Thosefaroffconstellations

רנה Rina 20 y.o Syrian-Moroccan Orthodox Jew 🫶🏽

[jewish-hot-takes]

I don't care about representation. I don't want to see more minor Jewish characters. I don't want to reimagine existing characters as Jewish. I don't want to see fics where characters who aren't even vaguely Jewish coded are suddenly lighting a Hanukkah menorah, I DON'T CARE.

My life is Jewish. My community is Jewish. There are enough Israeli and Mel Brooks and Hebrew Hammer films—things that are intentionally Jewish—to scratch that itch.

I don't want Hollywood's lazy, stereotypical, Brooklyn Jewish guy (peyos! ashkenazi! says oy vey and somehow a bar mitzvah at 30!) to stand in for all Jews again, and I seriously don't get why anyone would.

.

[knaidelmaidel]

okay, so on the one hand, i very much agreed with this for a very long time. I don’t need more ‘stereotypical Jewish person’ in media. It’s boring, it’s rude, it doesn’t speak to me at all. And while i get why people have jewish headcanons for characters, and i’m glad they enjoy that, it never felt enjoyable to me.

But! That kinda changed for me once i saw @thosefaroffconstellations’ frum magical girls post. (If you haven’t seen it, here’s the link to her posts about it, i recommend you check it out!) And i was just like, oh. They look like *me*. They dress like *me*. And it was just such a revelation for me to see characters who i could connect to like that!

so while i do somewhat agree with anon, i think that having actual good jewish representation would be nice. But since thats not likely to happen, yeah i’m fine without it

[thosefaroffconstellations]

Blushing, giggling, and twirling my hair because of this shout out

Seriously tho, I can’t wait till i finish making it into an actual comic series for you all to read. Especially with how many people are seeing themselves in my characters.

Representation for us can suck so much, sometimes it’s better to just take it into our own hands than letting it be messed up again and again

[fromchaostocosmos]

No just no.

We are not Judeans. We don't all come from that Shevat. We are the Tribe of Yisrael.

I really do not care for this way of explaining our history which as I point out in my comment is incorrect.

I'm not saying you have to explain history in a way that is dry and boring.

There is just something about that feels so not childish, but I can't quite figure out the word. Flippant maybe. I don't know.

Being a member of our Tribe comes with a weight. It comes with responsibility. To each other. To what it means to be a part of the Tribe. To the history and to future generations.

There is this way that some people, that I feel that the OP is an example of, seem to not understand that weight and responsibility that really bothers me. That really kind of disgusts me even.

[thosefaroffconstellations]

OMG I HATE THE WHOLE “JUDEAN” THING WITH SUCH A BURNING PASSION IM SO GLAD OTHERS ARE SPEAKING ABOUT IT

1. I cannot believe that people are genuinely trying to decolonize how they refer to themselves by using A COLONIALIST TERM. judea/judean was coined by Roman colonizers, NOT us, we never called ourselves that.

2. Yehudah does actually happen to be one of the three tribes that people are able to actually track (the others being Levi (and Cohanim by extension (hi that’s me, I’m bat Cohen) and Binyamin), if you can’t track yourself to Yehudah why in the world would you claim to be part of that shevet?? Like that’s just weird to do.

This stuff pisses me off, like if you want to refer to us as a collective just say “b’nei yisrael” or “klal yisrael” idk stuff we’ve actually been historically calling ourselves.

It’s the same thing with people calling Israel judea like??? You’re not decolonizing anything by doing that. If anything it’s perpetuating colonialism.

