Damned If You Do: Jews in the Spotlight, Stereotypes, and Identity (Intro)

by Racialicious special correspondent Wendi Muse

Despite all the Easter hype, I found myself thinking a lot about Judaism in America this past week. Eliot Spitzer, New York’s Jewish political golden boy and possible presidential hopeful, had been outed for a prostitution scandal, New York Magazine had run an extensive article on actress, singer, performer extraordinaire Bette Midler, Dick Cheney had traveled to the Middle East, one of his topics of discussion being the state of the Israel/Palestine conflict, and the New York City version of Bravo’s reality show Real Housewives featured a Jewish-American family. It seemed as if everywhere I turned, I noticed some element of Judaism, be it people, politics, or general culture.

In the meantime, I also began to contemplate the state of Jews in the media, their portrayals therein, and how Jewish-American identity was being shaped as a result. Despite the frequent, conspiracy theory-steeped accusations of Jews having a media takeover, it’s quite a wonder that the portrayals of Jews, including Jewish-Americans, are not exactly the most flattering.

Take a moment to think to yourself of the Jewish stereotypes to which you have been exposed, or to go further, try to count the positive portrayals of Jews (Right off the top of my head, I can only think of Anne Frank and the cast of Fiddler on the Roof) in comparison to the negative ones. What do you come up with? (to be continued…)

*pictured above: a Goblin Banker from Harry Potter (more on this later)

Share and Enjoy:

Trackbacks & Pings

Damned If You Do: Jews in the Spotlight, Stereotypes, and Identity (Full Piece) at Racialicious - the intersection of race and pop culture on 11 Apr 2008 at 7:01 am

[...] opening. Also, to read the comments on the introduction of this piece, please go here. Lastly, please note that the thoughts and opinions expressed in the interviews completed for this [...]

Comments

Cynthia wrote:

OMG….the Jewish American Princess (I’m sure you know what I’m talking about…if not, think Cher Horowitz from the movie Clueless)!!! My (Jewish) boyfriend has many stories about these women. Once told me about a girl at his camp who took a huge suitcase (full of really nice clothes) to an overnight trip. You really don’t need more than your back pack for this…the rest of the stuff should stay in the cabin. Anyway, the stereotypical Jewish American Princess relies on Daddy for money before she gets married and her husband after. She’s a shopoholic and lurrrveesss big named brands (though she’d prefer to get it on sale…lurrrvvveesss the premium outlets)

This stereotype really isn’t that different from Hong Kong tai-tais (Ladies who Lunch) though.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 9:11 am ¶
Black Strawberry wrote:

wow I guess I never encountered the bad one until I was 14 or 15 when I saw a documentary on Judaism on VH1(I’m not exposed to Jewish sytertpes since I live in the area where there is alot Latinos, Asains,African Americans and Irish Catholics. These positive ones I encountered were mostly hardworking, well educated, strong despite the hard times they went thought, Most of the books I read about People who were Jewish was about who they were oppressed in Europe and in Nazis Germany and reading Anne Frank. One thing I have to mention is that last year in my art class(I don’t know they think I’m Jewish I went to CATHOLIC SHCOOL! heck one the girls who thought I was Jewish, OI told her I was raised a Catholic) I was treated not so nicely one kid went up to me and told me it was kill a Jew day, handful of kids n heiled Hitler in front of me. Once in my in French class a group of kids thought to it was funny to make a joke about the holocaust, and bash people who took the holocaust seriously (O.k. what is funny about Genocide tell me?) The teacher allowed that type behavior (This defiantly lowered my opinion of her as a human and as a teacher) I told her it was not funny, and how she could allow such odious behavior. To be honest I have a lot of sympathy and admiration towards Judaism(the religion) I really should rant on my bog, sorry I had to get that off my chest.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 9:39 am ¶
Carmen Van Kerckhove wrote:

> try to count the positive portrayals of Jews

Yentl! That’s one of my mom’s favorite movies. Cause it’s about a girl who wants to go to school so badly that she cross-dresses as a guy. I would never hear the end of it: “See? How much she values education? You should learn from her!”

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 9:56 am ¶
Cynthia wrote:

Black Strawberry,

There are some Jewish parents who send their kids to Catholic (or whatever non-Jewish, non-public school) schools because they feel that these schools provide the best education. My high school is affiliated with the Anglican Church and my year was about 5% Jewish.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 10:03 am ¶
Cat wrote:

matisyahu. ^_^.

I dont know if you want to count things like Bobbie’s girl, where the extent of their Judaism is portrayed in the ’smashing of the glass’ part of a wedding.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 10:08 am ¶
AB wrote:

THE NANNY always killed me. Everything about Fran Drescher was so stereotypical…the hair, the accent, the fashion, the always wanting to marry a doctor, etc…ugh.
Another interesting one is Grace Adler (Debra Messing) from Will & Grace…definitely the typical neurotic Jewish woman character, and again with the hair. Also, Rachel Green, aka Jennifer Aniston on Friends, was supposed to be Jewish (Monica and Ross were HALF I believe) and they definitely played on the stereotypes in the beginning…remember she was supposed to marry Barry the dentist, and she was VERY dependent upon “Daddy’s money” at first. They definitely toned that down as the show went on, and even her look (hair/nose?/body shape) became a little less “ethnic.” (She’s Greek in real life I believe?)

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 10:09 am ¶
Mary wrote:

For whatever this is worth – “House M.D.” features three Jewish main characters, one being House’s best friend Dr. Wilson, one being House’s boss Dr. Cuddy, and one being the plastic surgeon played by Peter Jacobson. I’m not sure you can say these are “flattering” portrayals (both of the men were revealed to be philanderers, and Wilson veers towards the neurotic at times), but then, this show doesn’t really offer the most flattering portrait of humanity in general. I mean the “hero” is an abrasive drug-addicted jerk whose motto is “Everybody lies.” But as far as the Jewish characters are concerned, I do think they make a decent effort to write and act Wilson, Cuddy and Taub as three-dimensional, human characters… warts and all.

(This is leaving aside for a moment “House M.D.”’s representation of other minorities)

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 11:30 am ¶
Matt wrote:

I’m surprised no one mentioned Seinfeld or Woody Allen. Of course, both emphasizing a neurotic personality often attributed to Jews, but complicated by the fact that they were both created by Jews. And further complicated in how they draw (to different extents) on the nebbish, an archetype *admired* in Jewish culture.

But I don’t think antisemitic attitudes necessarily survive in the mainstream media in the same way they do with other minorities. In fact, I wrote about that this morning before I saw this post here. But that doesn’t mean they don’t survive in prominent, mainstream discourse.

Not long ago, Christopher Hitchens wrote a review of a reissued novel, Memoirs of an Anti-Semite by Gregor von Rezzori. In an insightful moment, he titled his article, “The 2,000-Year-Old Panic.” I’m coming to think that one of the keys to antisemitism is that people (and this was true in Nazi Germany as well) dismiss Jewish anxiety about antisemitism as something about Jews.

Today, many Jews are worried about what’s been called “the new antisemitism.” I’ve seen far too many people call the very real resurgence of antisemitism (and violent attacks on Jews) a Jewish attempt to manipulate sympathy for Israel.

As a Jew, I notice that sort of thing all over the place wherever politics are discussed. But I can’t say it happens much in sitcoms.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 12:17 pm ¶
Matt wrote:

And here’s a damn usseful link on how Jews perceive antisemitism. Christopher MacDonald-Dennis talked with Jewish students who were part of an official, campus social-justice/diversity education organization – and these students felt they had nowhere to articulate their concerns about antisemitism on campus. “When I asked what particular antisemitic feelings made it difficult for non-Jews to see Jews as targets, the participants told me that the idea that Jews are rich made it very difficult for people to see Jews as victims of hatred. Because the participants held that many people did not see Jews as targets, I asked how people perceived Jews in terms of identity. The participants explained that many people, especially people of color in the minds of many respondents, saw Jews as not only agents but as ’super-privileged White people’.”

Oh, and thanks for posting this.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 12:23 pm ¶
Persia wrote:

Willow on Buffy the Vampire Slayer is Jewish, and although her Jewish-ness isn’t prominent it is present. In the kids’ TV realm, Arthur’s friend Francine is Jewish and it’s been a plot point a few times.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 12:24 pm ¶
The Cruel Secretary wrote:

Positive ones? I’m thinking Liev Schreiber…oh wait, that’s not so much as positive portrayal as sexual fantasy.;-)

Seriously though, I think the image of “Holocaust Survivor” is a positive one in the sense of those Jews who came through one of the most horrific atrocities in human history. Then again, that’s a contested image because there are the Holocaust deniers and those folks who feel that the survivors bring it up “too much” or get tired of being reminded to “never forget” or want to get inot some Oppression Olympics around the topic.

Quintessential New Yorker? For all of the Woody Allen films (blech), when I think of New York and New Yorkers, it’s deeply tied to the socio-economic and cultural contributions of immigrant Jews and Jewish Americans. A good primer on this: the documentary series, The Jewish Americans, on PBS–

http://www.pbs.org/jewishamericans/

Negative ones? Jewish American Princess (Cynthia said that one)…Christ-killers (one of the major justifications for anti-Semitism and, yep, the Holocaust)…neurotic New Yorkers (Feh, Woody Allen! )…Shakespeare’s Shylock (and other perjoratives around usury)…cabalistic (whether in owning the media or other businesses, like banking=>usury)…

Okay, before I get riled up, I’m off to fantasize about Liev.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 12:29 pm ¶
cocolamala wrote:

tori spelling did a little about being jewish on her first reality show, “so notorious”

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 12:46 pm ¶
Michelle wrote:

Good ones? Well, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that there are no good ones. There are just ones that portray people who happen to be Jewish. Examples?
Seinfeld
Mad About You
Friends(already mentioned)
Clueless(great movie, already mentioned)
Will and Grace(”)
Maude
Barbara Walters
The Mirror has two Faces
Nuts
Prince of Tides
The Pall Bearer
Crossing Delancy (great movie)
A Price Above Rubies
An American Tail (Does that count?)

I think that Jewish people occupy a very interesting category. For instance, you can have a movie/TV about Italians, and it is basically accepted to throw in a few stereotypes, i.e. Joey from Friends. And while people will complain(I think there were pockets of protest in the Italian community against the Sopranos), it is seemingly more okay to poke fun or so portray stereotypical versions of White ethnic people. However Jewish people are not really a full White ethnic group yet. However, they are not people of color. And there are many heads of studios that are or have been Jewish, and there are many predominately Jewish writing staffs on TV shows. And yet, anti-semitism is alive and well. It is a curious space for Jewish people to occupy. Because when I saw those Gringotts Goblin in HP, I thoght for sure that people would pounce all over it. I mean, I was highly offended and I just knew that the Jewish community would have come out against that portrayal.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 12:57 pm ¶
Elton wrote:

I am very curious about how white Americans of Jewish heritage see themselves in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, and culture. In some ways, they could be categorized as the “other” because of their Jewishness, but they’re also white, which I would think trumps all other factors.

So if the white-dominant media portrays Jews as certain stereotypes, even if Hollywood execs are Jews, they are white first and foremost, and therefore see the world and see themselves through the white lens. Just a guess.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 1:02 pm ¶
johnjihoonchang wrote:

The first persons that I think of when I think of Jewish persons is… the Beastie Boys, the ass-kicking post-punk/hip-hop legends. I had to dig pretty deep into my memory to find a particularly negative portrayal, Rebecca in the old novel, Ivanhoe and Shylock from Merchant of Venice–both drawn problematically, but not necessarily without sympathy. I guess Woody Allen would be a source of Jewish stereotypes. Seinfeld and cast?

