Are Lina and Love planning to move to Israel?

[pomology]

I wish they WOULD move away, so that my state of Texas would be free of them.

However, I wouldn't wish Lina and TT on Israel, haha.

Imagine them going around like "WE'RE JEWISH, TOO!!!!11!"

Yeah, Israel has enough problems as is.

[snarkykitty]

From reading her blog (ugh, did not enjoy that), it seems like every post is basically sticking her tongue out and saying, "Nah, nah, I'm doing it better than you."

I wonder if she talks like she blogs. Even the really observant Jews that I've met don't overload every sentence with vocabulary words like it's some kind of "faith test." Sheesh.

OMG that was bugging me, too! And she puts all the Hebrew terms in italics, so that we all know it's special.

My brother's best friend growing up is Jewish, as are many of my sorority sisters, and they never use(d) Hebrew in everyday speech.

Lina is just pompous, egotistical, narcissistic, conceited and prideful. And a big faker.

[pomology]

OMG that was bugging me, too! And she puts all the Hebrew terms in italics, so that we all know it's special.

My brother's best friend growing up is Jewish, as are many of my sorority sisters, and they never use(d) Hebrew in everyday speech.

Lina is just pompous, egotistical, narcissistic, conceited and prideful. And a big faker.

Actually, I can't fault Lina for putting Hebrew words in italics, because that is proper formatting for words from a foreign language.

Also, there are Hebrew words that I am much more comfortable using than their English equivalents. But if I'm talking to non-Jews, I would obviously use English.

Except phylacteries. That word is stupid. Nobody knows what it means unless they know what tefillin is anyway, so why not just say tefillin?

[gardenvarietycitizen]

I was gonna say, you can move to Israel on a regular working visa (if you can get one) as foreigners just like any other country, it's only the "instant citizenship" law of return bit that's a different process. I know both Indian and Chinese people who have worked in Israel previously (and now work in the US). Though somehow I doubt that's what Lina would want to do...

As for the putting Hebrew/Yiddishisms/Yeshivish talk in everything, it only annoys me if people are being pretentious about it. I know one woman online who went SERIOUSLY BT a few years ago, and went from using normal English terms for things (on a secular normal English-language majority American Internet forum) to purposely using Hebrew/Yiddish terms, and purposely sprinkling "BH" and "C'VS" and the like all through conversation on completely unrelated topics, on that same forum. People got annoyed because it seems pretentious, it's the whole "I'm so culturalized this way I can't help but letting these words slip out so you know how much of an in-group member I am, such an authority, and I just don't get your secular ways, haha" smell of the thing that annoys - it would be one thing on a Jewish forum or even in a thread on Jewish topics, but it's on unrelated areas and among people who KNEW this woman from before and know damn well that she used English words for all that stuff before and was raised secular. Some of it is political (she went WAY to the right, let's just say) which doesn't help. (Not to mention calling other peoples' kids slutty all of a sudden, but hey!)

There's a similar thing where extreme fans of "anime" will try putting Japanese words into the middle of English everywhere on unrelated threads, trying to make people think they can't help it, that they're codeswitching, but they mess up the usage in ways that no one who actually speaks the language ever would, and while trying to make people think that they're supreme authorities about stuff that they're just... not. It's the pretension about the whole thing that reeks.

ACTUAL code switchers or people on topic, no problem. Most of the jargon you can pick up by lurking around, like jargon on any topic.

The Yeshivish book sounds interesting...

[anniebgood]

Except phylacteries. That word is stupid. Nobody knows what it means unless they know what tefillin is anyway, so why not just say tefillin?

A little OT, but you need to tell the TSA exactly what is in the little box and the ties aren't dangerous weapons. Lots of stories of TSA agents confused by seeing them. And people at gates getting all hot and bothered when some men were wearing them and praying before getting on a plane.

[Beeks]

A little OT, but you need to tell the TSA exactly what is in the little box and the ties aren't dangerous weapons. Lots of stories of TSA agents confused by seeing them. And people at gates getting all hot and bothered when some men were wearing them and praying before getting on a plane.

