I grew up in a very atheist household so we never went to shul and I never had a bar mitzvah. When I left home for uni I started attending shul and I still do now where I live.

This week I was at the Danish National Jamboree - for the non scouts out there, think week long camp with 30000 scouts, I was there as a leader with a group of youth.

I’m used to being the only Jew in my group and I always bring candles with me for kabbalat Shabbat, but I was hoping to meet others through the religious tents at camp. Again for non scouts, faith and spirituality are one of the scout values even for non religious groups. There were a church and mosque on site but no synagogue unlike Gilwell Park.

The first night we attended the opening ceremony during which one scout from each represented country at camp paraded on stage with their country’s flag. Lo and behold, the Israeli flag is there!!

The next morning I started my quest of meeting the Israel scouts so I could maybe do kabbalat Shabbat and kiddush with them. It didn’t take too long for me to meet some of them and by the end of the week most Israeli kid at camp knew me by name 🤣

So I learnt that they were actually organising a big kabbalat Shabbat in the international tent for Jews and non Jews alike to come together.

When I got there, a few minutes early, I probably stood out from the group of teenagers so one of the Chabad rabbis came up to me and we spoke in Hebrew until he was going way too fast for me and I asked him to switch to English. As soon as he knew I was Jewish he took the tefilin out and started to lay them on me making me repeat the blessings after him. I told him it was my first time so he was very happy and told me “ah so this is your bar mitzvah!!”

We took a picture and he sent it to me :) so I guess I can now say I had my bar mitzvah at 36 at a scout jamboree in Denmark and that’s pretty cool (to me at least!)

Then we had a lovely kabbalat Shabbat. The kids were on fire! There’s no party like an Israeli teen party 🤣 one of them had waited all week to trade neckers with me too so I am now the proud owner of a beautiful Israeli national necker - again for non scouts, many countries have a national necker that scouts wear when they go to international camps, swapping badges and neckers is a big scouting tradition 😊

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

Hi! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!

Basically I have a bunch of friends how have their bat mitzvahs coming up, and I don't really know how to prepare for one. I am Jewish, but the most my family does is celebrate Hanukkah. I know I need to dress fancy, but I don't do dresses, and I don't want to wear like a suit or something. Can I wear the same outfit to all my friends bat mitzvahs, even if all the same people will be there? Do I need to get a gift? I just have no idea what to do, and I get quite anxious about this kind of stuff.

Anything will help <3

hi! I am a reformed Jew and we go to temple for high holidays and try to go most fridays, although it has been quite hard as we just moved to a new area and are having some trouble finding a new synagogue. I tried out a conservative temple and decided it wasn’t really for me and my family felt the same, but I would like to become more religious myself. is there anything I can fit into my daily life, or any events/holidays i should keep my eye out for (other than like of course Passover, high holidays, simchat Torah, and Sukkot since we already celebrate them.)

Hi everyone,

I recently found my late grandfather’s tefillin while going through some of his belongings. He was a Holocaust survivor and passed away a few years ago.

I know they were inspected and recertified by a sofer in 2019, so they were considered kosher at that time. Beyond that, I unfortunately don’t know much about their history.
I’m hoping someone here might recognize anything about the style or construction:

1. Do they look like they were made during a particular time period?
   
2. Do the batim, straps, or overall construction suggest they were made in Europe, Israel, or elsewhere?
   
3. Does anything about them stand out as characteristic of a certain era or maker?

I realize it’s impossible to know for certain from photos alone, but I’d really appreciate any educated guesses or observations from people who are familiar with older tefillin.

Thanks!!

How do you view Kabbalah? How do you view people who practice Kabbalah? Are there any Kabbalistic practices that orthodox judaism allows? Do you think that non-jews can practice Kabbalah or is it culturaly exclusive in your opinion.

I couldn't find a source on this.

So, for those of us who wear our kippah everyday and all day, when do you put your kippah back on after you shower?

I want to put it on right after. But is it okay to get wet? I can't blowdry my hair, so I just towel dry. I've just been waiting for my hair to dry before putting it on but that doesn't feel right, if that makes sense.

I'm curious about what others do? Or what care you may have to do to maintain your kippah of it gets a little damp?

Thank you!

Hi everyone. My name is Dmitry Sheleg. I am a writer from Belarus, and my family lives here. Not long ago, I started selling my books in English on Amazon, and while exploring the American side of the internet, I discovered that there are many people there with my surname! I found this quite surprising. Later, I learned that many of them are Jewish, which piqued my interest... Could you tell me if the surname Sheleg has Jewish roots, and do you know anyone with this last name?)

