Teaching begins again in about 15 days. I’m pondering my syllabi, and thought I’d throw out a question to the audience.
What would you consider is uniquely American?
For instance, there is Jazz Music and Baseball. What other things would be fun to share with my students? All ideas welcome.
Today WD presents a guest post from long time fan and commenter Andrew.
Matt asked me to comment about my thoughts on Judaism fits into identity. I must preface this by saying that I am only one Jew, and I cannot begin to represent all Jews. I will state my personal feelings as an American Jew of Generation Y, and I will share my observations about the Jewish community as a whole; observations that other Jews might disagree with.
Personally, my Judaism is a central part of my identity in the sense that I identify myself as an American Jew whereas a goy (Yiddish for non-Jew) would identify himself simply as an American or a goyess would identify herself as an American woman.
Being Jewish is much like being in a fraternity in that wherever you go, you can walk into the local chapter and have a community to be part of. Indeed, I have found that this works just about anywhere in the world. As a Jew, I feel a horizontal connection with all the other Jews around the world, as well as a vertical connection with the Jews who have come before me and those who will come after me. In addition to inheriting my father’s height and back problems,
I’ve inherited a 3000 year history and the rich cultural tradition that goes along with it. Being Jewish is not simply a question of my religious preference; rather, I am one of a great people, the People of Israel. Recall in Genesis where Jacob wrestles with his belief in G-d, and then G-d changes his name to Israel, and promises him that he will be the father of a great nation. We Jews believe that we are the direct descendants of Jacob/Israel, thus we are G-d chosen people, and one giant family.
For me personally, my Jewish identity is based more upon my identification with the people of Israel than with the Jewish religion. While I was more religious when I was in my late teens, I no longer take religion as seriously. I do believe in the basic tenets of the Jewish faith and perform some basic rituals, this is all overshadowed by the cultural side of things. I hung Mezuzot on my doorposts, but more because I wanted to identify my apartment as a Jewish home than because the Torah commands me to do so. I belong to a synagogue and attend services on a somewhat regular basis because the synagogue serves as the center for the local Jewish community where I go to schmooze, kvetch, make Jewish friends and meet Jewish women (not necessarily in that order). Don’t get me wrong here, I would still be involved with a synagogue even if it wasn’t a social setting, but I would only go to services a few times per year.
Since I have a dual identity as an American Jew, I have two homelands: America and Israel. This doesn’t mean that I’m less of an American. It’s like how immigrants often strongly identify themselves as Americans, but they also have a strong affinity for the place they came from. The difference is that none of my ancestors have resided in Israel since the first Century and I did not visit the modern state until I was 19 years old, and even then only for 10 days. I believe that Israel is my country, I love my country and I am proud of my country and her achievements. This does not mean that I am proud of every single action that Israel has taken over the past 58 years of her existence, but I do believe that Israel’s actions are generally justified and I strongly believe that the modern state of Israel has every right to protect her existence as a sovereign, Jewish and democratic state.
It’s not easy to be Jewish for a myriad of reasons, but to me, it’s well worth it. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Not that I don’t occasionally wish I were ‘normal,’ but on the whole I feel lucky to be Jewish.
Matt asked me to talk about different types of Jews in America. As far as this discussion is concerned, there are two types of Jews in this country: those who strongly identify themselves as Jewish and those who don’t. There are a lot of reasons why people don’t identify strongly as being Jewish, and a lot of it stems from a disliking of all the things I described above. They see America as a melting pot, and they believe that Jews should melt along with everyone else. They believe that by continuing to be different we are voluntarily confining ourselves to a ghetto. Like I said before, being Jewish isn’t easy and there are some Jews who think it’s just not worth it.
A major factor in this for a lot of people is that Jews seem to have all the same rights and privileges as the goyim in America these days. When my grandparents were young, it was very hard for Jews to get into many professions, neighborhoods, hotels, restaurants, etc… This is where the stereotype of Jews being Doctors, Lawyers and Accountants comes from: those are all professions requiring a high degree of education and offering significant financial rewards while allowing people to work as sole practitioners (where anti-Semitism couldn’t keep them out). It was an era when it was socially acceptable in many circles to be anti-Semitic.
After World War II, people realized the error of their ways and Jews started gaining greater acceptance. My parents’ generation grew up with little discrimination and less anti-Semitism, but it weighed heavily in their consciousness because of the fresh wounds of the Holocaust and the stories they heard from their parents about anti-Semitism in the U.S. My parents’ generation was the first generation of Jews to rise up in corporate America, but many tend to be careful of expressing their Judaism in public, fearing that it could hurt them.
