Oh man, that is an awful translation! You have to wonder at the person who wrote it--whether they were hateful or just grabbed bad information in a hurry. I've sometimes had to explain Judaism to people who were misinformed, but never to someone who had no frame of reference. I'd have been flummoxed, too! (I think the closest I ever got to your situation was someone who said, "Oh, you're like Christians except you don't believe in God, right?") I think if I had to give a quick explanation to someone with a big language/cultural barrier, I'd say, "Judaism is a religion that's thousands of years old. We believe there's one God, and we believe God gave us rules for how to treat people with kindness and how to live in the world." But that might not be what's central for you (and as the joke goes, two Jews, three opinions!). In the months since, have you had any thoughts about what's at the heart of Judaism for you?
Oh man, that is an awful translation! You have to wonder at the person who wrote it--whether they were hateful or just grabbed bad information in a hurry. I've sometimes had to explain Judaism to people who were misinformed, but never to someone who had no frame of reference. I'd have been flummoxed, too! (I think the closest I ever got to your situation was someone who said, "Oh, you're like Christians except you don't believe in God, right?") I think if I had to give a quick explanation to someone with a big language/cultural barrier, I'd say, "Judaism is a religion that's thousands of years old. We believe there's one God, and we believe God gave us rules for how to treat people with kindness and how to live in the world." But that might not be what's central for you (and as the joke goes, two Jews, three opinions!). In the months since, have you had any thoughts about what's at the heart of Judaism for you?