I Wrote A Post About Antisemitism In Spain Earlier (and Deleted It Because The Depression Is Really Rough

I wrote a post about antisemitism in Spain earlier (and deleted it because the depression is really rough rn).

But, like. For real. Spain has maintained Judenhass with no Jews for half a millennium. I do love living here. But it gets bleak.

timesofisrael.com

‘Kill Jews’ cocktail rocks Spanish town’s Holy Week: ‘An expression, it’s not racist’

In centuries-old tradition, revelers seeking limonadas say they are going out to 'kill Jews' in Castilian Holy Week capital, epicenter of pr

It's not racist like the confederate flag isn't racist.

Okay, with Good Friday tomorrow, it is time for us to talk about antisemitism, the Christian Holy Week, and the Passion.

The Christian Holy Week is a time of prayer, joy, and scripture for many Christians. For Jews it is traditionally a time of fear.

Synagogues traditionally bulk up security during Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Christian Holy Week. When I tell you this week, Good Friday in particular, is scary for us I am not exaggerating. Our institutions don’t cough up money for security just for fun.

The Christian Holy Week, going back centuries and continuing to this day, has often been closely tied to vicious and even violent antisemitism. This is when the gospels’ portrayals of Jesus’ death are read, the Passion dramatically acted out complete with Christians playing Jews and violently screaming for the crucifixion of Jesus, and the “Prayer for the Jews” said. It is when we are, in Christian scripture, tied to the crime of alleged deicide. A permanent sin by the Jews, in much of Christian theology. The accusation of deicide by the Jews has led to pogroms and violence against us for centuries, more often during this week than any other time of year.

Does it matter that much of the death of Jesus was likely written as it was for political and theological purposes, rather than as a reflection of what happened? Nah. That these accounts were written anywhere from 50-150 years after the purported death of the Jesus figure? No. What about the fact that the Judas character in the gospels is the least likely to have actually existed and it’s suspicious his name translates to “Jew”? Why would any one worry about that?

Does it matter that even the gospels’ depictions of Jesus’ death indicate that Jews were not responsible for the crucifixion? Of course not. In much of Christianity Jews’ guilt is the truth, even if the disciplines of history and historiography disagree. (Fun facts: Crucifixion was never used by Jews for the death penalty, Pontius Pilate was so notoriously cruel even Romans thought he was too much, and claiming to be king of the Jews didn’t violate Jewish law even if it made people think you were a little nuts.)

Some strains of Christianity have begun the hard work of reckoning with the antisemitism traditionally, doctrinally, and liturgically present in Christianity’s Holy Week. They’ve begun changing liturgy, and altering or even removing Passion plays and the “Prayer for the Jews.”

But not enough of Christianity has. So please, Christian and Christian-adjascent decent people, be aware of the Christian Holy Week’s long, deep, and indeed religious ties to antisemitism, and often violent antisemitism at that. Try to disconnect your theology and traditions from a narrative that posits us as the murderers of Jesus, which if it happened as described was actually an action taken by Rome for violations of Roman law. Do not use your holiest of weeks to demonize us. We’re already scared.

I work at a kosher deli (attached to a shul) and yesterday I answered a call where someone asked me when we were going to get 'cross bread', so I asked them to elaborate and they said 'for Passover', and I was like '.... our matzah won't be in for a couple weeks?' and they said 'no, the bread for Maundy Thursday? Easter!' and I had to be like oh CROSS bread yeah we don't do that sorry... 🙃

PLEASE,,,,,, PLEASE….. i am BEGGING Christians (and Christianized gentiles) to learn even the slightest bit about Judaism

I love making these T-Rex Skulls, every change of glass gives it a new personality!

Sephardi & Romaniote Jewish Women's Clothing in the Byzantine and Ottoman Periods, illustrated by Nikos Stavroulakis