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Frequently Asked Questions on Soc.Culture.Jewish
Part 1: Introduction to the FAQ and Soc.Culture.Jewish
[Last Change: $Date: 1995/10/19 15:23:13 $ $Revision: 1.3 $]
[Last Post: Sun Mar 28 11:07:14 US/Pacific 2004]
The FAQ is a collection of documents that is an attempt to answer
questions that are continually asked on the soc.culture.jewish family
of newsgroups. It was written by cooperating laypeople from the
various Judaic movements. You should not make any assumption as to
accuracy and/or authoritativeness of the answers provided herein. In
all cases, it is always best to consult a competent authority--your
local rabbi is a good place to start.
[2][Got Questions?] Hopefully, the FAQ will provide the answer to your
questions. If it doesn't, please drop Email to
[3]questions@scjfaq.org. The FAQ maintainer will endeavor to direct
your query to an appropriate individual that can answer it. If you
would like to be part of the group to which the maintainer directs
questions, please drop a note to the FAQ maintainer at
[4]maintainer@scjfaq.org.
The deceased sages described within are of blessed memory, (assume a
Z"L or ZT"L after their names) and the sages alive today should live
to see long and good days (assume SHLITA). May Hashem grant complete
recovery to the ill. Individual honorifics are omitted.
The FAQ was produced by a committee and is a cooperative work. The
contributors never standardized on transliteration scheme from Hebrew,
Aramaic, Yiddish, or Ladino to English. As a result, the same original
word might appear with a variety of spellings. This is complicated by
the fact that there are regional variations in the pronunciation of
Hebrew. In some places, the common spelling variations are mentioned;
in others--not. We hope that this is not too confusing.
In general, throughout this FAQ, North American (US/Canada) terms are
used to refer to the movements of Judaism. Outside of North American,
Reform is Progressive or Liberal Judaism; Conservative is Masorti or
Neolog, and Orthodoxy is often just "Judaism". Even with this, there
are differences in practice, position, and ritual between US/Canada
Reform and other progressive/liberal movements (such as UK
Progressive/ Liberal), and between US/Canada Conservative and the
conservative/Masorti movement elsewhere. Where appropriate, these
differences will be highlighted.
The goal of the FAQ is to present a balanced view of Judaism; where a
response is applicable to a particular movement only, this will be
noted. Unless otherwise noted or implied by the text, all responses
reflect the traditional viewpoint.
This list should be used in conjunction with the Soc.Culture.Jewish
[5]reading lists. Similar questions can be found in the books
referenced in those lists.
There are also numerous other Jewish FAQs available on the Internet
that are not part of the SCJ FAQ/RL suite. An index to these may be
found at [6]www.scjfaq.org/otherfaqs.html
This FAQ is a volunteer effort. If you wish to support the maintenance
of the FAQ, please see [7]Section 20, Question 99 for more
information.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: The following is an index to all the sections of the SCJ FAQ. It is
grouped by the files available through the SCJ FAQ Autoretriever.
[3]Introduction
01-FAQ-intro
[1] [4]Network and Newsgroup Introduction
02-Who-We-Are
[2] [5]Who We Are
03-Torah-Halacha
[3] [6]Torah
[4] [7]Halachic Authority
04-Observance
[5] [8]Jewish Holidays
[6] [9]Jewish Dietary Law and Kashrut
[7] [10]Sabbath and Holiday Observance
[8] [11]Woman and Marriage
05-Worship
[9] [12]Jewish Worship
[10] [13]Conversion, Intermarriage, and "Who is a Jew?"
[11] [14]Miscellaneous Practice Questions
06-Jewish-Thought
[12] [15]Jewish Thought
07-Jews-As-Nation
[13] [16]Jews as a Nation
08-Israel
[14] [17]Jews and Israel
09-Antisemitism
[15] [18]Churban Europa (The Holocaust)
[16] [19]Antisemitism and Rumors about Jews
[17] [20]Countering Missionaries
10-Reform
[18] [21]Reform/Progressive Judaism
11-Miscellaneous
[19] [22]Miscellaneous
[20] [23]References and Getting Connected
12-Kids
[21] [24]Children and Judaism
[25]Archival Information
[26]Credits and Acknowledgements
2000
The following separate FAQ related to Judaism is also published as
part of the S.C.J. FAQ:
Jewish Resources by Mail Order and Computer
Steve Seidman [27]
The following is an index to the questions and other information contained
in each section:
Section 1: Network and Soc.Culture.Jewish Information
1. [8]What is USENET? How is it different than "the Web"?
