obviously don't want to listen to some preachy song about the wise men and the birth of baby Jesus. I like cheery songs that are more holiday generic or more of a less Christian Christmas theme like "Grandma got ran over by a reindeer". I can't picture getting upset over that song but it could be a byproduct of having your religion ignored year after year until it just gets to be too much.</p>
<p>Yeah, I actually started thinking about that maternalism thing... Hebrew culture, historically, is incredibly patriarcal, like all the Abrahamic religions (Judiasm, Islam, Christianity). It wouldn't make sense that your mother would carry your bloodline... </p>
<p>UNLESS it was a convenient way to prevent your dashing-looking young son from marrying the latest camel-riding Egyptian strumpet to waltz into your tent. It makes more logical sense for it to be less of a woman-power thing and more of a use women to keep the men under control thing, to me. Historically... that's nothing against Hebrews ;)</p>
<p>-always too pc, alyssa</p>
<p>I love being lectured about judaism from a bunch of kids who have no idea what they're talking about! You guys have some real nerve just assuming that I'm an idiot. I'm an orthodox Jew (and now i'm sure you're all going to yell at me for being a fanatic), and Chanukah is not a minor holiday. Yes there is a certain hierarchy of holidays with the rosh hashonah and yom kippur being the "most" important. Then there's the shalosh regalim of Shavuot, Pesach (Passover), and Succoth. That doesn't mean that people should arbitralily "postpone" holidays and you're wrong about people not postponing Passover because I've witnessed it happen. I've had experience with people getting offended at someone insulting the way they choose to practice their faith but just as you have your right to freedom of religion I have mine as well and I'm perfectly entitled to criticize what I think is a sorry state of affairs in the Jewish world. To answer the questions being asked...it's extremely easy to convert to judaism unless you're converting through an Orthodox Rabbi in which case they try to deduce if your motives are completely pure (not for marriage). Orthodox Jews hold you are Jewish if and only if your mother is jewish while the rest of the sects will accept either/or. I know I'm really ignorant so I'm hoping you can teach me more about Judaism guys...especially since you're applying to Yale and clearly superior in every way!</p>
<p>Ilovepoker, are you saying that Hanukkah is a major holiday? Because that's just wrong. And so what if someone just doesn't want to buy presents for her family just yet because she's busy? That's not even a part of the holiday!</p>
<p>well, obviously... ;)</p>
<p>I did notice you were Jewish, browsing through some of your old posts, and thought it kind of odd... </p>
<p>perhaps you are bemoaning the general state of preoccupation with convenience rather than spirituality and wholeness in the modern world - you may only know Jews who postpone holidays, but I think the rest of us would all agree that we all push religion, etc. aside when the rush of America and applications overcome us. </p>
<p>However, your comment (try re-reading it) appeared incredibly anti-semetic. we weren't attacking you, we were attacking the sentiments we thought you were expressing. give us a little more context next time and we'll give you the benefit of the doubt earlier.</p>
<p>right, guys? I imagine I'm not alone on this one...</p>
<p>I understood that people had taken my comment out of context by assuming I wasn't Jewish. And I think it should be a lesson to everyone not to jump on people without knowing all the facts, because you know what assuming does...I'm glad at least one of you understands my point of view though. It wasn't a personal attack on anyone, but rather a mindset.</p>