[notaplaceofhonour]

We really gotta start spelling out the full name of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance when discussing the IHRA definition of antisemitism to make it clear who and what is being targeted

[knaidelmaidel]

so, I was taking a survey on orthodox jewish english, and it had a bunch of phrases and examples of grammar that you had to answer if/how often you’d actually say them

and apparently my english is jewish to the point where i was baffled that some of those were not just…regular things to say

[thosefaroffconstellations]

I TOOK IT TOO, I WAS SHOCKED

I was reading the phrasing of the sentences shown in the survey like “??? This is considered weird??” Like I knew that we talk strangely but I never realized how strangely, I thought we just include other languages or have different social norms, I didn’t realize how different our grammar is 😭

I kinda wish they included Sephardi stuff in the survey too tho

[hellbent-boy]

Genuinely, because I knew some of them were odd, but I figured I talk mostly normal, you know? On the grammar page I was hit with like. Lakewood flashbacks for half of them and the realization that oh this is why people get confused at me sometimes. I think sometimes the orthodox community treats English as a higher context language than it actually is

[thosefaroffconstellations]

The Lakewood flashbacks is so funny because me too, for all the ashki specific stuff i would picture Lakewood so vividly in my mind

[knaidelmaidel]

so, I was taking a survey on orthodox jewish english, and it had a bunch of phrases and examples of grammar that you had to answer if/how often you’d actually say them

and apparently my english is jewish to the point where i was baffled that some of those were not just…regular things to say

[thosefaroffconstellations]

I TOOK IT TOO, I WAS SHOCKED

I was reading the phrasing of the sentences shown in the survey like “??? This is considered weird??” Like I knew that we talk strangely but I never realized how strangely, I thought we just include other languages or have different social norms, I didn’t realize how different our grammar is 😭

I kinda wish they included Sephardi stuff in the survey too tho

[thosefaroffconstellations]

Everyday I have a thought that has me going like “jumblr would probably like that” and then I get stuck in a perpetual loop of “ok but I should probably just leave that to Hashem” to “no wait it literally does not matter, I’m allowed to talk about things” to “okay but what about ayin hara” to “rina you don’t even believe in that, superstition is assur anyways” to “I’m half Moroccan tho”

And then the cycle repeats

[fromourperspective]

A day in the life of Diaspora Jews

Every day another Jew is attacked with violence, hateful words, and pointless hatred.

Be the one who DOESN’T let it happen.

Jews don’t deserve violence. Be a human being. Be the one who breaks the chain of violence against the Jewish people and Israel.

Let Jews feel at home.

And don't tell us "I don't hate Jews, I'm just against Zionists" - Zionism is the right of the Jews to have a homeland - State of Israel. So if you are antizionist, you are antisemitic! Because you don't want the right of the Jewish people to have a protected land without hatred.

Comics art and writing donated by @fibey234.

[thosefaroffconstellations]

Hi, I am so sorry, I may have made the Mature label thing on that post worse. I foolishly thought the "Request Content Label Review" option was a way to say "this post has a label but it shouldn't", when it's the opposite. The response to my "report" was that it's not in violation but they've added the content label for users who don't want to see this content. I submitted an appeal, stating very clearly that the post doesn't violate and tumblr policies and that they should review the content and remove the label. If you want, I'll update you once I get a response. Again I'm so sorry, and I hope this doesn't lead to bigger account issues for you.

You’re so okay, don’t even worry about it!! Please do keep me updated though, I’m very confused by this whole mature content tag 😭

[thosefaroffconstellations]

While I think the whole Ashkenazi vs Other Jews debate is so so stupid for so many reasons. I do find it so jarring considering how until like what,, a few months ago? The entire narrative being pushed wasn’t that Ashkenazim weren’t Jewish enough. It was that Sephardim and mizrahim weren’t Jewish enough. That we were other, wrong, something to be fixed.

I grew up with teachers forcing me out of the classroom to learn to be a “proper” (read: Ashkenaz) Jew. I grew up being yelled at for praying Edot HaMizrach. I grew up having my food made fun of, my pronunciations made fun of, my skin made fun of. My grandparents were forced into reeducation schools. Taught everything we do is wrong, our very entire existence is wrong, and mind you I can keep going, this doesn’t even scratch the surface.

It’s just so weird, it’s so so weird. Like yeah no kidding Ashkenazim aren’t lesser than Sephardim and mizrahim, that’s been made abundantly clear in real life. And I see Ashkenazim being like “your reminder that Ashkenazim are just as Jewish as Sephardim!!” “ Sephardim need to stop thinking they’re more Jewish than Ashkenazim!!” “We need to stop this hatred against Ashkenazim from sephardis!!” WHAT HATRED?? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!?! Five months ago I’m being told my entire existence is wrong and now all of a sudden it’s all switched around???? Did I wake up in an alternate universe??? I don’t understand???