2. [9]What are the major Jewish newsgroups on USENET?
3. [10]Why soc.culture.jewish? Wouldn't soc.religion.jewish be more
appropriate?
4. [11]What are the charters of the various Jewish newsgroups?
5. [12]Are there other newsgroups about which Jews should be aware?
6. [13]I notice that some of these newsgroups are moderated. Isn't
moderation censorship?
7. [14]How do I submit postings to a newsgroup?
8. [15]Some of these newsgroups have quite a bit of traffic? How do
you cope with it?
9. [16]What topics are appropriate for S.C.J?
10. [17]What topics are not appropriate for S.C.J?
11. [18]When should I post to talk.politics.mideast?
12. [19]Is it appropriate to discuss Israel in soc.culture.jewish?
13. [20]How should I respond to inappropriate articles? Somebody
posted an inappropriate article to S.C.J or T.P.M.
14. [21]But I don't get T.P.M? Now what?
15. [22]A. Random Jew posted X to a.b.c; I disagree. What should I do?
16. [23]Can non-Jews post to S.C.J?
17. [24]May I post this great Jewish essay I just read?
18. [25]I have a question nogaiah hilchos maaser kesafim b'zman
hazeh... Eem yeish lee meah or fewer shekalim and some are hefker
...
19. [26]I've just found Jesus/ LaRouche/ Muhammad/ Marx/ Moon/
L.RonHubbard/ Cthulhu and I'd like you to find him, too. Here's an
essay written by someone raised in a Jewish home who converted to
my faith...
20. [27]I've just gotten this antisemitic email. What should I do?
21. [28]What are the Do's and Don'ts?
Section 2: Who We Are
1. [8]Who reads the soc.culture.jewish newsgroups?
2. [9]What are the major Jewish movements?
3. [10]What is Conservative Judaism?
4. [11]What is Orthodox Judaism?
5. [12]What is Reform/Progressive Judaism?
6. [13]What about other movements?
7. [14]What are some of the Orthodox sub-groups?
8. [15]What is Chassidism and how does it differ from other Orthodox
groups?
9. [16]What is Lubavitch Chasidism and Chabad?
10. [17]What is Breslov Chasidism?
11. [18]What is Satmar Chasidism?
12. [19]What other forms of Chasidism?
13. [20]What are OCR (O-C-R) wars? Why all the flames?
14. [21]But Reform Judaism isn't Judaism? Why don't they see that?
15. [22]But Orthodox Judaism isn't Judaism?Why don't they see that?
16. [23]Why shouldn't I say "ultra-Orthodox", "Reformed Judaism", or
"Humanist Judaism"?
17. [24]How does a Chassid differ from Misnagid?
18. [25]What is a "Torah Jew?"
19. [26]What about homosexual Jews?
20. [27]Is it true that Jews are all (fill-in-the-blank)?
21. [28]How many Jews are there today in the U.S.A.?
22. [29]How many Jews are in the world?
23. [30]Who was the first Jew?
24. [31]What is Judaism all about?
Section 3: Torah
1. [8]What is the Written Law?
2. [9]What are the books of the Jewish Bible (Tanakh)?
3. [10]Why, in the Tanakh, does G-d have so many Names?
4. [11]Who wrote the Torah?
5. [12]What is the Oral Law?
6. [13]How was the Oral and Written Law passed down to us?
7. [14]What is the Great Assembly (Anshe Knessest HaGedolah)?
8. [15]Who are the Zugot (pairs)?
9. [16]What is the Mishna?
10. [17]What is the relationship between the Mishna and the Torah?
11. [18]What are the Orders of the Mishna?
12. [19]What is the Tosefta?
13. [20]What is the relationship between the Tosefta and the Mishna?
14. [21]What is the Gemara and what is the Talmud?
15. [22]What is the Talmud?
16. [23]What is Talmud Yerushalmi?
17. [24]What is Talmud Bavli?