While my grandparents home is very overtly Jewish, my parents keep most of the ritual objects in the cabinets when not in use, and they did not hang a Mezuzzah until I was in Middle School. This would also explain why my father urged me to take fewer Jewish Studies classes in college. Basically the reality he understood was that he could get into other fraternities (besides the Jewish one), but he had to remove his Yarmulke and pop his collar. It was ok if they knew he was Jewish as long as he didn’t rub it in their faces.
By the time I was old enough to understand I was Jewish (sometime in the late 80’s), the goyim around me were accepting and affirming of my being Jewish. I learned about anti-Semitism in Hebrew School. All the fraternities were open, even with the Yarmulke (at least the Wesleyan Fraternities anyway). Nothing was closed to me because I was Jewish. Not that there isn’t anti-Semitism here and there, but Judaism doesn’t determine my major life decisions or which circles I travel in unless I want it to.
Therein lies the problem for many young Jews. You can melt and be like everyone else, and many do. Nothing is forcing their Judaism into their identity unless they force it in on their own. Having a Jewish identity does make life more difficult for many reasons, so they figure that it’s not worth bringing it upon themselves.
Also, the secular humanist ideology that most young Americans hold is fundamentally at odds with the Jewish people concept. Secular humanism believes that nations are dangerous, that all people are fundamentally the same and that we can achieve world harmony by melting. Jewish identity centers around the belief that Jews are a separate people, the People of Israel, G-d’s chosen people. The secular humanists find this to be revolting.
They see the State of Israel defending itself against its enemies and they say “if we weren’t sticking to this Judaism nonsense then this war wouldn’t be happening right now.†Regardless or whether or not Israel is justly acting in self-defense, seeing the Jewish state, a state that is supposed to be the biblical ‘Light amongst the nations’ flattening houses and killing people is simply unsettling, and it turns them away from the state and the Jewish people that the state belongs to.
Even if they’re not ideologically opposed to the Jewish people concept, young Jews these days tend to seek to be individuals rather than to identify themselves with a group. This is fundamentally at odds with the whole people of Israel concept, and it’s difficult to be a participant in the communal aspects of the religious practice without some amount of group mentality.
The religion doesn’t resonate with young Jews today either. It’s built around thousands of years old tradition, text, peoplehood, obedience to the Talmudic laws, patriarchy, family, and basically everything else that conflicts with their secular humanism.
And before they even get this far, many of them are turned against Judaism by Hebrew school. They spend their Sundays learning Hebrew while all their friends are playing. And while I understand that I’ve inherited a rich 3000 year history, the history that Hebrew school passes on to the next generation of Jews is dominated by suffering: the Jews were enslaved, and then the wandered in the desert for 40 years, and then the temple was destroyed twice, and then the were exiled, then came the inquisition, and so on and so forth until the Holocaust. Who can blame anybody for wanting to escape that?
That was the main part of my essay, and I would be interest to hear your thoughts. But Matt asked me to comment on the Jews who voted against Lieberman in the recent Connecticut primary, so if you’re interested, read on:
Lieberman is one of many Jews in both houses of congress. Maybe when he was first elected being a Jewish Senator was something special, but it isn’t anymore. Jews were excited when he was the first Jew to get a Vice Presidential nomination. When the surveys were saying at that 90-something percent of Americans would vote for Lieberman as a Jew, but only 40-something percent of Americans would vote for an atheist, American Jews felt like they finally had the keystone to being fully American. Some Reform and secular Jews were skeptical of Lieberman because he is Orthodox. They were afraid that he wouldn’t represent them fairly as the most powerful circumcised dick in the free world.
But as I said before, as a lowly Senator, Jews don’t regard him as anything special. They like his Yiddishisms, but that’s not enough for them to vote him into office. If they think someone else represents their views better, they’ll vote for that someone else. Jews tend to be very loyal democrats, and many will vote for Lamont simply for that reason. The big reason that Jews will stand by Lieberman’s side even if they disagree with him on the war is that they want someone who will support Israel. Lamont has kept mostly silent on the issue, and his support base is vehemently anti-Israel, so I would be afraid to vote for him if I was still a Connecticut voter. I fear that dissatisfaction with American foreign policy and the way the country is going in general will put a lot of Lamont-types in congress in the next election, and I think it could be catastrophic if Israel lost its base of support in the U.S. government in the next election. This will be the deciding issue for many Jews.
