#z.answer

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Only crosses Sam wears are black gothic ones for the goth vibes (or is there a gothic Jewish scene with black star of David’s?)

Hey bud, this is going to be a longer answer because I want to be very clear, but I mean this gently and not to “yell” at any single person. Sam Manson isn’t a real person. She doesn’t “wear” anything like that (and I see her depicted in non-black, upright crosses about as often). Real Jewish people can make whatever decisions they want; it is none of my business or interest to make comments or judgements about any of that, but Sam is a fictional character. Putting her in a cross is a decision real people, largely if not exclusively non-Jewish folks in my experience, have decided to do, even though it’s hugely inappropriate and disrespectful.

Goth is not exclusively the domain of Christians, ex- and cultural Christians, and Christian imagery. Absolutely you can give her a black Star of David- I often do- and I would argue being visibly, proudly Jewish is a far more goth visual for Sam, and folks could also go with things like an ayin hara/evil eye charm, etc. The inversion or other twists upon crosses as a counterculture symbol doesn’t have the same implications when applied to Jews. I actually do know folks who find using Christian religious symbols as shallow aesthetics to be a fun and empowering statement that Christian hegemony is no more than a toy to them! I think that’s a really interesting and nuanced stance. However, for many others, the painful history and present of Christian efforts to erase Jews and Judaism casts it in a very different light.

A Jewish teen wearing a cross isn’t going against mainstream culture like even an upside down or black cross is for a Christian teen; it’s caving to exactly what Christian culture wants to crush Jews into. Rejecting her Jewishness would not for Sam be a rebellion against mainstream culture, and assuming it would be against her family a) is a story I would strongly caution gentile creators to consider carefully before writing, and b) assumes she has no other Jewish community, personal connection, or interest in her Jewishness when from the little we see she’s very excited about it and celebrating comfortably with her family.

Why do we act as though the only interesting story for Sam’s Jewishness is rejection of it? Why would Sam’s Jewishness and rebelliousness only be connected through rebelling again her Jewishness? Where is the interest in telling stories where her Jewishness provides her impetus for activism, when common Jewish ethics rely on the principles of ‘tzedek, tzedek tirdof’/‘justice, justice you shall pursue’, ‘tikkun olam’/‘repair of the world’, holidays dedicated to caring for the earth and the downtrodden in the community, and more!

Again, Sam is fictional. It’s hugely inappropriate for gentile creators to decide to slap a cross on her, usually for shallow reasons like ‘oh it’s gothic’, and it’s a storyline I’d advice extreme caution for non-Jewish creators before doing so by reading in deeply complicated reasons like turbulent feelings about her Jewishness. I also highly recommend examining the impulse to erase, ignore, downplay, or disrespect the Jewishness of the show’s only major Jewish character.

I hope this helps! I am always happy to answer any questions or share my thoughts on Sam’s Jewishness, give advice on respectful depiction or ways to include this element more, etc! I am not a rabbi and am only one person speaking to my experience and ability to assist with research, other Jewish folks can do do have differing opinions about any number of things because we are not a monolith and the Jewish experience is hugely varied. I know it can be intimidating to include a real minority group’s lived experience outside your own, and I really have fun talking about this stuff; my inbox and messages are always open.

[harmonyscarf]

I can't believe it's 2014 again...

it sure is!!

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any good recommend for Jewish fashion for Sam?

Howdy, I've been letting this one percolate for a bit, hence the delay. It's an interesting question! Short answer is unfortunately no, I don't have a specific 'Jewish fashion' trend or subculture to recommend.

Longer answer, Jewish folks live in dozens of countries and we've been around for thousands of years. While Torah and halacha (Jewish law) covers many aspects of day-to-day living as well as holidays and more special occasions, it doesn't say a lot about how to dress for the common person (vs how it's pretty specific about holy day garb for cohanim). In Orthodox circles it's a matter of religious and cultural significance to dress modestly (though as with most Jewish laws and customs, the definitions of these things vary community to community) and while there's exceptions (Hasidics notably), most Jewish communities dress largely in line with the custom of where they're living (eg Orthodox women in the US typically wear long sleeves and full skirts, but in a Western style).

That said, Sam and her family don't seem to be Orthodox, and could be interpreted easily as Conservative or Reform (to be clear, the Jewish Conservative denomination has nothing to do with political conservatism, and tends towards progressive and egalitarian ideals; I grew up in a conservative synagogue and girls read torah, led services, etc), so even a lot of distinctive Jewish dress I could talk about isn't super relevant to her because those movements don't have a lot of the same customs around clothing.

Jewelry is more common as an expression of Jewish identity and culture than specific clothing, especially featuring a Star of David/Magen David, hamsa, ayin hara, or an emblem of a torah or mezzuzah, on necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, in a variety of styles from intricately ornamented to quite simple. And even that is a matter of personal preference by and large; one person might wear a magen david necklace every day, another only on special occasions or when they feel like it, another never, and none of those is 'more' or 'less' Jewish. That said, I do think Sam would be interested in that kind of Jewish visibility, which is part of why I often depict her with a Star of David charm on her necklace.

Here's a little intro on myjewishlearning that expands on some of what I've talked about here, and is also a decent site for poking around in general. That said I know doing research can be daunting, it's hard to know what's fact vs custom vs opinion, what the context of information is, what questions to even be asking, and also that it's often just more fun and engaging to ask questions directly. I'm not always fast but my askbox and messages are open!

