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Looking to meet someone Jewish? Take 2 mins to fill this out and let's see if someone in this community might be a good match! I think I need to set up 2 couples to go to heaven or is it 3? https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdNflSSRPR7ka3OVfjp4KSSM09xwtp9ozqe4sMtWXUp5vFnVw/viewform

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Believe it or not Maccabee Nation, we got 3 surveys so far and there are two people that are nearly the same age and opposite genders. I feel like a Hannukah miracle is about to happen folks. If you haven't filled out the survey and your on the fence, fill it out!

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Oct 10Liked by Jason Crystal

Hi Jason… I love that you’re matchmaking… it’s such a mitzvah! Although I’m 80, I feel half my age and I’m very active. I’m a recovering lawyer, a writer, teacher of improv and a stand-up comic. I’m a widow of three and a half years, after a great 45 year marriage. I’m now dating a guy who’s 61, very attractive, and who is very good to me, but he’s not Jewish and I really want to meet my Jewish soulmate. I haven’t had trouble meeting Jewish men, but I’m having trouble meeting Jewish men, within ten to fifteen years of my age, who are interested in keeping in shape mentally and physically…. after 70 a lot of them let themselves go and that feels very disrespectful to women who keep going. I’d really appreciate your help in trying to introduce me to somebody who could be my soulmate… If you’d like me to send pictures, I’ll be glad to. Thank you so much again for your writing which is so refreshing and for all that you’re doing to help put people together.

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I will keep an eye out. We did get a few surveys in that age range and I’ll assess their physical and mental health and send you a direct message. Our newsletter is growing everyday and maybe some of our older subscribers can help me out for those reading this too.

Thank you for reading Maccabee Nation and for being a part of this community!

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Thank you….trying to send some recent photos, but can’t seem to do that on here….may I get your email address?

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Jsn.crystal@gmail.com

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Just sent three….

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Oct 9Liked by Jason Crystal

Woohoo!! 🤞

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My 25 year old son is looking into converting to Judaism. He says it's the only religion that seems "true" to him. He is also deeply horrified by the rise of antisemitism in this country, and I think he feels that being an ally is not enough.

He is gay, but he wants to foster-adopt children someday and raise them in the Jewish tradition (perhaps he could adopt from a Jewish social services agency).

I'm a lapsed Catholic, and I will happily host Sabbath dinners and Jewish holidays for my son if he goes through with his conversion. I am actually very proud of him for running toward the fire of truth instead of away from it. I think he would be a great Jew.

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Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

I am a convert. There are a bunch of nuances to the process that might not be apparent to someone coming to it as an outsider. The link he posted above is from Chabad, an organization/movement I love, but they are ultra orthodox in their adherence to traditional halacha. If you have any questions, fell free to message me.

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Thank you, that’s an important distinction, feel free to link alternative resources for different perspectives.

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Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

This show is nothing but annoying and it is worrisome because as Jason said, "What’s more, while Israel is winning the war on the battlefield, Jews are losing the culture war, especially with young people, including Jewish young people." The first time I was teaching intro to Judaism, I was shocked how little my Jewish students know about their own culture, much less than their Catholic counterparts.

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I used to be firmly in the camp that religion was evil and if everyone stopped practicing it, everything would magically be awesome and we'd all live in harmony. Now I am older and I realize that something will always fill that gap. If it's not religion it's dogmatic beliefs about science, or political ideologies, or something else. We have to teach our children the value of our traditions and history and to respect those even if their hearts and minds are not open to g-d specifically. I am hoping that as tragic and terrible as the events of October 7th were and continue to be, that there might be a great awakening amongst Jewish people. I care very little about what shape it takes, as long as we come through united on the other side.

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Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

I teach religious studies (though I won’t be after this semester, as my department is closing down), but I am not religious myself. Interestingly, I've found that some of the least “religious” people are theologians. It may sound counterintuitive, but it really depends on how we define religion. I’ll stop my soapbox moment here!

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That's very interesting. I have been doing short segments on the holidays. I'll look you up when we get to the obscure ones! Hopefully you find a way to continue channeling the knowledge you have toward young people.

The lack of understanding and appreciation for history seems to have a lot to do with the generational rift that's fueling some of the shenanigans in the West right now.

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Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

Sounds like a plan :-)

trying to stay upbeat.

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As a religious person, I say to you that even though I might have a different perspective than you, and we might disagree on [many?] things, you could have an interesting perspective, and in some ways more objective than a religious person. So, maybe not as counterintuitive as we might have thought.

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thank you

I respect without subscribing

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Your words make me think of this quote: “There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive.”

It’s by David Foster Wallace. He’s one of my favorite writers. His book of short stories ‘The Girl With Curious Hair’ is superb. I was a teen when it came out and it still resonates. His suicide was really hard to deal with. He felt like a friend. My husband said he was one of post-modernism’s martyrs.

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“On October 7th, the best way I can think of to fight back is to make Zionist babies that will grow up to be strong and stand up for the Jewish people.” Well-put.

