I am Christian and I work at an Orthodox Jewish organization. One time I wrote God bless you in a card. I didn't know at that time that Orthodox don't write God but instead they write G-d. My question is what else should I know other than the obvious? I don't want to make a fool of myself or disrespect them or their religion in anyway. Are there other things I should be aware about? Things that I shouldn't do? Like write G-d?
Judaism: I need every Jewish persons help?
CindyComesBack
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- Jul 9, 2009
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If you're a female, go and talk to the Rebbetzin and she will tell you everything you need to know. If you're male talk to the Rabbi. Even if you're female you could talk to the Rabbi, but the Rebbetzin might have some female-only info for you that's important.
Godsproblemchild
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- Mar 18, 2009
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The don't like to hear the truth.
I dated a Jewish girl when i was a teenager and i went to her house for dinner once. The mother was catholic and the father was Jewish. At dinner they got a lamb and put it on the table and then the father asks the son a question about the lamb. The son hesitated so i said "I Know" ..."The lamb represents Jesus!" The Guy says Oh no it does Not and the mom says Oh yes it does! Its funny looking back on it but at the time ...I think i almost got stoned. We wound up having sandwiches.
I dated a Jewish girl when i was a teenager and i went to her house for dinner once. The mother was catholic and the father was Jewish. At dinner they got a lamb and put it on the table and then the father asks the son a question about the lamb. The son hesitated so i said "I Know" ..."The lamb represents Jesus!" The Guy says Oh no it does Not and the mom says Oh yes it does! Its funny looking back on it but at the time ...I think i almost got stoned. We wound up having sandwiches.
Well we write G-d out of respect, and usually we won't shake hands with people of the opposite sex because its not modest, so don't be offended if someone of the opposite sex doesn't shake your hand or want to be alone with you in a room, its out of modesty. But I would say talk to a rabbi about what you're curious about.
I'm a Rabbi and have had non-Jews work for me in tha past.
First of all, know that in general we will totally understand and 'get' that our co-/workers aren't of our religion and it's totally ok. For example, I play ice hockey, and once played against a team that had a girl on it. After the game we all went to shake hands, and I was in a dilemma. She tried to shake my hand, and I had to explain that I couldn't shake her hand for religious purposes. I gave her a Japanese style bow and took off my helmet for her instead.
But I understand that you don't want to get into awkward situations. Here's what I'd advise:
1 - No touching of the opposite gender. Not even gently at the sleeve or on the shoulder to get their attention. We are extremely modest and only touch our wives and close relatives (if you were ever a teller in a kosher store, you'd notice that you'll have to drop the coins into a religious Jew's hand).
2 - Don't post pictures of you/your family/your friends in clothes that are immodest around the office or as your computer background. You will gain a LOT of respect for posting pictures of you with your friends, dressed very modestly.
3 - Keep your own food away from their food, so they don't get worried about eating non-Kosher. If you ever feel pressured to bring an office gift or something like that, go with flowers or a bottle of wine. Make sure it is Kosher and VERY IMPORTANT: Mevushal (usually that word is on the back in English letters but you can google which wines are Mevushal). Don't go with chocolate since unless a fellow orthodox Jew shops with you.
4 - Try to get used to not saying "Jesus", since it offends some Orthodox Jews.
5 - When chatting with someone of the opposite gender, try to never be alone in the room (i.e. just the two of you). Leave a door open. This was advice given to me before I went out to Russia to be a Rabbi, and I found it to be very practical advice.
All in all, you shouldn't worry about it. Orthodox Jews are generally very nice and kind people, and should a misunderstanding happen, be direct with them and ask them what you did wrong. If you ever have any questions about these things, feel free to email me.
First of all, know that in general we will totally understand and 'get' that our co-/workers aren't of our religion and it's totally ok. For example, I play ice hockey, and once played against a team that had a girl on it. After the game we all went to shake hands, and I was in a dilemma. She tried to shake my hand, and I had to explain that I couldn't shake her hand for religious purposes. I gave her a Japanese style bow and took off my helmet for her instead.
But I understand that you don't want to get into awkward situations. Here's what I'd advise:
1 - No touching of the opposite gender. Not even gently at the sleeve or on the shoulder to get their attention. We are extremely modest and only touch our wives and close relatives (if you were ever a teller in a kosher store, you'd notice that you'll have to drop the coins into a religious Jew's hand).
2 - Don't post pictures of you/your family/your friends in clothes that are immodest around the office or as your computer background. You will gain a LOT of respect for posting pictures of you with your friends, dressed very modestly.
