FAQ

what exactly is a jewitch? what is jewitchery?

considering there is an expanse of ideas on both what being jewish and what practicing witchcraft/magic means, there is no one definition to describe jewitches or jewthcery. for our sake, we define “jewitchery” as any practice that involves the magic, mystical, supernatural or spiritual within a jewish framework and a “jewitch” as anyone who considers themselves a practitioner of judaism and witchcraft/magic.

how can you be a jewitch or practice magic/witchcraft as a jew?

the answer to this question is complex and depends on who you ask and what their interpretation of halakha is. we recommend the following article by the creator jewitches as a primer.

who can join this community?

this is a community space for jewish (or soon-to-be jewish) people only. please see the following questions for more clarification on the specifics of who we welcome into our community space.

who does this community consider jewish?

we consider anyone who was either a. born to a jewish parent or b. has converted via a mainstream movement of judaism (orthodox, conservative, reform, reconstructinist, etc.) to be jewish. if you are unsure of your jewish status, please discuss with a rabbi.

can i join if i'm a convert-in-progress?

yes! we belive its important for conversion students to find jewish spaces to learn and be part of community in. we do however ask you refrain from practicing any jewish practices without supervision of/approval by a rabbi.

can i join if i'm a messianic jew?

no. messianic judaism is not recognized by jews as a valid movment of judaism and we take many issues with messianic judaism for its appropriation of jewish practices, bigoted ideas about jewish people, and other harms it has caused jewish people, thus it will not be allowed in our community space.

can i join if i'm a jewish pagan, bujew, jewish athiest, etc.?

yes, so long as you are jewish and your practice is not one which harms jewish people (such as wicca). we are open to people who have complicated relationships with their judaism or do not identify as religiously jewish but culturally/ethnically jewish.

what is your stance on wicca/neopaganism/new age practices?

we stand firmly against any practices which appropriate from or harm our people (and others as well). wicca, neopaganism and new age practices all have issues with cultural appropriation, antisemitism and other form of bigotry, and rhetoric dangerous to ones health, thus we will not allow these into our community space.

what is your stance on kabbalah?

kabbalah (not qabbalah/cabbala, which is an appropriation of our culture and thus not allowed in our space) is welcomed so long as one has studied or is studying under an appropriate rabbinical figure.

what is your stance on the i/p conflict and/or zionism?

we do not ascribe to any certain label or identity to describe our stance due to their ever changing and constantly contested nature. rather, we prefer to spell it out: we believe in palestinian and jewish right to live on their ancestral homeland in peace and safety however that may look like one day and will never tolerate bigoted or extremist stances (this includes khanism, pro-isreali gov. sentiment, pro-hamas sentiment, pro-genocide stances and so on.)