"Do Doggies Pray?", "However Doggies Pray", "However Puppies Pray"....

I'm pretty sure that puppies, including adult puppies ("dogs") like Reilly, pray. I've, for example, asked Reilly and Camille to pray however puppies can pray. I also have a minhag katan leli of taking some anointing oil and modifying the "Birkat HaKohanim" with "Yevarekakh Yehovah v'yishmerekakh"—Reilly is, after all, a girl, and a bark-mitzvah whom seems to get the purpose of being anointed as she lets me anoint her, waits patiently as I pray the blessing, and sniffs in the air as the scent of the oil goes up to Heaven.

Teaching Judaism In English Catholic Schools And Notre Dame Of Maryland University

As long as they teach about Judaism without Anti Semitism, I'm okay with it. BTW, part of "Never forget" is, e.g., remembering that some Catholic schools (e.g., Notre Dame of Maryland University​) taught and still teach Pseudo-Christian Anti Semitism—for the record, by the way, Jews, for example, did not steal Passover from the Syrians and were not even "possibl[y]" influenced by the Devil (The prophets were wise and would have known if the Devil, and not the Holy Spirit, was speaking to and through them.).

England, take note—Jews and Christians (including Jewish Christians like me) are watching what you do; and we have no problem telling you when "[we're] tired of your Anti Semitism" (and I still remembering saying that to a certain Religious Studies professor.). Gasp as you will (as my classmates did) and tell us to mind our own business ("Leave!"), and we will maintain that affronting God is affronting the Jewish people—and saying that, e.g., "It's possible [that the prophets were influenced by the Devil]" is affronting God.

Also, Islam is not the root of Christianity (Messianic/Nazarene Judaism).

Why I Do What I Do As A (Hopefully-To-Be-More-Than-Aspiring) Commentator, Etc.

I saw that (who I think is) a relative liked one of my posts on my public Facebook page. See; that's part of why I do what I do, too—to bring my families and families like mine back into the fold of Israel​. Mind you, I am not asking anyone to convert back to Rabbinical Judaism—whether you're Messianic or not is your schtick.

Frankly (and I've said this before), I wouldn't care about my Jewish heritage if Jesus (Yeshua) weren't in my life—or, on the other hand, I'd, with all due respect, end up Reform Jewish—and I myself cannot abide by a doctrine that states:

"[T]he texts are certainly divinely inspired and reflect our ancestors' best understanding of God and their covenant with God, as well as their view of God's will, but that is not the same as being divinely-authored."

I've even said that my own father would be Reform were he honest with himself (and he would; trust me), and other relatives (e.g., certain Daniloviches) have gone this way (and they weren't even among the kevorim whom were Anusim).

(By the way, I can assure that the URJ's position does not reflect the position of all Jews in the city in which I was raised; and I apologize for Rabbi Scheinerman on behalf of Columbia-born and -raised. Whatever any of us think of the Talmud, quite a few of us believe in the Torah m'Sinai.)

I don't want especially anyone in hamishpachot b'mispachah Yisra'el sheli to think that:

1. We ought to disown Yeshua just because we're Jewish and b'nei-Anusim.
2. We ought to disregard our Jewish heritage because of Yeshua.
3. We have no obligation to the rest of Beit Ya'akov. 
4. We have to assimilate.
5. We have any obligation to keep Torah, since it was fulfilled. 

There do not need to be any false mutual exclusions, let alone false dichotomies. As I said, then, part of why I do what I do, too is to bring my families and families like mine back into the fold of Israel​ without forcing them to give up or to accept Yeshua.

How Popular Is One's...

1) Identifying as a Messianic Jew on his or her Facebook profile—not to mention constantly making known his or her Messianic faith on Twitter, Blogger, etc.—especially when his or her ancestors were Anusim?

2) Staying a Christian after he or she has found out that he or she is Jewish, and even because he or she is Jewish—not to mention that saying that b'nei-Anusim who convert to Non-Messianic Judaism have fallen away—and not to mention refusing to make aliyah as a "Non Jew of Jewish descent" and wanting to even make aliyah "illegally" if he or she can?

3) Noting that Psalm 18 (מזמור חי\יח) prophesies Yeshua?

4) Calling out Michael Freund, Benjamin Netanyahu, Agudat Yisra'el and many other Haredim, etc?

5) Wearing tzitiyot techelet that haven't been dyed with chilazon?

6) Citing Da'at Emet and others who know what the Talmud really is?

7) Saying, e.g., "Yeshua, Hu gam l't'chiyah"?

8) Pointing out that HaNeged Mashiach (the One Against the Messiah) will be a Karaite, not a Muslim?



I could go on, but the point is that it's not popular. When my sister even wondered if I would convert to Non-Messianic Judaism ("I never know what's next with you.") just because I thought about going to a mikvah "just because" (since it is a part of my heritage), I asked her "How popular..."?

So, how popular is one's, e.g., identifying as a Messianic Jew publicly, especially when his or her ancestors were Anusim?...

Didn't think so! So, don't ever let anyone tell me that I might convert to Non-Messianic Judaism!

Apparently, You're Not Supposed To Ask Why a Jew Is a Jew Or a Ger Is a Ger; And If You Do...

Don't let the others get to you. I had the same question and desire to know the story of a man whose story I read while I was randomly browsing ("Were you born Jewish or did you convert? Either way, tell us your story. I am curious to learn."). Besides:

1) We know of the conversion of Rachav.

2) We know of the conversion of Rut, the history of which G-d devoted a whole sefer b'Tanakh.

3) That's part of how I suspected that I'm Jewish. My paternal grandfather was very dark skinned for such a Polish and Lithuanian American, and the case turned out to be that he was a Litvak and Belarusish Yid (on his paternal side. On his maternal side, he was an Ungarish and a Slovakish Yid on his maternal side.). By the way, both of my father's parents were Anusim and bnei-Anusim (Pop-Pop made a veiled confession that we are Jewish in one of our final conversations after he denied it for years, and Grandma also made a veiled confession once. Dad, on the other hand, is still like Pop-Pop was—not happy that I found out.). Also by the way, Mom is Jewish (She denies her heritage as well.).

In addition, Rabbi Jack Romberg once wrote, "It is the power of constant questioning that creates the dynamism that keeps Judaism relevant. The world changes and Judaism must respond to those changes." That includes, of course, asking how a Jew found out that he or she is Jewish and/or came to terms with and/or came to appreciate and live in light of his or her Jewishness, or why a gentile stated "thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God" as Rut stated to Na'omi.

PS For Messianic Jews, to tell our stories is a mitzvah. After all, e.g., Paul told his; and he wrote that those who don't believe can't believe if they don't hear. Peter also hinted as his.