Comments on: The Day In Israel: Tuesday Feb 23rd, 2010

By: juvanya

juvanya — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:37:38 +0000

Yeah, it's not anything like what it used to be. Hopefully "our" children wont even say any of those words. I plan to write a book about all this, on how we can end racism: by stop pretending we are different races.

By: Michael Zvi Krumbein

Michael Zvi Krumbein — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:32:37 +0000

They are the same, technically. The beauty is that you avoid the whole issue of race. I am old enough to remeber in school when they told us we had to stop saying "Negro" and start saying "Black". After a while it gets silly.

I had an issue here, where someone's statement was translated as the N-word. There is no such word in Hebrew; they obviously meant Kushi (Ethiopean or Nubean), which has been the word for a Black person for four THOUSAND years. It is considered prejorative way in secular circles, but religious people still use it occasionally without negative intent. Normally you just say Ethiopean or Sudanese or whatever.

In the first months here, not knowing all of this, I ID'd my wife (when someone had to recognize her) as "Kushit". Heaven knows how that sounded. I don't use it anymore, as my wife would be insulted (and she is not overly sensitive), but the whole thing annoys me.

By: juvanya

juvanya — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:33:08 +0000

Well the problem with AA is that what do you call "New Africans" that have come here? The descendants of Africans already here are completely different culturally. That's why I try my best to avoid using any terminology, and if I have to I keep it at skin color.

By: juvanya

juvanya — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:30:31 +0000

I am moving us over here because the other box was getting too small.

You think that is biased? Go look at the "West Bank" article. As soon as I finish with some other tasks, I'm going to start something about the neutrality of that article since I am an editor on Wikipedia.

By: Michael Zvi Krumbein

Michael Zvi Krumbein — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:34:54 +0000

They didn't really show them in the followup show; I wonder why. My first cousin lives in the same town (Nof Ayalon), but in the other section.

By: Michael Zvi Krumbein

Michael Zvi Krumbein — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:32:56 +0000

Interesting atricles; the one on Judith repeats an obvious anti-Jewish bias. I'm not sure how much to believe of the others. I had though Rabbi Goren had decided they weren't Jewish, in order to keep them from being Mamzerim. I'll have to ask about it more. At this point, I think I'll change my position to undecided – not that it really matters.

By: Michael Zvi Krumbein

Michael Zvi Krumbein — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:26:54 +0000

Don't forget Lisa Bonet.

Actually, I think African American is good, because it ignores race. It's like Irish-American (which may wife also is part). But I still say Black because I am tired of changing the term/

By: juvanya

juvanya — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:20:31 +0000

A famous rabbi descended from Gullahs or Nigerians (or both) ie he is dark-skinned (I say this out of respect because I think saying "black" or "African-American" is still racist because it implies there is a significant difference beyond skin color). He happens to be a first cousin once-removed of Michelle Obama, which only has increased his notability.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/magazine/05rabb…

If you've ever seen the movie Alien, the dark-skinned fellow there is Jewish (and a Republican).

By: juvanya

juvanya — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:20:31 +0000

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/magazine/05rabb…

If you've ever seen the movie Alien, the dark-skinned fellow there is Jewish (and a Republican).

By: juvanya

juvanya — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:16:20 +0000

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gudit I didnt read much of it, but that looks to be her. I meant I'm pretty sure I remember a documuntary saying that the Beta Israel were observed praying in Hebrew.