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It is the supposed wish of every Jewish mother that her son become a doctor and that her daughter marry a doctor, and that anything less requires some degree of consolation. A Jewish joke references a Jewish mother at her son’s inauguration as president of the United States. She leans over to the person sitting next to her and brags, “You know, his brother is a doctor!” |
Unlike the stereotype of the brash Jewish lawyer, the Jewish doctor is mild-mannered and respectful. |
The stereotypical Jewish doctor is more intelligent and more successful than his non-Jewish counterpart. In the television series ‘’My Name is Earl’’, the character Joy, who is not Jewish, is disappointed at seeing that an Indian doctor is caring for her ex-husband and demands to see “a real doctor, a Jewish one.” |
Nice Jewish boy [ edit ] |
The nice Jewish boy is a stereotype of Jewish masculinity that circulates within the American Jewish community, as well as in mainstream American culture. In Israel and the parts of the diaspora which have received heavy exposure to the American media that deploy the representation, the stereotype has gained popular recognition to a lesser extent. |
The qualities ascribed to the nice Jewish boy are derived from the Ashkenazic ideal of אײדלקײַט (eydlkayt, either "nobility" or "delicateness" in Yiddish). According to Daniel Boyarin's Unheroic Conduct (University of California Press, 1997), eydlkayt embraces the studiousness, gentleness and sensitivity said to distinguish the Talmudic scholar and make him an attractive marriage partner.[73] |
The resistance that a Jewish male may launch against this image in his quest to become a "regular guy" has found its place in Jewish American literature. Norman Podhoretz, the former editor of Commentary, made the following comment about Norman Mailer's literary and "extracurricular" activities: |
He spent his entire life trying to extirpate what he himself called the 'nice Jewish boy' from his soul, which is one of the reasons he has done so many outrageous things and gotten into trouble, including with the police. It's part of trying to overcome that lifelong terror of being a sissy.[74] |
For Philip Roth's semi-autobiographical avatar Alex Portnoy, neither the nice Jewish boy nor his more aggressively masculine counterparts (the churlish Jewboy, the "all-American" ice hockey player) prove to be acceptable identities to attain. The ceaseless floundering between the two fuels Portnoy's Complaint. |
History [ edit ] |
Martin Marger writes "A set of distinct and consistent negative stereotypes, some of which can be traced as far back as the Middle Ages in Europe, has been applied to Jews."[75] Antisemitic canards such as the blood libel appeared in the 12th century and were associated with attacks and massacres against Jews.[76]These stereotypes are paralleled in the earlier (7th century) writings of the Quran which state that wretchedness and baseness were stamped upon the Jews, and they were visited with wrath from Allah, because they disbelieved in Allah's revelations and slew the prophets wrongfully. And for their taking usury, which was prohibited for them, and because of their consuming people's wealth under false pretense, a painful punishment was prepared for them. |
Medieval Europe [ edit ] |
The portrayal of Jews as historic enemies of Christianity and Christendom constitutes the most damaging anti-Jewish stereotype reflected in the literature of the late tenth through early twelfth centuries. Jews were often depicted as satanic consorts,[77] or as devils themselves and "incarnation[s] of absolute evil."[78] Physically, Jews were portrayed as menacing, hirsute, with boils, warts and other deformities, and sometimes with horns, cloven hoofs and tails.[79] Such imagery was used centuries later in Nazi propaganda of the 1930s and 1940s.[80] This propaganda leaned on Jewish stereotypes to explain the claim that the Jewish people belong to an "inferior" race.[81][82] |
Although Jews had not been particularly associated with moneylending in antiquity, a stereotype of them acting in this capacity was developed beginning in the 11th century. Jonathan Frankel notes that this stereotype, though obviously an exaggeration, had a solid basis in reality. While not all Jews were moneylenders, the Catholic Church's prohibition of usury meant that Jews were the main representatives of the trade.[83] |
Prevalence in the United States [ edit ] |
David Schneider writes "Three large clusters of traits are part of the Jewish stereotype (Wuthnow, 1982). First, Jews are seen as being powerful and manipulative. Second, they are accused of dividing their loyalties between the United States and Israel. A third set of traits concerns Jewish materialistic values, aggressiveness, clannishness."[84] |
About one-third of Europe’s Jewish population emigrated in the nineteenth and early decades of twentieth century. About 80 percent of those emigrants chose America.[85] Although there is no doubt that Europe’s depiction of the Jews influenced the United States, there were no immense massacres, pogroms, or legal restrictions on the Jews.[86] Based on the fact that America is made up of immigrants, American Jewry identity is described as "fluid, negotiable, and highly voluntary."[87] Within the first Jewish communities, the colonies gave the Jews the chance to live openly as Jews.[88] The attitude towards Jews in the eyes of the colonial authorities was that they carried several assets for business. Most Jews settled in port cities and thrived in trade by relying on family and community ties for negotiating.[89] Peddling, specifically, improved the image of Jews in the eyes of the early Americans that allowed them into their homes, fed them food, and sometimes let them stay the night in their home. Peddling gave the chance to shed outward appearance stereotypes. Commentators noted they often wore a waistcoat and tie, with a top hat on their heads. For they understood a customer would be less likely to open their door to a shabby, dirty man, than a man in elegant dress.[90] [check quotation syntax] |
