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Me.

@zarq.bsky.social

490 followers 380 following 3.9K posts

SciFi fan. Amateur baker. Marketing/Comms professional. Jewish. Progressive. Black Lives Matter. Pro-Choice. Pro-Women's Rights. Trans rights are human rights, and gender-affirming care saves lives. Kindness above all else. he / him.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · Jul 9

Boosting this.

The Hebrew Free Loan Association usually requires proof of creditworthiness and a demonstration of need. Be forewarned that they may ask for guarantors.

Qualified applicants are eligible for interest-free loans of up to $10k to help cover relocation costs.

Erin Biba @erinbiba.bsky.social · Jul 9

Jewish orgs Keshet and the Hebrew Free Loan Association are giving out interest-free loans to LGBTQ+ folks who need to re-locate but can’t afford it. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE JEWISH.

“The idea that people were having to pick up and flee their homes was something that resonated Jewishly.”

Persecuted for being LGBTQ+ in Trump country, they now have a chance to start over someplace new

Keshet and the Hebrew Free Loan Society are fighting persecution by offering loans to those who need to flee,

forward.com

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 1d

For a deeper understanding:

Talmud: www.myjewishlearning.com/article/talm...

Mishnah: www.myjewishlearning.com/article/why-...

Gemera: www.myjewishlearning.com/article/gema...

Gemara: The Essence of the Talmud | My Jewish Learning

Gemara are the teachings transmitted by the rabbis in the centuries following the destruction of the Second Temple, which formed the core of what has come to be known as rabbinic Judaism, which still ...

www.myjewishlearning.com

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 1d

Together they're source texts + endless arguments/points of view from rabbis and sages across the centuries. Presented as a timeless discussion of various issues. Minority viewpoints are deliberately preserved.

Modern Jewish tradition is to consider all sides and not accept anything blindly.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 1d

Jews have the Torah (tanakh), Mishnah and Gemera as references. There's more, but let's focus on those.

In simple terms, the Torah is our core text. The Mishnah and Gemara are commentary, layers of interpretation, saved discussions and arguments. The Mishnah and Gemara together form the Talmud.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 2d

Author Baek Se-hee passed away yesterday, at the age of 35.

May her memory be for a blessing.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Baek Se-hee: South Korean author of I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki dies at 35

South Korean writer Baek Se-hee was known for her 2018 bestselling memoir about her struggle with depression.

www.bbc.com

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 2d

As someone who struggles with depression and cptsd, it's difficult to explain what a powerful relief it can be to know that you aren't alone. The isolation can be awful.

It's even more important to have hope for the future.

Baek's two memoirs are sad, intimate, and also filled with simple joys.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 2d

Baek drew back a curtain of stigma on mental illness, depression and treatment in an unprecedented way, especially in South Korea.

She wrote a sequel, titled "I Want to Die, But I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki"

Millions resonated with her life and what she was dealing with.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 2d

Content Warning ⚠️: Ideation and self harm.

Back in 2018, author Baek Se-hee released a book called "I Want to Die, but I Also Want to Eat Tteokbokki"

The book was the transcription of a series of conversations with her psychiatrist as she worked on navigating dysthemia and other challenges.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 2d

People's identities (which we are discussing here, not "nations,") are made up of both innate and fluid aspects, and cannot be so simplistically reduced.

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 2d

In the same book he claims (100% incorrectly, btw) that Palestinian identity is a wholly invented nationalist narrative. Goes into that idea at length, too.

Just because a professor wrote a book, that doesn't make him a valid source of information.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 2d

Thank you for explaining.

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

A year later, the Times released this update.

The Mets and Kansas City Royals had (surprisingly,) both had a good year.

The Mets still weren't the preferred team in any zip code in the country. But they had found a bit of popularity with new fans in Queens and Long Island.

Where the Mets Found New Fans in 2015 (Published 2015)

Maps showing how the fan base of the Mets has changed since the start of the 2015 season.

www.nytimes.com

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

This is the interactive map. Zoom in.

The Mets didn't even have a plurality of fans anywhere in NYC (including Queens!) or on Long Island.

