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#also keep in mind many other jews have different experiences with this stuff. theres a lot of different communities and experirences
fakakta-art · 2 years
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I have this Jewish Dick Grayson headcanon but I'm not Jewish so I was wondering if you'd give me feedback or something like that if it's not too much trouble. I imagine he'd be raised secular by his parents and when he starts living with Bruce he participates in Jewish traditions/holidays because Bruce uses his own family experiences to try and connect with his new kid. so Dick decides to fully lean into it and convert to Judaism. I think he'd have a Bar Mitzvah to formally show that, but Bruce didn't have any formal event for his because without his parents it's difficult. so when Dick gets to really celebrate his Bar Mitzvah it's a special moment of connection for them and Bruce is very proud. Dick becoming Jewish helped him reconnect with his mom after her death and it's all very sentimental. once again I'm not Jewish so I don't know if that makes sense
I'm always happy to talk Jewish batfam and i absolutely love when people share their HCs with me! :D I'm so flattered you reached out! If you mean you HC Dick as having a Jewish parent/parents, but just not being raised religiously Jewish, he wouldn't actually need to "convert". Judaism is an Ethnoreligion, aka: an ethnicity AND a religion, so you can be ethnically Jewish and not religiously, and vice-versa. It is enough to simply be born to Jewish parents (Mother if you're traditional, either if you're more reform). Conversion in Judaism is quite different from a lot of other religions, since Judaism is considered a "closed" religion. Gentiles (non-Jews) can convert, but the process is arduous and involves lots of study and communications with rabbis, etc.
If you mean raised secular in that John and Mary are both gentiles, but Dick ends up adopted as a kid by Bruce (a Jewish man), then he could be raised culturally Jewish, and might even be accepted as such in some Jewish communities depending on the denomination and such, but he would technically still need to convert to be "officially" Jewish.
A Bar Mitzvah does not count as a conversion, it's a separate, but very important coming-of-age ceremony that considers you a Jewish adult when a boy turns 13. It comes with responsibilities and practices, definitely something I love imagining Dick having, being supported by Bruce though, and reconciling with his past and such.
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For the sake of not making the worlds longest post, I'm putting the rest under the cut!
I'm totally a sucker for HCs of someone reconnecting to their religion, I'm also totally a sucker for Jewish HCs so you're totally in my wheelhouse! I absolutely invite you anytime to message me or anything cause I could go for days on this.
I wont dump my entire hoard of HCs on you, but yours are actually quite similar to some of mine!! I figured I'd share some ehe, no obligation to read it or nothin'
Bruce I HC to be Ashkenazi Jewish, on both Martha and Thomas's side. I imagine they were somewhat conservative (Masorti) Jewish, but Martha's extended family was Orthodox. I HC Bruce was raised pretty Jewishly until his parents were killed, and from then on Alfred, who is not Jewish, did his best to uphold the values and religion that Bruce's parents had left behind with him. Also, bc I always establish a latke Opinion for every Jewish HC I Have...Bruce would totally be a cream cheese and lox latke guy, bougie ass. As for a Bar Mitzvah for Bruce...I usually waffle between HCs of either
A) Bruce not doing a bar mitzvah celebration since there's many practices associated w the parents that he knew would be too painful, but as an adult he regrets not having one or might even do a belated one as an adult at some point with prodding from his kids
Or B) Alfred, knowing the importance of it, pushes Bruce to actually do it and tries his best to do the parental duties. It's sweet small and all that but still nice
As for Dick, I usually HC that his father John was Romani and his mother Mary was Jewish, born Miryam (Jewish name) but changed it to Mary to pass as gentile cause of the Antisemeitism. I HC her, and by extension Dick, as Sephardic rather than Ashkenazi (regionally different flavors of Judaism due to diaspora, very interesting to look up if you have time). Anyways, Bruce and Dick def had a "similar but different" motif about it but very wholesome. I think Dick still knew stuff and had a connection to it, but didn't like, attend services or anything pre-Bruce. He probably loved Purim, though. I imagine when Dick was young, he and Bruce would celebrate Shabbat together and light the candles every week. As for Latke pref...applesauce and sour cream at the same time on the same latke.
For Jason, I actually HC him as mixed race (afrolatino, white, etc) and raised Catholic, so pre-Bruce he didn't know anything about Judaism at all. I don't think he'd have crazy strong connections to religion of any sort, but he'd still have some adjusting to do. I think he'd participate culturally with the fam, doing Passover seders, playing dreidel, etc, but I don't think he'd be doing much praying or anything. Sour cream on Latkes truther, but he'll add pico de gallo sometimes if he's got it.
