# Post your closest "Jewish influence" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 17, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917 "2015-10-17T18:18:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/61 "2015-10-18T13:53:50Z")
I have no idea. In school and at work I only interacted with people for what they said and how they acted (Asshole seems multi denominational IMHO, but YMMV). I’ve never wasted my time following people around trying to figure out what house of worship they went to. Other people may have had fun yanking down people’s pants for a peek, but that was never me. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/62 "2015-10-18T14:08:35Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > I have no idea. > In school and at work I only interacted with people for what they said and how they acted (Asshole seems multi denominational IMHO, but YMMV). > > I’ve never wasted my time following people around trying to figure out what house of worship they went to. Other people may have had fun yanking down people’s pants for a peek, but that was never me. You do realize that many people self-identify. Especially if they’re comfortable around you. The 2 people I go to lunch with the most at work are both Roman Catholic and know I am an agnostic, ex-RC. They still happily complain about some of the weird stuff their churches expect or do. I’ve had co-workers worry about an upcoming Bar Mitzvah and/or Bat Mitzvah going well. I even had co-workers that took vacation days for some of the Jewish Holidays or made sure the electric menorah at work had the right number of lights each day of Chanukah. \*(We had an elaborate Xmas tree and decorations at that job and a cheesy menorah but hey it was something at least.) \* The one day he asked if I was Jewish as I had fixed the bulbs in the menorah and he was surprised and I explained my wife was Jewish and we celebrated both Holidays. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/63 "2015-10-18T14:12:40Z")
Closest Jewish influence: currently one couch cushion away. My wife is a Reform Jew. She keeps kosher pretty strictly for Reform (though the Conservative Jews I went to school with would probably still find her hopelessly lax), attends synagogue semi-regularly, hangs _mezuzot_ in our home, and observes the holy days. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/64 "2015-10-18T14:27:14Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever spoken with a Jewish person in real life. I may well have, because it’s not the sort of thing that comes up often in casual or work-related conversation, but not obviously so. The Jewish population in Scotland isn’t very large - a few thousand I think, and mostly based in Glasgow. So I guess the closest influences are musicians, film makers, novelists etc ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/65 "2015-10-18T14:34:53Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > I have no idea. > In school and at work I only interacted with people for what they said and how they acted (Asshole seems multi denominational IMHO, but YMMV). > > I’ve never wasted my time following people around trying to figure out what house of worship they went to. Other people may have had fun yanking down people’s pants for a peek, but that was never me. Almost all the Jews I’ve known have been vocal about their Jewishness. It’s not something you have to ask about. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/66 "2015-10-18T14:36:47Z")
One of my college roommates was Jewish. Though he was not particularly observant he did introduce me to a few traditions and holidays I was not previously familiar with. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/67 "2015-10-18T15:09:16Z")
As a Jew, I don’t generally go around announcing that I am Jewish, but it comes up. “What are you doing next weekend?” “Preparing for Passover, how about you?” I take time off for the high holy days, avoid bread during Passover, bar mitzvah’d my kids, invited friends to my father’s funeral at a synagogue, … I assume all my friends know I am Jewish. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/68 "2015-10-18T15:51:55Z")
My favorite author is Isaac Asimov, and my favorite celebrity is Jon Stewart. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/69 "2015-10-18T16:12:52Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > You do realize that many people self-identify. > [@monstro](#): > > Almost all the Jews I’ve known have been vocal about their Jewishness. It’s not something you have to ask about. What people share is what people share; I assume anything said is in confidence. I’ve learned that its selfish and offensive to bring a sack of white castle cheeseburgers to a gaming session… but I’ve also learned that its not appreciated all that much to bring a sack of plain white castles to a gaming session. Yes, some people self identify but if I take that information an Only see then as a person in some prefab box of religion, then I’m a Bigot. I’ve had that conversation, but it was more like this: “What are you doing that weekend?” “I’m preparing for the holiday. I do that every year; why do you keep asking when I’ve told you that a hundred times {other years}?” What I say - “Sorry, I forgot.” What is unsaid - "Because I didn’t/don’t see you as a “Jew/Christian/Hindu/Moslem/Buddist/Athiest/Agnostic/Pagan/Moslem”. I see you as a “friend”. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/70 "2015-10-18T16:13:53Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Almost all the Jews I’ve known have been vocal about their Jewishness. It’s not something you have to ask about. But then how would you know if a Jew wasn’t vocal about their Jewishness? Only half-joking here – I’m not sure if any of my co-workers know that I’m ethnically Jewish (or non-religious). ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/71 "2015-10-18T17:07:13Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Almost all the Jews I’ve known have been vocal about their Jewishness. It’s not something you have to ask about. As others have said, this is really silly. Of course you know about the vocal ones and you probably don’t know about the non-vocal ones. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/72 "2015-10-18T17:11:09Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > But then how would you know if a Jew wasn’t vocal about their Jewishness? Only half-joking here – I’m not sure if any of my co-workers know that I’m ethnically Jewish (or non-religious). Hence, why I said “almost all the Jews _I’ve known_”. I’m sure I have been around people who were Jewish and I didn’t know about it–which is why I’m not claiming to “know” them. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/73 "2015-10-18T17:12:54Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Hence, why I said “almost all the Jews _I’ve known_”. I’m sure I have been around people who were Jewish and I didn’t know about it–which is why I’m not claiming to “know” them. Would you like a beer with that pretzel? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/74 "2015-10-18T17:17:27Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > As others have said, this is really silly. Of course you know about the vocal ones and you probably don’t know about the non-vocal ones. Dammit. Would it be clearer if I said, “Almost all the Jewish people \*I’ve known to be Jewish \*are vocal about their Jewishness?” Does this make what I said less “really silly”? I wasn’t making a commentary about all the Jewish people I have ever encountered, however incidentally, in my life. I’m saying that the Jews that I know personally are not the kind of folks who would allow people to not know what their ethnic and religious background is. Because it’s a very large part of their identity. In other words, I do not go around interrogating people about their religion like a no-having-life busybody, as **Count Blucher** intimated above. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/75 "2015-10-18T17:18:38Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Would you like a beer with that pretzel? Would you mind stop finding reasons to be butthurt? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/76 "2015-10-18T17:22:26Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Would you mind stop finding reasons to be butthurt? _I’m_ butthurt? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/77 "2015-10-18T17:26:17Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > _I’m_ butthurt? You’re _something_. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/78 "2015-10-18T17:27:03Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > You’re _something_. Jewish. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/79 "2015-10-18T17:27:28Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I was strongly influenced in my political thinking by Milton Friedman. And I by Noam Chomsky. Get your shit together, Jewish conspiracy! ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917/80 "2015-10-18T17:27:28Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > What people share is what people share; I assume anything said is in confidence. I’ve learned that its selfish and offensive to bring a sack of white castle cheeseburgers to a gaming session… > but I’ve also learned that its not appreciated all that much to bring a sack of plain white castles to a gaming session. Yes, some people self identify but if I take that information an Only see then as a person in some prefab box of religion, then I’m a Bigot. I know I’m supposed to be understanding and compassionate towards the mentally ill, but this is crazy talk. Are you seriously intimating that if my friend shares with me that she’s Jewish, it’s rude of me to identity that friend as a Jew in a conversation about one’s Jewish friends and associates? You’re telling me I should keep this information secret? WTF? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-closest-jewish-influence/734917.md?page=5)