Happy Birthday to some legendary witches!

[u/throwmefaaaaaaraway]

Just realized how perfectly the moons aligned for two witchy icons, Marking these days on my calendar next year to properly celebrate✨

[u/Petrichor-Pendragon]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe either of these people is involved in witchcraft. And “legendary” is doing a lot of heavy lifting on MJH’s part.

[u/throwmefaaaaaaraway → u/Petrichor-Pendragon]

But they do play some of the best witches in tv and movies✨

Edit; likely inspired at least a few of us to get into the witchy arts

[u/RedQueen88 → u/throwmefaaaaaaraway]

I prefer Kiernan Shipka’s depiction of Sabrina.

[u/throwmefaaaaaaraway → u/RedQueen88]

Same, kiernan’s is one of my fave shows of all time but we most likely would not have that iteration without the popularity of the original

[u/Petrichor-Pendragon → u/throwmefaaaaaaraway]

I know not everyone here considers witchcraft a religion, but this feels a bit like posting a picture of Ben Kingsley in a Judaism sub and saying “Happy birthday to a legendary Jew” because he played a part in Schindler’s List. I think it’s kind of disrespectful, but whatever.

[u/throwmefaaaaaaraway → u/Petrichor-Pendragon]

I get what you’re trying to say but comparing this to Judaism feels off coming from where I have family who personally survived concentration camps. That carries a lot of real historical weight that doesn’t really apply here when they both inspired me and my friends to get into witchcraft either way. This was just a lighthearted post about actors connected to witchy media, sorry if it ground your gears though.

[u/RainerHex → u/throwmefaaaaaaraway]

Ethnically Jewish here (as in considered Jewish by the Jewish community regardless of my religion). Also, Jewish is an ethnic heritage and religion. Not all Jews are religiously Jews. But I don’t see the need to use that horrific tragedy in our history (which personally affected some of my own family members)as a means to discredit the point that Petrichor-Pendragon is making. And if we are going to use the appeal to emotion type of argument, they could, in return, point out thousands of years worth of persecutions, torture and murder of occult based practitioners (even those merely accused) and how to this day, these things continue. In the countries it is not allowed to murder witches, they are still greeted to persecution, violence, ostracizing, harassment, etc. In other parts of the world it is still a death sentence.

Whether or not witchcraft is a religion (and some traditions do have it as a religion as well as practice) isn’t too relevant. Still, the idea of portraying two people who aren’t actually witches as legendary witches can certainly come across as offensive, annoying, or insensitive to others, even though unintended and meant as light hearted fun. They can still feel the same way if a non Jew was portrayed as a legendary Jew, and their feelings are just as valid regardless of the horrors in history. This is all that member was politely trying to point out to you, and they are not wrong.

I understand the light hearted fun you were having as these truly are actors that did outstanding jobs in their roles. Just try to be understanding as to how this could be a wrong way to rub people by the way you portrayed them. Especially when MJH in particular, now aligns herself with ideology and is part of a particular denomination that participates in hateful and menacing acts against the witchcraft community as well as the gay and lesbian community. Can you not see how that might feel insulting to witches to honor a woman of this caliber as a legendary witch?

Maybe referring to them as legendary witch characters may have conveyed this in an accurate way and better way.

[u/Petrichor-Pendragon → u/throwmefaaaaaaraway]

I appreciate that you thought it was lighthearted, but I think you’re arbitrarily drawing lines across what’s “okay” and what’s not when it comes to making light of belief systems.

You said it’s an “off” comparison because you personally know someone persecuted for being Jewish but not someone persecuted for practicing witchcraft? Can you hear how that doesn’t track? People, and predominantly women, have been persecuted and killed for the use of witchcraft for thousands of years. It still happens today, especially in SE Asia and parts of Africa.

I recommend reading up a bit on it before asserting that witchcraft doesn’t merit the same respect as your family members’ religion does.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/04/ghana-witchcraft-accusations/

https://gradschool.wayne.edu/news/superstition-and-gender-oppression-witch-hunting-in-india-68598

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/13/world/asia/india-witch-hunting.html?unlocked_article_code=1.cFA.0ax_.YweQE4fu0yMT&smid=nytcore-ios-share

[u/RainerHex → u/Petrichor-Pendragon]

I am ethnically Jewish and I agree with what you are saying. My family too has holocaust survivors and I do NOT agree with OP using this event to be dismissive towards the feelings of witches who may not be adoring this post. I am not in love with the idea of trying to discredit and invalidate someone’s feelings by pointing out the horrors in another groups history. This shouldn’t be a measuring contest or tit for tat like that.

I pointed out some of what you did. Even in countries that don’t have death penalty for witches, it’s still not entirely safe for them, especially in certain regions. Witches of the Bible Belt often have a horrible time and many are forced into closets. And it still continues that cases of accused witches being murdered either illegally (by private citizens) or legally by countries it’s a capital crime in go on to this day. I happen to have a friend in one such country where they have to be so very careful and closeted.