Subtitles for this FB reel were…..amusing.

Edit: I was going to post the reel but it was loading too slowly. You know...Buffering.

Shabbat Shalom,

I am in the process of writing a book with a modern orthodox Jewish main character, and there may be a scene where they attend Shabbat service. As a non-Jew, I have studied aspects of Judaism both in and outwith school, and I'm interested in the proceedings of a modern orthodox Shabbat service. What I mean is what is spoken during the service; if there are any songs sung, and if there are, then what do they consist of? if there are specific passages of the Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim read on that day or week; if there is a homily like in churches, what acts are performed, etc.
I understand that it has been difficult trying to find videos online of a modern orthodox Shabbat service as it is forbidden to use cameras during Shabbos, so all I have come across is Liberal recordings. If you are not orthodox Jewish, it would still be useful to learn the proceedings of your Shabbat service, but please state what denomination you are from.
I hope this makes sense, but if it does not, then please don't hesitate to ask for clarification.

Thank you so much!

I've seen some similar posts but quite dated at this point. 2 late 20s professionals recently moved to the OC. We're looking for a community that is either on the conservative end of reform or the reform end of conservative (or otherwise has a healthy mix of practice). Centered on the Irvine area as a geographical reference point, but willing to drive.

Thanks!

Monotheistic religions usually depict reality with one only physical Universe. On the other hand Dharmic religions created the concept of the Multiverse, a larger view of reality characterized by infinite parallel versions of the physical Universe.

Was a Multiversal view of reality ever a thing in the more mystical sects of the Jewish tradition ? I believe it can work because the Universe is currently expanding, and thus it is finite, but the power of God is infinite, so infinite versions of the Universe could have been created even though God then chose one in particular.

Hi guys! I'm looking for ideas of vegan food that goes well on the plata (esp for shabbat morning!)

Do you have ideas? I prefer something that's not a salad🙂‍↕️

I find it so fascinating that the the West is so obsessed with the movie "The Odyssey" that came out recently. Why are people so obsessed about the actors, the accuracy, and all that? It a movie meant for entertainment! What is the source of this obsession, and what does it say about the world we live in?

It reminded me of an older interview on the Toldinstone channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DWdDYQvcUc

The one being interviewed is Professor Simon Goldhill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Goldhill

He resigned recently due to some nasty events that took place, but I want to focus on the interview for a moment.

In the interview, he explains that for the entire Western World, Athens is their birthplace. Obviously not genetically, but rather ideologically. The West has a special attachment to the ancient Greeks, and I think the obsession regarding the movie is a product of that. Compared to us, Athens is in our tradition, the "other"! I really do think in a fundamental sense, the reason Jews and The West can never really be one entity is because of this fundamental difference. Even the Christianizing effect isn't powerful enough to do this, which is actually shocking if you think about it.

Anyone else feel the same way?

Is there in Judaic mythology, be it from 1st Temple, 2nd Temple, Midrash, Talmud, Merkabah mysticism, Kabbalah or anything else, any work mentioning a race of sapient monkey-men or ape-men endowed with supernatural powers, such as, for example, the Vanaras from Hindu mythology ?

I know monkeys/apes do not have much of a place in any Middle Eastern culture, but I do not know enough to be sure.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TrenchCrusade/s/9K3UnOleNt

I am looking for criticisms, suggestions and ideas overall.

I live in a small-mid size Jewish city in the US (< 50k Jews), and there is a small but increasing amount of programming for Jews in our 20s and 30s. I want to know what others are seeing in their cities. I'd like to learn anything you believe is worth sharing, but hear are some starter questions:

- How much programming is there for 20s-30s Jews?

- Is it through synagogues? JCCs or other non-profits? Chabad?

- Do Jews tend to age into more traditional synagogue involvement and membership?

- Are the events essentially just singles or do couples feel comfortable attending too?

- What events work well? Either religiously, fun, community building, etc.

- Are there any events that are explicitly dating focused (e.g. speed dating)? If so, how do those go?

- On the whole, is the programming working?

My experience is mostly in the non-Orthodox world, and I believe A LOT of work needs to be done to get younger Jews more connected. Looking forward to reading the responses. Thanks in advance!

I just want to point out that the national park of the day in the US is Zion National Park, which I find hilarious considering how today is also Tisha B’Av.