Really? I never heard this.

Also totally agree that nobody says "phylacteries" and it just sounds weird. I don't even think of tefillin as a foreign word - it's just what they're called pretty much everywhere.

[PennySycamore]

I just looked at that Jerusalem Post article. I find it funny that there's a google ad for the youtube video of "and I'm a Mormon" since the LDS Church considers actual Jews to be gentiles.

[Dinorah]

Yeah, Israel has enough problems as is.

Actually, I'd love to see Lina (or any other fundie fake Jew) wonder around a pork-eating, hot-pants wearing, Saturday-driving district of Tel Aviv...

[Beeks]

Taliban Tony makes me absolutely vomit with his comments. The latest:

Taliban Tony said...

Babe! You always make the best and most tasty food! You're such a good cook! I cant wait until we're married! I Love you so much!

I'll see you in a few hours, Beautiful! :)

[treemom]

I think they are learning hebrew to be speshul little snowflakes.

[treemom]

I think this is because most observant folks are comfortable in their Judaism, whereas Lina (rightly) has something to prove. She knows she's not really Jewish, so no matter how often she claims to be "practicing Judaism" she has to throw in a Hebrew word every 2 seconds just to say "SEEEEEEE I really AM Jewish!" Actual orthodox folks don't generally have a need to do that.....

I think you hit the nail on the head. I dont really follow Lina, but the little I have (which was mostly about Taliban Tony) the feeling I got is she really wants to be special. Super, duper speshul. And I think that instead of being comfortable with what she thinks she should do in regards to practicing her personal faith she feels like she needs to prove and/or lend legitimacy to herself in the eyes of others by doing this.

Which is just stupid. Most Jewish communities (as reitereated in the other thread) aren't going to consider her Jewish play acting anything but that. And even if they did there are such major theological issues I can't believe a normal person would be happy with those differences. If she really, really feels like this is the way to practice her personal faith, she should need legitimacy from someone else. Going about it and feeling like it is what she should be doing should be enough.

[let-them-eat-cake]

I've seen her usage of those terms as being a claim to the cultural background, which is what annoys me most. No, you don't need to freakin say "Yeshua", we've got a word for that, it's "Jesus".

She believes "Jesus" is a pagan name that the evil Greeks translated wrongly.

[FaustianSlip]

Really? I never heard this.

Yeah, there have been several incidents involving someone laying tefillin and others (either passengers or staff) thinking they're strapping on a bomb or something. I put tefillin on pretty much daily, but when I flew from the US to Seoul, I didn't even bother trying, mostly because I had no idea of how to explain them to the Korean staff on my flight. I put them on before I flew out and once we landed. No ideal, but probably better than jail time or an international incident.

[Beeks]

Yeah, there have been several incidents involving someone laying tefillin and others (either passengers or staff) thinking they're strapping on a bomb or something. I put tefillin on pretty much daily, but when I flew from the US to Seoul, I didn't even bother trying, mostly because I had no idea of how to explain them to the Korean staff on my flight. I put them on before I flew out and once we landed. No ideal, but probably better than jail time or an international incident.

Ha, it's funny because when somebody mentioned it I was so confused as to how anyone could think it was dangerous, but when you mentioned "strapping on a bomb" it totally made sense. I can actually forgive random passengers for thinking that, because if I'd never seen it that's probably what I'd think as well, but the TSA and other airport authorities should know better.

[FaustianSlip]

Yeah, there were some people in the comments on articles about these incidents getting all indignant and saying things like, "This has been a Jewish ritual for hundreds of years, how could people not know?" But honestly, I had never heard of tefillin until I started really reading up on Judaism as a teenager, and if you don't live in the New York area or another heavily Jewish community (and even if you do, if you're not Jewish and don't run in semi-observant circles), that's really not likely to be something you'd know about. It's mostly Orthodox men who lay tefillin, and while it does seem to be gaining traction amongst Conservative (and some Reform) Jews, both men and women, it's not something you would see if you only attend synagogue on Saturdays or holidays, because you don't put them on at either of those times, or if you don't attend a weekday morning service often or pray at home on your own with regularity.