18. [25]What is Rashi's commentary on the Talmud?
19. [26]What is the Tosafot?
20. [27]Who wrote the Tosafot?
21. [28]What is the relationship of the Tosefta to the Talmuds?
22. [29]What are Baraitot?
23. [30]What are the extra-canonical (minor) tractates?
24. [31]What is a Midrash?
25. [32]What are Halakhic (or Tannaitic) Midrashim?
26. [33]What are the main Halakhic Midrashim?
27. [34]What are the main Exegetical Midrashim?
28. [35]What are the main Homiletic Midrashim?
29. [36]What are the Midrashim on the Five Megillot (aka The So-Called
Rabbot)?
30. [37]What are some other important Haggadic works?
31. [38]What is the Sefer Yetzirah (The Book of Creation)?
32. [39]What is Sefer haBahir, The Bahir (The Book of Illumination)?
33. [40]What is The Zohar?
34. [41]What are the Major Codes of Jewish Law?
35. [42]What is the Rif (Hilkhot of Rav Alfassi)?
36. [43]What is the Mishneh Torah (Yad Ha-Hazaqah , Sefer Mehoqeq)?
37. [44]What is the Sefer Mitzvot Gadol (The Semag)?
38. [45]What is the Arba'ah Turim (The Tur , The Four Rows)?
39. [46]What is the Shulkhan Arukh?
40. [47]What is the Hamappah of Rabbi Moshe Isserles?
41. [48]What is the Kitzur Shulkhan Arukh?
42. [49]What is the Mishnah Berurah?
43. [50]What Other Codes of Jewish Law Are Used by Non-Orthodox Jewish
Movements?
44. [51]What is the Meaning of 'All is Futile' from the beginning of
Ecclesiastes?
45. [52]What does it mean in the psalm of Habakkuk when it says that
G-d hides His power?
46. [53]What is meant by G-d's throne and the Serphim worshiping him
in Isaiah 6:1-6?
47. [54]Why is G-d referred to in the plural in the book of Genesis?
48. [55]What is the Mekhilta on Deuteronomy?
Section 4: Halachic Authority
1. [8]What is "Halacha"? How is it determined?
2. [9]Traditionally, what are the levels of halacha?
3. [10]Traditionally, what are the different rabbinic eras?
4. [11]How can differing halachic rulings all be considered valid?
5. [12]How does the Conservative movement deal with Halachic
questions?
6. [13]What is the difference between two Orthodox rabbis who
disagree and an Orthodox and a Reform who disagree?
7. [14]Who is RAMBAM that is mentioned and what are his 13
principles?
8. [15]Who was Rashi?
9. [16]Who was the Ramban?
10. [17]What is Kabbalah and how can I learn about it?
11. [18]Who is allowed to study Kabbalah?
12. [19]Who was Rabbeinu Tam?
13. [20]What are she'elot u'teshuvot?
14. [21]What is the midrash halachah and the midrash agadah?
Section 5: Jewish Holidays
1. [8]What are the different holidays?
2. [9]What are the dates of the upcoming Jewish holidays?
3. [10]How can I get a Jewish calendar
4. [11]Why do some people take off one day, and others two?
5. [12]Why does the Jewish day start at sundown?
6. [13]What are the origins of the Chanukah Dreidel?
7. [14]Is it appropriate for Christians to "celebrate" Pesach using
the form of a seder meal?
8. [15]What are the months of the Jewish Year?
9. [16]How does Judaism measure the day?
10. [17]Are the Four Questions asked on Pesach in the Torah?
11. [18]What are the different days of the Jewish week?
12. [19]How are Yahrzeits observed in Leap Years?
13. [20]What happened to the observance on 14 Nisan as Passover?
14. [21]For Mother's Day, how should one bless their mothers?
Section 6: Jewish Dietary Law and Kashrut
1. [8]What is Kosher? Doesn't a rabbi just bless the food?
2. [9]How can I learn about Kashrut? Is there a "Kosher" FAQ?
3. [10]There are a wide variety of kosher symbols. How do I learn
who's behind them?
4. [11]I'm going to be in (insert city here). How do I find the
kosher restaurants?
5. [12]Do I need to have a kosher kitchen and kosher home to keep
kosher?