3 - Keep your own food away from their food, so they don't get worried about eating non-Kosher. If you ever feel pressured to bring an office gift or something like that, go with flowers or a bottle of wine. Make sure it is Kosher and VERY IMPORTANT: Mevushal (usually that word is on the back in English letters but you can google which wines are Mevushal). Don't go with chocolate since unless a fellow orthodox Jew shops with you.
4 - Try to get used to not saying "Jesus", since it offends some Orthodox Jews.
5 - When chatting with someone of the opposite gender, try to never be alone in the room (i.e. just the two of you). Leave a door open. This was advice given to me before I went out to Russia to be a Rabbi, and I found it to be very practical advice.
All in all, you shouldn't worry about it. Orthodox Jews are generally very nice and kind people, and should a misunderstanding happen, be direct with them and ask them what you did wrong. If you ever have any questions about these things, feel free to email me.
Basically, stay away from saying Jesus, since I have no idea how Orthodox this organization is. Most would not mind (except, of course, if you try to convert them, however, I doubt this is the case), but, you never know.
Also, since I don't know what kind of organization this is, I recommend you don't touch the opposite gender. This includes shaking hands, etc. Other things you might want to watch out for: eating bacon or meat with milk in front of them and dressing immodestly (this includes wearing jeans). Also, Happy Holidays and Happy Hannukah instead of Merry Christmas, though, truthfully we don't care at all what you say. It is the thought that counts.
And, just for your information, we are allowed to receive and write materials with G-d's name; however, since it does have G-d's name (or one of them), we have to dispose of it a certain way, whereas we could throw away a piece of paper with G-d written as G-d. That is why we write it the way we do
Also, since I don't know what kind of organization this is, I recommend you don't touch the opposite gender. This includes shaking hands, etc. Other things you might want to watch out for: eating bacon or meat with milk in front of them and dressing immodestly (this includes wearing jeans). Also, Happy Holidays and Happy Hannukah instead of Merry Christmas, though, truthfully we don't care at all what you say. It is the thought that counts.
And, just for your information, we are allowed to receive and write materials with G-d's name; however, since it does have G-d's name (or one of them), we have to dispose of it a certain way, whereas we could throw away a piece of paper with G-d written as G-d. That is why we write it the way we do
DAravahlJBC
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- Dec 5, 2009
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answer: Not all Jews write "G-d" instead of God. Don't stress too much about that, my friend.
Why not ask someone there? Just explain, you're excited about the job and want to learn as much as possible and don't want to step on toes.
You probably already know not to offer anyone a ham sandwich or a cheeseburger. Don't try and shake a woman's hand.
Starring for more suggestions from my contacts.
Why not ask someone there? Just explain, you're excited about the job and want to learn as much as possible and don't want to step on toes.
You probably already know not to offer anyone a ham sandwich or a cheeseburger. Don't try and shake a woman's hand.
Starring for more suggestions from my contacts.
TruthCrusader
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- Nov 22, 2009
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Well we write G-d instead of God because one should not erase or throw away a utilized name for God (it is ok to write it digitally as it is only varying levels of light but; God is considered to be a name of God by some albeit it is not used in the Torah as many people refer to God that way). Know that it is prohibited for women to make physical contact with Jewish men (even a handshake).There are numerous things you should know and I recommend you speak to the Rabbi of the Shule about it.
TinSoldier
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- Jan 17, 2010
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If you will notice in many of my posts, I do not write the whole title out, only G-d. While I am a Christian also, I respect the Orthodox view of respect to G-d also, as well as to them.
To be honest, it is almost impossible to know everything that could offend a person, based on religious views. In your case, an honest heart means a lot more than anything, in my view. If you offend a person, apologize and ASK for correction. In this case, you are trying to prevent an insult, which even shows more respect to a person and their Faith. However, you are in the best place to learn about the Orthodox Jewish religion. If you can find a Rabbi, they will be able to teach you almost everything, as that is a major part of their role in the community.
On a personal note, thank you for trying to learn things. To many christians do not care about others, let alone bother to learn what may be offensive, or worse and try to offend.
To be honest, it is almost impossible to know everything that could offend a person, based on religious views. In your case, an honest heart means a lot more than anything, in my view. If you offend a person, apologize and ASK for correction. In this case, you are trying to prevent an insult, which even shows more respect to a person and their Faith. However, you are in the best place to learn about the Orthodox Jewish religion. If you can find a Rabbi, they will be able to teach you almost everything, as that is a major part of their role in the community.
On a personal note, thank you for trying to learn things. To many christians do not care about others, let alone bother to learn what may be offensive, or worse and try to offend.