Even in the Queens ZIP code (11368) surrounding the Mets' home stadium, the data showed that Yankees fans outnumbered Mets fans by more than 2-to-1.

🤦‍♂️

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A Map of Baseball Nation (Gift Article)

Facebook data reveals the most popular team in every ZIP code.

www.nytimes.com

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

With the World series starting next week, I thought I'd take a look back at the humiliating yet hilarious moment when the New York Times discovered that the New York Mets weren't the preferred baseball team in a single zip code in the United States.

Article:

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Up Close on Baseball’s Borders (Gift Article)

An interactive map of the geography of baseball fandom.

www.nytimes.com

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

They are! And I laughed at the "draw a house" exercise, too.

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

He really does!

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

Mazel!

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

Gary Larson has released new Far Side Cartoons.

The Far Side | TheFarSide.com

Visit the official online home of The Far Side comic strip by Gary Larson for your daily dose of Gary’s classic cartoons.

www.thefarside.com

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

Can we tell him where to put it?

[The Great War & Modern Memory] @ps9714.bsky.social · 3d

⚠️ Not a joke

➡️ Trump wants to build a triumphal arch

Read more to find out exactly where he wants to put it: bbc.in/4nss9O9

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

Totally understand where you're coming from. I find origin stories of all kinds fascinating.

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

I once read that the ideal way to keep kosher would be to be vegan. The biggest conflicts don't come up then. Milk and meat. Is this animal kosher or not? Etc. Vegetarian would be almost as good.

Those diets also address a spiritual aspect. Did what you're eating kill sentient beings to live?

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

As a modern construct, kashrut is different and more detailed than it once was. There are aspects of it that make a lot of sense spiritually, such as not eating carnivores. Other aspects (and the arguments behind them) can, depending on your perspective, feel outdated or nitpicky.

Beavers are fish?

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

Oh you're very welcome! It's a nice break from the workday for me.

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

Kashrut laws get more and more complicated the deeper you look into them. They don't always make perfect sense, either.

Ask any Jewish person with deep knowledge of kashrut why chicken eggs are considered parve (neutral, not meat,) but actual chicken is considered meat and you'll get an earful.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

To those who do care, though, it matters a great deal.

Anyway.

I bought the Kedem grape juice because I recognize the brand, was raised on it and like the way it tastes. Not because of kashrut.

By all means, feel free to buy it. If there's a demand, a store might stock more. 😁

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

...because the wine might have been used for idolatry. Oh and it might lead to intermarriage.🤯 So, it has to be prepared by a Jewish person. See below.

oukosher.org/halacha-yomi...

And all of that applies to grape juice, too. But it's not a rule many Jews who keep kosher probably care about.

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Stam yayin is a term in Jewish law for non-kosher wine that is forbidden for Jews to drink or benefit from due to contact with a non-Jew. It is a rabbinic decree enacted out of concern that the wine might have been used for idolatrous purposes or to prevent intermarriage through social interactions involving wine. This prohibition applies to non-mevushal (uncooked) wine and grape juice that a non-Jew has touched, or kosher wine that has been left unsupervised with a non-Jew.
Key aspects of stam yayin
Reason for prohibition: The primary reason for the prohibition is a rabbinic decree (gezeira) to prevent intermarriage, and a secondary concern that the wine may have been poured for idolatrous worship (yayin nesech).
What makes wine stam yayin?: Any non-mevushal wine or grape juice handled by a non-Jew becomes stam yayin. This includes kosher wine left unattended with a non-Jew.
Difference from yayin nesech: Yayin nesech is wine used for idolatrous worship and is forbidden by biblical law (d'oraisa). Stam yayin, which is not known to have been used for idolatry but was touched by a non-Jew, is forbidden by rabbinic decree (d'rabbanan).
Mevushal wine: The prohibition does not apply to mevushal (cooked or pasteurized) wine, even if a non-Jew touches it, because the heat is thought to have removed any potential idolatrous use.
Prohibition details: Drinking stam yayin is forbidden. According to many authorities, one may not derive any other benefit from it either.
Other products: The rules for stam yayin also apply to products made from wine, such as non-kosher wine vinegar.

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