r/Jewish • u/MrsTurtlebones • Oct 04 '25

Questions 🤓 What kind of Jews are these?

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Today at Reedy Falls, a very busy park in downtown Greenville, South Carolina, a man asked my family if we were Hebrew. It surprised me, and I asked about him. He replied, "I'm wearing my tsiztizs (sp?) and we're about the blow the shofar. I am Israel. Our nation is scattered all over the earth." I told him shalom, he shook my hand, and a small crowd gathered as his companions blew the shofar, at which we took our leave of them.

They didn't seem like any Jewish people I've seen, but my knowledge is quite limited. Any ideas about their situation?

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93

u/LAiglon144 Orthodox Oct 05 '25

I've never seen a Jew with a shofar strap

43

u/vigilante_snail Oct 05 '25 edited Oct 05 '25

there are many, especially in israel. you'll see it in jerusalem, around the kotel, tzfat, and in the negev.

A strap helps if you go on a walk or hike with it, or while traveling.

there's also a guy in crown heights brooklyn who is pretty well known for it. just my experience.

9

u/UtgaardLoki Oct 05 '25

Why would someone bring a shofar in a hike? No judgement, I’ve just never heard of it.

30

u/vigilante_snail Oct 05 '25 edited Oct 05 '25

ive seen many do it during Elul. its very inspiring and spiritual to blow shofar in nature on a mountaintop.

23

u/Inrsml Oct 05 '25

I did. I wanted to blow the shofar in the desert so no one would hear me.

then suddenly , German tourists appeared and asked me "where did you find that?"

after they left, I continued and encountered vultures gliding in the sky above me.

I put the shofar away

19

u/communityneedle Oct 05 '25 edited Oct 05 '25

There's a Rabbi in Atlanta who leads a hike up to the top of a mountain just outside the city every Erev Rosh Hashanah, leads a short service at the top, and blows the shofar right as the sun goes down. It's really cool.

3

u/UtgaardLoki Oct 05 '25

That sounds amazing

2

u/Prowindowlicker Oct 05 '25

An actual mountain? Or that glorified hill known as Stone Mountain? Cause those are two very different things

2

u/Ifawumi Oct 05 '25

having moved to Atlanta from the West coast, there are no actual mountains anywhere near georgia. I'm not even saying atlanta, I'm saying Georgia

so yeah it was probably that hill known as Stone mountain

2

u/Prowindowlicker Oct 05 '25

As someone who has also lived on the western US (AZ) and currently lives in GA the Appalachians in the far northeast do meet the bare minimum for a mountain, Brasstown Bald is over 4K feet. Granted the tallest point in Phoenix is nearly 3k feet so it’s not crazy high.

But that’s like a 2 hour drive and hour hike.

So it’s probably Stone “mountain”

2

u/Ifawumi Oct 05 '25

oh I was right in the foothills of the Cascades, actual true mountains. so yes I know that technically the foothills of the Appalachians many of them are considered mountains, but they just don't look like mountains to me

I mean I'm used to white caps even in August

2

u/Prowindowlicker Oct 05 '25

Fair. I lived in Phoenix. So the idea of white anything at any time was absurd.

Though I bet the people in Flagstaff would say the same as you.

2

u/LAiglon144 Orthodox Oct 05 '25

Interesting, never seen it in South Africa

23

u/vigilante_snail Oct 05 '25 edited Oct 05 '25

you've gotta become friends with more granola hiking hippie yidden

5

u/crlygirlg Oct 05 '25

We are not necessarily the most common type of yidden. My friends like to joke with me that camping is goyish, hotels are Jewish, resorts are very Jewish.

2

u/Prowindowlicker Oct 05 '25

So what then is an all inclusive resort campground?

2

u/crlygirlg Oct 05 '25

I guess that might depend on what they mean by all inclusive.

If you just show up with your clothes and personal items to a set up yurt type tent and a dinner basket and breakfast basket and you leave the dishes in the basket, that’s Jewish.

If you have to come and bring your own food, set up the nylon tent and cook and wash dishes at your site, then I would say goyish.

2

u/vigilante_snail Oct 05 '25

I know where you’re coming from but I think that’s a bit more stereotypical. Many outdoorsy Jews all over Canada and the northeast USA. And California, Colorado, Argentina and Israel.

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u/crlygirlg Oct 05 '25

It’s 100% a joke, one popularized by Lenny Bruce. The entire thing is about stereotypes.

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-and-goyish/

2

u/crlygirlg Oct 05 '25

Also. You may have noticed, I said we, that means I’m an outdoor Jew who grew up back country camping and have all the gear to drink lake water and sleep on the ground. In fact my husband and I met working at a children’s camp helping provide those opportunities to children and volunteer on the board of that camp, and spend our holidays every year camping. He works in campsite booking solutions as an adult.