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Oct 8·edited Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

Jason, I enjoyed immensely reading this substack. For someone who claims to be a non-practicing Jew, you have more Jewish feeling and love of Israel than some practicing religious Jews I know. You o seem to know your Jewish history and some halacha. You are also doing mitzvot in bringing Jewish couples together. You definitely have a Jewish neshama. Kol hakavod lecha. (from a practicing modern orthodox Jew).

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I appreciate it Gary, it means a lot to me anyone reads these at all. Thank you for being a part of the community and sharing your perspectives.

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Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

Hi Gary! Excuse the off-topic butt-in, but I sent you a friend request on Facebook (my first name is Anna). I’d love to talk to you about your move to the Carolinas as I’m contemplating such a move myself. Thanks!

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Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

Oh how great! I’ve spent more than half of my life in South Carolina. Moved to the upstate (foothills of the Appalachian mountains) before high school. Went to Clemson in engineering for college. Got moved back by work from Washington state and now live in the midlands. Please DM me if I can be of any help, advice etc.

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Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

Learned a new phrase, "JINO," not bad! Soon the show "Nobody Wants This" will become "Nobody Watches This" and it will disappear. I have no interest in seeing the show, and guessing the reason it is currently popular is because it is new, and because it stars two attractive people. Kristen Bell and Adrien Brody are easy on the eye. The content sounds lacking and holds no interest for me, but appreciate the review. An entertaining series on Apple + which has no connection to Judaism but a fun watch is "Bad Monkey," starring Vince Vaughn. It is based on the book by Carl Hiassen, about a goofy detective in the Florida Keys who gets involved in a series of murders and mayhem. Like the book the series is funny, clever, and a well needed escape from reality.

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Thank you for your thoughts Steve. I like Vince Vaughn and will need to check out Bad Monkey. We could all use an escape from reality these days.

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Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

Not to quibble but Adrien Brody‘s a different actor. This is Adam Brody.

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Carl Hassan is hilarious, and Monkey is one of his best. If I may butt in, I highly recommend Tim Dorsey’s books. The first is largely stand alone, but his publisher demanded a series with the main characters (think a hysterically funny, manic Dexter type of avenger but obsessed with Florida). I reread the series over COVID and it’s so dark and twisted and made me miss treks through Florida, using the books as maps.

Also, thanks for the review, how disappointing. Yay for Jewish babies!

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Appreciate the Tim Dorsey recommendation. Will put him on my list.

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I was so excited to see a show with Jewish characters and theme (especially these days!) I completely overlooked your points. I laughed at many moments but was bothered by some of the stereotypes. A Rabbi would never play basketball on a Saturday. That reform camp would not include a kippah requirement. Thx for this review.

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Some parts of it were funny and I liked the brother character the most and felt he was the most realistic. I guess I was hoping for something more real, especially now, and it just didn't live up to the responsibility I felt like it had in this moment is why I felt it was betrayal by the writer. If they had even made the slightest attempts to address what's going on and show solidarity with what diaspora Jews and Israelis are dealing with globally, I may have felt differently, but it just felt so tone deaf I couldn't get past it.

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Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

I looked forward to watching since I saw it advertised in Jewish media. I was so disappointed. I kept waiting for it to get better and show Jews and Judaism in a realistic, respectful way. Then it just kept getting worse and then a truly disappointing ending. Thank you for spelling it out.

Especially on this day! We are a community. Our voice matters. I’m grateful for you speaking out and including us.

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If there is a g-d Beryl, let us hope he prevents a season 2.

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Lol...that's something I didn't see coming this year...Jason as a Matchmaker!

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Feel free to share the survey with your community too. Let's make some Shidduchs.

I am not sure if I'm using that correctly, but we're gonna make something happen Reuben.

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Oct 9Liked by Jason Crystal

Honestly, give me two Sinwars and a Nasrallah over one of this self-hating JINOs.

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Oct 9Liked by Jason Crystal

Let me add that Erin isn't Jewish, her JINO husband is only technically Jewish, and their children won't be Jewish. So in the end, they mean nothing in the scope of Jewish history, other than the harm she did with this mess.

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They baffle me. You’re right, usually they aren’t really Jewish when you dig a little deeper. This phenomenon has existed throughout our history, there’s always a small, but loud and annoying contingent that tries to support our enemies. It seems worse now because a lot of BOTs and liars are pretending to be Jewish online, but some are real and they truly horrid souls.

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Oct 9Liked by Jason Crystal

The term is erev rav. <sigh>

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Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

Over the past 30 years, the anti-Semites’ most disturbing strategic win was to make hatred of Jews “cool” again. The social acceptance of anti-Semitism among educated social and cultural elites prior to World War Two and the Holocaust was fashionably ubiquitous not just in Germany, Poland, and Russia but in the US, France, and Britain. This “gentleman’s agreement” to openly and unashamedly and even light-heartedly mock, hate, fear, and discriminate against Jews at all societal levels laid the foundations for the inferno unleashed on them in 1939. The Holocaust in all its intensity and horror was only possible because of the prerequisite conditioning over the centuries by the elites in church and state. And while the shame and guilt after the war silenced many, the hatred never really left, going underground instead for a few decades only to reemerge clothed as “anti-colonialism”, whatever the hell that means. So swap a few words around… Israeli for Jew, colonialism for Israel… and you can let your inner anti-Semite run free while being applauded by the cool kids once again. We have always lived in a world drenched with anti-Semitism. Sadly, we now know that the Holocaust did nothing really to change that.

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I am guilty of not understanding how pervasive antisemitism still is until recently, like probably a lot of my age and even those quite a bit older. We're all awake now, that's for sure.

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Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

I’m not Jewish which may be an advantage: I know how too many non-Jews talk as they let their guard down when surrounded by fellow Gentiles assumed to be sympathetic simply by not being Jewish. These bigots mostly avoid the more extreme language of generations past and are careful to make it all about Israel as a supposed western colonizer, but it doesn’t take long for the old harsh and ugly sentiments to arrive. I’m 70 years old and rarely saw this in my youth, but now it’s become more common. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, it’s much more likely to come from young progressives than old-school conservatives. I still teach so have contact with many Millennials and Gen X-Zs. For some, this reflex anti-Zionism/anti-Semitism is part of their leftist catechism. It’s a box that MUST be checked before joining the congregation. It saddens me how easily and eagerly they allow themselves to be so corrupted. We all hoped back in the day that this was one “ism” we’d never see again. How awful to be so wrong.

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Thanks Ronny. I think we’re all slowly coming to the realisation that antisemitism is here to stay. We can either roll over and allow ourselves to be killed or dedicate our lives to remaining vigilant and fighting back. I chose the latter, and hope others do too.

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Hang in there. There are millions and millions who proudly stand with our Jewish friends and, since October 7, 2023, ain’t shy about saying so.

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I once wrote a review about the show “Unorthodox “. It was rejected all over. Admittedly, I did not watch the whole thing , but a few scenes I saw were blatant lies about the Orthodox Jewish lifestyle.

Kol Hakavod that you are trying your hand at shidduchim! It is a big mitzvah! Not only because we need more Jewish families, but because people are so terribly lonely.

Here is an article I wrote about doing my own kids’ shiduchim in the traditional way.

https://www.kveller.com/i-arranged-my-kids-jewish-marriages-heres-what-happened/

Thanks for all you do, Jason.

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Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

Thanks for writing this. As a non-practising Jew I watched this and felt uncomfortable about many of the things you identified. No one uses the word Shiksa in my community as it has a derogatory tone. For me the whole premise of the show that “my beautiful Jewish girlfriend who was totally prepared to be the wife of a rabbi with all that entails is not good enough” storyline seemed silly. You mentioning that the creator of the show is a female Jewish convert (who appears to be blond and beautiful) makes it all make sense. This is a fantasy of what she would like to happen and how she would like to be seen by the Jewish man who obviously stole her heart. So it has very little to do with anything else. It is just a trashy rom com. I think it is probably more damaging to a young Jewish audience than anyone else. In the UK the BBC has done far more to make a mockery of Israel’s existential plight and the awful situation Jews find ourselves in the UK.

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Thank you for sharing your perspective.

I agree it's most damaging to young Jewish people, but I'd imagine some converts to Judaism also may have found it disappointing. When we look at what's going on int he UK, Canada, the US, and so on, and see that this is the number 1 show in the US, what does that tell us?

I am not sure... but given the larger public find this neutered version of Jewish life and characters to be so wonderful, it can't be good for us. I wish I could recommend a show that portrays Jewish life realistically, but I can't think of one. If anyone has a recommendation, please let me know.

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Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

If I were to try to think positively about the popularity, I would say that it is curiosity that has brought Americans to watch the show. We also forget how small a population we are and people might just want to know more? Agreed that it is a shallow, ignorant and, at times, bizarre representation. So it also feels like a missed opportunity

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Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

The interesting thing is that the orthodox and reform Jewish conversion programs are packed full of ex-Christians and others. Many many people are keen to be Jewish despite the intense hatred circling the world.

Baruch HaShem!

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Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

Totally agree with the article- I watched 2 episodes and felt weird and uncomfortable- the rabbi smoking weed and behaving like a recent college student with a few bucks to spend felt so pandering to the Cali culture to be honest. Anyway… I am only partially Jewish, but am completely Zionist, beyond child bearing years and I get along with Jewish men best. I am in SW Florida for the time being…

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For many people in world, their only exposure to Judaism will be watching a show like that and they’ll have a very warped perception of our religion. It’s not that I thought any one or two things were a giant issue, but the sum of the misrepresentations also frustrated me too. I hope you are safe with the incoming hurricane in FL, stay dry!

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Oct 8Liked by Jason Crystal

Brilliantly Put. I agree with every word you have said. I was brought up never to say the sh word or the g word. My grandma converted. This show does nothing to help us and everything to hurt us. Lazy writing and dull story. Also the kissing scenes made me gag

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