I guess I have a problem in that I’m not entirely sure what the stereotypes for Jewish people are.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 1:06 pm ¶
Linda wrote:

Cynthia, I’m laughing at your 1st comment cause, my bf knows a lot of JAPs (Jewish American Princess). Heck Mc Gill is full of them!

I can’t think of any on tv shows, but I would say a stereotype that doesn’t get seen as often (unless u like to watch old films about the state of the US in the 60s). Is the Jewish activist and civil rights lawyer. Many people forget that American Jews were an integral part of the civil rights movement from funding to being members of the NAACP.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 1:06 pm ¶
Cynthia wrote:

^^^I think many Jewish writers are essentially making fun of themselves. No different from Russell Peters’ stand up routine making fun of South Asians (Russell Peters is of South Asian descent.)

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 1:10 pm ¶
Anonymous wrote:

Wait, the Gringotts Goblins were supposed to represent Jewish people??? Really?

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 1:18 pm ¶
Elton wrote:

http://www.engageonline.org.uk/journal/index.php?journal_id=10&article_id=39
Ok, I just read this very informative article linked by Matt in comment 9.

“As stated earlier, these stereotypes come together to form this idea that Jews are “super-privileged” White people. In this view, Jews were seen as wealthy reactionary colonisers who neither deserve the success nor the nation state of Israel they have. When I asked during the focus group whether many people believed that Jews were not targets but rather extra-privileged Whites, the group felt that many people on campus, especially people of color, held this idea about Jews.”

Please forgive my ignorance, but as I said before, are Jews not white? I don’t mean to say that white people have no problems, or that subgroups of people considered white now such as Jews and Irish never faced historical oppression. But as some might say, “you’re white now, so what’s the problem?” http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/03/16/89-saint-patricks-day/

I don’t mean to play oppression olympics or justify antisemitism. I would just like to be educated about why the perception of Jews as super privileged white people is wrong.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 1:22 pm ¶
Elton wrote:

Oh, and Adam Sandler’s “Hanukah Song” (parts 1 and 2) sure does very little to persuade me that Jews are visible minorities or that they are anything but wealthy and successful.

In fact, the stereotype that Jews love to eat Chinese food, especially on Christmas Day, when neither Jews nor Chinese are supposed to be celebrating, but Jews are in a position of privilege and Chinese are in a position of subservience, working even on a holiday, further serves to portray Jews as super privileged white people.

I’m especially concerned, as a Chinese-American who comes from a Chinese restaurant family, that the model minority stereotype will next serve to convince everyone that Asians, like the Jews before them, are super privileged.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 1:29 pm ¶
Matt wrote:

Elton, not all Jews are white. Even among Jews who are white, if you wear a yarmulke or peyos or any other hint of your religion, that tends to trump being seen as white.

But also, Jews (and antisemitism) and gays (and homophobia) have a lot in common (beyond being predominantly white in America). That’s something interesting I was alerted to here.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 1:29 pm ¶
Eva wrote:

I’m black but my school was about 90% Jewish and I live in NYC. Until I was about 18 I never knew a white person who wasn’t Jewish.

It’s interesting that someone mentioned Fran Drescher because I once ran into her in a MAC store (she’s really tiny) and though she sort of talks like she does on TV, it’s not as pronounced.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 1:35 pm ¶
ted mckim wrote:

Interesting thing that you mentioned lawyers. I did have the chance to meet and talk with William Kunsler; still one of the only lawyers from whom I’ve ever had respect.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 1:56 pm ¶
Ampersand wrote:

Linda and Cynthia, JAP is an anti-Semitic stereotype. It’s not funny, it’s bigotry. (As if there are no entitled-feeling rich girls — or boys, for that matter — except among Jews. )

And here’s a damn useful link on how Jews perceive antisemitism.

You know, I was a Jew attending a liberal college just a few years ago, and I don’t see things the way he claims all the Jews he interviewed did. I know tons of Jews who have attended college, and many of their views aren’t represented by what that author describes — but he says that all the students he interviewed agree.

My bullshit radar is going ping.

The author of that study not only admits he didn’t use a random sample, he didn’t submit the study to peer-review, and he doesn’t make the data available so we can see if his interpretations are honest.

Furthermore, it was published by a site whose stated goal is to attack “left and liberal antisemitism.” Nothing wrong with that, but I don’t think the site is unbiased, and I don’t think they would have published a study which came to other conclusions — for instance, that non-left antisemitism is a serious problem, or that US campuses actually aren’t rife with anti-semitism.

Of course there are some anti-semites on the left, and on college campuses. But a recent ADL survey found that college campuses are actually the least anti-Semitic place in America. And I don’t think we should ignore that a lot of the campaign to stereotype college campuses as hotbeds of anti-Semitism comes from folks who are trying to delegitimize the left in general, or criticism of Israel, or both.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 2:03 pm ¶
miss girl wrote:

I’m every friggin’ Jewish stereotype: Me the JAP (trust fund baby, holla), my Dad (self-hating Jew), my Aunt (accountant), and my Grandma (political activist/passive-aggressive-guilt-tripping certified).

The area of Jewish identity is tricky because the line drawn between what’s ethnicity and religion is still relatively obscure (I still get people trying to convince me that I’m not technically Jew because of some dinosaur ‘law’ that I can only be one if my mom is too).

If you look at my Jewish family, you’d never guess that they’re Jewish – and because we *are* “super privileged”, my Jewish family is just comprised of “super privileged white people”. And honestly, I don’t think they mind being perceived that way. My grandparent’s are from the Depression generation; I think a lot of trauma/discrimination was tied to that and was further passed down onto my father’s generation.
Therefore, I’m not surprised that people of color might feel wary of Jews as being agents of oppression because my family (and this only comes from my own, personal experience) often *is* – unwittingly or not.

Re: Matt’s post. It’s disgusting that people would accuse Jews of manipulating sympathy for Israel – on the flipside, it sucks when Jews accuse me of being anti-Semetic myself when I criticize Israeli policy and government.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 2:07 pm ¶
sfsinger wrote:

I don’t see that many stereotypes. When the heads of the movie studios, television networks, writing staffs, and working talent in front and behind the camera are primarily Jewish – even a lot of the executive producers for ‘Black’ comedies – it’s hard for me to find viable examples. Perhaps because I’ve taken women’s studies courses and done research into media images of Black people particularly Black women my perspective is different. All of the movies from the 40’s and 50’s: Imitation of Life; Pinky; etc were particularly denigrating and were put out by the studios run by Jews. I also disagree with the view that Jews are viewed as other than white. That may have been true at one time but all non Black or Asian people who emigrated to the US made a choice to pin the ‘other’ title on those who could not do so and whole-heartedly embraced assimilation in the larger white culture and joined in the discrimination against the ‘other’. The one persistent image I see is that Jews are mostly white and always privileged.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 2:07 pm ¶
Matt wrote:

Ampersand, I think it varies a lot from campus to campus.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 2:09 pm ¶
miss girl wrote:

Re: Ampersand – I don’t find a problem in finding some humor in stereotypes. It’s a method of coping, empowering, and relieving stress.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 2:12 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:

From where I sit, the negative and positive stereotypes seem to be two sides of the same coin. So there is the miserly stereotype, but there is also the business minded positive stereotype.

Not too much else that I can think of.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 2:12 pm ¶
Tarah Sweeney wrote:

The West Wing!

There are two Jewish characters: Toby Ziegler and Josh Lyman (my current dream guy).

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 2:13 pm ¶
Matt wrote:

miss girl:

on the flipside, it sucks when Jews accuse me of being anti-Semetic myself when I criticize Israeli policy and government.

In my experience, I haven’t seen that happen. If it does happen, it seems to be very, very rare. I don’t know your experience, but when I’ve seen people say things like that, it’s been as a defense of statements that were most definitely not criticism of Israeli policy.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 2:34 pm ¶
miss girl wrote:

Matt: this conversation could go on forever if I tell you about Toby from Cupertino, but that’s neither here nor there, as you could just as easily question the validity and authenticity of my brush with being accused as anti-Semetic when discussing Israeli policy *shrug*.
Granted, the Toby experience happened only twice, so you’re right that it is rare.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 2:46 pm ¶
Cynthia wrote:

Elton,

I think the rest of America (and Canada) hasn’t learned the tai-tai stereotype yet. Can’t wait until they do *SARCASM*

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 2:55 pm ¶
Celeste wrote:

I think that Jewish women seem to receive the most negative sterotyping, sometimes from other Jews, mostly from other Jewish men. There was this Ben Stiller movie that came out some years ago where it seems he was being pressured to marry a certain Jewish girl and she was not portrayed in a positive light, at least in the previews. I’ve been told that since all Israelis have to serve in the army that Israeli women are emasculating and impossible to live with.
However, given my experience with some black men maligning black women to justify whatever it is they’re doing at the moment, I always viewed these ideas with skepticism. Oh, and it totally reminds me of my hair issues when one of my Jewish friends implies that part of her appeal is that she doesn’t “look” Jewish.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 3:01 pm ¶
Matt wrote:

Well, I don’t know about that experience, miss girl, but usually when I hear that Jews use the charge of antisemitism to silence critics of Israel, the person so charged has said something genuinely offensive. Here is a good example, where John Mearsheimer defended Arun’s Gandhi’s bigoted Washington Post about Jewish identity being essentially violent (an attack on Jews used to explain Israel’s behavior, but not criticism of Israel) by appealing to Jewish power:

You cannot make these arguments in the US without incurring the wrath of the Israel lobby, which is a remarkably powerful interest group…In short, Gandhi would have gotten into serious trouble with the lobby even if he had chosen his words carefully, simply because he criticized Israel and its American supporters, which one does at his or her own peril.

Of course, he fails to note that his own book was a bestseller and that he’s been rewarded with fame and numerous speaking engagements for his criticism of the Jewish “stranglehold on Congress” (again, not criticism of Israeli policy).

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 3:08 pm ¶
Celeste wrote:

Hi Matt,
I’m not Jewish but i have perceived some overuse of the term anti-semite when it involves Israeli policy. Lots of groups (my own included, Al Sharpton anyone?) are guilty of painting anything not flattering to their respective group as bigoted when it’s honest criticism. And yes, sometimes a bigoted person will sometimes come up with some balanced, non-bigoted criticism just to throw you off. A lot of people take the bait because they’re used to this person always being on the wrong side of an issue. They label it as hatespeech and that only gives said bigot a freepass to then say some really awful stuff and try to excuse it by saying that you’re not allowed to criticize x or y group and that they’re too sensitive.
That’s something that all groups should monitor.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 3:24 pm ¶
Wendi Muse wrote:

i am nodding at latoya here…
the JAP stereotype is indeed a negative one (as all stereotypes end up being in the end), and i’ll be exploring that in the continuation of the article.

though it was inevitable that it would come up, i am glad this characterization, along with some of the others, have already popped in the discussion.

i look forward to what you all will have to say about the subsequent part(s)

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 3:52 pm ¶
ramon wrote:

Growing up I had the pleasure of belonging to a very multi-cultural family. My mother was the daughter of bi-racial Portuguese woman and an East Indian man from India. My father was from Trinidad but I know nothing about his family as I was raised by my moms family.

My mother remarried after her divorce from my father; and my stepfather’s father was a black Panamanian who was also an Hassidic Rabbi. We would all have dinner together during the holidays and my step-grandfather would sing songs in Hebrew while I sung gospel. This man was one of the first Jews I ever met. Mr. Levine, my third grade teacher, was, too. They were both very kind to me.

It was in high school, at about 16, that I became aware I was black and that my family was different from most families.

When I got to college I made friends with Jews and everything seemed OK until one winter break when I was abandoned by the people who drove me home 800 miles school. They were all Jewish. That was nearly 15 years ago and I am still disturbed by that event, so much so that I find myself hyper-conscious of Jews in public.

While I do not seriously believe my classmates abandoned me because they were operating on some Jewish mechanism, I still find myself returning to that event and thinking about Jews.

In my personal life I find myself attracted to male and female Israeli’s, not American Jews. I rarely think of American Jews except when African slavery is concerned. I mean, it appears to me, that everyone on the planet is aware of the Holocaust via movies, tv, books and the like, because American Jews will not let you forget about it. But when it comes to black people its like no one takes us seriously. I also think American Jews have cornered the market on suffering and anti-semtism if you criticize the way Israel treats Palestinians.

Jimmy Carter was practically called an anti-semite when he wrote that the system Israeli’s currently use is just like apartheid.

Anyway, about your question… I am aware sometimes of the stereotypes of American Jews in the media, I just don’t find it interesting. I am tired of seeing black people on tv.. I am tired of seeing Jewish people on tv… These two groups have a lot of power in those realms and sometimes money clouds their senses. Some of those stereotypes are self created. …

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 4:02 pm ¶
Matt wrote:

Hi Celeste. I’d be happy to discuss any particular example, if you have one in mind. But I’ve extended that same challenge to lots of people and every time, the example I’ve gotten back has been something truly problematic. Not just criticism of Israel.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 4:12 pm ¶
k wrote:

As long as people let Aaron Sorkin write television shows, I think we’ll have some pretty positive portrayals of Jews on TV. There were some lovely episodes that even centered on jewish holidays like Yom Kippur and Passover on West Wing and Sports Night.

Also, no mention yet of Northern Exposure?

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 4:28 pm ¶
Tarah Sweeney wrote:

Hmm, k, I didn’t even consider the fact that Mr. Sorkin might be Jewish.

Although, that shouldn’t technically matter, hey? We should have playwrights who portray Jews, blacks, women, gays, in fact, everyone, positively.

Argh. Here’s hoping.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 5:12 pm ¶
dnA wrote:

Anyway, about your question… I am aware sometimes of the stereotypes of American Jews in the media, I just don’t find it interesting. I am tired of seeing black people on tv.. I am tired of seeing Jewish people on tv… These two groups have a lot of power in those realms and sometimes money clouds their senses. Some of those stereotypes are self created.

Yes, there’s nothing more advantageous than being stereotyped as violent, criminal, overly sexual, or uneducated, as black people often are on television.

I’m sorry you’re “tired” of seeing Jews and black folks on television, but there really is no evidence that black people “have a lot of power” in the realm of entertainment, please, if you could, point to one black head of a major television or movie studio. The lack of black characters on television, interesting or otherwise, is entirely lacking. And even shows like Seinfeld that featured Jewish actors had those actors play non-Jewish parts, as Jerry was the only Jewish main character on the show.

And I hate to interrupt your pity party, but an experience of racism is no excuse to justify bigotry after the fact, and your rationalization excuses any white person who ever had a bad experience with a black person of hating all black people as a result.

If I held ethnic backgrounds rather than individuals responsible for the racism I’ve experienced, I’d hate everyone, and I’m not alone. But that’s simply a matter of taste, some of us have an easy time holding certain people responsible as a group for things, while viewing others (generally people who look like us) as being individually responsible for their actions.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 5:44 pm ¶
dnA wrote:

*I mean the presence not the lack

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 5:46 pm ¶
natasha wrote:

It is important to understand that the Jewish experience is very geographically-based, even within this country. I come from a small town in the midwest and was always introduced as “the Jewish girl” as most people had never met one like me before. I had to drive an hour 4 times a week to my synagogue that was so poor we could not afford to replace the front door and windows that were covered in swastikas and bullet holes. This is how Jewish feels to me, these experiences exist. When you assert that all Jews are rich, unoppressed and materialistic, you are essentializing, you are denying my humanity and my experience.

Most Jews are white and benefit from countless forms of white privilege. But this does not mean we are not also oppressed in a different way (see: Gays, see: women, see: disabled people, etc).

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 7:10 pm ¶
Linda wrote:

If JAP is seen as a negative stereotype then so should all the so called positive ones, we are all trying to come up with, since they can be manipulated into being negative.

The interesting thing is that every time I hear the word JAP it always comes out of a Jewish mouth, and mostly female! I guess that can be said for a lot of stereotypes of other races and ethnicities.

Wendi I am looking forward to you dissecting the JAP stereotype, so that I can let my Jewish friends know not to reinforce it.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 7:13 pm ¶
Torontonian wrote:

When I was growing up, I didn’t really notice Jewish stereotypes. I just thought shows about people who happened to be Jewish were shows about “white people”. For example, the “Jewish American Princess” was perceived as “rich white girl”.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 7:22 pm ¶
Linda wrote:

Cynthia, are tai-tais, Hong Kong girls, you often see using their parents credit card at Holts?

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 7:27 pm ¶
Linda wrote:

Miss girl, from what I know, those that try to convince you that you are not technically a Jew are correct. In order to be ethnically Jewish you have to be born to a Jewish mother or have been converted. Offspring of male Jews to non Jewish females are not considered Jewish (unless converted). Since Jews believe that it’s the mother that cultures a child, in order to maintain Jewish culture, than not everybody can be identified as a Jew.

There are many First Nations people who get their Native membership removed when they are kicked off the reserve ( Heck look at the Freedman). I sometimes wonder what other ethnicities will start having a “membership” in order to identify as such.

It shouldn’t let stop you from identifying as such, but like you said you’re use to other Jews telling you you’re not Jewish.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 7:41 pm ¶
Ratrace wrote:

Other than Mel Gibson, the bulk of Jewish images in the media (good or bad) are produced by other Jews. I find it more interesting that they are disporportionately represented as characters on film and TV at the expense of other ethnicities. For example, how many Black or Asian characters were on Friends and how many Jewish characters were there? They even outnumbered the WASP’s and the other White folks.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 8:10 pm ¶
Anya wrote:

I find this thread on Judaism and race/representation quite alarming for a number of reasons — do people really believe these stereotypes they enumerate? And reading this is especially painful, as it furthers the erasure of Jews of color… combined with the fact that about 20-25% of American Jews are living below the poverty line… So here’s a reading list on the subject of Jews, race, and representation:

April Rosenblum, a young radical writer, has written this pamphlet on how anti-semitism undermines the integrity of the Left. It’s a really remarkable document that should be widely read. Download it for free at:
http://www.pinteleyid.com/past/ It’s been reviewed well ‘Make/Shift’ too.

Second, see radical diasporist Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz’ book “The Colors of Jews,” a work on the identity politics of Jews of color (Black, Asian, Mizrahi, Latino, Indian, etc etc — because yes, obviously, Jews are a multiracial, multiethnic people).

The brilliant article by Julia Appel in “Bitch” magazine unpacking the persistence of the JAP slur. Or the documentary film “Making Trouble,” on female Jewish comedians.

Also look up “The Price of Whiteness” for identity politics and a good history lesson, or “How Jews Became White Folks.”

And lastly, “Black Zion” is a really good anthology of writing on African-American *religious* identification with Judaism. It goes way back before Marcus Garvey, folks.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 9:24 pm ¶
miss girl wrote:

But that’s the thing: Jewish law concerning Jewishity through matrilineal ties is archaic and irrelevant – I can’t help that my mom is Asian. So why should I have to study for formal conversion and prove that I can pass? Most Reformists today will call bullshit, so I will too – the Torah is for interpretation, and is all about inclusion. Bah. And the funny thing is, I mostly get the “you’re not a Jew!” not from Jews but from non-Jews – it’s like they find glee in it.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 9:37 pm ¶
Black Strawberry wrote:

What about the jewish mother? At times that reminds me of my own mami and mi abuelita. It is in my exprecen that a girl of any ethicicty who is rich and spolied has a sterotype. like the JAP, tai tai, and in Mexico fresia(stawberry slang for well to do kids) espically girls have that repution of being spolied and bratty.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 9:43 pm ¶
Cynthia C wrote:

Linda:

Tai tais are married women, so they wouldn’t be using Daddy’s credit card at Holts (but they will be shopping at Holts). The girls using Daddy’s credit cards don’t really have a name….ummmmmCHAP? Hong Kong Princess? I dunno.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 10:14 pm ¶
NancyP wrote:

miss girl, consider the study a mitzvah and an opportunity.

Jewish characters in television tend to be stereotypic big-city types. Jewish lawyers and cops on the Law and Order franchise. Seinfeld characters. Various West Wing characters. Character actors all – Jewishness is not seen as particularly glamourous.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 10:25 pm ¶
Heather wrote:

I have many Jewish stereotypes in my mind, but what’s odd is that for the vast majority I ‘m not sure where they came from. I guess that’s the case for most stereotypes, but still, it’s strange to realize I have all these preconceived notions of my own people that don’t necessarily have anything to do with reality.

The stereotype I was most concerned with growing up was “Jews have big noses.” Looking in the mirror and at all my family members, this was confirmed as truth in my mind (I of course disregarded the fact that my mother was British and had converted to Judaism). I remember wishing all through elementary and middle school to have a small, cute little button nose like all the other (white, catholic) girls in my classes- I would even stand in front of a mirror and push it back into my face to try to train its growth into something more “normal.”

Thankfully I grew out of that body-image issue, but I know I’m not the only one to have had it- my grandmother had a nose job in the 1950’s because she thought her big nose (the one I inherited) was hideous. I’m sure there must have been some incentive for my grandmother, a beautiful woman married to an Irish immigrant with 3 children on Long Island, not to look “too Jewish.” But I suppose there’s incentive for all women in the U.S. not to look “too [insert ethnicity here].”

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 10:39 pm ¶
Heather wrote:

By the way, I never made the Harry Potter Goblin connection. Now that I see it, wow.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 10:43 pm ¶
Z wrote:

The Rugrats! this is probably a strange one but no on has said it so I had to. Growing up i didn’t really know any jews until I was in high school. So, I learned a lot about jewish holidays from that show.

Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 11:09 pm ¶
Areem wrote:

I’m glad someone else made the HP Goblins – Jewish connection. People around me seem to think it’s nuts when I point it out, but it struck me as so obvious.
Also, Nog, the money-grubbing Ferengi, on Star Trek: TNG.
I just recently read an excellent essay by Sander Gilman on the way fatness (and diabetes) has been historically represented as a Jewish quality, something which I hadn’t been aware of previously.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 12:16 am ¶
Michelle wrote:

George Castanza, played by Jason Alexander, was most certainly a Jewish man.

And I don’t think it is fair to call a centuries old tradition “bs”. That matrilineal law is actually rooted in practical issues. Especially given our current debate over “Bi-racialism”. And it is great that the reform church has decided to do away with the archaic law, because more people can be included.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 12:28 am ¶
luckyfatima wrote:

anya said it best. some of the stuff here is disturbingly accepting of these stereotypes about Jews as if they were the God spoken truth. yes Ashkenazi Jews are white and yes they have white privilege, but they are still a highly stigmatized group. Positive stereotypes are hurtful too, and the regular visitor to this site are savvy enough to know exactly why and how…

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 1:45 am ¶
Araja wrote:

@ Matt,

Many of my experiences discussing Israel-Palestine with Jewish Americans has involved some reference to the Holocaust. In my opinion, the Holocaust, while completely relevant and important to the history and the creation of Israel, is NOT relevant to the policies enforced by the state of Israel that forces Palestinians to live without some basic human rights, at least not relevant in a why that I believe. But in those conversations, when I try to explain that the Holocaust should not be used by the Israeli government (and those who defend it) to “justify” oppressing Palestinians I am accused of harboring anti-Jewish sentiment. Which I would like to believe is simply not true. But, I am open to hearing why that might be true (no one has ever been able to give me a coherent answer to my “why, how?”)

