I think someone’s Jewdar might be just the slightest bit off. A Chabad guy on Flatbush Avenue just now ignored me completely and asked some blonde girl on a bike if she was Jewish (she was, it’s Brooklyn), and so on, and so on. Well, I wasn’t having it. I made eye contact, so he approached, asked the question, to which I answered, “What do you think?,” in the tone that makes it clear I’m saying “yes, of course.” “I don’t know,” he said, looking perplexed. Oh dear. We sorted things out, and he gave me some Shabbat (Shabbos, I suppose) candles. I thanked him in Hebrew, since I don’t know Yiddish and it was the best I could come up with to affirm my identity.

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  • dank or danke
    a sheynem dank — thank you very much
    danken Got! Gottze dank — baruch hashem
    shtup — to push (or at least that is where it came from)

    please don’t erase my comment when i “say it!” this time, please work.

  • Leave adorable Phoebe alone. Her light hearted anecdotes are cute, hehe. I am such a softy

  • It’s interesting that you wanted to be identified. I personally always go out of my way to avoid eye contact with Lubuvs on mivtzoyim. The fact that my face is generic jewish guy #5 doesn’t help, but I find that they are generally more trouble than they are worth. Why is it that you wanted to have an interaction with him?

  • Reminds me of the time I was in Washington Heights during Rosh Hashana. I was walking down Fort Washington when I saw a Hassid briskly walking towards me with his head down trying not to make eye contact with any of the Dominicans. I yelled out “L’shana Tovah” when we crossed and I saw him stop dead in his tracks and then turn around to stare at the *gulp* Hispanic Jew on 172nd street!

  • It won’t *all* be fluff from me, I promise. It’ll also be reports on all things French-Jewish or Franco-Israeli.