lavendertook

Do not be daunted
by the enormity of the world's grief.
Do justice, now.
Love mercy now.
Walk humbly, now.
You are not obligated to complete the work,
but neither are you free to abandon it.

-The Talmud via a friend on fb /(Talmud 303/commentary mash-up}/Rabbi Rami Shapiro translation?

I'm so sad about Rose Mallinger, 97, survivor of the Holocaust, murdered in Pittsburgh.

Also I need to respond to a number of media statements: Jewish identity is not just about faith, but a cultural/ethnic/religious identity mash-up that is not monolithic.

Not all Jews are white. There are many Jews of color. Being Jewish and growing up in a mostly Christian white town in which I was Othered instilled a liminal identity in me in relation to whiteness. I've got lots of thoughts on the construction of whiteness in shifting relations to cultural, ethnic, and national identities that I won't get into here.

I'm Jewish and agnostic with mystic/witchy leanings. I'm more familiar with the Old Testament than the New because I studied it in college in relation to other ancient middle eastern religions and cultures with a particular interest in my Jewish identity. My family did not belong to or attend synagogue, but they instilled a strong Jewish identity in me and I had Jewish community through relatives and my parent's friends, though as a child I longed for more. But I studied Latin in high school, sang in Christian masses with choirs in churches, and favored the Catholics in the Protestant/Catholic divide in my town because Catholic cathedrals and robes had more glitz, gorgeous architecture, and stained glass, and I've always been a worshipper of beauty and craft.

When listening to Tom Lehrer's song National Brotherhood Week, my whole family would joyfully chime in to sing, "And everybody hates the Jews!" because that's how Jewish humor rolls, and why most of us aren't surprised by the level of antisemitism we're seeing now with the U.S. bully pulpit's encouragement, just sad and more worried, as are all of you. I'm still going to put my electric menorah in my front window in the new house.

Love and healing to the survivors in the hate shootings in Pittsburgh and Kentucky.

A very happy birthday to my dear exuberant friend ekaterin24 aka zlabya!!!! I'm so glad we've gotten to be friends the last year--having you nearby makes my life so much better and fuller. I hope you've had a great birthday. Here is a sparkler tree for you as a birthday candle on an earth cake:


A tulip poplar pretending to be one of Gandalf's fireworks--the one behind the fire station I told you to look up at, but taken a week ago. And here's your birthday moon:


The supermoon rising over Greenbelt Lake a quarter hour after sunset this evening. Not that I can tell if it's any bigger than a regular full moon. If you look really close, you can see a gray dot along the shoreline a half inch from the left side of the pic--that's a great blue heron who just landed.

I also want to wish a happy belated birthday to just_ann_now! I hope it was a good one and there's a closer supermoon pic below for you.

Today I went to a brunch and movie in DC with my Jewish Lesbian group--it wound up being just 2 of us. But kibitzing over brunch and seeing a good movie was just what I needed today. We saw Denial with Rachel Weisz. It's about the 1996 trial in the UK between historian Deborah Lipstadt and Holocaust denier David Irving who was claiming libel against her. Wonderfully paced and well done.

I listened to interviews with Bernie Sanders and Michael Moore about the election on the radio on the way home, and they were calming. Then I took a walk and snapped the above supermoon pic and the one below the cut. So a much better day than the rest of the post-election week (excepting a lovely walk with zblaya on Friday and talking with ya'll.)

( Read more... )

Also posted at https://lavendertook.dreamwidth.org/214247.html with comments

One of the many reasons I will not be having a Supreme Court confirmation hearing:

Sen. Graham: Where were you on Christmas day?

Ms. Took: Drinking the blood of Christian babies. What do you think Jews do on Christmas, you stupid fucker? Which you would know if you were more aware of all internet tradishuns, instead of, you know, expecting everyone to be practicing yours.

Whut? Why aren't you laughing? Aren't I white enough to make you feel safe? Or would you like to make a shout out to all your white protestant male friends who are being asked to share, and sometimes giving up their seats overrun by the rest of us Others? You know, if you want to share in the quaint Jewish American tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas, better do it quick before Pan-Asian people working those kitchens are represented on the SC, too, and, you know, you just might have to learn to cook it yourself.

Hey come back here! *bounce, bounce* I'll bite your leg off!!!!

Hat tip to acrimonyastraea for the link to this good post from another Not Ready for Borscht Belt Player.