[All Lists] [By Thread] [By Date] [Previous] [Next]
From: R. Nachmani
Subject: The Bx code
Date: 8 Sivan 5781
Unless born Jews also use it.
In my community, there were Jews who refused to discuss lineage at all. Not because they had something to hide, but because they found the question offensive. "We are all Jews," they would say. "Why does it matter who converted when?"
What if Bx is used not only by those with something specific to hide, but by those who object to the question itself? A born Jew might use Bx to say: "This category should not exist. I refuse to participate in a system that distinguishes."
There are born Jews who would do this. Jews who believe the convert/born distinction is harmful. Jews who have converts in their families and stand with them. Jews who simply find the whole business distasteful.
In that case, Bx becomes genuinely opaque. Some users are converts protecting their privacy. Some are born Jews making a political statement. Some are born Jews with convert relatives, standing in solidarity. The reader cannot tell which. That is the point.
Thread: