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So, I feel like fandom has totally been sleeping on Jewish Harry and/or Hermione.
Think about the potential!
Last night while trying and failing to sleep I had thought of a whole bunch of really interesting reasons for Jewish headcanons for both Harry and Hermione, and of course now that it’s day time I’m much less eloquent. But still, here are a few of my favorite reasons for Jewish Harry and/or Hermione.
(Also, for the record, I’m half Jewish patrilineally myself.)
For Harry:
He’d probably be half Jewish ethnically, and if his Jewish parent is James then Harry probably would have never had any idea (the Dursleys probably wouldn’t have told him if they knew, but it’s also entirely possible they never knew at all.)
There’s a whole thematic parallel there with not knowing he was a wizard, in that finding out later in life that you’re Jewish is an entirely realistic thing that some half ethnically Jewish people (especially those that are patrilineal) have to deal with.
It also parallels the wizard thing in general, in terms of having to hide a part of who you are due to persecution, something that has been (and still is in many places and situations) a very real necessity for Jewish people.
There’s more subtle stuff to explore about being half-blood and also half Jewish, the issue with patrilineal Jews not being recognized by some people as Jewish, the lower social status that half-bloods have compared to purebloods etc etc. This would be a reverse of the main parallel of the blood purity thing, but it lines up in an interesting way with the problems that half ethnically Jewish (especially patrilineal) people sometimes have in regard to not fitting into either ‘world’, an issue that half-blood wizards might sometimes face as well if they have muggle family they’re on good terms with.
Culturally, it’s very important for Jewish people to stand up for people who need help, especially those who can’t help themselves. This is for a lot of reasons, but one in particular is that because Jewish people know what it’s like to be persecuted and discriminated against, it’s a moral imperative not to stand by and let other people be treated the same way. Harry’s deep sense of responsibility in terms of fighting for and protecting others, treating others equally, etc all work really well with that, as well as lining up with the other theme of how Harry has been mistreated his whole life and yet shows such kindness and forgiveness toward others.
On a sillier note, Daniel Radcliffe is half Jewish himself (though matrilineally) so that would also make perfect casting.
For Hermione:
Her love for learning fits in perfectly with Jewish cultural attitudes toward study and learning. Seeking knowledge and understanding are important parts of Jewish culture, including learning to question even authority figures (like, say, professors) which aligns well with Hermione’s growth through the series.
Like I mentioned with Harry, Hermione’s intense need to stand up against injustice, and to fight for people who are disenfranchised, discriminated against, etc, is also a very strong cultural tenant.
The blood purity parallel was never subtle at all to begin with, but Hermione being not just muggle-born but the Jewish witch daughter of two Jewish muggles would be incredibly thematic in a story about prejudice.
The ball was dropped hard on Hermione’s situation in DH in regards to her being on the run for being muggle-born, since that danger was overshadowed a bit by the fact that she was also in danger just for traveling with Harry. But there could’ve been really interesting potential there for how she might’ve dealt with the obvious historical parallel if she were Jewish as well.
A sillier one but although the ‘Jewish hair’ thing is a stereotype, it’s also entirely accurate for a lot of Jewish people, and Hermione having bushy brown hair could easily line up with that.
For Both:
I mentioned this for them individually, but Harry being half ethnically Jewish, Hermione being fully ethnically Jewish, and Ron not being Jewish would line up exactly with them being half-blood, muggle-born, and pureblood.
For the record, there’s nothing at all wrong with being a Jewish witch/wizard, especially not in the sense of how it works in the HP universe.
The very thought of either of both of them being Jewish would probably piss off JKR and that’s funny.
Now all of this said, I totally would understand why people would be super wary about Jewish headcanons if they aren’t Jewish themselves, and might be afraid of doing something insensitive, being wrong or overstepping about Jewish issues, etc etc and those are very good things to be cautious about! But I’d still love to see more Jewish headcanons because I feel like the idea is so interesting and has so much potential.
She think everything a game…
ngl guys not a single thought went into this one I just wanted to draw her smiling
you know what i want?? a representation of the seven deadly sins where for once lust isnt the only woman and is instead a horny friendzone dudebro