A Question for my fellow Jews (and non-Jews)

Shalom Y'all. I was just wondering...there are so many people who seem to know nothing at all about Judaism or Jews. Not trying to offend anyone here, but I was just wondering...Have you ever had someone ask you really ignorant questions about Judaism? I have. For example:
I have been asked numerous times if I am 'Hebrew' and once was asked if I am "Israel."
In World History last year, we were talking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and it was referred to as the conflict between the "Israelites and the Pakistanis." I have heard 'Israelites' used for 'Iraelis' more times than I care to count.
I have been asked numerous times if I speak 'Israel' and 'Jewish.'
This is my favorite one: one of my friends was once asked if she spoke 'Dreydle.' Hoo boy I love that one!
Please share your stories!

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No worries. I'm sure most people in the world would find me horribly ignorant about their culture as well. But coming from a half Jewish town, I admit found it pretty startling when people in my regional high school asked if I spoke Hebrish.

Man people are such idiots! My favorite book of the Hebrew scriptures is Torah. Torah was such an amazing woman, she single handedly made sure Abraham had milk and honey every day since Sarah was worthless! Very few of us Christians know that Sarah couldn't cook so God sent Torah as a servant because men shouldn't have to do any housework or cooking for themselves!

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LOL

Well I've had people ask me whether we rode camels to school here in Israel.....I'm not kidding.

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Camels? Holy crap, that's hilarious. What, do they think we're all Bedouins or something?

I hate religion but I love Jews!

Israel is a country, recognized by everyone but a few Arab countries. Jews got the land from the UN after WWII, in an idea derived somewhat from Britain's Balfour Declaration of WWI. Palestinians are the ones with no official state, and the borders and administration of that state are what everyone keeps fighting about. The whole area used to be a British colony.

Basically, Israel got all the surrounding Arab countries to recognize them by kicking their asses repeatedly over the years.

Updated On: 11/12/04 at 12:33 AM

going to a jewish day school in nj, and being awfully sheltered, your encounters with other people ammuse me but are somewhat disheartening i must say.

israel is a country legitimately acquired!

bwaylover-you live in israel? very cool. where do you live?

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People always say to me: "You don't LOOK Jewish"! What does Jewish LOOK like? Just cause I am blonde and blue doesn't mean I am automatically not Jewish!

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There's no such thing as a certain Jewish "look" - it's just that Jews have been stereotyped as the Ashkenazi type- eastern European, big nose, blah blah blah. That leaves out a ton of people, including Ethiopian Jews and Sephardis. Not to mention those who are mixed, like me. :)

If it weren't for me studying Judaism and the Israelite culture (yes, -ite, not the current country, they didn't write the Torah ), then my perception of Christianity would be just as skewed and uninformed as, well, the rest of the country. Damn, that just made me really sad.
I had a great Rabbi teach me all the stuff that priests and pastors and ministers THINK they understand...but don't. Stick to the New Testament guys.

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I'm a pretty religious Jew who goes to a Jewish schoo, so I don't really have too many encounter with Non-Jews. I've been asked what kosher is and why I can't eat ham, and I'm always asked if I could speak Hebrew, but there aren't really many stupid questions I've been asked about Judaism. But a kid once called me a kike because I was Jewish, but that was when I was 7.

hahahah! yea I have been asked online if I was Jooish and if I spoke Hannukan... where do they get these things?!

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