Beta Readers Wanted?

[birdg]

Mods, I apologize if this is not allowed and will understand if you delete this.

I thought we could have a thread for people looking for beta-readers.

I'll start.

I need someone knowledgable about Judaism to answer a few questions I have for the fic I'm working on at the moment.

I have this ongoing series called More Than Our Abilities (if you want to see what you're getting into: www.checkmated.com/story.php?story=9941) which revolves around Scorpius Malfoy's years at Hogwarts, beginning with his first year.

As mentioned in JKR's interviews, Asteria Greengrass is his mother. Since we don't know much about her or the Greengrass family at all, I made the Greengrasses Jewish. There's nothing to say she's not, after all, and Greengrass is a Jewish name.

And because Asteria is Jewish, in my story, Scorpius Malfoy is Jewish and is being raised as such because it's important to Asteria. (Draco is still and will remain the WASPiest WASP to ever WASP... though I guess with his last name it would be Norman not Anglo-Saxon. Anyway!) Due to a late autumn birthday he's 11/12 his first year and 12/13 his second which means soon I'll have to deal with his Bar Mitzvah.

Problem is, I am not Jewish! And there is only so much I can glean from Google and Wikipedia.

I won't need a Beta for every chapter but for the one dealing with his Bar Mitzvah, yes, and just someone to run random questions by. Any takers?

[Author By Night]

I can't really help with your specific fic, birdg, but I do think this is an excellent thread.

For what it's worth, you can always look to the internet and make sure you narrow your search and double check your sources.

My friend's boyfriend is Jewish, so I may send her an email asking about Bar Mitzvahs.

[kelleypen]

I have a Jewish son in common law, but I live quite far from the close Jewish friends I had in school. I did take a semester of Judaism in college and still have my textbooks, so I can help a little, but it would be better if you had someone who was actually Jewish. Is Barbara around?

[birdg]

Aug 6, 2009 17:51:56 GMT -5 Author By Night said:

My friend's boyfriend is Jewish, so I may send her an email asking about Bar Mitzvahs.

If you could, that would be great.

Aug 10, 2009 12:33:28 GMT -5 kelleypen said:

I have a Jewish son in common law, but I live quite far from the close Jewish friends I had in school. I did take a semester of Judaism in college and still have my textbooks, so I can help a little, but it would be better if you had someone who was actually Jewish.

Whatever help you could give would be great.

My big question right now is Hebrew names and the use of them during the ceremony.

1.) Is there any rule to how Hebrew names are chosen. Like, for example, could Scorpius have "Samuel" as his Hebrew name? Is there any pattern?

2.) Would his full Hebrew name be then Samuel ben Esther (after his mother's Hebrew name) or Samuel ben Asteria? Is this something the parents can talk over with the rabbi of their synagogues?

(I've decided to have Scorpius as Reform because it offers a lot of leeway.)

[starsea]

Anybody available to read over the last chapter of my Ginny story and give me critique, let me know if I'm going in the right direction?

[mollyweasley]

Sept 14, 2009 17:16:09 GMT -5 starsea said:

Anybody available to read over the last chapter of my Ginny story and give me critique, let me know if I'm going in the right direction?

English isn´t my native language, but I could read and give you my thoughts about the story.

[mollyweasley]

I am going to need a beta myself... I have just started writing my first fic ever. It is a new world to me!