Comments on: “Dirty Jews”

By: Ben F

Ben F — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 12:57:06 +0000

This morning, near the end of a NPR report on Jack Abramoff, a politician linked to him was quoted as wishing that Abramoff “had never been born.” That struck me as awfully strong language.

Would the same remark have been made regarding a Protestant lobbyist? Maybe. But I think I hear “dirty Jew,” even if the speaker was too smart to use those words.

By: elaine

elaine — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 04:52:36 +0000

Thanks for pointing that out, Balabusta.

I’m not going to argue with a Holocaust survivor’s right to be afraid of gentiles, for all too obvious reasons. And a little healthy skepticism among Jews is always a good idea, when it comes to the majority culture. Erring on the side of caution is a good thing.

But there are positive gentile anecdotes out there, too – not only the good, sympathetic people who helped during the Holocaust, but even the mundane crowds of intermarrieds here in the States.

Jews wouldn’t be so worried about intermarriage, after all, if it *always* came down to Anti-Semitism. The phenomenon would peter out on its own.

By: Ben F

Ben F — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 00:51:04 +0000

cond0010-- Hygiene has nothing to do with it. It's about continuity. As to which, Meryl's work teaching in a religious school would no doubt please the Fried sisters very much.

By: Herschel

Herschel — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 22:41:36 +0000

I understand totally, My parents were holocaust survivors and marriage to a Jewish women was absolutely imperative to them.
Unfortunately, it was not critical for me at that time. One experience I had with a non-Jewish live in GF proved the point. After things had gone bad, and she left, I asked for the return of about $700.00 I had lent her, her comments were “I always knew you were Jewish.” Later, she called to apologize but it was too late, her true nature had come out.
I finally realized what my parents had been trying to tell me, and eventually married a wonderful Jewish woman!

By: cond0010

cond0010 — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 22:40:45 +0000

Dirty Jew? Hmmmm… That seems to me to be an oxymoron. Especially if we are talking about food preparation.

Maybe people who talk like that need some classes in logic and rational thinking just as compulsive gamblers need classes in statistical analysis.

By: Balabusta in Blue Jeans

Balabusta in Blue Jeans — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 05:06:32 +0000

There are also stories to tell about gentiles who protected Jewish relatives, friends, and total strangers. Not that that has much to do with what we’re talking about here.

By: Sabba Hillel

Sabba Hillel — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 00:13:47 +0000

One of the stories from the holocaust involves a German Jew who married a nonJew. During the war he survived because everyone had forgotten that he was Jewish. Forgotten that is, until his wife and children turned him in.

By: Rahel

Rahel — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 22:14:30 +0000

My friend’s mother, who was from Hungary, told of similar things happening to her — not a boyfriend’s name-calling, but schoolmates turning against her when the Nazis came to power. She told us that it didn’t take much at all for the veneer of civility to erode.

By: paul a'barge

paul a'barge — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 18:18:52 +0000

Your first link is hosed … one too many “Http”s in the url string.