6. [13]I have heard that Polish Orthodox Jews wait 6 hours between
eating milchig and fleishig and Dutch Orthodox Jews wait about an
hour. Why?
7. [14]Why do Sephardim and Ashkenazim have different customs
regarding permissible foods on Pesach (Passover)?
8. [15]I'm a vegetarian health-food proponent. Is kosher food
healthier?
9. [16]Is vegetarianism kosher?
10. [17]What process is involved in Kosher Slaughter?
11. [18]I work in a prison, and I have an inmate that is demanding
Kosher Food? How do I know if his claim is justified?
12. [19]What are the issues involving Filet Minion?
13. [20]Why don't Jews eat Pork?
14. [21]Would the laws of Kashrut prevent Mad Cow Disease?
15. [22]Is Monkfish Kosher?
16. [23]Why do Jews separate Milk and Meat?
17. [24]Must Jews use wine?
18. [25]Are there parts of a kosher animal that cannot be eaten?
19. [26]I have a friend coming over that keeps Kosher. What do I do?
Section 7: Sabbath and Holiday Observance
1. [8]What is the Jewish Sabbath and why is it on Saturday?
2. [9]Why do my Orthodox Jewish friends leave work early on Fridays
and before Jewish holidays?
3. [10]Why can't Jews use electrical appliances and motor vehicles on
Shabbat?
4. [11]Why are there 18 minutes from the time candle lighting starts
on Shabbat until the last time you can light?
5. [12]I've heard that Jews can't tear on Shabbat? Why? What is
"work"?
6. [13]How do people know when to light candles in the Arctic?
7. [14]What is the significance of Challah?
8. [15]Why do women wave their hands three times before lighting
Shabbat [or Holiday] candles?
9. [16]What is an Eruv?
10. [17]If your home is burning, can you put out the fire on Shabbat?
11. [18]What Medical Procedures May Be Performed on Shabbat?
12. [19]What happens on Shabbat?
13. [20]Do Conservative Jews play musical instruments on Shabbat?
14. [21]Why is there a prohibition on travel on Shabbat?
15. [22]Can an observant Jew use a camera on Shabbat?
Section 8: Woman and Marriage
1. [8]What role do women play in Judaism?
2. [9]What is the Conservative view of the role of women in Judaism?
3. [10]What is the Reform view of the role of women in Judaism?
4. [11]What is the Orthodox view of the role of women in Judaism?
5. [12]Is it true that Orthodox men bless G-d every morning for not
making them a woman? What do you mean, this isn't terrible?
6. [13]I've heard polygamy is permissible among Sephardic and
Yemenite Jews. Doesn't Judaism mandate monogamy?
7. [14]What does clean/unclean refer to?
8. [15]What is "Niddah"?
9. [16]I've heard that Orthodox men can't touch women. Is this true?
10. [17]Are there any rituals for purification after childbirth for
women?
11. [18]What is the Jewish position on contraception and abortion?
12. [19]How does Judaism view Marriage?
13. [20]How do Jews find Mates?
14. [21]What is a Jewish Marriage?
15. [22]What happens before a Jewish Wedding?
16. [23]What happens during a Jewish Wedding?
17. [24]What happens after a Jewish Wedding?
18. [25]What should I wear to a Jewish wedding?
19. [26]Why is the glass broken at Jewish weddings?
20. [27]What is a Ketubah?
21. [28]What are the "Seven Blessings"?
22. [29]What does Judaism say about premarital sex?
23. [30]What are some good wedding greetings?
24. [31]Can a wife refuse to have marital relations with her husband?
25. [32]What should a man do if his wife leaves him for another man?
26. [33]Can a Jewish woman who has not been to a mikvah get married in
an Orthodox wedding?
27. [34]Is it possible for a Cohanim to marry a divorced Jewish woman?
28. [35]I've heard Jews can't get married on certain days. What are
they?
29. [36]What is the role of the parents or the rabbi at a wedding?
30. [37]How long after a spouse dies can the surviving partner
remarry? Must they marry their spouse's younger brother?
31. [38]What relationships are prohibited?
32. [39]What is the restriction on woman to sing in public and infront
of men?
33. [40]What can be done if the wife refuses to sign the get (divorce
decree)?