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 1:52 am ¶
Araja wrote:

Oh, and I wasn’t surprised by the goblin in Harry Potter. That whole movie franchise indulged in stereotypes. The qipao and sari that the respective Asian and South Asian students wear to the ball. Seriously, why? And what was the deal with Kingsley Shacklebolt (?) becoming this vague “African” guy, of no particular place (because you know, Africa is a country). I’m sure they’re a million more that I just can’t think of right now. Am I hallucinating, or did none of those details exist in the books? Why did they have to add them in? Sorry, that might be off topic!

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 1:59 am ¶
Ampersand wrote:

Miss Girl, I agree with you. There are large numbers of Jews who’d accept you as Jewish (me included), based on your father and on your self-identification.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 3:25 am ¶
Ampersand wrote:

Ratrace, do you seriously claim that if only there hadn’t been Jewish characters on Friends, then there would have been POC characters on Friends?

We can, and should, object to the lack of POC characters on TV, especially in positive roles, without having to blame Jews or claim that there are too many Jews on TV.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 3:28 am ¶
Ampersand wrote:

Linda wrote:

The interesting thing is that every time I hear the word JAP it always comes out of a Jewish mouth, and mostly female! I guess that can be said for a lot of stereotypes of other races and ethnicities.

Wendi I am looking forward to you dissecting the JAP stereotype, so that I can let my Jewish friends know not to reinforce it.

If you read the first post on this thread, Linda, the writer brings up the oh-so-funny JAP stereotype and attributes it to her Jewish boyfriend — a phrase that implies that the writer is not, herself, Jewish. So there’s one example of the stereotype being used by someone who’s not a Jew.

You do bring up a complex issue, which is how stereotypes of marginalized groups are made fun of, embraced, and used by members of those same groups. Unfortunately, the conclusion you seem to come to — “my Jewish friends tell JAP jokes, so telling JAP jokes must be okay” — is simplistic and sometimes wrong.

When I hear a fellow Jew tell a Jewish joke, I can be reasonably confident that she’s not telling that joke out of anti-Semitism; she’s not trying to put me down or in my place; she’s not endorsing the worse anti-semitic tropes. If it’s a friend of mine, I can be pretty sure that she’s telling the joke with a genuine affection for and understanding of Jewish culture.

I can’t have that same confidence when some gentile tells a JAP joke on a message board. The context is different, and context matters.

So yes, there is a double standard. And that’s how it should be.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 3:40 am ¶
Ampersand wrote:

Matt wrote:

Hi Celeste. I’d be happy to discuss any particular example, if you have one in mind. But I’ve extended that same challenge to lots of people and every time, the example I’ve gotten back has been something truly problematic. Not just criticism of Israel.

Late last year, in San Francisco, a gallery owner declined to publish a catalog of works he had previously planned to publish. He did this because he read the draft of the catalog was full of strongly worded essays advocating for the rightness of Israel and Zionism; the gallery owners felt that these essays contradicted his views too much for him to publish them.

From the statement of the “Zionist Five,” as the artists who wrote the catalog styled themselves, criticizing the gallery owner:

Let us, then, be perfectly frank about one thing. To vilify, marginalize, suppress or outlaw Zionism politically, socially or culturally, for any reason whatever, is to wish no less then murderous extinction upon every Jewish man, woman and child in the world today.

So because he didn’t want to publish a book of pro-Israel political essays and art, he was accused of vilification, marginalization, etc., and of wishing extinction upon the Jews.

That’s hardly a unique example. I myself was told I was a “Nazi” on my college alumni discussion list after I drew this cartoon. Just last year Archbishop Tutu was accused of being an anti-Semite, and so was Jimmy Carter, in response to their criticisms of Israeli policy. And, of course, in recent months we’ve seen the smearing of Barack Obama and some of his associates as anti-semites — an accusation that has more traction than it should because of the stereotype that blacks are anti-semitic.

Anti-semitism exists, and is a real problem. Unfair and trivializing accusations of anti-Semitism in response to criticism of Israel, and/or of AIPAC, is a real problem, also. The two are not mutually exclusive.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 4:07 am ¶
Ampersand wrote:

Anya, thank you for the link to April Rosenblum’s essay — that was really wonderful.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 4:09 am ¶
Kate wrote:

Hey–
I have to run to work, so this will be brief. While reading these posts I was trying to think of positive portrayals of Jews in media, and I realized that the only “positive” ones I could think of were when Jews were the victims (Holocaust movies, School Days/Ties about a Jewish kid at a prep school). But maybe that’s just another stereotype cropping up…I need to think some more about the implications of that, but wanted to put that out there and see what everyone thought.

There has also been a lot of discussion of the classic stereotype about Jews being stingy/rich. Just to let y’all know, this is from when way back when in Europe Jews were only allowed to do such jobs as were seen as beneath others, such as usury (money-lending).

Anyway, thanks to whoever above posted the information on all of those articles above, I plan on checking them out!

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 6:42 am ¶
Keren wrote:

Ok, I feel obliged to comment after reading SO many people asserting that Jews are all white people.

I am Jewish. I am also Indian. I have brown skin. There are Jewish communities in India who have been there for thousands of years.

There are also many, many black Jews. The Jewish community of Ethiopia have suffered persecution from their Christian co-patriots and as a result about 85% have emigrated to Israel.

My ex Boyfriend is Chinese, and Jewish, part of a small Jewish community from China that is now pretty much non existent.

There are a great many Jews who have brown or black skin, so please do not make the mistake of assuming that all Jews are Ashkenazi and white.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 7:20 am ¶
Callith wrote:

Keren, I didn’t see comments such as those you’re referring to.

Most of the comments mention the stereotype of Jews as “rich, white people”, not that all Jews are indeed rich, and white.

There is the Lemba, whom some South African Jews (in my experience) do not even know of.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 7:41 am ¶
Linda wrote:

@ Ampersand
“When I hear a fellow Jew tell a Jewish joke, I can be reasonably confident that she’s not telling that joke out of anti-Semitism; she’s not trying to put me down or in my place; she’s not endorsing the worse anti-semitic tropes. If it’s a friend of mine, I can be pretty sure that she’s telling the joke with a genuine affection for and understanding of Jewish culture”- everything you said here could be said for all ethnicities and races!

I hear what you’re saying, but the problem with that is you are still reinforcing a negative stereotype, especially to those friends who are not fellow Jews. How many non-Jews know anything about JAP unless they have Jewish friends? I had no clue, and being that it was posed to me as positive ( similar to the socialite) I thought nothing of it. That’s what I meant by letting my friends know not to reinforce the stereotype.

I don’t make black jokes around my non black friends, since they may not understand where I was coming from, and they could pass that information on in a negative way without really knowing it (hence my misunderstanding of JAP as being negative).

“So yes, there is a double standard. And that’s how it should be.” Yup I agree, and I think this should be passed on to whites who love to complain about PoC double standards!

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 7:41 am ¶
Linda wrote:

Keren, I would have to agree with you. I think the problem is that most of us don’t really know much about Jewish people, Jewish identity, religion or culture. The majority of Jews in America are white. Yes there are Jews of other races but not much is known about them.

I find it interesting that many people think that the only Black Jews are either Ethiopian or African American. There are Jewish communicates in Uganda, Nigeria, Cameroon, Egypt, small Jewish communities still exist in Morocco (use to have a large Jewish population, but most were persecuted and displaced). I’m still trying to learn more about other Jewish communities.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 8:09 am ¶
The Cruel Secretary wrote:

@Anya–
If I’m not mistaken, Wendi asked us to discuss what Jewish stereotypes and, if possible, positive portrayals and we’ve been exposed to. What you’re seeing is that the commenters–me included–have come up with a heck of a lot of stereotypes (even “positive” ones, which ultimately are negative due to, among other things, its flattening effect on the individuals within the group and those who interact with the individuals) and not a lot of actual, factual positive portrayals. Some of us believe in them, some of us don’t. Though I don’t believe this was Wendi’s (or my) intention, for my part, I deeply apologize that I made this an unsafe space for you.

@Wendi–
Let me see if I can summarize what I’ve seen so far…

Positive portrayals:
*Anne Frank
*”Yentl”
*Fiddler on the Roof
*”Rugrats”
*West Wing
*Northern Exposure
*Jerry (”Seinfeld”)
*George (”Seinfeld”)
*Matisyahu
*Bestie Boys

Negative and so-called positive stereotypes and portrayals:
*Jewish American Princess
*Big-city types (lawyers, New Yorkers)
*Pro-Israel
*Belongers to a Economic Cabal (i.e. Media, Banking)
*Usurers
*Victims (i.e. Holocaust)
*Survivors (i.e. Holocaust)
*Christ-killers
*Super-privileged
*White (or benefitting from white-skin “privilege)
*Neurotic (men and women)
*”The Jewish Mother”
*”The Nanny”
*Harry Potter’s Goblin Banker and Star Trek’s Nog
*My addition: nebbish men (i.e. Woody Allen films)

I probably missed some, but I’m thinking this is pretty representative of the discussion. I can’t wait to see what you craft from this.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 8:37 am ¶
Linda wrote:

Anya, I read, the Julia, Appel article in Bitch magazine, and it was really informative! I’m glad I read it and now totally understand what Julia is saying. Thanks for posting the information. Ampersand I see where your coming form and why JAP is offensive and not even close to being funny!

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 8:42 am ¶
Anonymous wrote:

70-some comments and no one seems to have mentioned the belief that people who happen to be Jewish actually “run” the media, nevermind how they’re portrayed within the media.

Stereotypes are usually rooted in some truth, and it does seem as if there are more Jewish people working in the entertainment industry, simply on the basis of proportionality of the number of Jews in the whole population (similar to say, Asian American presence in top universities).

Hasn’t anyone ever heard a non-white person railing against Jews in Hollywood because of deragatory racial stereotypes/characters in movies?

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 9:11 am ¶
Matt wrote:

Araja, I appreciate that you think the Holocaust is relevant to the creation of Israel. Actually, it’s not the logical reason, which had to do with political self-determination. I described that a little bit here, where I wrote that the Holocaust made painfully clear how the state of Diaspora was oppressive per se. When people criticize Israeli policies, sometimes they don’t offer alternatives. Only, “you can’t do that…” Though self-determination can’t be absolute, this attacks the idea that Israel would be a place where Jews can make their own decisions and defend themselves without relying on the good will of others. I’ve largely taken to criticizing Israeli policies as ineffective because I find it to be a more effective way to reach Jews who are defensive about Israel. (And they have good reason to be defensive about it.)

Ampersand, I’m somewhat confused by your first example. So Jews arguing for Zionism were denied a platform –and this is an example of what exactly? It seems like a pretty complicated case to me. Your second example, the cartoon, I have to agree is not in any way antisemitic. But when you write that you were called a Nazi, I wonder if maybe you’re not exaggerating just a little. Similarly, in your Obama link, it’s funny that there are no actual qoutes calling him or anyone else and anti-semite. The word is only used by those who would defend him from charges of antisemitism.

As for Desmond Tutu, that’s an interesting case. He was called antisemitic by Morton Klein of the Zionist Organization of America. Now, Klein is just not very smart. He does have a very broad understanding of antisemitism that is typically poorly expressed. We’d all be better off ignoring him — but not because he’s Jewish or because he talks about antisemitism; just because he’s not too bright. On the other hand, Abraham Foxman of the ADL came out to defend Tutu in that case. But while a lot of the focus was on the Apartheid analogy (which I do think is demonizing rather than criticizing), here’s what Tutu actually said:

People are scared in this country to say wrong is wrong. Because the Jewish lobby is powerful – very powerful. Ha, Ha, Ha ha! So what? So what! This is God’s world! For goodness sake this is God’s world!