From 1914 to 1918, World War I shaped the identity and attitudes of American Jews for the better, yet is overshadowed by the devastation and tragedy of World War II. For the first time, American Jews were seen as major philanthropists, which is now a central part of American Judaism. The stereotype of being greedy and miserly seemed to be challenged. Aid was provided to Jews overseas by a new organization, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. By the end of the war, the Joint raised more than $16.5 million, which is equivalent to about $260 million today.[91] |
However, attitudes towards the Jews change after World War I; from 1920-1940, America saw the peak years of American antisemitism.[92] Many left-wing Jews showed sympathy toward, or even supported, the Russian Revolution.[91] Jews were impressed by the Soviet’s commitment to giving Jews equal civil, political, and national rights, which fueled the Jewish plots conspiracy theories. This era in American history is called the Red Scare. Movements of restricting immigration, such as the Immigration Act of 1924, often had individuals express suspicion and hatred on the Jews. In the intellectual context, social scientists were asking questions like, "Will the Jews ever Lose their Racial Identity?" and, "Are the Jews an Inferior Race?" In 1938, according to opinion polls, about 50 percent of Americans had low opinions of Jews.[93] Americans still believed the Jews to be untrustworthy and dishonest.[93] Many hoped that the racial stereotypes would disappear if the Jews worked to mold themselves. Massive amount of efforts was put towards Jewish charities, especially for new immigrants, in response to antisemitism in America. |
The twenty years following World War II are considered the American Jewry "golden age" because of the triumph of "prosperity and affluence, suburbanization and acceptance, the triumph of political and cultural liberalism, and the expansiveness of unlimited possibilities."[94] The Jews increased participation in typical American culture such as movies, public entertainment, advertising, and organized sports, baseball in particular. More recently, benign stereotypes of Jews have been found to be more prevalent than images of an overtly antisemitic nature.[95] The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), released nationwide telephone surveys to analyse American beliefs on the Jews. The league concluded that in 2007, 15% of Americans, nearly 35 million adults, hold "unquestionably anti-Semitic" views about Jews. More than one quarter, 27% of Americans believe Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus. The number of African-Americans with strong anti-Semitic beliefs remain high and stable since 1992, with today at 32%. On a more positive note, many Americans have positive views towards the Jews on ethics and family. About 65% of Americans believe the Jews had a "special commitment to social justice and civil rights." About 79% of Americans believe the Jews put an "emphasis on the importance of family life."[96] |
In literature [ edit ] |
Jewish stereotypes in literature have evolved over the centuries. According to Louis Harap, nearly all European writers prior to the twentieth century projected the Jewish stereotype in their works. Harap cites Gotthold Lessing's Nathan the Wise (1779) as the first time that Jews were portrayed in the arts as "human beings, with human possibilities and characteristics."[97] Harap writes that the persistence of the Jewish stereotype over the centuries suggests to some that "the treatment of the Jew in literature was completely static and was essentially unaffected by the changes in the Jewish situation in society as that society itself changed." He contrasts the opposing views presented in the two most comprehensive studies of the Jew in English literature, one by Montagu Frank Modder and the other by Edgar Rosenberg. Modder asserts that writers invariably "reflect the attitude of contemporary society in their presentation of the Jewish character, and that the portrayal changes with the economic and social changes of each decade." In opposition to Modder's "historical rationale", Rosenberg warns that such a perspective "is apt to slight the massive durability of a stereotype".[98] Harap suggests that the recurrence of the Jewish stereotype in literature is itself one indicator of the continued presence of anti-Semitism amongst the readers of that literature.[99] |
English literature [ edit ] |
Although Jews were expelled from England in 1290, stereotypes were so ingrained and so durable that they persisted in English society as evidenced by presentations in English literature, drama, and the visual arts during the almost four-hundred-year period when there were virtually no Jews present in the British Isles. Some of the most famous stereotypes come from English literature; these include characters such as Shylock, Fagin and Svengali. Negative stereotypes of Jews were still employed by prominent twentieth-century non-Jewish writers such as Dorothy Richardson, Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, Evelyn Waugh and Graham Greene.[100] |
American literature [ edit ] |
Until the 20th century, the characterization of Jews in American literature was largely based upon the stereotypes employed in English literature.[101] Although Jewish stereotypes first appeared in works by non-Jewish writers, after World War II it was often Jewish American writers themselves who evoked such fixed images. The prevalence of anti-Semitic stereotypes in the works of such authors has sometimes been interpreted as an expression of self-hatred; however, Jewish American authors have also used these negative stereotypes in order to refute them.[102] |