Now for Tim, I also HC as Jewish, but whereas Martha and Thomas were very outwardly Jewish, I imagine Tim's parents were not. In my hcs, Janet was raised conservative but sorta dropped it. Jack was raised reform and didn't really practice anything. I imagine they didn't want to broadcast a lot of their Jewishness out of fear it would impact their business, which they cared about more. Most of Tim's participation started and ended with the High Holy Days, or the occasional moment his parents ever rarely felt religiously inclined. Maybe some brief Hanukkah stuff, cause of the capitalism and whatnot. I think he would do a lot of his own research, though, and know enough to get by. I think he would also eat his Latkes with ketchup, bc he's bonkers.
Now for Damian, obviously he's half Jewish cause Bruce is his father, but Talia I HC as Muslim (can't remember how canon it is) and raising him practicing Islam I think makes him lean more towards that religiously even if he is ethnically both. He's interested in Bruce's culture, bc thats his dad! but not like, with spiritual intent at his age. I think the whole fam though is happy to celebrate Eid with him, support him fasting during Ramadan, etc, though! When Alfred makes Latkes though he prefers applesauce or plain, as most kids in my experience prefer.
ANYWAYS sorry this got WAY longer than I thought it would. I have more for the rest of the batfam and stuff but i'll stop here. Biggest HC dump EVER huh..anyways if you actually got to the end thanks for reading it! feel free to message me any questions or send another ask, clearly, I usually have something to say about it LOL
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aces-away · 4 years
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Hi! I'm a writer who has a Jewish character, and I'd love to hear tips and info that could help me portray the fact that he's Jewish. When I did some light research, the main consensus I came to was that being Jewish is more than just a religion for most people. Since culture is really an experience, I was wondering if there's anything that you'd be willing to share so I can do a better job. The more the better, since I really don't know much except the basics of what NOT to do. Thanks :D
Hi! Thanks for reaching out! Keep in mind this is all from my own experience and there are plenty other jewish people with different ones, I highly recommend swinging around to several blogs and asking this if you want a more rounded character :)
First thing from personal experience: If your character is an Ashkenazi Jew like I am there is a good chance they have Yiddish words and terms sprinkled throughout their everyday speech. That leads to a lot of Goyim(non-jews) going "wait what was that word? What does it mean?"
For instance I used the term Tchotchkes the other day and when someone asked for an explanation I actually had trouble articulating it, i replied "Uh, y'know, tchotchkes....ummm...b-bobbles? Trinkets? Cute little decorations?" Because I've never had to use another word for it.
I often say Oy Vey the way other people say omg or 'big oof' etc. And if I'm emphasizing, I use Oy Gevult instead.
There are a lot of everyday microaggressions that jewish people face! Such as "oh! You dont look jewish!" Which is one hundred percent an insult to us, like what am I SUPPOSE to look like? There's also "you talk about being jewish a lot" and "but like, the holocaust was forever ago, you havent faced anything since then" and "you sound funny when you pronounce words like that"(like using the Chet- a sound that comes more from your throat than your mouth) and many others. I'm vocal about it when people say this to me, but only if I'm in a comfortable and safe setting, otherwise my brain goes through a million ways me correcting them could go wrong or dangerous for me.
As the youngest sibling, and second youngest cousin, I had to learn to be assertive and vocal at family dinners or I would not be heard. There is a lot of cross talking and multiple conversations going on at once. If you dont speak up and keep yourself in the conversation, you'll probably end up just sitting there while waiting for the food to be finished.
If you have tattoos or piercings you cannot be buried in a jewish cemetery so if you want to be buried with family you would not get body decorations.
There is a strong vying for relatable jewish characters by jewish people as most in television and books are crappy stereotypes and antisemitic tropes.
For many pale jews being called "white" is actually quite uncomfortable.
If things are going south politically one of my first thoughts are often "do I have any friends that would hide me" and "where will I have to hide my Jewishness to stay safe" etc. There is a lot of generational trauma that comes with being Jewish and often the thought process goes unnoticed by Goyim.
That instant connection you feel when it's you and one other jewish person in a sea of goyim, esp. Christian goyim, is often like that LOOK 2 women share when a man is talking, if that makes sense.
Due to our history jewish people are often very social-equality minded and are part of movements and protests.
REMINDER this is all from my own experience, I would say check out pages like @progressivejudaism and @jewish-privilege for knowledge and for more day to day experiences/ideas look for @jewish-people-problems and @littlegoythings
That's all I can think of right now, sorry if it makes no sense I am very tired lol.
Honestly just also feel free to look up "jewish" and "jewish stuff" and "actually jewish" on my blog as well I'm sure theres a bunch of stuff there.
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