Now, I do have real problems with that kind of talk, and I do with the Archbishop were a little more open to criticism there. But I will generally grant that Morton Klein should be ignored. And April Rosenbloom is definitely worth paying attention to instead.

At the same time though, the British University and College Union voted that “criticism of Israel cannot be construed as antisemitic.” During the debate someone pointed out that this construction would allow for criticism along the most antisemitic lines (eg. “Israel is a nation of Christ-killers”), the Union still voted for it.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 9:16 am ¶
Celeste wrote:

I have to come to the defense of Nog, Quark, Rom, Grunt, Grand Nagus Zeik and Moogie. My husband I have the which race is which species discussion all the time and we both considered the possibilitythe Ferengi being Jews (obsessed with profit) but I think that the Bejorans are clearly the Jewish representation (oppressed by Cardassians, they have nose ridges, portrayed as very, very religious). The Ferengi are obsessed with money and with getting alien women to give them Ooomax. Their own women aren’t allowed to wear clothers and they’re cowardly. I don’t think their physical features seem particulary “Jewish”, either. They have huge ears, are really short, their noses are a bit bulbous but pale in comparison to the ears. Their eyes are very small and they have pointy teeth….perhaps a little suggestive but my money’s on the Bejorans. Oh and on top of that, the Ferengi ran a bar on the space station while the Bejorans were being oppressed/enslaved which I don’t think is very Jewish.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 9:22 am ¶
Wendi Muse wrote:

just in response to “anonymous” in comment #75, i mentioned the media conspiracy in the intro above…in addition, comment 26 and 13th begin to touch on this issue. you may want to check those out and respond.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 9:31 am ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:

Couple notes –

1. Yes, some commenters are right in that all Jews are not white. But the idea that jewish = white has permeated the culture. So that should be addressed.

2. Also, is there anything about Jewish male masculinity? Now I have never watched these kinds of shows extensively, but in think through some of the ideas, the images of the Jewish male (and Jewish female) are somewhat negative.

Men are potrayed as frumpy and unattractive or gently wisecracking and self-depreciating. Are there other portrayals of Jewish masculinity that challenge this?

For women, in addition to the JAP stereotype, there are various other images of jewish women that are less than flattering, like the high strung, frizzy haired basket case boss.

For what I have seen (and please keep in mind that I consume a limited amount of television, so I could be way off base) Jews are generally seen as quirky sidekicks, not handsome leading man or goregeous leading women.

Any ideas on that?

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 9:52 am ¶
Celeste wrote:

I noticed the goblin immediately but I’m on the hypervigilant side.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 10:11 am ¶
Keren wrote:

The stereotypes of Jews that exist are that they are: white, ugly, stingy, neurotic, rich, cunning, clever, crafty, and that the food is bad.

Jewish women are stereotyped as superficial and materialistic, always looking for a man to finance their shopping. Jewish men, as ugly and sexually inadequate, always lusting after non-jewish women.

The Jewish community as a whole is attributed an unprecedented power and influence over politics and culture, basically everything that the ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion’ tried to convince the world.

Those are all the stereotypes I can think of right now.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 11:07 am ¶
Orville wrote:

In Wendi’s blog entry she also didn’t write about the fact Jews have white skin privilege. It seems to me Jews are viewed as this kind of invisible minority and they are not. I don’t know about America but I know in Canada the Canadian media goes overboard in trying to paint the Jewish community as though they are perfect and free from racial prejudices. Why is there this reticence to the bigotry and racism of the Jews? I wonder? Even on this blog doesn’t talk about the racism of the Jews.
Judaism is not a race it is a religion. The vast majority of the Jews in North America are also white Americans. I wonder why is there this reticence about the pernicious racism of the Jewish community in North America? Have people already forgotten about Al Jolson?

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 11:26 am ¶
NancyE wrote:

Offhand, regarding pop culture stereotypes, I can come up with Isaac of York, the greedy loan shark character in Sir Walter Scott’s “Ivanhoe.” I am Jewish by heritage (although secular by religion), so I find this topic fascinating. I hope Wendi’s future post — since she entitled this one “Intro”– explores what makes us “other.” And I definitely think we often fall into that category. Yes, I am white. Does that trump my “Jewishness”? I don’t think it’s an either-or situation. It’s also not just about identifying with POC because of the Jews’ experiences during the Holocaust. There has been anti-semitism for thousands of years, and it continues today. And people have made anti-semitic remarks to me (although not always about me), so it is definitely a current concern. However, I do benefit from the privilege that comes with my skin color. So it’s a complicated relationship. The NY Times recently had an article about how to prove you’re Jewish, and apparently in Israel I wouldn’t be considered Jewish because I don’t have the paperwork (although I’m Jewish on both sides). However, for people who hate Jews, I’m plenty Jewish. I’m just content to stay out of temple and be just Jewish enough to have a strong appreciation for our history and, of course, our delicatessens. Mmmm…corned beef and pastrami on rye.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 11:28 am ¶
Orville wrote:

Also, why hasn’t this website written about the racism of the Jews against the black Jews in Israel and the Palestinians? I mean I am tired of reading about the Jews being victims when they are part of the white North American power structure.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 11:30 am ¶
Ampersand wrote:

Matt, I am not exaggerating — I was called a Nazi. (It’s also true that others on the list disagreed with this assessment). That’s so extreme that it tends to stick in the mind.

Regarding the art gallery example, I’m not sure what you find so confusing. The publisher decided not to publish a zionist track because he disagreed with it politically; in response, the artists and authors released a public statement strongly implying that he “wish[ed] no less then murderous extinction upon every Jewish man, woman and child in the world today.”

Are you going to claim that’s not an accusation of anti-Semitism?

You’re greatly downplaying the scope of the smearing of Desmond Tutu; before it was over, false statements were attributed to him (”Israel is like Hitler” was one) and spread by some reputable sources (like the Jewish telegraphic agency). He also had a speech at a US university canceled because of the accusations of anti-semitism, although I think the university later relented.

My impression from this discussion is that the reason you’ve never seen an unfair accusation of anti-semitism is that you’re willfully blind to it; you accuse me of lying, you make excuses, you claim that accusations of wishing extermination on the Jews are somehow too “complicated” to be discussed.

It’s also notable that, regarding Obama, you don’t think it’s fair to say he’s been smeared with anti-semitism because the smearers haven’t used the specific word. So for something to be an unfair accusation of anti-semitism, in your view, the specific term must be used.

In contrast, you correctly point out that people can cloak anti-semitism in criticism of Israel, even if they don’t explicitly say “I am an anti-semite” or “we should exterminate the Jews” (eg. “Israel is a nation of Christ-killers”).

If you’re willing to believe that people can use subtext, stereotypes and code words to covertly make anti-semitic statements, why do you seemingly pretend that people can’t use subtext, stereotypes and code words (”Has Obama sufficiently distanced himself from Farrakahn?”) to covertly make unfair accusations of anti-semitism? You’re applying a double-standard.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 12:04 pm ¶
Ampersand wrote:

Orville,

Have people already forgotten about Al Jolson?

Al Jolson died over half a century ago; I don’t think citing his example proves anything about the Jews today.

It’s true that many (not all) Jews have white skin privilege, but that shouldn’t prevent us from discussing anti-semitism, any more than the fact that many queers are white should prevent us from discussing homophobia.

I do think that it’s important to discuss racism within the Jewish community, but that doesn’t mean that every discussion of Jews must have that focus, so I don’t think it makes sense to criticize this post for not focusing on that. In particular, I don’t see why this post should be criticized for not discussing racism in Israel; not every post about Jews has to discuss Israel.

Finally, it’s true that Judaism is a religion, but it’s not just a religion. It’s also a culture, and an ethnicity; many Jews aren’t religious at all.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 12:12 pm ¶
Ampersand wrote:

Linda,

- everything you said here could be said for all ethnicities and races!

I totally agree!

Thanks so much for your post. I tend to focus only on disagreement in comment threads, but it’s delightful to experience some agreement for a change.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 12:16 pm ¶
Cynthia wrote:

Ampersand,

If Judaism is also a culture, would you say that Catholicism is a culture also? Many Catholics aren’t really all that religious, yet they’ll still observe Lent, get married in a church, etc…And in some parts of the US and Canada, Catholics (ESPECIALLY in certain parts of the US Bible Belt) still face discrimination…often, it doesn’t have anything to do with their ethnicity (usually Italian, Latin American or Irish)

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 12:24 pm ¶
Gregory A. Butler wrote:

Matt,

Israel is a racist colonial settler state, very similar to old Rhodesia or Apartheid-era South Africa.

American and British imperialism supported the creation of the Israeli colonial settler state as a strategic military bulwark to guarantee Anglo American interests in the Middle East.

Israel was built on stolen lands, territory that rightfully belong to the Palestinian Arabs – and 750,000 Palestinian Arabs were deported at gunpoint by a composite force of zionist terrorists and Israeli military forces in 1948 to create that state.

The Holocaust does NOT justify this because – 1) Germany carried out the Holocaust against the Jews of Europe – so why are Middle Eastern Arabs having to pay the price for the crimes of others? and 2) up until Israel’s unprovoked agressive war of expansion in June 1967, the Israeli racist regimie and it’s apologists rarely if ever cited the Holocaust as an excuse for the existance of this regime.

It was only after Israel’s unprovoked sneak attack on it’s neighbors, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq and it’s conquest of the remaining Palestinian territories (West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip) along with the Golan Heights and the Sinai Penensula, did it become necessary for zionists to whip up sympathy for the racist imperialilst colonial settler state of Israel by playing the Holocaust card.

I have heard the argument that Israel’s existance somehow protects Jews around the world from antisemitic pogroms.

Here’s the problem with that argument – building an armed colonial garrison state, with an army financed by foreign governments, on stolen land, and then making war on their neighbors, has pretty much GUARANTEED that Israel will NEVER have peace.

And what happens the day when US imperialism no longer needs Israel, and cuts off the $ 5 billion a year in funding for the Israeli Defense Forces?

Without American funding, the IDF would not be able to sustain it’s size and technological sophistication.

Considering all the hatred towards Jewish people that zionism has stirred up in the Middle East (a part of the world that, up until the creation of Israel, was one of the few places where Jews were NOT subject to widespread persecution), Israel without a large American funded Army would probably end up on the recieving end of a horrible war, that would end up with large numbers of innocent Jewish civilians being murdered.

In short, the dismantling of the Israeli colonial settler state, and it’s replacement with an Arab ruled Palestine with full civil rights for it’s Jewish minority, is actually the only real way to save the Jews of Israel from a future catastrophe.

Further, as far as preventing anti semitism in the rest of the world – that’s a matter of waging anti racist struggles, not about having an escape hatch to a colonial settler state.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 12:32 pm ¶
Orville wrote:

Al Jolson may be dead for over 50 years but his DVDs are selling and his racist movie The Jazz Singer is considered a Hollywood classic. And in Toronto there is this former racist mayor Mel Lastman and he’s a Jew too. I just wonder why people try to act like the Jews are some kind of minority group when in fact they play with race to their advantage. The Jews exploit their whiteness and white skin privilege and then try to paint themselves as victims if they are challenged about their own bigotry. The Jews can’t have their cake and eat it too.
Well I think the post needs to be balanced and I rarely read about the power of then white skin privilege that the Jews have. I mean seriously, why is there this “invisible code”. I mean you turn on the news and you read about Israel this, Middle East that. Don’t you question why? The Jews have a lot of political and social power in North America and if you challenge them about their pernicious racism especially against black people they scream and yell branding people as Anti Semitic. The Jews have a lot of power more then any minority group in North America they are a part of the White American power structure and this needs to be explored a bit more.