Section 9: Jewish Worship
1. [8]How does a rabbi differ from a priest?
2. [9]Do you need a rabbi for a wedding?
3. [10]Do you need a rabbi for a divorce?
4. [11]How do Jews pray?
5. [12]Is there a distinctly Jewish form of meditation?
6. [13]Does Judaism have a strong tradition of religious art and
music?
7. [14]What is a synagogue?
8. [15]What will I find in a synagogue?
9. [16]How is a synagogue operated?
10. [17]What functions does a synagogue serve?
11. [18]What is the name of the Jewish God?
12. [19]What is the reason for a "minyon" (a quorum of 10 men requried
for certain prayers)?
13. [20]What is the "Shema"?
14. [21]Where can I learn about the prayers before eating?
15. [22]What is the structure of the morning service?
16. [23]When should morning services start?
17. [24]Why do people put their tallit over their heads when they
pray?
18. [25]What is the importance of collective worship in Judaism?
19. [26]What is the difference between Conservative Prayer and
Orthodox Prayer?
20. [27]What is the Timeline of Women in the Rabbinate?
21. [28]Are extremely observant men permitted to pray at home?
22. [29]What is the Qetzatzah Ceremony?
23. [30]What time of day were the sacrifices offered?
Section 10: Conversion, Intermarriage, and "Who is a Jew?"
1. [8]Does Halacha (Jewish law) permit intermarriage?
2. [9]I'm a Jew who married a gentile. Am I still Jewish?
3. [10]I'm a Jew who accepted the tenets of another religion, but now
wants to practice Judaism again. Am I allowed? Am I still Jewish?
4. [11]OK, then apart from halachic considerations, why do many Jews
of all types oppose intermarriage?
5. [12]Is objection to intermarriage a form of bigotry?
6. [13]But I still want to intermarry? Do you know of a Rabbi that
performs intermarriages?
7. [14]How does one convert?
8. [15]What about adults who are not circumcised?
9. [16]What does the word "Jew" mean?
10. [17]Who is a Jew?
11. [18]What is the origin of Matrilineal Descent?
12. [19]I've heard that Jewish parents consider an intermarried child
as "dead". Is this true?
13. [20]Why is the conversion process so complicated? The matriarchs
didn't have to convert.
Section 11: Miscellaneous Practice Questions
1. Dress
1. [8]Why do some Jewish women wear wigs or cover their hair
with a snood, beret, tichel, turban, kerchief or hat?
2. [9]Why do many Jewish men wear head coverings (variously
referred to as "yarmulkas," "skullcaps," and "kipot")?
3. [10]What is a Tallis? Tzit-tzit(those fringes)? Why do Jews
wear them?
4. [11]What are those black boxes and leather straps Jewish men
wear?
5. [12]Why do many Jewish men sport beards and/or long
sideburns?
6. [13]Why do some Orthodox Jews, especially Chassidim, wear a
distinctive style of clothing (i.e., fur hats, black coats,
gartel)?
7. [14]What is Shaatnez?
8. [15]Are there any special dress rules or customs for women?
9. [16]What is a Kittel?
10. [17]What is the large high ceremonial hat that the Rabbi
wears in the synagogue called?
2. Sex and Purity
1. [18]What's this I've heard about a hole in a sheet?
2. [19]Can a Jewish man only uncover his wife a hands-breadth?
3. [20]What is a "mikveh"?
4. [21]What are Jewish hygene practices?
3. Writing
1. [22]Why do some people write "G-d" with a hyphen instead of
an `o'?
2. [23]Why do some Jews write "J-s-s" and "Xianity"?
3. [24]Why are somethings written in Hebrew, and others in
Aramaic?
4. Practices towards others
1. [25]Does Judaism permit slavery?
2. [26]What does "eye for an eye" mean?
3. [27]Is it permitted for a Jew to sell Christian objects?
5. Weddings
+ This material has been moved to [28]Section 8.
6. Death and Burial
1. [29]Is it true that someone with tattoos cannot be buried in
a Jewish cemetery?
2. [30]I've heard about a custom of putting stones on the grave.
Do you know where this custom originated?
3. [31]Is "stone setting" at the cemetery within a year after
death is a Jewish tradition?
