especially during chanukah when all my friends are celebrating christmas

I was raised Catholic and always felt alien, I found out as an adult that my mother converted to Judiasm and I am really Jewish. I felt alien. I walked into a shul, I felt at home!

I feel as an Alien. I live where I don't come from and don't care to be here. I'm here because of my husbands greedy co. I know we didn't have to come. But what do you do when one has put almost their entire life at that job. We are here for his Co can have their Tax Cut! So As a Christian, something came into my thoughts. We aren't from this world anyway. This whole planet earth isn't my real home! I agree we were put here to spread the good news of God. Then when our work is done we will go to the place where we truly belong! Can't wait!!!!

But we are aliens-we are from the planet of spreading the knowledge of one G-d, like Romans were for building, Greeks for philosophy etc. We aren't the Chosen people...but chosen for something-just like aliens on each planet when they come together can learn so much :)

No, like I mean it doesn't make me feel alien :)

This nice movie just shows that!

So this time we are jewish.. or christian.. or muslim or budhists or hindus or don't have any religion.. Or we just believe in God and that's it! so what's wrong with that?

We are all basically the Same. Even though I am jewish (and also live in Israel) -I don't like the term- "chosen people" because all of us were chosen and also Chose to come here ourselves to planet Earth!

We all need to live a life filled with Meaning, Purpose, Truth, Love and Joy! We all came here to Learn our lessons and to grow.. Why cling only on the body and culture we were born into? We can just as easily re-born in another faith in the next life!

That is why we need to honor all people and all religions! Even people who don't believe in God- maybe one day they will? All of us come from God and will return to God.. Actually we are Always parts of God! We are All children of Light and Love..

It's time we'll acknowledge This once and for All! We all need to follow our Hearts and Souls for they alone can show us our way Home... Because that's were God is- in our hearts..

Thank you for your work!

With Love!
Gil :-)

Yes I have felt that way quite often and I beleive that being the chosen people and having the responsibility of this world on our shoulders, is in a way like being an alien.

I grew up In Geneva, Switzerland. We had bars on the windows of the "Maison Juive", I attended an orthodox synagogue where I sat upstairs and girls did not have Bat Mitzvahs. I then moved to Miami, Florida-what a wealth of different strains of Judaism. I joined the board of a reform congregation and always had a plethora of single men to date. Now I am living in Knoxville, Tennessee -the bible belt. On the door to my favorite hamburger joint there was a sign "Closed Sunday because our Lord has risen!"
I have joined a congregation but I am the odd single woman- I tried going out but met men who just wanted me to find "our Savior". I have become a recluse in this city where everyone is very church going and you can't buy wine on Sundays, there are no kosher restaurants and being jewish really is like being from another planet.
Well-enough complaining
SHabbat Shalom-y'all!

I feel like an alien sometimes and I am not Jewish.

Yeah I guess Solomon is a jewish name all right.
But in America, I think the minority (like me) who attempts to observe, and be shomer shabbos, IS THE BIGGER minority.
Esp. when my non-religious family says,
Oh, please come to my (non religious) "simcha" on Saturday, it's a family reunion, and you'll be missed...yada yada yada

I grew up in a little town in Texas where we had a synagoge. Our rabbi came directly from England and the most alien I ever felt was when, after my bar mitzva, my grandfather expressed is incredulity at his grandson speaking Hebrew with a Texas twang AND British accent! Otherwise, I do not feel alienated....but, at times, quite special.

great and funny. people are just ingnorant of Jewish everything.

However, allthough "alien" means "out of this world", the term philosophers use is "the other". If "the other" is "alien", the question is: what do the two terms mean? might it be that being alien or other than the norm, is
realy to be an individual, and that is actualy not a bad thing. So if being jewish is to be uniqe, than it is allright, but being alien, means also being alienated, and that is wrong.

sometimes at work people will ask about a jewish custom, holiday, etc. i do my best to explain things in a language and manner that will allow my words to be accepted as normative, or at least interesting. sometimes it works, sometimes you get the "deer in the headlights" response. but, at the end of the day, let's face it--we are different, "am kadosh", and thankfully so. we can't expect people to understand jewish practice from our "standing on one foot" explanations. We'll always be "different" to non-jews, so all we can do at work, is do our best, be good people to work with, and eventually we will be accepted, even if not completely understood. My life is worth living, not because I try to be accepted, but because of my involvement in my Jewish community and pride in my heritage and way of life, B"H.

In most places I've worked I've usually been the only Jew, but I never felt or was made to feel "alien". I've always been proud, and would answer questiuons about Judiasm to anyone who asked. It's surprising how much people don't know.

no because i live in brookly

I loved this one.

Sure it does - and am I glad. I have no desire to be anyone but a Jew, and the only reason that I feel like an alien is that I know I belong to a very special group that is different from the others - we are God's chosen people!

When i was beginning my studies in social communications (caracas, venezuela)i found out i was the only jewish in my class, so one of my classmates approached me and told me that is the first time she saw a jewish in her life, and she realized that i dont have tail and long ears as her grandma told her. At that moment i smiled at her and told her i had a special surgerie and thats why i looked like a normal person. I could´nt avoid to laugh very hard and introduced myself. The rest of our career we became friends and i saluted her like Mork (Mork and Mindy). She told me she felt so embarrased but she relaxed later because i didnt take in a bad way.

Some people have heard "STORIES" about JEWS. ou certainly feel different when they try to act like it is ok with them..

The generations of man has created a melting pot but the Jew is still identifiable. Praise God.

because we're not all pompous and arrogant.

I have often found myself in situations where I felt different - I feel awkward at office Christmas parties, don't come to work on Yom Kippur etc. But when I think about the fact that I am different, it makes me think about why - that I am Jewish, and so I thank God for the fact that I am different (and Jewish). Thanks Jewlarious.

I feel it is a privilege to be jewish,and I'm quite proud of my jewish identity and do not see any need to hide it.

I want to 'Thank You' first of all for Aish.com - I find it very well done, with each 'issue' being filled with intriguing stories, insightful editorials, and that inimitable Jewish humour.

My "alienship" is due to the fact that I have chosen to go beyond - just ritual, ceremony, and some prayer memorization. I have poured over God's magnificent Word and Promises, and so, I have become a Bible-Believing Jew. I have discovered, met and believe in Mashiach ...(the Messiah), and thus that 'feeling like an alien' that you mentioned, definitely fits at times... especially during any family-type 'reunions' - on which I am about to go during this Mother's Day season.

So, I thank you again for this on-line publication, and for allowing me to express myself on your forum.

Baruch Haba B'Shem Adonai.
Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord!

Sincerely,
Ira S. Liebhober

Holy is peculiar and set apart. We are a holy people, peculiar and set apart. We will always be alien to everyone who isn't. We live and walk in the blessings and promises of our beginnings. We will always be blessed regardless the reasons for our dispersion. We live a time line from Abram to the promise and fulfillment of our future as it is written. Our God has always had a plan for us.

Being a Jew, to me, is a badge of Honor. Look at us, Doctors, Lawyers, Musicians, Scientists, Nobel winners... how can one not feel special?