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I wanted to let you know, your blog has influenced my fanfics significantly. I have a few WIPs that are Sam Manson centric and I have been doing so much research into various aspects of Jewish culture and traditions. I thought you might get a laugh out of me going overboard today:

I'm writing a scene where she's baking with someone (literally just so I can add some action to break up the dialog) and I thought this could be a great time to make a nod to various aspects of her character in an organic way. She's Jewish, she's vegan, and she likes growing her own food.

...I've been researching vegan Hamantaschen recipes for three hours. This is a story where a child is turned into a half ghost, multiple clones are made of that child, and science is whatever I want it to be. But this baking scene will. be. accurate.

First of all that’s really, really sweet, I’m so touched

Second, this is absolutely DELIGHTFUL, thank you for sharing and I applaud your dedication 💚👻

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All of the novelty Jewish shirts/sweaters you draw Sam in are so fun. Are any of them things you own irl?

First of all that's very sweet and I appreciate it!

Second, oh my god no, I wish. Then I wouldn't be flying by the seat of my pants every time I do one of them. I once accidentally used the exact same slogan twice and didn't notice. I would say easily half are the result of frantically texting the same few friends for help and most of the remainder are the first joke I thought of

Excluding more religious garb like my talit or kippas, I think a complete list of all Jewish shirts/sweaters I own are: one sweater each for my k-8 and high schools; hoodie and like three shirts from USY conventions; t-shirt from a volunteering event; one normal hanuka shirt, which has a different design but from which I borrowed the slogan for this Paulina piece; and the shirt I am wearing currently, which is a bafflingly detailed Mickey Mouse hanukka shirt my mom got me with no explanation

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Trick or treat!

[ID: pen sketch of Danielle, in her ghost form, holding a piece of candy nearly her whole size, leaving only her hands, feet, and face visible. The candy is round with a swirl pattern, in a crinkley wrapper, and is colored in green. She’s smiling and looking down at the candy with wide eyes.]

Happy Halloween! Have a sticky note doodle 💚🎃

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Hello, I’d like to join Eight Ecto Nights, however I’ve never celebrated Hanukah and I suppose I wanted to ask someone who actually has. I’ll do my own reserch of course, but you seemed like a good place to start.

Is there any particular traditions or little things your family does that you might not see on a wikipedia? Is the mood usually as jolly as Christmas or is it more sedated?

beyond that, is there anything you’d particularly like to see in this event?

I hope that makes sence 😆 thank you for answering my questions

Howdy! First of all, welcome aboard eight ecto nights :D

Second, absolutely feel free to ask me questions. I love talking about this stuff, and I know doing independent research can be overwhelming when you don't know what questions you're trying to ask. If you're looking for research help, chabad.org has a lot of the traditional details and laws (here's their hanukkah page), and myjewishlearning.com has a more modern/egalitarian bend (here's their hanukkah intro)- that said, I'm totally open to asks or dms, hit me up!

Now to actually answer your questions. Disclaimer, a lot of this is just my own experience, not universal or the only 'right' way to do it.

In my family we light the menorahs from oldest to youngest. We all have a favorite menorah we tend to light year after year, but we also collect them, and often have a small party on one of the later nights where we invite friends and family to come light with us, so it's handy to have extras on hand. We use the regular boxes of hanukkah candles you can get at any grocery store for most nights, but on the very last my dad gets these beautiful taller candles with gradients of color to use.

When the kids in our family were younger, we'd often sit on the floor in front of the candles after lighting to play dreidel (a kind of spun top with Hebrew letters standing for the phrase nes gadol haya sham, 'a great miracle happened there', around the sides; which side lands facing up determines the outcome of your turn), and my mom still gives out bags of gelt (chocolate coins, typically in bright foil, that you win and lose in a game of dreidel) most nights.

Some other odds and ends we do include covering the hanukkhia-lighting table in aluminum foil (fire safety) and giving out different jobs (like setting up the candles for everyone before we start).

I wouldn't describe it as "jolly", but I'm probably not the right person to ask to compare something to Christmas. It's a fun holiday for sure, and one of my favorites; you have the lights, the festive foods, the gifts and surprises, the time together. It's not just about that though; it's about survival, and standing up to oppression and religious persecution, so there are more serious elements to telling and thinking about the story. That said, it's a pretty minor holiday.

In terms of things I'd love to see, first and foremost I just want to see what people make! The point of open-ended prompts is interpretation, after all. Whether you draw the characters singing hanukkah songs, write about them making their own menorahs, sculpt a ghost-themed dreidel, or something entirely different, I'm excited to see it!

Also, I hope people have a good grasp of what a menorah looks like. A hanukkah menorah, or hanukkiah, has nine total candle or oil holders (either is good, but candles are more common than oil lights). The eight main ones are placed from right to left, and lit from left to right (ie, newest first) by the ninth, the shamash or helper light. The shape of the menorah can get creative, as long as the eight holiday lights are in a straight, level line and the shamash is set apart (usually taller).

As a last thought, it would be nice to see an effort at IDs for image-based posts for the event; it's not hanukkah specific, but I've been seeing them more and more in the phandom, and it's lovely to see folks learning and trying to make the community increasingly accessible!

Let me know if you have more questions, on or off anon, via ask or dm, I am here to help!

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Thank you!! 👻💚