Most of my friends from growing up are Jewish. We have a pretty decent-sized Jewish population (kind of goes hand-in-hand with having one of the oldest synagogues in the US) and I’ve only run into one nutcase that gave my friends hell about being Jewish. (He was one of those crazy street preachers who are basically a bunch of hatemongers.)
My best friend from 7th grade moved to California. She wrote me a letter when she started 8th grade, and told me how girls in her class thought she was weird, because they’d never met a Jewish girl before. I couldn’t fathom the idea. From elementary school to high school, there was always at least one or two kids in my class who would end up explaining Hanukkah in December.
I was in a bar one night, and got into a rather heated discussion with a guy who couldn’t understand that Judaism is a religion, not a race. I tried to explain to him that when you take standardized tests in school, does it say “white, black, hispanic, Native American, Jew”? He said, “no, but they’re supposed to check the ‘other’ box.” Huh? (This was after a lengthy explanation on my part of what constitutes race.)
So, yeah, there’s always going to be a dunderhead or two in the crowd.
I’m Jewish but apparently look… something else. What I mean by this is that when I’m in areas with a higher number of native people, I get asked my tribal affiliation. When I’m in areas with a lot of Hispanic people, I’m spoken to in Spanish. Asians often ask me if one of my grandparents was Asian. And in the middle of this great land of ours, I’m often perceived as some sort of non-white person (e.g., “Get your gas somewhere else. We only serve white people”).
jehovah68, what about your experience makes you resent Jews? It seems to me that Jews aren’t your problem. While I don’t like/am scared by some of the things that happen to me because of the assumption that I’m a not member of the racial/ethnic majority, I think it’s an invaluable experience. I’m astounded, disgusted, and horrified by some of the encounters I have when I go out alone. It makes me open my eyes and not just say, “Surely you [name of minority group here] people are exaggerating or seeing racism where there isn’t any.”
These experiences push me to be active in confronting racism. They make me donate money to NAACP and other causes as well as charities that benefit people like me. They give me a way to talk to other white people about racist assumptions and behaviors. I wouldn’t say I enjoy it at all, but it radicalizes me.
Shoshana - in no way is it possible for me to justify an irrational feeling (i.e. resentment of a group for being targeted with hate). As I stated earlier, these are fleeting emotions that pass through me as I try to make sense of what I am experiencing. Fifteen Iguana made a valid point in an earlier post.
That said, I definitely agree that it is an invaluable experience. While unpleasant and disconcerting, they provide me with a window into a world which is not exposed to many people.
I’m like Kyla. I’m a nice Jewish girl who looks Irish. In fact, Airman IS Irish (mostly; he’s also one-quarter Hispanic), and he fits the Jewish stereotype more than I do. The only “Jewish” traits I have are a fairly significant nose and a Star of David on my necklace.
That said, because I don’t “look” Jewish, I think I’ve been less exposed to anti-Semitism, at least on a personal basis. I’ve gotten Jewish jokes told in a group setting, and I have gotten some ignorant questions (and some good ones) asked once I indentified as Jewish.
The anti-Semitism I have experienced, however, has been vicious, and for the most part, was based on Christian conservatism and ignorance. People, hearing all kinds of BS from their preachers about Jews and Judaism, targeted me for, among other things, harassment, conversion efforts, and in some cases, implied violence. Mercifully, all this happened in one town, which I’ve long since put behind me.
hmmm…I’m not sure what Jewish looks like, but I look very short.
I’ve never experienced any outright anti semitism, but I get a lot of questions.
Q: Well, I’ve never met a Jew before.
Me: Well, I think you have. We stopped wearing those little yellow stars about 60 years ago. They were getting us KILLED!
It’s not like we go around greeting people with “Hi, Miss Creant - Jew, damn glad to meet you!”
Q: What little yellow stars?
Me: OY!
Q: You don’t celebrate Christmas?
Me: No, it’s against my religion.
Q: What do you do on Christmas
Me: (after being asked this question around 1000 times) After the human infant sacrifice, we dance naked around the fire pit.
Upon hearing the comment that the Jews control everything and have all the money:
Me: We do? Shit, no one told me. I must have missed that memo.
How do I get in on this?
