Stephanie Mireku, Fall 2009
“What [nationality] are you?”
“ Well, I’m half Jewish and half Polish”
To some, this response to the question about nationality is sufficient, and to many others, this answer neglects to include half of the requested information. Is it appropriate to claim “Jewish” as one’s ethnicity or race? What does the term “Jewish” mean? There is more than one way to define “Jewish” and certainly several categories into which the term fits, especially ethnicity, religion, and race. The Jewish Diaspora is one of the primary causes for the subculture’s existence and nationality.
The nature of the multi-factorial identity movement is the Jewish “diaspora”, or “scattering”, in Greek. “By the middle of the first century, there are probably more Jews living outside of the homeland, than actually live in Judah proper. This is what we call the Diaspora, that is, the dispersion of Jewish population throughout the Empire” (White). Although this movement began in Eurasia, it has evidently spread abroad, including the United States, where a significant number of Jewish communities have been established. The “scattering” that occurred was not only motivated by a desire to worship freely and shamelessly, but also by a passion for the additional traditions and culture associated with the religion. Jewish people across the globe share these ideas and support this mission, thus creating a common interest in the areas of ethnicity, race, and religion. The Jewish culture has been preserved even after the Diaspora by way of ethnic, racial and religious characteristics.
Evidence of the Diaspora can be seen in different locations all across the world. “In 2002 the total number of Jews on the American continents was estimated at close to 6.5 million”, “over a 1.5 million Jews live in Europe—two thirds in Western Europe and one third in Eastern Europe and the Balkan countries”, “about 87, 000 Jews are estimated to remain in Africa”, and “the majority of Jews in Oceania reside in Australia, home to 95 percent of the region’s estimated 104, 000 Jews” (MyJewishLearning). Ironically, the number of Jews closer to the homeland from where Jewish nationality derives, Israel, is scarce. Those who live in the region are limited to Iran as the population has fled from the remaining Middle Eastern countries. From a religious aspect, Jews believe Israel is their homeland because it is a promise written in the Torah, or Old Testament of the Holy Bible, that Israel is the “Promised Land.”
In order to interpret the term “Jewish” and to classify its meaning, one must first understand the associated categorical terms: ethnicity, religion, and race. According to dictionary.com, “ethnicity refers to ethnic traits, background, allegiance, or association.” Religion is defined as “a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe.” Race is “a group of persons related by common descent or heredity.” As demonstrated by these definitions, when one calls oneself “Jewish”, they are explaining all of these components of identity. The mere fact that so many people consider “Jewish” to be a complete definition of identity demonstrates the allegiance and association of the subculture. Judaism is: “a religion developed among the ancient Hebrews and characterized by belief in one transcendent God who has revealed himself to Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew prophets and by a religious life in accordance with the Scriptures and rabbinic traditions.” As the definition describes, the Jewish faith is monotheistic and ritualistic and reflects a common interest in the Hebrew heritage and language; this factor connects ethnicity with religion. Jews descend from the Middle East and more specifically Palestine, Syria, and Egypt (West Bank and Gaza Strip) (Merriam-Webster Online; If Americans Knew). This Middle Eastern origin applies to people in the Jewish category.
Jewish people have had their own issues with racial equality. During the Holocaust in the period of WWII, Jews were singled out by Hitler and his Nazi regime through a form of torture called the “Final Solution”, which was Hitler’s plan for extermination of the European Jews and eventually of the Jews abroad. Jewish people primarily had darker complexion and hair than their allegedly superior Aryan (usually blond with light colored eyes and paler skin) counterparts. This very inconsistently true stereotype still exists.
Just as any subculture or “particular social group within a society” does, Jewish communities across the world unite in different contexts to support one another (Goldman). Although the rendezvous is not always religiously relevant, when the groups come together they are still celebrating their culture and ethnicity. In the same way that the National Association of Hispanic Journalists do not always meet in order to discuss the state of Hispanic influence in the media, Jewish people do not always meet to discuss matters of the temple.
