I’m at the fancy corporate yuppie organic grocery store picking up a few things, and stop to have a conversation with The Cheese Guy about the brie–do they have any that’s kosher, or at the very least not made with animal rennet? We chat for a bit about this, he finds me my cheese, I go on my merry way.
As I’m in line for checkout, he comes running up to me. “You seem like a very intelligent person. Do you have a self-depricating sense of humor as well?” Of course I do. He had something to show me, but it was in his car. He came running back as I was paying, with a copy of Heeb magazine.
“Oh, Heeb!” I say, somewhat relieved. I don’t like the idea of strange men going to their cars to fetch me things I must see. That almost never ends well.
He’s clearly crestfallen. “You know about this magazine?”
Well, um, yeah. He didn’t know that I was a Jewish professional or that I’ve done work on Gen X Judaism or that I was in the middle of working on something with the magazine’s founder when she learned that she got the $$ to start the thing. But really, still. Today, in addition to the kippah and tzitzit, I’m wearing a t-shirt that says “I [heart] Monsters”, a skirt, and boots that look dangerously like combat boots, except with maybe more buckles. I look, basically, as much like the magazine’s constituency as a person could (even though I haven’t seen an issue in years.) He’s not Jewish, he doesn’t know that we all heard about this magazine like a million years ago. He just saw a Jew and his “Jew” light went on, and he wanted to give me something Jewy.
I’d feel grateful or happy to have a free magazine or whatever, but this kind of thing, frankly, happens all the damn time. It’s like the would-be suitor who saw me as the solution to all of his spiritual crises (solution in a skirt, lucky him) and sent me gifts: halva, Yiddish fridge magnets, one of those punching joke “rabbis” (the plastic toy was in the shape of an old Hasid; for all we know the toy hadn’t gotten smicha, but rather worked in the diamond industry or something) and a few other things that had nothing to do with me as a human being, or my needs, hopes, dreams, and fears, but rather, the thing that I symbolized to him. There are a lot of reasons I’m glad that I move through the world visibly flagging my religious and spiritual orientation, but serving as the world’s “Jew” file is not one of them.
As I left the store (2004 issue of Heeb tucked politely in one of my grocery bags) I stopped to sign a petition to improve public schools. The petition guy asked why I wore a yarmulke. I told him (“because I’m Jewish”) and then when he asked again I told him the answer he wanted (ie, to answer his gender curiosity–which, for the record, I don’t mind, since I’m always happy to help dispel myths). Before I knew it, he was telling me everything he had heard about Judaism on NPR–evidently we’re the only religion that observes a day of rest* and are very serious about our dietary laws. Which, you know, maybe I hadn’t heard?
*never fear, I corrected him on that.
Nine new radio stations to be created
The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland today announced a three-year plan to issue nine new commercial radio licences.
Hey, you have a great blog here! I’m definitely going to bookmark you!
I have a work from home site. It pretty much covers work from home related stuff.
Come and check it out if you get time 🙂
So in my first meeting of Hillel in 3 years I decided not to cause too much ridiculousness by tucking in my tzitzit and weraing a cap over my yarmulke.
They were coming up with ideas on what to discuss at their monthly “Lunch and Learn” where a rabbi comes in and talks about whatever issue we give him. I, being an apparent lover of awkward moments, asked if he could talk about mitzvot, and more importantly women taking on time-bound mitzvot such as tzitzit.
His response
“Why would we talk about that? Ill just talk about mitzvot.”
When I explained to him that I wear tzitzit and have come into some rather horrid instances of Ortho men spitting on me he interuppted with
“Wait, what? You WEAR tzitzit?”
The entire room fell silent and just glared at me. It really was a fun time, which quickly reminded me why I don’t hang out with Jewish kids.
He then just raised his eyebrows with a nice smug look of “You’re an idiot and don’t know your own religion.”
Needless to say I still keep them tucked in, and I’m still wearing head wraps.
You get all my respect I can give for doing that unashamed. Its funny to me that it’s not the secular world I’m worried about being more observant around, but the Jews who think I’m just doing it to make a statement. Ah how it aggravates me.
PS I also may have suggested bringing in this one woman I know who has this awesome book called “Yentl’s Revenge” I mean just maybe I suggested it. If they turn it down, I will do it without them.
Shabbat Shalom!
As a Jewish male who wears tefillin shel yadh all day, I can imagine what you must feel. (I wear the tefillin under my sleeve.)
I am a relatively famous JBlogger, but I am not revealing my usual blog-name, because I want to avoid yohora (excessive showing off).
Oh wait–
I read through a little more of your blog. I’m pretty sure I know exactly who you are.
Do we know each other in real life? Have we corresponded?
Real life.
Weren’t you one of the few JTSniks who remained in town for Pesach?
I’m not at JTS, haven’t lived in NYC since a brief episode in ’00. Generally: SF, LA, Jerusalem.