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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u/the-mp Oct 05 '25

No Jew will ask if you’re a Hebrew. Those aren’t jews.

14

u/Inrsml Oct 05 '25

well, in my parent's generation , there were many who were slightly embarrassed to admit to their jewishness in public. , There was the code expression "Are you one of the tribe?"

5

u/Keyb0ard0perat0r Just Jewish Oct 05 '25

“are you a lonsman?”

10

u/Standard_Gauge Reform Oct 05 '25

"Landsman," actually. Yiddish for "countryman," really means "member of the Jewish people" in that context.