In performance [ edit ] |
Jewface [ edit ] |
Vaudeville act [ edit ] |
"Jewface" was a vaudeville act that became popular among Eastern European Jews who immigrated to the United States in the 1880s. The name plays off of the term "blackface," and the act featured performers enacting Jewish stereotypes, wearing large putty noses, long beards, and tattered clothing, and speaking in a Yiddish dialect. Early portrayals were done by non-Jews, but Jews soon began to produce their own "Jewface" acts. By the early 20th century, almost all the "Jewface" actors, managers, agents, and audience members were Jewish.[103] "Jewface" featured Jewish dialect music, written by Tin Pan Alley songwriters. These vaudeville acts were controversial at the time. In 1909 a prominent Reform rabbi said that comedy like this was "the cause of greater prejudice against the Jews as a class than all other causes combined," and that same year the Central Conference of American Rabbis denounced this type of comedy.[104] |
Exhibit [ edit ] |
"Jewface: Yiddish Dialect Songs of Tin Pan Alley" was an exhibit at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research from November 2015 to June 2016. The exhibit, curated by Eddy Portnoy, was focused on the sheet music of this comedy and used Jody Rosen’s sheet music collection.[105] |
Jews in politics [ edit ] |
Research on voting in the United States has shown that stereotypes play a crucial role in voter’s decision making on both a conscious and subconscious level. Jewish political candidates are stereotyped as liberal. Since becoming heavily involved in politics and the electoral process in the 1930s, Jewish leaders and voters have taken liberal stances on a number of issues. From there the stereotype grew and is now assumed even though not always accurate. An example of this took place in the 2000 presidential election where Joseph Lieberman was Al Gore's Vice Presidential running mate. He was labeled a liberal even though he described himself as "pro-business, pro-trade and pro-economic growth." Although he had taken moderate and conservative positions on numerous issues, the stereotype defined him to many voters.[106] |
See also [ edit ] |
References [ edit ] |
Bibliography [ edit ]<|endoftext|>KABUL (Reuters) - Archaeologists in Afghanistan, where Taliban Islamists are fighting the Western-backed government, have uncovered Buddhist-era remains in an area south of Kabul, an official said on Tuesday. |
“There is a temple, stupas, beautiful rooms, big and small statues, two with the length of seven and nine meters, colourful frescos ornamented with gold and some coins,” said Mohammad Nader Rasouli, head of the Afghan Archaeological Department. |
“Some of the relics date back to the fifth century (AD). We have come across signs that there are items maybe going back to the era before Christ or prehistory,” he said. |
“We need foreign assistance to preserve these and their expertise to help us with further excavations.” |
The excavation site extends over 12 km (7.5 miles) in the Aynak region of Logar province just south of Kabul, where China is mining copper ore as part of its multi-billion dollar investments in the Central Asian country. |
Rasouli said the mining work had not harmed the sites — which were known but had not been examined in detail — but smugglers managed to loot and destroy some relics before the government excavation work began last year. |
Government and foreign troops are battling an insurgency led by the radical Taliban movement which destroyed Buddhist statues at Bamyan during its five-year control of the mountainous country from 1996 to 2001, viewing the monuments as an affront to Islam. |
Many antiquities and historical sites were destroyed or pillaged during decades of civil war and foreign interventions. |
Now almost entirely Muslim, Afghanistan has seen eras in its long history when other faiths such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism were widely practised. |
Rasouli said the government did not have the resources to move the relics from the remote area, which has seen some clashes during the insurgency, but hoped to build a museum there instead.<|endoftext|>In this undated photo taken by the Washington state Department of Corrections and provided by the Port Angeles Police Department, Travis A. Nicolaysen is seen. The Port Angeles man is on the lam but still updating his Facebook page. Nicolaysen, 26, escaped from officers in two foot chases Wednesday, April 4, 2012, and a dragnet that included a police dog tracking him through a residential neighborhood. The Peninsula Daily News reports he's been convicted of five felonies, including domestic violence, burglary and theft of a firearm. (AP Photo/Department of Corrections) |
SEATTLE (AP) -- A 26-year-old Washington state man who has eluded an extensive police search has been making time to update his Facebook page as authorities continue their efforts to catch him. |
His first day on the run, one friend of Travis A. Nicolaysen posted to his account: "Cops all over you." Nicolaysen responded the next day with: "ya got away thanks bro." |
Nicolaysen has been on the lam since two foot chases Wednesday and a dragnet that included a police dog tracking him through a Port Angeles neighborhood. The dog came up only with a blue bandanna that Nicolaysen had been wearing. |
Nicolaysen has been convicted of five felonies, including domestic violence, burglary and theft of a firearm, police said. He is wanted by the Washington state Department of Corrections for failing to check in with his community corrections officer since January. |
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