Moderator’s Note: Orville, this comment is dancing on the line of violating the comment policy. As other commenters (and you yourself) have stated, the Jews are not a monolithic group and many have not benefitted from white privilege. Please clarify which segment of the Jewish population you are speaking of, and remember that the actions of a few do not equate to evidence against the many. – LDP

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 12:37 pm ¶
Keren wrote:

@ Orville

You should really rethink the language you have used lest it reveal your own prejudices. “The Jews” (as you put it) have no agenda as a collective to be racist. Are there Jews out there who are racist? I have no doubt, just as racism and prejudice exists in every community. Why you feel the need to bring it up when we are clearly talking about the stereotyping that Jews suffer from is beyond me.

“Have people already forgotten about Al Jolson?”
Huh? You bring up the example of one racist man, who was also Jewish, to support your statement that “the Jews” are bigots and racists?

“why hasn’t this website written about the racism of the Jews against the black Jews in Israel and the Palestinians? ”
I assume you mean the *white* Jews against black Jews in Israel. This is a lot more complicated than you would think, and it is important not to view it through the lens of American racial history. The black, brown and white Jews of Israel all have different traditions in their Judaism and do somewhat compete with eachother over who is more Jewish. I do not think they see eachother as racially inferior though.

“I am tired of reading about the Jews being victims”
That really doesn’t sound like a constructive thing to say in an anti-racist blog like this. This thread is about prejudice against Jewish people, which is prevalent in our societies. Yes, white Jews benefit from white privelege. But they do not benefit from Christian privelege, something which has, yes, *victimized* them, for centuries.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 12:39 pm ¶
Ron wrote:

Jewish people are stereotyped as being insular and secretive. In addition, some consider Jewish people to be manipulative. For example, there is a strong under current that Israel has gotten us involved in wars that will be the ruin of this nation.

People like Buchanan and the original religious right founders have set a foundation to scape goat neo-conservatives for America’s problems.

The white supremacists consider the whole immigration policy of the U.S. as a Jewish conspiracy to balkanize the U.S.

If you look at the religious right and white supremacist there is some suprising linkage.

It is somewhat ironic that Israel and Jewish protectors of today may be future enemies of Israel.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 12:47 pm ¶
Wendi Muse wrote:

i agree with keren’s note above, and also would just like to add to orville and other readers who may have missed it that this entry is merely the INTRO and not the entire piece

clearly there is lot more to this discussion, and i am totally aware of that. i wouldn’t just leave yall hanging!

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 12:49 pm ¶
Orville wrote:

Okay I am going to be specific. I am speaking specifically about white North American Jews. I definitely believe in North America there is a double standard about the racism of the white North American Jewish community. In Toronto there is a racist news editor Lorrie Goldstein he works for the Toronto Sun. Goldstein is a major anti black bigot.

I am remember last year in Toronto Canada a white Jewish organization B’Nai Brith had an African American speaker barred from speaking to black youth. And yes I have a problem with this. What right does B’Nai Brith have to tell black university students which speakers should be allowed to speak to black youth?

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 1:04 pm ¶
jvansteppes wrote:

I think the thing that most offends me is the idea that ‘The Jews’ even exist as some kind of monolithic category. There are so many public figures who have some kind of Jewish background that I find it hard to link them ALL to some kind of uniform identity. What do Tony Kushner and Henry Kissinger really have in common? I have a hard time finding Spitzer being Jewish relevant to his scandal, unless he offended his rabbi perhaps.

On the topic of JAP I think it has to be remembered that part of the punchline is the allusion to an anti-Japanese racist term; why is this forgotten in so many discussions of the word?! Ultimately there is no excuse for that categorization- there is nothing inherently ‘Jewish’ about being a brat! Rich people benefit from the poverty of others, if a Jewish person is rich, chances are that this accurately describes them but being Jewish has nothing to do with it.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 1:36 pm ¶
Matt wrote:

Gregory, I seriously disagree with most of what you wrote.

Ampersand, I don’t disagree with you as much. But you said

It’s disgusting that people would accuse Jews of manipulating sympathy for Israel – on the flipside, it sucks when Jews accuse me of being anti-Semetic myself when I criticize Israeli policy and government.

One of these things has happened in best selling books with a serious impact on the discourse, by people who get rewarded for such behavior with increased fame and speaking engagements. The other still seems to me to be relatively rare.

With Obama, I’m sure there are people who view him as an antisemite. But while I’ve seen lots of people who have argued that he would be bad for Israel, or that his choice of advisers includes antisemites, I haven’t actually seen Jews argue that he’s an antisemite. (If we can agree that some of the worst stuff coming from the Clinton campaign or from Republicans and *not from Jews* should be excluded from discussion?) I’m sure there’s a lot going on that I just haven’t seen, but you haven’t pointed to any either. I think that’s interesting.

You’re right that there was an exaggeration of what Tutu had said. But it’s also true that he made some statements that were deserving of quite a bit of criticism. And it’s also true that a lot of Jews came to his defense anyway. I don’t think it’s a good example at all. That isn’t making excuses or putting all discussion off limits. But it is pointing out that Tutu was not called antisemitic simply for criticism of Israeli policy. Tutu didn’t simply criticize Israeli policy.

As for the art dealer, I googled the case. Yeah, the artists do seem to see the dealer as antisemitic, but you extend their words a bit. They say

To vilify, marginalize, suppress or outlaw Zionism politically, socially or culturally, for any reason whatever, is to wish no less then murderous extinction upon every Jewish man, woman and child in the world today. It is to refute our history entire, to deny us the memory of our long march out of bondage into equality and dignity. It is to assert ghettoization and ostracization, exile and massacre as the only fate befitting a Jew.

Although it makes far too explicit an implicit linkage -enough that I can certainly understand the objection- there’s a lot there that I think is important.

The case does look a lot more complicated that you seem willing to accept. It did start with the exclusion of works because they expressed a view seen by most Jews as a position of Jewish liberation. Imagine if the gallery had declined to exhibit works by African Americans because of a stance on affirmative action? There are a lot of people who would have no problem describing that as white supremacism. (I would make exactly the same criticism of such a position, that it makes too explicit an implicit link.) Jews are right to be skeptical of such things which attack the only only pragmatic form of Jewish liberation/emancipation. I think it’s important that people try to understand this perspective.

you accuse me of lying, you make excuses, you claim that accusations of wishing extermination on the Jews are somehow too “complicated” to be discussed.

No, I haven’t accused you of lying. I’ve suggested that you might be mistaken. When we simplify things, we often wind up mistaken, but if we were capable of never simplifying anything we wouldn’t be human. We couldn’t remember a thing then.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 1:52 pm ¶
Linda wrote:

Jews were subjected to persecution in the Middle East long before Israel was ever created!

I assume when the word colonialism is used people mean European colonialism, and not Arab colonialism (as that seems to be ignored in all liberal discussions).

I never seem to understand why many Black Americans brand Israel with the racism card but not Palestine? As if there are NO Black Palestinians! Oh yeah I forgot that the world seems to not know about the 19 centuries of African slavery by Arabs. Racism exists in Palestine! Palestine like the rest of the Middle East has a slave history. It just goes unmentioned!

@ Orville
B’Nai Brith had an African American speaker barred because he was an anti-Semite, and was preaching the hatred of Jews!
You definitely need a reeducation on racism in the middle East, it doesn’t just exist in Israel, it’s all over the Middle East!

Heck I think the whole world needs a reeducation on colonialism and on whites not being the only colonizers!

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 2:19 pm ¶
queerhapa wrote:

Ditto what Keren said.

I think what some people are forgetting is how Jews have been *racialized* for centuries (millennia?), and that anti-Semitism, at heart, is a form of *racism* that targets Jews as a people, not just Judaism as a religion. Of course white Jews benefit from white privilege. That does not mean that as white people they are not also perpetually marked as “other,” or that their whiteness is ever not called into question. (Heh, I’m thinking of alternate versions of Gregory’s state trooper test right now…)

Although it’s flawed, Sartre’s “Anti-Semite and Jew” should be on anti-racist folks’ reading lists. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Semite_and_Jew)

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 2:30 pm ¶
Tarah Sweeney wrote:

Hi, Linda

Very valid points you made here. This is one of the reasons why I was surprised that Malcolm X became a Muslim.

I think people conveniently forget that Arabs were also colonizers.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 2:43 pm ¶
Orville wrote:

I don’t agree with censorship. I think when B’nai Brith had the black speaker barred demonstrated their own anti black racism and prejudices. I remember a white heterosexual male minister Rev. Phelps he denounced homosexuals yet the Canadian government didn’t bar him. So why was the black speak barred from Canada but the white man Phelps got direct entry? The African American speaker was going to speak to Ryerson University students about community uplift and education. B’Nai Brith has no business telling the black community which speaks can speak to black youth and which cannot. All B’Nai Brith was just confirm the power, hypocrisy, and political influence the white Canadian Jewish community has in Canada. Let’s just put it this way B’Nai Brith didn’t gain any black support.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 2:46 pm ¶
EvilAngelfish wrote:

Why has this become a “Jews hate Blacks!” “No, Blacks hate Jews!” discussion? Can we please start using some qualifiers? I will certainly agree that some Jewish people hate black people and that some black people hate Jewish people but I am disturbed when people throw out “most Black Americans” and “white North American Jews”. Sorry, but you can’t possibly presume to know the opinions of such large, varied group. If you have polls or other actual information, then that’s a different story.

Anyway, since the topic of this post was stereotypes and not who hates who, a “positive” stereotype I’ve seen in movies and on tv is that Jewish doctors and lawyers are the best in their fields.

Did anyone see In Her Shoes? The movie, based on a novel by Jennifer Weiner has both a stereotypical Jewish female protagonist and one who doesn’t fit the stereotype. However, neither actress is Jewish in real life. In fact, I’ve come across a lot more Jewish hereos and heroines in novels than in movies.
There is a series of mysteries by David Handler in which one of the main characters (a 30-something, shlubby movie critic) is Jewish and the other main character’s best friend (a stereotypical grandma from Brooklyn) is Jewish.

Also, I can’t believe that no one has mentioned Kyle Brof lovski from South Park. Although I’m not sure if he represents positive or negative stereotypes.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 2:51 pm ¶
Angel H. wrote:

Warning! Geek nit-pick ahead!

Areem:

Nog was the quiet, meek Ferenghi. His older brother, Quark, was the one who liked money. ^_~

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 3:01 pm ¶
Tarah Sweeney wrote:

I wanted to mention Kyle from South Park, but as you rightly pointed out, I’m not quite sure if he is a positive stereotype.

I do think his character leans more towards positive than negative.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 3:25 pm ¶
Wendi Muse wrote:

once again, there is no such thing as a positive stereotype.

in the end, while some may seem that way, they are still stereotypes and negative on their face.

another side note just to clarify, i asked for “positive portrayals” of jews in the media, not “positive stereotypes” as i believe there is no such thing. a stereotype is a stereotype.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 3:28 pm ¶
EvilAngelfish wrote:

Sorry – sloppy use of terminology on my part.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 3:40 pm ¶
Cynthia wrote:

How about Harry Goldenblatt from Sex and the City? He seems to fit several stereotypes:

1. Not attractive
2. After non-Jewish women (though Charlotte converts for him…does that count?)
3. Not exactly sophisticated (remember how he would walk around the house in the nude?)
4. A lawyer
5. Has money
6. Worries about what his (dead) mother would think

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 3:41 pm ¶
Tarah Sweeney wrote:

LOL

That’s true. It’s 11pm this side and I’m tired and slightly cranky. And hungry.

