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THE PROUD GOY

Who Has Not Made Me a Woman?

Jewish men at the beginning of the daily morning prayers:

“Blessed are you, Lord, our God, Ruler of the universe who has not created me a gentile (goy) woman.” 

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This pray expresses quintessential misogyny that lies at the core of patriarchal religion. As a non-jew woman living in Israel, I can declare, that the xenophobia against non-Jewish citizens - goys, and misogyny, in particular, became an integral part of my experience. The nationalistic laws in civil fields are repressive and make a legal citizen, with an Israeli passport feel discriminated against and depressed. The irony is that the archaic pray from Holly Bible is still relevant in modern society.

The traditional text is: Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu melech ha-olam, she-loh asani goy. “Blessed are you, Lord our God, king of the universe, who has not made me a gentile.”

The blessing is recited as part of a series of blessings known as Birkot Hashachar, literally “blessings of the morning.” It is recited in succession with two other blessings thanking God for not making you a slave and — if you’re a man — for not making you a woman. Women recite a different blessing thanking God for making us “according to his will.”

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*Citations from articles by Eliezer  Segal and Kylie Ora Lobell

  • GOY-  a Jewish name for a non-Jewish person.

  • Gentile - a person who is not Jewish.

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Media: Photography/Street art

2019-2020

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