By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
SAN DIEGO–Are all jokes about Jews inherently anti-Semitic? I suppose to some extent that depends upon who is telling them. When Jews tell derogatory jokes about Jews, it is from the perspective of insiders poking fun at themselves. However, when a non-Jew tells the same joke it is offensive and racist.
This question came to mind when I was discussing Purim and parashat Zachor with my Community Jewish High class. Parashat Zachor, which is read on the Shabbat before Purim, tells the story of the tribe of Amalek who attacked Israel on her journey through the desert. Instead of battling Israel’s warriors, Amalek struck the women and children in the rear. Therefore Moses tells Israel: “When the Lord your God grants you safety from all of your enemies around you…you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heaven. Do not forget!” (Deut. 25:19)
Remember Amalek!
Haman is a descendent of Amalek. His defeat is seen as retribution for the offense of his desert ancestors. Haman is also seen by our tradition as the prototypical anti-Semite. He wants to kill Mordechai for the minor offense of not bowing down to him, and Mordechai’s people because they are “outsiders” with customs and traditions which set them apart from the majority Persian culture.
I often use the stories of Amalek and Purim to talk about modern day anti-Semitism. It never fails to surprise me that in this day and age, Jewish students still experience anti-Semitism on their middle school and high school campuses. Sometimes the anti-Semitism is explicit, as in the case neo-Nazis on campus or the appearance of swastikas. Most of the time, however, the anti-Semitism is more subtle or falls into the gray area between innocent and hateful humor.
Throwing pennies at a Jewish student is clearly bigoted and racist. But is someone playfully calling his close friend “Jew-boy” equally so? Or how about asking someone for investment advice because “Jews know a lot about money?” Or someone wanting a Jewish doctor, lawyer, or accountant because Jews are known to be proficient at these jobs? My wife Judy’s grandparents owned a country store in Alabama. Their patrons called it the “Jew store,” for no reasons other than Judy’s grandparents were the only Jews they had ever met.
Someone told me that she was recently admitted to a hospital and asked by an African American clerk about her religious preference. When she responded that she was Jewish, the clerk asked if she had ever eaten at D.Z. Akin’s, and if she liked the bagels and blintzes there. At first glance such a comment does not seem offensive. But I wonder what the clerk would have thought if the patient had responded by asking her if she liked to eat chitlins or watermelon?
I know anti-Semitism still exists, but I do not believe as did my grandparents that “if you scratch a non-Jew you will find an anti-Semite.” We still need to know how to best judge and respond to comments which almost, but do not quite “cross the line.”
After a lot of thought I have concluded that it is best to confront each one. If you think a comment was made innocently or in jest, it is better to let the person know that even if you do not find their borderline anti-Semitic comment offensive, others will. I recognize that a direct response will not stop true anti-Semites, but it might sensitize others who may not realize how much meaning their words possess.
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Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal is spiritual leader of Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Diego. He may be contacted via leonard.rosenthal@sdjewishworld.com
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