Let me get something to eat before I pass out.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 3:51 pm ¶
meownette wrote:

Did anyone else on this thread read “Water for Elephants” and find it vaguely anti-Semitic? I know it doesn’t exactly address the topic at hand, but it’s been bugging.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 3:56 pm ¶
Ron wrote:

I think some people consider Jewish people to be lucky or blessed by Gd (chosen people) and that they have it easy. For example, I know people who would like to have a so-called identifiable Jewish name on their resume to get a job interview.

I have an Asian (Japense and Chinese) female friend who told me that she wants tp be Jewish. Of course, she dates Jewish men exclusively.

We know these stereotypes are irrational but people continue to persist.

Jewish people as educated is another stereotype as well.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 3:57 pm ¶
Fransky wrote:

At this rate I’m afraid of what the comments to the follow up posts on this topic will be. The TV mini series “Uprising” on NBC a few years ago was, I think a positive portrayal. I know it was not a modern portrayal, but it was great to see another side to that tragedy besides what is generally understood about that event.
~F

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 3:57 pm ¶
Cynthia C wrote:

Ron,

I’ve noticed that many Asian women who date/marry white men date/marry Jewish men. Connie Chung and Vera Wang are both married to Jewish men (at least I *THINK* Vera Wang’s husband is Jewish).

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 4:34 pm ¶
DivergentDana wrote:

“I don’t agree with censorship.”

Well, the Canadian government does… it’s a completely different ball game up there… hate speech is illegal, against all ethnic groups, not just Jewish people.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 4:57 pm ¶
Orville wrote:

Well then why wasn’t Rev. Fred Phelps barred from entering Canada? Phelps was able to enter Canada and promote homophobia? Oops I forgot Phelps is the mythical norm and Shabazz is an African American speaker. I guess black speakers with controversial views are more “dangerous” then white heterosexual male bigots.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 6:03 pm ¶
jvansteppes wrote:

For the record Phelps has been banned from Canada on at least one occasion I can recall.

Who cares if Asian women marry Jewish men? What are you grasping for Ron?

And Orville, if white Jews are racist that doesn’t speak to their being Jewish so much as it speaks to the fact that they are white!

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 6:35 pm ¶
Mary wrote:

More nerdery:

Regarding the Ferengi, I’ve read that the Star Trek writers took the name from the word farhang/firangi, from Arabic/Persian/Urdu/Hindi (as I understand it, the word was linguistically borrowed several times over – but I don’t know which language the Star Trek writers were borrowing from specifically). Anyway, it was generally a derogatory term for the European merchants as a whole.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 7:16 pm ¶
Robin wrote:

I was waiting for someone to mention the “educated” stereotype. I asked my 90-something year old Jewish grandpa a few years ago where this came from, and he said he thought it was because literacy and reading the Torah (and by extension education) have always been highly valued in Judaism. I have no idea how much merit (if any) there is to this, as my knowledge of other religions is too limited to know if this indeed a unique feature of Judaism or if the same could be said of most other religions. It sounds too ethnocentric for me to take him at his word.

I’m also surprised no one has mentioned the high proportion of Jews working in social justice movements in the U.S. Perhaps because I’m Jewish I notice it more, but in many of the mostly white social justice organizations I’ve been a part of, there have been a disproportionately high number of Jews compared to the number in the overall population.

The Jew/race/ethnicity/white/PoC thing is really tricky. Personally, as a white, atheist Jew (no, you don’t have to practice the religion to hold the label) I do consider “Jewish” an ethnicity. However, as many others have pointed out here, I still benefit from white skin privilege and would never make the case that white Jews experience the same kinds of oppression that PoC do. I think the comparisons people have made to oppression of white queers is a good one.

On a side note, the creators of “Friends” all attended Brandeis, a university established by Jews in 1948 to combat the “Jewish quotas” in Ivy League admissions offices that were severely limiting the number of Jews (and Blacks and women) being accepted to elite Northeastern schools. So, it’s not surprising that despite the show’s horrible track record of having PoC characters, half of the primary characters were Jewish.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 9:42 pm ¶
Gregory A. Butler wrote:

“Jews were subjected to persecution in the Middle East long before Israel was ever created!”

Linda,

I’m sorry, but that’s just not true.

Up until 1948, there were large Jewish populations in several major Arab countries, who lived unmolested side by side with their Muslim neighbors.

By far, Iraq had the largest Jewish population in the Arab world – nearly 800,000, or close to 10% of the total population of the country.

There were also a huge Jewish community in Egypt, and sizable Jewish minorities in Yemen, Algeria, Syria and Lebanon, and even a small Jewish community in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Nakba (the zionists deportation at gunpoint of 750,000 Palestinian Arabs in May 1948) changed all of that.

Even after that gross provocation, initially Muslim Jewish relations continued as previous in the Arab countries.

But, in the wake of Israel’s first war of agression against it’s Arab neighbors, innocent Jews were subject to harassment and persecution in the countries Israel had attacked (Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan)

The bulk of the Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian Jewish communities ended up having to flee to Israel.

However, even after al-Nakba and the first war of Israeli agression in 1948, there were still large thriving Jewish communities in the rest of the Arab world.

The British-French-Israeli war of agression against Egypt in November 1956 changed all of that.

In the wake of that war, widespread terror fell upon Jews in other Arab countries.

The worst case was in Iraq, where almost the entire Jewish population of the country (who’d lived side by side with their Shi’ite, Sunni and Nestorian Christian Arab neighbors for over a thousand years) had to flee after the overthrow and execution of the pro American King Abdullah and his replacement with President Kassim.

Most of the Iraqi Jews fled to Israel, although some fled to England, Canada and the US as well.

The Jews of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Morocco also had to flee their countries at this time.

Algeria’s Jews hung on for a few more years, but, after the triumph of the Algerian Revolution and the explusion of the French colonialists, they too had to flee to Israel.

By 1969, when the Libyan Jews fled their country in the wake of the overthrow of pro American King Idris, almost all of the Arab world’s Jews had been forced to move to Israel.

The irony was, for the previous 1,200 years, they had lived peaceably side by side with their Muslim neighbors – but the creation of the racist colonial settler state of Israel changed all of that.

Anti Jewish racism, once unknown in the Muslim world, now became almost universal, and countries where Jews had lived in a state of equality for centuries now became deeply inhospitable places from which Jews had no choice but to flee for their lives.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 10:13 pm ¶
matt wrote:

Shabazz and the new black panther party. Some time ago, a black pride organization at my alma mater invited him to speak. When it was over, the entire group walked over to the Jewish fraternity house to apologize. Black/Jewish relations can be complicated, but that’s hardly a complicated case.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 10:26 pm ¶
Ron wrote:

I did not mean to say Asian women with Jewish men is a problem. I mentioning my Asian friend’s desire to be Jewish so logically being with a Jewish man gets her there somewhat.

Its akin to some blacks who want to be white that marry a white person. (Not all black people who marry white people want to be white).

For example, I talk to my alot aunt who is in her late eighties. My aunt mentions how females in our family were with white men in New Orleans because they wanted to move up socially and culturally. Many ethnic groups around the world do this it is not unique to any one ethnic group.

I am sure Colored people in South Africa would like to be considered native black south african to benefit from the Black Empowerment Initiatives.

I never really considered Jewish people to be white anyway. We all know Jewish people with frizzy or wooly hair making them standout from Western Europeans.

I consider Jewish people to mixed like most Semetic people although Semetic is a linguistic designation.

I think the whole basis of the Holocaust was because Hitler did not consider Jewish people to be pure whites.

Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 11:44 pm ¶
Jaye wrote:

#91: Keren said
The black, brown and white Jews of Israel all have different traditions in their Judaism and do somewhat compete with eachother over who is more Jewish. I do not think they see eachother as racially inferior though.

I’m not an expert on Israeli culture, but I do know some people from there who after years of friendship “confessed” to me that they were originally from the “African” part of the Middle East (but still racially Arab), and so in Israel, they are looked down upon and teased for their darker skin color. I seriously think they believed I would think less of them and that’s why they kept if from me as though it was some horrible secret. I had no idea, I thought Israelis were all Israelis. They also told me stories about African-Jews (ie. black) trying to get into Israel based on the idea that if you can prove you are Jewish, you get to live there, and being surprised at the discrimination and isolation they experienced there. So I definitely think there are serious racial dynamics at work in Israel.

But I don’t think it’s only the Jewish who have tried to benefit from “passing” as white, or being a model minority, and therefore discriminating against others. I do agree that I’ve noticed that behavior by some, but I think that’s true of just about every minority group or oppressed group. Irish-Americans, Caucasian women, Asians, East Indians, gays and lesbians…I never ceased to be amazed by the fact that people who have been discriminated against by others can turn around and say the most stereotypical stupid things about other ethnic groups/gender, even as they are complaining about the stereotypes there are against them. Do they not see the connection? But I have witnessed it in just about every marginalized group, so Jewish-Americans are certainly not the only ones in that respect.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 1:21 am ¶
Tarah Sweeney wrote:

Ron, no, we don’t. Or, most of us don’t want to be seen as black. Black in the South African BEE/AA context means black, coloured and Indian. AA also favours white women.

I am coloured, not black in South Africa.

But when I do happen to apply for a position, I might add my BEE/AA status. I never used to, but once I got sidelined for a BEE/AA job just because my name and surname didn’t sound very coloured or black to the recruiter. (I’m guessing)

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 3:40 am ¶
Ron wrote:

Tarah -

Once blacks consolidate power in South Africa and Namibia and start Africanization policies akin Saudi Arabia and other countries then I think people will see more desire to fit into the dominate group.

Hopefully, South Africa can avoid the mistakes of the Mugabe regime.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 8:02 am ¶
Matt wrote:

Jaye, there are problems within Israel with regards to race, just like with any society, but they are getting better. The Mizrahim/Ashkenazim distinction is disappearing almost entirely. (Mizrahim are Jews from the Middle East, including many who fled Spain for Turkey during the Spanish Inquisition; Ahskenazim are from Europe.) And at the same time, there are strong multicultural traditions in Israel vying with those racist traditions that do exist. Israel was the first state to allow Vietnamese refugees, and more recently they’ve granted citizenship to some Darfurian refugees. There are affirmative action programs for minorities of all sorts, and Arabic is an official language.

Gregory, Jews were indeed subjected to persecution in the Middle East throughout history. Though the worst oppression never reached the incredible severities it did in European society, Jews were never granted the level of equality they were sometimes able to achieve in European society. Then, European colonialism brought European antisemitism. And Arab nationalisms especially incorporated European fascism (with a great deal of help from the Nazis, even). It’s never such a simple story.

In fact, Nathan Weinstock, whose book Zionism: false Messiah was very influential in contemporary, Western anti-Zionism, did a complete turnabout after learning more about Mizrahi Jews. He now views anti-Jewish racism as one of the primary forces driving of the Arab/Israeli conflict.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 8:56 am ¶
Jaye wrote:

I was responding to Keren’s statement that in Israel, “I do not think they see each other as racially inferior though.”

I’m not saying that Israel is an inherently racist society, but that there are issues of racism there, as you said, “just like with any society”.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 9:39 am ¶
Matt wrote:

I was only try to add a little more detail to that.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 10:52 am ¶
Gregory A. Butler wrote:

“Gregory, Jews were indeed subjected to persecution in the Middle East throughout history. Though the worst oppression never reached the incredible severities it did in European society, Jews were never granted the level of equality they were sometimes able to achieve in European society.”