It would be like sitting next to an observant Sikh and seeing that they have a knife on them without knowing that it's traditional, not intended for actual use, et cetera. So yeah, I can completely understand why passengers would freak out if they saw someone start strapping stuff to his/her arm and head on a crowded airplane. That said, I agree that TSA and airline personnel should really be familiar with this by now, especially given that there have been several of these incidents that have made headlines in a number of countries. Or, y'know, before panicking, a flight attendant could just ask the passenger what they're doing.

[ChickeyMonkey]

I had to google tefillin because I didn't know what you were talking about. Just like Hallmark has a card for just about everything, so does Barbie.

I don't know how to make the picture smaller, sorry. :oops:

[FaustianSlip]

I frigging love tefillin Barbie. If she weren't so damned expensive (like, more than a hundred dollars expensive- someone custom made her), I'd already own one.

[treemom]

I wish that Ana matrix has gotten to the tefillin point because the travesty would have been as amusing as it would have been horrible.

[mirele]

Holy ****, it's Tefillin-Laying Barbie! Only her name isn't Barbie, she has to have a Jewish name, like Devorah or Miriam. (I can't think of one that begins with a "B" offhand.)

[ChickeyMonkey]

Holy ****, it's Tefillin-Laying Barbie! Only her name isn't Barbie, she has to have a Jewish name, like Devorah or Miriam. (I can't think of one that begins with a "B" offhand.)

Is Bathshiva a Jewish name?

Borat pops into my head, but that's not right...

[Beeks]

Holy ****, it's Tefillin-Laying Barbie! Only her name isn't Barbie, she has to have a Jewish name, like Devorah or Miriam. (I can't think of one that begins with a "B" offhand.)

Tefillin-Laying-Bracha? Batya?

Let's send one to Lina!

I wonder if Love would make her destroy it because a woman putting on tefillin is a SHANDA [scandal/shame/bad]!!!!!

[gardenvarietycitizen]

"Batya" was my first thought as well. :) That doll is great!

[pomology]

I had to google tefillin because I didn't know what you were talking about. Just like Hallmark has a card for just about everything, so does Barbie.

I don't know how to make the picture smaller, sorry. :oops:

I hate everything having to do with Barbies, but I actually like this.

I especially like how she has the Babylonian Talmud in her hand. That's badass.

[Rachel333]

I like that. It reminds me of Episcopal priest Barbie: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=1 ... 495&v=info

I actually like the idea of a religious Barbie collection. Amish Barbie, fundie Barbie, etc. I bet some have been done already.

Actually, a bit of googling found a lot. Lutheran clergy Barbies: alittleleaven.com/2007/06/move_over_barbi.html (looks like that link is a disapproving fundie site; "If you're going to teach your daughters how disobey and trample on God's word then you may as well start em' young.")

nun Barbies: http://www.nunsandsuch.com/group3.htm

Amish Barbie: http://frtim.files.wordpress.com/2010/0 ... barbie.jpg

a Muslim version of Barbie: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=15449

Atheist Barbie: http://www.blaghag.com/2010/04/atheist-barbie.html

[FaustianSlip]

Well, Barbie's inventor was Jewish, so isn't Barbie kind of Jewish by extension? Though I do love the idea of "Tefillin Batya." Episcopal priest Barbie is awesome, as well. I wish I knew someone who was an Episcopal priest so I could give it to them. Also, props to Batya there for wearing a traditional tallis instead of those scarf-style ones. Because really, capes are almost always cooler than scarves. Batman wears a cape. Who wears a scarf, Waldo?

There's also a tefillin-wielding Rosie the Riveter:

Looks like Rosie's both Ashkenazi... and a lefty. Who knew?