hmmm sorta bare in here don't ya think?

i think i'll have to livin things up a bit!

SHABBAT SHALOM MUTHA******!!!!

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here's an excellent site for basic concepts on Judaism for those interested...
http://www.jewfaq.org

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You will find this forum a lot more easy going than R... er over there.

Thanks Jewscout for sharing the site.

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Fromthe heart

Why do so many people dislike Jewish people so much? Perhaps I'm just plain stupid in all that but I really would like to know. I never knew the term 'to jew someone down' was a reflection on the Jewish people until about 3 years ago. I grew up hearing the phrase but I never connected it to being offensive to the Jewish people. Do you think jews are often too sensitive to their own cultures or is it just pure stupidity on the part of non-jewish folks who are ignorant such as me to where things began in the offenses?

This is not meant to offend anyone..it's only intent is understanding.

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Fromthe heart

well i think when it comes to hatred of Jews there are many things that go into it.
1) ignorance. Traditional judaism, to the uninformed, can be very very strange. even more liberal movements of judaism still can seem strange (what do you mean you don't eat pork?) it can also seem very arcaic and primitive to some who look at it at face value.
2) massive world wide media/political/banking conspiracy.
there seems to be this ongoing myth that Jews control EVERYTHING! One of the sources of this is the already debunked yet still cited "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pro...Elders_of_Zion
people seem to insist that jews believe themselves racially superior to all other people. This, i have come to understand, can not be farther from the truth.
3) Jesus and the Church. It's sad to say that this is also the source of a great deal of hatred toward the Jews. for a good read on the beginnings of anti-semitism in Europe (and the muslim middle east) i suggest Mark Cohen's "Under Crescent and Cross" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...117543-1991364
(which is a good read even for those who do not hold PhD's in the History of the Middle Ages)
and though, thank G-d, the Church in Rome has begun working on the wounds that have divided for so long, it is hard to undo 2000 years of indoctrination.
4) Israel. The Modern state of Israel has become the target (and not always unwarrented) of much of the world's criticism and hatred. For some reason i will never understand why Israel is held up to some higher standard. Folks, it's a nation-state. All nations do dirty things that no one likes or talks about. Israel is DEFINETLY not the worst! (especially compared to its neighbors) but for some reason they are hated. This hatred, i believe,(and this is only my personal opinion, i am not an expert in international law or political science) comes from many of the things i have listed above already, plus the docterines of people like Adolf Hitler (by the way "Mein Kampf" is a best seller in Turkey and much of the middle east http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/art...447210,00.html ). The Israel issue is a never ending thread of it's own, as i have already seen. There are many non-jewish related issues involved in the Isreal-Palestinian issues but one can not deny the religious spin that terrorist groups are using over there.
5) racism. Groups like the KKK and the White Aryan Resistance have the Jews on their list of enemies, not only for religious but also for racial issues. This is also tied into the legacy of Hitler and the Nazis.

These are just a few personal opinions on the issue of hatred toward the jews. There are, no doubt, many more issues at hand that escape me at the moment. here's a link to a brief history of anti-semitism
http://www.humanitas-international.o...st/antisem.htm

i hope this answered a few questions...

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Shalom. I am happy to be here in this forum hoping to learn more about different faiths. Judaism has always been an interest of mine. This became more developed after finding out that I have Jewish family on my father's side. I have a few good books on the subject one called Essential Judaism, a translation of The Guide for the Perplexed, a translation of the Mishnah and a couple of Areyah Kaplan's works on Kabballah. Also the JPS Tanakh. I have never been able to approach the Talmud, however. I have had the honor and pleasure of attending a few gatherings at a Synagogue during Yom Kippur and a few other times. Loved the etrog, by the way. I wanted to eat it sooo bad! ;-) Anyways, I hope someone can offer a bit of advice for someone who wants to begin to understand Jewish traditions and people. I know that's a pretty vague reguest. I really don't know where to begin when it comes to questions. Hopefully, I'll come up with some more specific questions later.

Shalom to you too, friend!