Labels – How Do You See Yourself? How Do Others See You?

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  • #590565
    haifagirl
    Participant

    In another thread someone had mentioned she doesn’t like labels.

    When I first came to Eretz Yisroel many years ago, I was living in a Mercaz Klita and went for a Shabbos to a family who are friends of my Rabbi. They asked me a lot of questions about myself and about where I was living. Including, “Are there any other chareideim there or are you the only one?” Although I kept it to myself, my reaction was, “Who me? Chareidi?”

    When a few years ago I needed to label myself from a list of available choices, I chose “Yeshivish Modern.” I thought that was fairly accurate, and my rabbi concurred.

    Another story:

    A woman I know ran into an acquaintance who hadn’t seen her in some time and didn’t know she had become a BT. She said, “Jenny*, are you frum now?”

    Jenny replied, “I’m not just frum, I’m yeshivish.”

    So my question is, how do people feel about labels? How do we label ourselves, and is that how (we think) others see us?

    #662581
    Joseph
    Participant

    Don’t use labels. A Jew is a Jew.

    Good idea. Care to submit a title change for THIS thread?

    #662583

    I feel that they (labels) should ideally carry a reliable kashrus symbol. Otherwise, I don’t like ’em much.

    #662584
    mybat
    Member

    When we start labeling ourselves and eachother the goyim have to remind us that no matter what, your Jewish.

    In the holocaust the Germans didn’t go around asking, shomer shabbos? Modern? They didn’t care.

    #662585
    kapusta
    Participant

    Labels are useless in the long run (and maybe in the short run too) because everyone has a different definition for each one. For example, heimish can mean chasidish, chasidish background litvish, nothing (meaning someone who wouldn’t wear a hat on Shabbos and possibly identify themselves to be yeshivish and not identify themselves with being modern, just some place in the middle) and lots of other things.

    hope that was clear.

    *kapusta*

    #662586
    squeak
    Participant

    Joseph, I’m really trying to stop picking on you, but what is Modern Orthodox if not a label?

    #662587
    Joseph
    Participant

    squeak: A label that they unfortunately bestowed upon themselves. At this stage, it becomes necessary for discussion to utilize their own assigned label, to discuss the issue(s).

    (Thanks for stopping to pick on me. 🙂

    #662588
    squeak
    Participant

    You shouldn’t be thanking me for stopping to pick on you 🙂

    I mean, I am really busy, so I’m glad you appreciate that I take the time to stop and pick on you, but I don’t see why you enjoy it.

    #662589
    Joseph
    Participant
    #662590
    gavra_at_work
    Participant

    Laibels? Not so much into Yiddish names.

    #662591
    SJSinNYC
    Member

    GAW, I’m sorry you don’t like my cousin 🙂

    I don’t mind labels, provided you aren’t labeling people to be derisive. I also label myself female, Jewish, a Yankee fan, an engineer…the first two I had no choice in but the last two I do. I like perspective on people and how they label themselves generally gives a decent picture.

    I am Modern Orthodox. I don’t mind being labeled that way. My sister labels herself as “yeshivish oriented” – she isn’t quite yeshivish but she associates fairly closely with them.

    #662592
    cantoresq
    Member

    I could care less how others may label me. I KNOW that I posses the ultimate true truth and secrets of the universe.

    #662593

    I could care less

    So there is room for caring less, implying that you do care to some degree. 😉

    #662594
    gavra_at_work
    Participant

    SJSinNYC:

    I may like him, just like Hebrew over Yiddish 🙂

    The label “Yerayim” is one I’ve seen Rav Moshe use in his Teshuvos.

    Otherwise “Ivri” does a good job for all occasions.

    #662595
    starwolf
    Member

    SJSinNYC posted: “I don’t mind labels, provided you aren’t labeling people to be derisive. I also label myself female, Jewish, a Yankee fan, an engineer…the first two I had no choice in but the last two I do. I like perspective on people and how they label themselves generally gives a decent picture.

    I am Modern Orthodox. “

    Female, Jewish, an engineer, Modern Orthodox… no problem.

    But a Yankee fan? Feh!

    ;-{)> (smile and wink with officially approved beard)

    smiling and winking at others in the coffee room is prohibited. YW Moderator-72

    #662596
    Jothar
    Member

    Yeshno am echad…

    #662597
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    How do others label me?

    Depending on whom you ask I am a frum Jew, a learner, an earner, a raving fundamentalist, a freethinker, an apikorus, an argumentative fool, or even a nice guy.

    How do I label myself?

    In need of improvement.

    The Wolf

    #662598
    Joseph
    Participant

    Sheigetz Aross!

    #662599
    squeak
    Participant

    Joseph, vayter mit der ‘labeling’?

    #662600
    mybat
    Member

    Oh I just remembered another point about labels and why people would label themselves. I was know someone who is orthodox but is not religious, they hide behind the label of “not religious”, for example they say “oh you can’t eat that, its not kosher but I can, I’m not religious” uh… Isn’t it the same torah?

    #662601
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Sheigetz Aross!

    Was that meant for me? Or for someone else?

    The Wolf

    #662602
    bein_hasdorim
    Participant

    Chassidish/Litvish, Heimish/Yeshivish, Chulent/Cholent, Keegil/Kugel,

    Buy’in_Hasduurim,/Bein_hasdorim, Tzimisht/Mixed up

    I’m a nice mix many labels (plus the voices in my head) Go figure!

    #662603
    Joseph
    Participant

    Wolf: A joke.

    #662604
    truthsharer
    Member

    Sometimes it’s Old Navy, other times it’s something a bit fancier. I usually don’t go for the fancy shmancy labels. But I do have an Allen Edmunds pair of shoes, those are great. Brooks Brothers is good too if you need something a bit nicer, and you can never really go wrong with a plain black/blue nice pair of pants.

    #662605
    Gezuntheit
    Member

    You know what really bothers me…BRAND NAMES! Why should someone feel better about themselves just because they’re wearing “really cool” ‘juicy socks/sweatshirt’? You’re just cheapening yourself!

    #662606

    Labels help identify items we purchase, a yid has a neshama that does not need to be bought.

    #662607
    mazca
    Member

    labels has become the way of life these days, what watch, what brand name of shoes, what fancy purse, labels, labels, labels, people pay a lot of money for labels. But to label somebody because of his ways is just plain Loshon Horah

    #662608
    haifagirl
    Participant

    mybat: I usually respond with something like, “Remember the story about when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the three Torahs, the Reform Torah, the Conservative Torah and the Orthodox Torah?” At that point, after looking at me as if I’ve lost my mind, the person usually says something about there being only one Torah.

    You can take it from there.

    #662609
    mybat
    Member

    Thanx haifagirl, I don’t really know how that would work because the person who said that is someone very close to us and he says it with real innocence.

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