[EJ]

I think part of what draws hostility is ignorance. In this day and age you hope people would be more open to people being different, but as my non-Jewish colleagues say, "You Jews have so many rules." 613 to be exact. These rules make us different in action and appearance. There are rules to the way we dress, what we eat, how we are buried, and being that we must observe the Sabbath, we tend to live in clusters (near a synagogue, schools for our kids and a Jewish cemetery.) In fact, I cannot go out to eat with my co-workers unless I take them to a kosher restaurant, and I do not want to impose on them, so we don't generally do that. That separates me from them. In the past, Jews were "restricted" to live in certain areas, and distance kept us apart from our non-Jewish neighbors. Therefore, the fear of the unknown breeds ignorance. Also, some people are intimidated by differences, and that can breed hostility and potentially violence, like the pogroms in the Pale of Settlement (Poland/Russia) and expulsions from Spain, England and many countries throughout Europe. Throughout history Jews were scapegoats for things we know today could not possibly be, and that was because of ignorance. So today, we know there exists so much that we do not know about other cultures and religions, and there are rumors we hear or urban legends about others, but that is usually never the real truth. Therefore, once people are open to learn about their neighbors, perhaps the hostility will decline.

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Name : EJ, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 28, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[EJ]

It is not a law, but a Jewish custom when visiting a gravesite to leave a stone on the gravestone as a witness to someone being there. Stones do not move and witness things occurring on earth when we are gone.

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Name : EJ, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 28, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[EJ]

When it comes to food, we have some rules:
Animals - must chew their cud AND have split hooves in order for us to eat.
Fish - must have fins AND scales in order for us to eat.
Poultry - must not be a bird of prey in order for us to eat.

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Name : EJ, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 28, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[EJ]

I cannot speak for Muslims, but Jews are not allowed to eat Pork. Jews are only allowed to eat animals that have spilt hooves and that chew their cud. That's why cows are fine, as well as deer and goat and lamb. However, pigs only have split hooves but do not chew their cud. Yet, there is no prohibition to pet a pig (if you so desire) or move pork out of the way at the local meat section of your supermarket to get to something you want.

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Name : EJ, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 28, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[EJ]

I'm upset for you that Jews have been unfriendly to you. I live in New York, and every time I visit a Jewish community in the Midwest, they are very warm. In fact, you can travel all over the world and call the local Chabad house, and they will take you into their home, find you a place to sleep and feed you as well, and those are Chasidic sects. And I just came back from Seattle where I had to turn down invitations from the synagogue members so I could spend time walking around the city. I'm so sorry you experienced bad things, but it's not true all over.

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Name : EJ, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 28, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[EJ]

Are you kidding, have you every heard the term 'Shiksa-ppeal?' A Shiksa is a slang word for a non-Jewish woman, and Jewish men fall prey to their beauty. I am Jewish and know that many of my friends would love to date a non-Jewish woman because they are beautiful. I am jealous of their beauty as well. I have some friends who love the looks of Asian women, and others who prefer the looks of African American women, but don't be surprised if they appreciate you from afar, because it is important to them not to marry outside the faith.

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Name : EJ, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 28, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[EJ]

You must realize with a history of being thrown out of country after country in Europe and Asia and Africa and eslewhere that Israel is the only JEWISH state where Jews know they will not be thrown out of. It is our homeland. Israel is made up of many Jews and Israeli Arabs. When a terrorist attack happens in Israel - chances are you know someone who is there. Israel is a small country and the Jewish world is very small. In addition, Jews get up in arms when a suicide bombing happens because it is done to target JEWS. Yes, New York City may be more dangerous, but a mugger doesn't discriminate between men in fancy suits, but a bomber wants revenge on the Jews. However, the United States is a haven as well, and any Orthodox Synagogue prays every week to protect and preserve US goverment, president and all officers. I think These reasons are why Jews in America care what happens in Israel more than you care what happens in Italy.

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[EJ]

I'm not going to tell you what religion to follow, but I am a Jew and I was taught in Hebrew School that though we are required to follow 613 commandments, everyone else only needs to follow the 7 laws of the sons of Noah. (obviously under those 7 fall more details, but I can't remeber them all but I'll try: Set up a court system, Don't kill, you cannot eat a living animal,don't engage in forbodden sexual relationships (i.e. adultery, beastiality, incest, etc...), don't deny hgod through idolotry, don't blaspheme or curse God, and don;t eat a limb off a live animal. There is actaully a group out there who calls themselves the Noachides or Sons of Noah - do a google search. As long as you follow the 7 laws and what goes with them, you will be fine.

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Name : EJ, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 28, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[EJ]

In Judaism, you cannot have sexual intercourse when a woman is in mentruation, you must wait 7 clean days after her period is done. YOu also cannot have sex immdeiatly after childbirth, but while pregnant and breast-feeding, there is no problem. The issue is about seeing blood and 'being ritually impure' and need to immerse in a ritual bath. But don't fret, men also have times when they too are ritually impure and are forbidden realtionships with their wives until they go to the ritual bath to immerse as well.

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Name : EJ, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 28, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[EJ]

The tradition is that your descent is through your mother (because you will know who that is - whereas sometimes you may not know who your father is.) So if your maternal grandmother is Jewish, you are too not matter what your mom practiced. Then you just need to learn about what being a Jew entails. However, if you are not Jewish and want to convert, yes, you will be discourages, but if you persist, they will teach you. The process actually takes about three years, and not a half a year in Israel, and you can convert as long as it is with an orthodox teacher anywhere in the world who is allowed to convert you. Consult your local Rabbi. Not 'letting' you into temple sounds weird as many of my non-Jewish friends have been in a temple once or twice. There are tons of books out there to read, but make sure it written by a good 'halachik' authority. If you don't know what that means, find someone who does - then you will be assured to be reading the right stuff.

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Name : EJ, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 28, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[EJ]

Okay, the previous posts were obviously not posted by Jews who spent 14 years in a Jewish Day School. The 'health' reason is a myth, and there are a plethora of Jews who keep kosher today. I live in New York City and you cannot spit without hitting a kosher butcher or restuaraunt. Thats because there is a demand for it. It says three times in the Torah/Old testament that you cannot cook a kid in its mother's milk. It is to teach us to be sensative to animals. If a cow gave birth to a calf, it would be cruel to cook that calf in the milk just milked from its mother. Many of the Jewish dietary laws are made to make us a more sensative group. With birds, we can only eat those that are not birds of prey, with animals, they must chew their cud and have split hooves, with fish we can only eat those with fins and scales. that eliminates most shellfish that scurry on the bottom of the ocean floor and fish that prey on others. Even the way we kill animals are done in a sensative way. So you will find many Jews all over the world that wait either 1,3 or 6 hours before consuming dairy products after meat to ensure the digestion is complete and the two will not mix.

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Name : EJ, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 28, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[EJ]

I am assuming you are talking about what we refer to as 'Peiy-ot' or 'Peiy-is.' That is what we refer to as 'side burns.' In the Old Testament/Torah, men are forbidden to put a razor blade to their face or cut above the joint where your jaw moves when you open and close your mouths. Most 'modern orthodox' men, when getting a haircut will not allow the stylist to cut their sideburns. However, some ultra-orthodox men (which you probably see in the Hasidic sects on the streets of New York) take that more literally and NEVER cut the hair that grows off of their sideburns and it just gets longer and longer. Some men hide it behind their ears, others let it flow. But why it its curly, perhaps for fashion, but if you have straight hair it would just hang strait.

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Name : EJ, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 28, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

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