SARAH PFANDER
Gargoyle assistant editor
Posted Friday, March 9, 2007
Opinions

I REALLY LIKE to tell people that I am Jewish.

I'll set up the scenario: “Sarah, do you want some of this cheeseburger?” “No, I am Jewish.” “Oh, do you keep kosher?” “No, not really, but I am Jewish.”

OK, that is a little extreme. But still, it is a trend, and I am not the only Jew who falls victim to this habit. So, why do Jews need to declare their Jewishness?

This is clearly rooted in the fact that you can't know someone is Jewish just by their physical characteristics. I look like a lot of people who aren't Jewish. Thus, I feel the need to be a little louder and more obnoxious about my religion. Let everyone know right away that I am Jewish. Give people the heads up.

Often, I want to avoid awkward conversations. “Hey, what'd you get for Christmas?” “Umm … I don't celebrate Christmas.” “You don't celebrate Christmas?” “No, I'm Jewish.” Then there are the series of apologies. Finally, “Wow, you're Jewish? What's that like?” Or the occasional, “So you don't believe in Jesus?”

But there are definitely other motives. It's almost like I don't want to be wrongly labeled as a Christian. It's a part of human nature to want to stand out and be different. People revel in their minority status. It makes them feel special — especially at Uni, where there is a lot of pressure to be “original.”

But on top of all that, the biggest reason that I declare my Jewish roots is this: Jews were oppressed and aren't anymore. The Holocaust, slavery under the Egyptians, the Inquisition — things haven't always been good for the Jews.

For some reason, I can't let people forget that. Because I was at one point an underprivileged minority, I don't want people to write me off as an upper-class, privileged member of the majority. It's almost as though I want sympathy for the millions of Jews who have suffered.

This is why I feel uncomfortable circling white as my race. This is why I slip in the fact that I am Jewish at random times. I don't want to be labeled as a part of the majority and then have others not know that my people were oppressed as well.

That is one of the reasons all minorities want to be recognized. We want our grievances acknowledged and appreciated. We can't stand to be told that our suffering is not as important as others'.

But why is it a competition? Why, when people talk about Iris Chang's book “The Rape of Nanking,” do I feel the need to bring up the fact that more people died in the Holocaust?

In truth, it is stupid. We should cringe at all human suffering, whether the humans who suffered were related to us or not. Jews are quick to denounce Hitler and the Nazis; they should be just as quick to denounce the Hutus who massacred 800,000 Tutsis in Rwanda.

At the end of the day, I think that it is good to appreciate one's roots. It's good when people connect their identity with their race, culture, or ethnicity. We should announce our suffering to the world.

However, it's necessary to evaluate, to make sure we are not merely competing with the suffering of others.

We should explain and discuss the problems we face so as to educate. We should use our own examples as learning experiences with which we attempt to create a more tolerant atmosphere.

I should talk about the Holocaust not to engage in one-upmanship about the death tolls but to make sure that it never happens again, to anyone.