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Comments on Are questions purely about Jews and Jewish History in-scope?
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Are questions purely about Jews and Jewish History in-scope?
On Mi Yodeya, questions about Jews or their history that aren't clearly about Judaism are considered out of scope. Should that be the case here, or should questions about Jews and their history be ipso facto on-topic?
Questions to consider, assuming that close reasons unrelated to scope (too broad, opinion-based, etc.) are not applicable:
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What was life like for Jews in [region] during [time period/historical event]?
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How did Jews respond to [major historical event]? Or: What were the major differences in how [Jewish group A] and [Jewish group B] responded to [historical event]?
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History questions about events which impacted Judaism without making direct reference to Jews themselves (ex. "What motivated the Khmelnitzky Massacres?")
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Questions about important figures within Judaism (ex. "Who was the first Chassidishe Rebbe to settle in America?" "Does anyone have a source for the claim that the Satmar Rav, R' Yoel Teitelbaum, said to VP Hubert Humphrey, 'Sell weapons to Israel!'")
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Questions about individuals who happen to be Jewish (Isaac Asimov, Sandy Koufax, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Disraeli).
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Questions about famous individuals (whether Jewish or not) in respect to their views toward Judaism (ex. questions about Einstein's letters on the existence of a Creator, about Koufax not playing on Yom Kippur, or on Roosevelt's policies regarding Jewish immigration during the Holocaust).
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Questions about institutions which incorporate Judaism into their mission (ex. Touro College or Yeshiva University).
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Questions about Jewish music ("Who wrote [song] by [Jewish artist]?" "Why are so many Jewish songs written in harmonic minor?")
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Questions about Jewish food ("What is it with the lox and bagels?" "Why do Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas?" "Does anyone have a way to make p'tcha edible?")
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Questions which may come up as a result of Jewish practices but not directly involved in them ("How can I ease eye strain caused by learning Gemara all day?" "How do you get kiddush stains out of white tablecloths?" "What's the best way to make ashes for Tisha B'av?" "How can I help [person] with [genetic disorder common among Ashkenazim]?"
(Please edit more if you see fit.)
At the very least, > 5. Questions about individuals who happen to be Jewish (Isaac Asimov, Sandy Koufax, Albert …
3y ago
> What was life like for Jews in [region] during [time period/historical event]? These should be on-topic so long as …
3y ago
I'm honestly not sure what I'd prefer in this area, but I'd like to try out specifying an extension of the "Judaism is c …
3y ago
> History questions about events which impacted Judaism without making direct reference to Jews themselves (ex. "What mo …
3y ago
I'm going to separate out some of my thoughts into multiple answers for the sake of clarity in voting. Questions abou …
3y ago
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What was life like for Jews in [region] during [time period/historical event]?
These should be on-topic so long as Judaism is a core part of the question. Some examples:
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Were Jews living in al-Andalus able to pray publicly and safely? (Was it legal and was it reckless?)
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How did (some change in plow technology | some change in land allotments) (in some time and place) affect leaving the corners of one's fields for the poor?
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Did Jews in Europe during the Black Death have access to wine? If not, what did they use for kiddush / four cups?
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During the flu epidemic of 1918-19, what changes were made to (public prayer | burial practices | ...)?
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In (time and place) did torah scholars also have jobs? What kinds? How prevalent?
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What formal Jewish education did Jewish girls in (time and place) have access to?
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In (place and time before R' Gershon's polygamy ban), how often was levirate marriage performed versus chalitzah?
And here are some negative examples:
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What did Jews living in al-Andalus eat? (Unless the question goes on to describe some kashrut problem people in that time and place might have faced.)
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Did (some change in plow technology) (in some time and place) increase Jews' prosperity? (No indication of Judaism-specific concerns.)
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At what age did girls in (time and place) typically get married? (Doesn't bring a Judaism concern or ask about differences between Jews and others.)
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What were the most common occupations for Jewish immigrants to the US in (time period)? (Unless the question supports the possibility that it'd be different for Jews than for other immigrants.)
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(Crossover with "people":) What kinds of wine did Rashi produce? (Doesn't give reasons to believe it's different from what was generally done in the region.)
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