4. [32]What are the Jewish mourning customs after the death of
an immediate relative?
5. [33]What are Jewish funeral customs?
6. [34]Is getting cryogenically frozen against Judaism?
7. [35]Are Jews buried facing West?
8. [36]Can Jews be cremated?
9. [37]What is the Jewish position on Suicide?
10. [38]Can pregnant women attend a funeral?
11. [39]If a Jewish person lives in an area where there is no
synagogue, no Jewish funeral home, and no Jewish cemetery,
what would the rules be in regard to burial?
12. [40]Can Jews and Non-Jews be buried together?
13. [41]Must the Chevra Kedisha be family members?
14. [42]How have burial customs changed over time?
15. [43]Why do Jews emphasize burial within 24 hours?
7. Charity
1. [44]What are the levels of giving?
8. Sacrifices
1. [45]When did Jews stop making animal sacrifices?
2. [46]What replaced animal sacrifices in Jewish practice?
3. [47]How do sacrifices relate to compassion for animals?
4. [48]Will sacrifices be restored if the Temple is rebuilt?
9. Symbols
1. [49]Why are Jews called Jews?
2. [50]What does the Star of David represent and what is its
symbolism?
3. [51]What is the signficance of "Chai" and the number 18?
4. [52]What is a Mezuzah?
5. [53]What is a Menorah?
6. [54]What is the significance of the number 5?
7. [55]What is the significance of the number 3?
8. [56]What is the significance of the number 40?
9. [57]What is the significance of the number 7?
10. [58]Are there any Jewish housewarming rituals?
11. [59]What is the significance of blue in Judaism? Are there
other special colors?
12. [60]What is the significance of the number 8?
Section 12: Jewish Thought
1. [8]What is the Jewish concept of G-d? Do Jews think of G-d as an
angry old man with a long white beard?
2. [9]Can one doubt G-d's existence and still be a good Jew?
3. [10]Does modern science (e.g., "big bang" theory, evolution, the
age of the world) contradict traditional readings of the Torah?
4. [11]Does modern science contradict liberal readings of the Torah?
5. [12]Can one be Orthodox and a scientist too?
6. [13]I've heard that Jews consider themselves "chosen." What does
that mean?
7. [14]What is the Jewish concept of the Messiah?
8. [15]What do Jews say happens when a person dies? Do Jews believe
in reincarnation? In hell or heaven? Purgatory?
9. [16]What was the job of a prophet?
10. [17]It seems that prophecy was once central to Judaism; why don't
we have prophets today?
11. [18]Who were the prophets? How many?
12. [19]What is the Jewish view on the question of "free will."?
13. [20]What about angels, demons, miracles, and the supernatural?
14. [21]What do Jews hope/expect of the future?
15. [22]How can Jews reject (insert true belief here)?
16. [23]Why do Jews need organized religion or Jewish laws? Isn't it
good enough to be a good person? How about gentiles?
17. [24]How does Judaism differ from Xianity, Marxism, Communism,
Humanism and other -isms?
18. [25]Where can a Gentile learn about Judaism?
19. [26]What does Judaism say about non-Jews and their role? What does
G-d demands of gentiles to get to Olam Ha'aba ["The
World-to-come"]? What are the Noachide laws?
20. [27]What do Jews believe about Good and Evil?
21. [28]What is the Jewish position on Capital Punishment?
22. [29]What is the Jewish position on communicating with the dead?
23. [30]What is the significance and importance of suffering and
punishment in Judaism?
24. [31]Why are there different names for G-d?
25. [32]What is the "Book of Life"?
26. [33]How does one atone for sins?
27. [34]What does Judaism say about the punishments in the Torah?
28. [35]What does the Torah mean by Abomination?
29. [36]Why does the Torah talk about Other Gods?
30. [37]What is the purpose of life? Why did G-d create man?
31. [38]How does tithing work in Judaism?
32. [39]Does Judaism permit organ donation?
33. [40]Is numerology part of Jewish Mysticism?
34. [41]What is Jewish thought on Gog and Magog?
35. [42]What does Judaism believe about Satan?
36. [43]In Judaism, what are some of the laws related to gleaning and
tithing for the poor?
37. [44]What is the Jewish view of Salvation, i.e., how a person from
a given religion is ''saved''?