[weisswodka]

Little lazy shuckling animation I made when I was bored

[thosefaroffconstellations]

This is so so cute

[thosefaroffconstellations]

It’s been a while since I posted one of these outfit diary things

[thosefaroffconstellations]

Amazon, Ross, AliExpress, Forever 21, Marshalls, my moms closet, my grandmothers closet, and some of it I made myself (especially embellishments or accessories)

For the stuff from my moms closet, its hard to actually give brands. this stuff is older than I am, like 90s French stuff. I don’t think I’d be able to find the brands if I tried 😭

Knowing my grandmother the things from her is probably all from like Zara or smth

[thosefaroffconstellations]

It’s been a while since I posted one of these outfit diary things

[kosherdragon]

Unoriginal cold take: for me, the most annoying downside of hanging out with all different types of Jews in social media is that I get SO ANNOYED by concepts like pikuach nefesh and accommodations for the choleh being reduced to "if it's for your health or physical well-being EVERYTHING GOES" and that's not how it works, it's not how it works, it's not how it works, halakha won't ask you to compromise your life but it does require you to engage!! if you accept halakha as binding you need to have these conversations with people that can pasken.

[hermthejewishwyrm]

People forget that they have to ask a rabbi if pekuach nefesh applies to things if it isn't an immediate danger. You don't just get to decide yourself willy nilly. No you getting tattoos is not "Pikuach nefesh" and if you would actually kill yourself if you weren't able to get tattoos you need to go to therapy

[thosefaroffconstellations]

It’s kinda funny seeing people talking about things “ancient jews did” when like,,,Orthodox Jews still do that, we’ve been doing that, that’s kinda our whole thing

[knaidelmaidel]

it kinda bothers me when youtubers or reporters or whatever go to chassidish neighborhoods to interview people (with positive intent!!) and then get disappointed or frustrated that no one wants to just have a street interview with them

my guy. they don’t know you. their experience with people who want to film them or put them on the news is not good. they don’t know that you’re not like that, they don’t know that you’re a secular jew! so yes, they might be a little rude to you, or straight up ignore you because they don’t trust you! they have no reason to trust you! the fact that you dislike their reaction is on you! treat them as you would a skittish cat!

if someone really wanted to interview chassidish people, a street interview is the worst way to do it. instead, have someone who knows the community give you an in, and people will be much more open!

this is true for most orthodox communities btw, but i usually see it when people want to “explore the secret hidden jewish sect” in williamsburg or some bs like that

[wenevergotusedtoegypt]

The actual main thing has nothing to do with whether these people trust you, and it’s that no one EVER owes you a street interview regardless of who you are or who they are or whether they have an indication that they can or cannot trust you. People are actually allowed to be going about their lives on the street and not want to stop and chat with a rando who wants to film them. It’s not rude to say no.

[thosefaroffconstellations]

I think my least favorite thing about these street interviews is that you go to the comments and see people asking “oh did really no one want to talk to you??” and the op will legit be like “oh no plenty did but I was so surprised by how many didn’t want to” and I have two issues with that

1. no one owes you a street interview, nor is it uncommon for all kinds of people to deny doing interviews in the first place (also just so that things are clear, NEVER should you be putting anyone’s face on the internet without their permission, especially children)

2. Whatever you choose to share has a message behind it, and it’s horrible to choose to edit footage and write a caption in a way that insinuates that chassidim think they’re above you to the point they won’t even speak to you

At that point I’m sorry but it is absolutely propaganda used to show chassidim as bad people, it’s disgusting

[magnetothemagnificent]

If there's anything Megillat Esther taught us it's that killing a man doesn't accomplish anything if it's not accompanied by a complete overhaul of the oppressive and genocidal systems he set in place. Achashverosh was satisfied just killing Haman, without a care about the impending genocide he orchestrated, and Esther had to beg him to reverse Haman's decree (which he didn't even do, he just allowed the Jews to defend themselves). Something to keep in mind.

[thosefaroffconstellations]

פורים שמח לכולם!