Matt,

During the Middle Ages, didn’t European Jews (in particular Spanish and Portuguese Jews) actually flee TO Morocco to escape persecution in Europe?

Also, if there was “always” persecution, how come you had large Jewish communities in Arab countries like Egypt and Iraq, who lived side by side with Muslims and Christians for a thousand years, who suddenly fled by the tens of thousands in the wake of Israeli wars of agression?

That just doesn’t make sense if your thesis of eternal Muslim antisemitism is true!

Of course, the reality is, Jews and Christians had equality in Muslim countries – based on them being “peoples of the book” (that is, followers of Abrahamic religions).

That only changed for Jews after the creation of the racist colonial settler state of Israel, and that racist colonial settler state’s series of unprovoked wars of agression against their Arab neighbors, and genocidal policies towards the Arab majority within pre 1948 Palestine itself.

No, Matt, the problem isn’t Muslim racism against Jews, it’s zionist racism, agression and genocide against Arabs.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 11:14 am ¶
Keren wrote:

Hi Jaye,
I’ll just briefly respond to this because I
don’t want to totally derail this thread into a discussion about Israel.

It’s true that Israeli society does have issues of racism among the Jewish citizens. I said that they don’t view eachother as racially inferior and I really do believe that’s true. Some Jewish groups see other Jewish groups as judaically inferior- because they do have different traditions and they sort of vie with eachother over which ones are ‘more Jewish.’

The Hebrew spoken in Israel is the sephardi (i.e non-white)pronounciation. When the ashkenazi (white/eastern european) accent is heard people usually snigger, and people usually regard ashkenazi traditions as archaic and irrelevant. Generally, there is not much tension between groups though.

I’m sorry your friend felt s/he had to hide where he came from, but it doesn’t quite follow that Israeli society looks down on darker skinned people- they form quite a large part of the population, are quite widely represented, and their culture and traditions are the dominant ones.

I have noticed that over the years there has been a shift towards viewing the blonde, white woman as the ideal form of beauty, but I honestly think that’s because Israel is so coca-colonised that they desperately try and imitate American culture as much as possible.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 11:16 am ¶
Matt wrote:

Gregory, you’re understanding is simplistic and biased. Clearly, you haven’t bothered to find out what Mizrahi Jews themselves say. In fact, they’d be terribly upset to hear that you’ve appropriated their voices for an anti-Zionist message they disagree with entirely.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 11:52 am ¶
Tarah Sweeney wrote:

Ron, no. I wouldn’t want to “fit in” with the dominant group. What for?

That’s not me. I’ll take advantage of the fact that I am a coloured female when it comes to employment opportunities, but for all other purposes, I shall live my life as is.

Your suggestion is akin to telling Latinos they should “fit in” with the dominant group/culture.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 12:49 pm ¶
Matt wrote:

Btw, David Schwimmer says he had trouble in his career because he was too “ethnic” ie. Jewish for lead roles.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 1:32 pm ¶
Cynthia wrote:

^^^ David Schwimmer doesn’t get roles because of the so-called Friends Curse. Seriously, how many Friends actors have actually HAD careers outside of the show? Even Jennifer Aniston’s movies aren’t exactly successful.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 1:59 pm ¶
Matt wrote:

Leprechaun was pretty successful. But anyway, that was before Friends. Personally, I doubt I’d cast him as a lead in much, but I wouldn’t describe the reason as his being too ethnic.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 2:16 pm ¶
juju wrote:

Miss girl, from what I know, those that try to convince you that you are not technically a Jew are correct. In order to be ethnically Jewish you have to be born to a Jewish mother or have been converted. Offspring of male Jews to non Jewish females are not considered Jewish (unless converted). Since Jews believe that it’s the mother that cultures a child, in order to maintain Jewish culture, than not everybody can be identified as a Jew.

No, it is not about Jewish culture. The orthodox are saying that she is not Jewish according to their interpretation of Jewish law. In contrast, the Reform movement recognizes patrilineal decent as well. Other non-orthodox movements, along with many secular, i.e. ethnically Jewish folks, would consider her Jewish. Must we add fuel to the “who’s a Jew” fire?

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 3:15 pm ¶
Dee Dee wrote:

Thanks, Anya, for pointing out Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz (her excellent work bears repetition). One of the most classic anti-Semitic stereotypes is that all Jews are ‘white’ (or not ‘white’!). Her book deconstructs that assumption well.

I’m looking forward to the explanation of the Gringott’s bankers as stereotype of Jews, because posting that image there without explanation seems to rely on or reinforce our anti-Semitic prejudices as readers more than it challenges them. I’m totally open to the argument, because the long tradition of anti-Jewish stereotypes in late medieval fairy tales (in which goblins and witches make frequent appearance) is clearly one of Rowlings’ primary sources. However, running that picture seems to walk a fine line between saying “Look at what ridiculous representations of Jews Hollywood puts out” and “Look at this representation of ridiculous Jews.” I know this blog can do a great job exposing Hollywood’s latent prejudices (and, thereby, my own), and I eagerly await that post.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 3:17 pm ¶
juju wrote:

“Miss girl, from what I know, those that try to convince you that you are not technically a Jew are correct. In order to be ethnically Jewish you have to be born to a Jewish mother or have been converted. Offspring of male Jews to non Jewish females are not considered Jewish (unless converted). Since Jews believe that it’s the mother that cultures a child, in order to maintain Jewish culture, than not everybody can be identified as a Jew.”

No, it is not about Jewish culture. The orthodox are saying that she is not Jewish according to their interpretation of Jewish law. In contrast, the Reform movement recognizes patrilineal decent as well. Other non-orthodox movements, along with many secular, i.e. ethnically Jewish folks, would consider her Jewish. Must we add fuel to the “who’s a Jew” fire?

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 3:18 pm ¶
Jaye wrote:

Ok, thanks for the detail Matt.

Keren, I think these people are in their 30’s now, so Israeli society might have changed. But I never had a perception of Israel as having issues with race before, and it developed from talking to people from there over the years, certainly not any studying or analysis of Israel, so my view is definitely one-sided. And since I’m only talking about a few people and their experiences, what they talked about may not exactly be representative of the culture.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 6:02 pm ¶
DivergentDana wrote:

“David Schwimmer doesn’t get roles because of the so-called Friends Curse.”

In the article linked, he talks about how his ethnic appearance affected his pre-’Friends’ career.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 7:18 pm ¶
jvansteppes wrote:

In terms of the Rowling goblin thing, has she ever commented on this? Was the imagery so big in the book version? Something tells me that the Harry Potter lady, in all her multicultural wannabe spirit, probably didn’t notice the goblin/Jew association any more than many people notice the association of vampires and Jews. Dracula was always cast with Jewish stereotype undertones but that doesn’t mean that people always pick up on that right away.
I never imagined myself defending the Harry Potter books. Oh dear.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 7:36 pm ¶
Michelle wrote:

No, in the book version of HP, the goblins were not really represented as “Jewish”. However, the Goblins in the movie look like they are staright out of Elizabethan drawings of Shylock. And this is coming form the biggest HP fan EVER!

In terms of Jews being literate, I have read that historically, one of the tenets of the Jewish faith was to read the word of the lord. Whereas, early converts to Christianity were largely illiterate. In the early churches, teaching was word of mouth and as the church grew, the emphasis became on hearing the word of the lord interpreted by a high holy man. Conversely, Judaism, for the most part, maintained its emphasis on studying the word of the lord. Therefore, Jews were much more literate than their Christian counterparts. To my knowledge, there isn’t a Christian counterpart to the Talmud, which according to some Jewish teachings, must be studied in order to be closer to God’s truth. Of course, today, there is an emphasis on Bible study, but that is not a part of the tradition of the early church.

Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 11:47 pm ¶
Matt wrote:

Here’s a good article, btw. I disagree with the overall analysis, which sees the particular image as correcting the traditional antisemitic one, but there are good descriptions in the piece of the traditionally antisemitic “US flag with Stars of David” image.

The January 14th 2002 issue of New Statesman did this with a piece by Dennis Sewell titled ‘A Kosher Conspiracy’ (plus question mark as insurance) which had on its cover an image of a small Union Jack pierced by a big glinting golden Star of David which, for Bernard Harrison writing in his lucid 2007 book ‘The Resurgence of Antisemitism’, communicated “that British Jews are lovers of gold who use the power of money to conspire against the interests of Britain, which lie prostrate under the Jewish dagger”.

These sorts of things are increasingly common and much worse, I fear, than what you will find worthwhile in this series.

Posted 28 Mar 2008 at 9:07 am ¶
Linda wrote:

@ Gregory
Like I wrote before, Jews were persecuted in the Middle East and Africa LONG before the creation of Israel! You seem to think that Jew-Arab relations only begins in 1948. I agree with Matt’s response. Because this subject is about stereotypes I think we should get back on subject.

Posted 28 Mar 2008 at 9:14 am ¶
Anya wrote:

I wanted to point out an interesting article on the subject of how the long history of Jews living in Arab lands is used in contemporary discourse (such as this thread): http://www.zeek.net/708memory/

Also, re: the “remember Al Jolson!” comment. There was a phenomena of Jewish actors performing minstrel/blackface in English for White audiences, and it is well documented. (There was also the genre known as “Jewface,” self-mockery a la minstrelsy with songs like “Cohen Owes Me Ninety-Seven Dollars” or “When Mose with his Nose Leads the Band,” but that’s a whole other post in itself.)

However, less well documented was the use of Black culture and imagery by Jewish writers and poets, when writing in YIDDISH. Here language and race become aligned: those using ENGLISH were often attempting assimilation, hence used degrading images of blackness to foreground their own whiteness; those using Yiddish strongly felt their immigrant ‘otherness’ (the word ‘fremd’ in Yiddish suggests foreignness, not-homeness, or perpetual exile, and often appeared in these poems). Some of the imagery of American Blacks in Yiddish writing has stereotypical depictions (such as exag. sexuality), but I have never seen an article or poem that does not condemn the lynchings or structutal racism. It’s a really complicated issue to unpack, and difficult to discuss because so much material remains untranslated. There are two excellent studies on the representation of African Americans in modern Yiddish: one is by Hasia Diner, about the Yiddish press; the other is by Merle Bachman, about poetry.

Posted 01 Apr 2008 at 12:22 pm ¶
Zan wrote:

There has been some discussion about Jews and the middle east but I don’t think anyone has acknowledged two denominations within Judaism which are Askenazi Jews, from central and eastern European descent and Sephardic Jews, from Mediterranean descent (mostly from Spain and Portugal – most of which most to middle east countries e.g. Iran, Iraq).

Many examples of Ashkenazi Jewish stereotypes in the American media have been posted but no mention of depictions of Sephardic Jews. I cannot even think of any examples in the American media, probably because most middle eastern people, despite their religion, are depicted as Arab or Muslim.

Posted 01 Apr 2008 at 6:54 pm ¶
Tk wrote:

Does anyone know what happened to Wendi’s longer entry posted yesterday? I was in the middle of reading it, but it seems to have disappeared…..

Posted 15 Apr 2008 at 8:35 am ¶
emfole wrote:

what happened to the second part of this post??

Posted 15 Apr 2008 at 8:37 am ¶
The One wrote:

A lot of people don’t seem to realize that not all “Jews” are actually Jews. There were 12 tribes, one being the tribe of Judah. While 11 tribes, including Judah, are matrialineal, the tribe of Levi is patrialineal. Of course, I believe if you have a certain ancestry, then you are partly that race. Does that make sense?

Posted 23 Nov 2008 at 4:17 pm ¶