38. [45]Can a Jew donate blood?
39. [46]How does halacha, the messiah, and the prophets affect the
daily life of a Jew?
40. [47]What must one do to lead "a good life" in Judaism?
41. [48]I've heard about 36 taddiks?
42. [49]What is the theological understanding regarding the affect of
the expulsion from Eden?
Section 13: Jews as a Nation
1. [8]What are the different racial and cultural groups of Jews?
2. [9]What are the differences between Sephardim and Ashkenazim?
3. [10]Where did the Beita Yisrael (Falashas) come from?
4. [11]Who were the Khazars? Are Ashkenazi Jews descended from the
Khazars?
5. [12]Who are Crypto-Jews (also known as "marranos")?
6. [13]How does the Sephardi/Ashkenazi differences differ from the
O/C/R differences?
7. [14]I've heard of a group called the "Black Hebrews". Who are
they?
8. [15]What about the black jews in South Africa?
9. [16]Who Are The Jews of India, And What Are Their Origins?
10. [17]Are Jews a Nation or a Religion?
11. [18]Who are the Edot Mizraxi?
12. [19]What About Yeminite Jews?
13. [20]Who was Donna Gracia?
Section 14: Jews and Israel
1. [8]Who is an Israeli? Who may enter Israel under its Law of
Return?
2. [9]What is Zion?
3. [10]What is Zionism?
4. [11]Are all Jews Zionists?
5. [12]Do Diaspora Jews (Jews outside Israel) support Zionism?
6. [13]I've heard there were/are very Orthodox Jews who were/are
against the state of Israel. How could this be? Who are they?
7. [14]Did Zionism end with the establishment of Israel?
8. [15]Are antisemitism and anti-Zionism the same thing?
9. [16]Is Zionism racist?
10. [17]What are the roots of Arab opposition to Zionism?
11. [18]Can't you criticize Israel without being antisemitic?
12. [19]Why is opposition to Israel often seen as being antisemitic?
13. [20]Why is Jerusalem so important to Jews?
14. [21]I want to move to Israel. Can I become a citizen?
15. [22]What is the Wailing Wall and why is it so important?
16. [23]Questions on aliyah, military service for olim and more
Section 15: Churban Europa (The Holocaust)
1. [8]Why do Jews seem to treat the Holocaust as their tragedy alone?
2. [9]Where can I get information on the Holocaust?
3. [10]How do I get tickets to see the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum?
4. [11]Is there any online information available on Yad Vashem?
Section 16: Antisemitism and Rumors about Jews
1. [8]Why is antisemitism used to mean anti-Jewish?
2. [9]Is there any truth to the myth of the Jewish American Princess?
3. [10]What is the connection between Judaism and Freemasonry?
4. [11]How do I counter antisemitic postings such as the infamous
"Protocols"?
5. [12]Did the Jews kill Jesus?
6. [13]Can you tell me about the Disputation at Barcelona?
Section 17: Countering Missionaries
1. [8]Are groups calling themselves "Jews for Jesus" or "Messianic
Jews[sic]" Jewish movements?
2. [9]Is belief in Jesus-as-G-d compatible with any Jewish movements?
3. [10]Countering the Question: Why Don't Jews Believe in Jesus as
the Messiah?
4. [11]What do missionary groups believe?
5. [12]What sort of deceptive terminology do missionaries use?
6. [13]How can these missionaries be countered?
7. [14]Who is financing "Jews for Jesus" and similar groups?
8. [15]Are the key Christian beliefs derived from Judaism?
Section 18: Reform/Progressive Judaism
* [8]Introduction to the Reform/Progressive FAQ
1. General Questions
1. [9]What is Reform Judaism?
2. [10]What, if any, are the fundamental principles of Reform?
3. [11]Is a Jew affiliated with Reform Judaism less "religious"
than one affiliated with another movement?
4. [12]How is Reform Judaism structured in the North America?
5. [13]How is Reform Judaism structured in the rest of the
world?
6. [14]How big is Reform Judaism?
2. History
1. [15]How did Reform Judaism start?
2. [16]Why did Reform Judaism start?
3. [17]I've heard reference to "Classic German Reform". What is
it?
4. [18]What is Reform Judaism today?
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