The historic, affluent neighborhood of the Salisbury Street area in Worcester, Massachusetts is known for its high Jewish population. At various times of the year when Jewish religious holidays are observed, one can see the evidence of this with traffic all over the neighborhood. Salisbury Street houses the Jewish Community Center and the Jewish Healthcare Center, the Jewish Family Service, and the Jewish Federation. When I was in high school, students who were Jewish from the area and ride the school bus refer to themselves as the “Salisbury Jews” and refer to their bus as the “Jewbus”. This may be offensive to some who do not understand the joke; however, to those in the group it is simply a name to describe their pride and unity. Not everyone in the group shares a highly religious lifestyle, but nonetheless all of them are able to share pride in being Jewish.
The term “Jewish” can certainly be used to refer to ethnicity. During WWII, despite their respective homeland or appearance, all European Jews were required to identify themselves with a yellow star. Other restrictions include lack of permission to use national health insurance, inability to join military, requirement to use identity cards (if 15 and over), lack of the right to vote, inability to practice medicine, dentistry, and law, requirement to stamp passports with the letter “J”, loss of tenancy privilege, liquidation of gold and silver items, and curfews (Holocaust Timeline). On a more positive note, many Jews are united by their practice of the Kashrut, or Kosher consumption laws. “Contrary to popular misconception, rabbis or other religious officials do not ‘bless’ food to make it kosher.” Therefore, one does not have to be religious to observe kosher laws. “Some have suggested that the prohibitions are instead derived from environmental considerations” (Rich).
Hillel, the international campus organization, with a chapter at Umass Dartmouth as a segment of the Center for Jewish culture, assumes the duty of sharing the notion that Jewish people use multiple factors to assign their identity, and accepts this as part of their mission. On the Hillel section of the Umass Dartmouth website (Centers and Projects: Center for Jewish Culture), the synopsis reads: “Hillel is a fantastic group of students who share an interest in Judaism and the desire to celebrate their Jewish identity. We meet regularly for exciting cultural, social, and religious activities that help us appreciate our heritage and create a Jewish community on campus” (Satlow). Hillel celebrates religion as one of the various branches of their culture by meeting for various Jewish holidays. The group also sponsors lectures, shows, missions’ trips and other excursions, and outreach to other organizations. Jews and non-Jews alike are welcome as this group seeks to be an open-minded and friendly facilitator of change and unity in their community.
Any and every successful culture that seeks expansion and development must recognize the value of evolvement. Those who identify with Jewish culture certainly accept this to be a truth as the essence of their existence is evolvement. They are leaders in the campaign for cultural unity and appreciation for diversity. Hence, there is no one way to define a Jewish person.
Works Cited
A Synopsis of the Israel/Palestine Conflict. 2008. If Americans Knew. 14 Sept. 2008
< http://www.ifamericansknew.org/history/>.
Ethnicity. 2008. Ask.com. 14 Sept. 2008 <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ethnicity>.
Goldman, Jonathan L. Webster’s New Pocket Dictionary. Cleveland, Ohio: Wiley Publishing Inc., 2000.
Holocaust Timeline. 2001. United Nations. 27 Sept. 2008
<http://cyberschoolbus.un.org/discrim/race_b_ht_print.asp>.
Jews Around the Globe (The Jewish Diaspora). 2006. MyJewishLearning,Inc. 21 Sept. 2008
<http://www.myjewishlearning.com/history_community/Jewish_World_Today/JewishDiasporaTO.htm>.
Judaism. 2008. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/judaism>.
Race. 2008. Ask.com. 14 Sept. 2008 <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/race>.
Religion. 2008. Ask.com. 14 Sept. 2008 <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/religion>.
Rich, Tracey R. Kashrut: Jewish Dietary Laws. 2007. JewFAQ. 27 Sept. 2008
<http://www.jewfaq.org/index.htm>
Satlow, Jacqueline. Hillel-Center for Jewish Culture. 2008. University of Massachusetts,
Dartmouth. 18 Sept. 2008 <http://www.umassd.edu/cjc/hillel.cfm>.
White, L. Michael. From Jesus to Christ: A Portrait of Jesus’ World: The Jewish Diaspora. 2008.
Public Broadcasting Service, Inc. 18 Sept. 2008 <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/portrait/diaspora.html>.