True that what really matters is what time shabbos ends in Israel, or true that mindlessly mimicking everything Israeli has taken control of the Jewish world?
IMHO the latter is true. Why call it “shabbat” unless you’re Sephardi or Israeli. Most of us in the US are ashkenazim. This desire to mimic Israel is destroying our culture. That’s why it’s sad, too.
I’ve ceased calling myself Ashkenazi in all but genetic/physical make up. My family loves Sephardic food kashrut — particularly for Pesach, so we can eat corn and rice. (Additionally, Grandpa married a Costa Rican, so if the tradition in Ashkenaz but the culture is South American, are we half-Sephardi too? It’s a family joke.)
I took the same Hebrew school linguistic brainwash — Sephardi pronunciation. Add to that that I don’t give a crap where my tradition comes from — Israel, Ashkenaz, Sephardi, Mizrahi, non-Jewish, as long as it’s meaningful to me.
Thus, I don’t identify with an ethno-subtype of Jewish culture. I’m, in essense, typical Americanist Jew.
As hebrew-language wonnks know, it’s not Sephardi pronunciation that’s taken over – it’s Israeli.
By the way, Kung Fu Jew, the vast majority of South American Jews are Ashkenazi.
It’s sad that we’ve allowed are culture to go so easily. It’s not even so much that it’s faded away out of lack of interest. It’s been shunted aside by falafel. As if that even has anything to do with being Jewish or even Israeli. It’s pathetic.
I will admit that falafel is tastier than schav, though.
Anything is tastier than schav… and yes, my whole family is from Europe, my mother’s family is mostly from Latvia, but I don’t think that using Sephardi/Israeli pronunciation is evidence that I’ve abandoned that heritage. I also leyn from the torah using Moroccan trope and I eat lots of Moroccan and Syrian food, but that doesn’t mean that chicken tagine has replaced my Yiddishkeit. I think it’s actually wonderful that we’re so aware of the multiple Jewish communities and backgrounds, and that I can appreciate the different cultures regardless of which one I grew up with.
What’s schav? And let’s be realistic — by far the most disgusting Jewish food is pacha/gala, the one JELL-O there is never room for. 😀
However, like Kung Fu Jew alluded to, these things are more fluid than they are given credit for. From the Ariza”l to today, you have had Ashkenazi Jews forsaking their “ancestral heritage” to “become Sephardi”. And vice versa — my rav laments to no end about how European “yeshivishkeit” has worked its way into Sephardi schools (of course it’s not racism). Even look at the Yemenite Satmar communities (although it breaks my heart).
Be Ashkenazi, be Sephardi, be Mizrachi, be Chassidic, be whatever — as long as you stay Jewish 🙂
I prefer to call it Shabbat and to greet people “Shabbat Shalom”. Unless there’s some secret kabbalistic book that tells me otherwise, I’m pretty sure Avraham Avinu did NOT say “Gut Shabbos”.
I don’t think that any of them (Moshe Rabeinu or Avraham Avinu) divided their tables in to sephardi or ashkenazi parts. So shut up and eat the food you enjoy be that European or Middle eastern cusine.
Dunno what Avraham Avinu said, but what’s more important, and knowable, to me, is what my grandparents said. Can’t imagine a shabbat shalom ever passed their hot-water -with -lemon sipping lips.
ShaBot Shalom from Jerusalem!
so sad.
Grr.
So true…
True that what really matters is what time shabbos ends in Israel, or true that mindlessly mimicking everything Israeli has taken control of the Jewish world?
IMHO the latter is true. Why call it “shabbat” unless you’re Sephardi or Israeli. Most of us in the US are ashkenazim. This desire to mimic Israel is destroying our culture. That’s why it’s sad, too.
I’ve ceased calling myself Ashkenazi in all but genetic/physical make up. My family loves Sephardic food kashrut — particularly for Pesach, so we can eat corn and rice. (Additionally, Grandpa married a Costa Rican, so if the tradition in Ashkenaz but the culture is South American, are we half-Sephardi too? It’s a family joke.)
I took the same Hebrew school linguistic brainwash — Sephardi pronunciation. Add to that that I don’t give a crap where my tradition comes from — Israel, Ashkenaz, Sephardi, Mizrahi, non-Jewish, as long as it’s meaningful to me.
Thus, I don’t identify with an ethno-subtype of Jewish culture. I’m, in essense, typical Americanist Jew.
Americanist? So you only use nusakh friedman?
Why “Americanist Jew” and not “Jewist Jew (who happens to live in America)”?
i dont get it!
As hebrew-language wonnks know, it’s not Sephardi pronunciation that’s taken over – it’s Israeli.
By the way, Kung Fu Jew, the vast majority of South American Jews are Ashkenazi.
It’s sad that we’ve allowed are culture to go so easily. It’s not even so much that it’s faded away out of lack of interest. It’s been shunted aside by falafel. As if that even has anything to do with being Jewish or even Israeli. It’s pathetic.
I will admit that falafel is tastier than schav, though.
Anything is tastier than schav… and yes, my whole family is from Europe, my mother’s family is mostly from Latvia, but I don’t think that using Sephardi/Israeli pronunciation is evidence that I’ve abandoned that heritage. I also leyn from the torah using Moroccan trope and I eat lots of Moroccan and Syrian food, but that doesn’t mean that chicken tagine has replaced my Yiddishkeit. I think it’s actually wonderful that we’re so aware of the multiple Jewish communities and backgrounds, and that I can appreciate the different cultures regardless of which one I grew up with.
What’s schav? And let’s be realistic — by far the most disgusting Jewish food is pacha/gala, the one JELL-O there is never room for. 😀
However, like Kung Fu Jew alluded to, these things are more fluid than they are given credit for. From the Ariza”l to today, you have had Ashkenazi Jews forsaking their “ancestral heritage” to “become Sephardi”. And vice versa — my rav laments to no end about how European “yeshivishkeit” has worked its way into Sephardi schools (of course it’s not racism). Even look at the Yemenite Satmar communities (although it breaks my heart).
Be Ashkenazi, be Sephardi, be Mizrachi, be Chassidic, be whatever — as long as you stay Jewish 🙂
>>>>>David Says:
January 5th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
“Why call it “shabbat†unless you’re Sephardi or Israeli.”
Or a robot?
I prefer to call it Shabbat and to greet people “Shabbat Shalom”. Unless there’s some secret kabbalistic book that tells me otherwise, I’m pretty sure Avraham Avinu did NOT say “Gut Shabbos”.
I don’t think that any of them (Moshe Rabeinu or Avraham Avinu) divided their tables in to sephardi or ashkenazi parts. So shut up and eat the food you enjoy be that European or Middle eastern cusine.
Dunno what Avraham Avinu said, but what’s more important, and knowable, to me, is what my grandparents said. Can’t imagine a shabbat shalom ever passed their hot-water -with -lemon sipping lips.