[Diana]

I have excerpted the following from the website at AISH.com. I have also added some bits of my own. The afterlife is a fundamental of Jewish belief. From Judaism’s perspective, our eternal soul is as real as our thumb. This is the world of doing, and the ‘world to come’ is where we experience the eternal reality of whatever we’ve become. So what about ‘heaven?’ Heaven is where the soul experiences the greatest possible pleasure – the feeling of closeness to God. Of course not all souls experience that to the same degree. It’s like going to a symphony concert. Some tickets are front-row center; others are back in the bleachers. Where your seat is located is based on the merit of your good deeds – e.g. giving charity, caring for others, prayer. A second factor in heaven is your understanding of the environment. Just like at the concert, a person can have great seats but no appreciation of what’s going on. If a person spends their lifetime elevating the soul and becoming sensitive to spiritual realities (through Torah study), then that will translate into unimaginable pleasure in heaven. On the other hand, if life was all about pizza and football, well, that can get pretty boring for eternity. Jews DO NOT believe one has to be Jewish to have a place in the “world to come”. It is the Jewish belief that if one is a gentile (a non-Jew) one needs to simply observe ‘The Seven Laws of Noah.’ (Just to let you know, as Jews, we have a cumulative 613 laws to observe, some for all, some for men, some for women, some for descendants of Aaron, etc.) The Jewish idea is that the Torah of Moses is a truth for all humanity, whether Jewish or not. The Torah presents seven mitzvot for non-Jews to observe. These seven laws are the pillars of human civilization, and are named the ‘Seven Laws of Noah,’ since all humans are descended from Noah. They are: 1. Do not murder. 2. Do not steal. 3. Do not worship false gods. 4. Do not be sexually immoral. 5. Do not eat the limb of an animal before it is killed. 6. Do not curse God. 7. Set up courts and bring offenders to justice. Maimonides explains that any human being who faithfully observes these laws earns a proper place in heaven. So you see, the Torah is for all humanity, no conversion necessary.

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Name : Diana, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 50, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : Entertainer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Diana]

Sounds like a pretty boring menu, but if you enjoyed it, zei gezunt(to your health). All kidding aside, neither of those categorizations are quite accurate. Jewish food can typically be any food that Jews eat. However, the Jews descended from Eastern Europe (Ashkenazim) eat ethnic foods that are quite different from those Jews who are descended from Spain and Africa (Sephardim). For example, the matzoh balls in chicken soup, bagels, knishes, chopped liver, corned beef, pastrami (oy, I’m gettin’ hungry) are typical Ashkenazi style foods. Falafel, hummus and baba ganoush are more Sephardi style foods, what you might find in Israel, however, these types foods are eaten all over the Middle East. The issue, I believe is KOSHER food. There is an entire elaborate body of Jewish law called Kashrut which specifies which foods are and are not allowed to be eaten by Jews. Some Jews observe these laws diligently and some break every one there is. And there are, of course, those in between. Certain foods are O-U-T OUT. They include, but are not limited to: Pork, Shellfish, Insects. Kangaroo burgers, for example are not kosher. Regarding meats that are kosher, the animal must be slaughtered in a very specific humane way so as not to cause the animal any pain. This is done by an expert, called a shochet who is not simply a butcher; he is a a pious man, well-trained in Jewish law, particularly as it relates to kashrut. One is not permitted to consume meat and dairy at the same meal. There are laws regarding how long one must wait in between consuming these different types of food. There is a category of foods called pareve which may be eaten with either meat or dairy. Typical pareve food include fruits and vegetables, eggs and fish. There are also certain kinds of food, that are not consumed during Passover, i.e. bread or anything that has leavening. In observant households and communities, the kitchen itself, in the home or in restaurants, must be a kosher one — separate dishes, pots and pans and eating utensils for meat and dairy meals. Furthermore, when Passover rolls around there are yet two more sets of dishes and utensils for that time of year. So truthfully, ANY style of food, i.e. Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Peruvian or Indian can be Kosher food if it is prepared in accordance with Jewish Law. The style of ‘Jewish’ food is heavily influenced by the country in which Jews reside.

User Detail :  

Name : Diana, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 50, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : Entertainer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

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