Music is inescapable in Romania. Whether traveling, eating or attempting to relax, one can rest assured that some form or other of noise will be broadcast for our benefit. Let’s have a rundown of particular situations in which this phenomenon is manifest:
1) Maxi-Taxis: One can only hope that this means of transportation will soon go away as Romania continues to develop its road infrastructure. But for the time being, they serve a crucial function, connecting cities, towns and one horse villages at a speedy and somewhat dizzying pace. The ruler of the Maxi Taxi is, of course, the driver. These men (indeed they are all men) share certain characteristics: 30 – 60 years old, stocky, favor plaid work shirts, smokers, gruff, non-communicative (except to young female passengers,) and lovers of loud music. The music you will hear in maxi-taxis is either the radio, or, more frequently, a cassette tape of the driver’s choosing. Traditional Romanian folk music is popular here with the older drivers (the more icons plastered around the visor the more likely you are to hear this sort of music.) Also popular is Romanian rock. Since the driver likes to keep his window down (while many have been so kind as to jerry-rig the sliding windows further back permanently shut,) the music must be loud enough to compensate for the sound of air and semi-trucks whooshing past at a margin of 2 inches. While some drivers will be considerate enough to confine their musical tastes to the front speakers, many gladly share via the hardwired system (in more modern maxi-taxis,) or via some slick speakers installed by Mihai down at Dacia-Zone. Thus one is confronted with the choice of either sucking it up or listening to music of one’s own. Reading is not an option.
2) Restaurants: Though music in restaurants isn’t bad per-se, careful attention to the type and volume is crucial in such applications. However, attention to detail is not a particularly strong suite of most business owners over here. As such, music at restaurants is usually inappropriate. The worst offenders can be found in the more touristy regions. Restaurants such as these (which all offer, by the way, the exact same fare,) enjoy hiring a young man, usually between 20 and 30, whose is taxed with setting up his Yamaha and microphone a few inches from the dining tables and regaling the crowd with classic renditions of American favorites such as “Hotel California.” Though Bodgan is in earnest here, he doesn’t seem to realize that his role is to provide background noise, and not to overpower the poor frail human voice. Thus at such establishments, in addition to surly service, one can expect to either eat in silence or converse as if at a nightclub. The non-touristy places usually do not offer live performances, but sadly the volume issue is still not well understood. And furthermore, unless “Beep” by The Pussycat Dolls is your preferred type of music for the dining out experience, you’re beeped.
3) Pool/Seaside: What could be better in the summer than a trip to the sea or your local public swimming pool? Here in Romania, where it does get hot in the summer, these places offer a much needed respite from the polluted airs of *insert your city/village here*. Many municipalities have recently invested in new complexes offering not only swimming but also dining, ice cream, tennis and other fun activities. There is, of course, a price, and that price is usually in the form of some heavy duty all weather speakers mounted on poles throughout the place. Here in my home town, they have even gone so far as to place a remote broadcasting booth for a local radio station right next to the pools! Thus as you strut and tan, you can be sure you do so to the beat of the day’s top 10 songs. And by top ten, I really mean ten. Romanian homogeneity is manifest in multiple ways, but most noticeably so on commercial radio, which dominates the dial. One can expect to hear the latest in American trash-hop, some classic rock (Queen,) and the latest and greatest in Romanian pop (for a sampling of this music, see Owlspotting’s post on the subject.) But to summarize, most of such pop tends to use the clever rhyming technique of “mine” and “bine” (mee-nay (mine) and bee-nay (good)) in some form or another, and that’s all you really need to know. Reading in such locales is possible, but be prepared to receive a few strange looks as this pastime is not in favor anywhere outside of the library.
4) Sidewalk: Many of the “hip” stores and cafes have discovered that playing loud techno-style music somehow entices customers to shovel out ever more for standard mass-produced clothing covered with nonsensical slogans. The worst such offender is a clothing outfit called Kenvelo, which usually has its stores located in high traffic areas. The music in these stores is so loud that it bleeds out onto the street; it is the modern day siren which lures teenage boys and girls into shopping frenzies which result in the rest of us doing many double takes trying to understand just what messages such as, “Gigolo Italiano 880,” (in sparkling sequins) and “moto star sports awesom!” are attempting to convey. Trendy cafes with outdoor seating are also guilty of this trick, though in these cases the effect is a 2-for-1, encompassing both this technique and the one mentioned in number 2. [n.b. – The author must pause here to admit that he is, at times, attracted to this method of advertising when the reward promises to be a well made cocktail. In all other instances, he is disgusted.]
To summarize – Romanians like their music, they like it loud, and they like it public. For an otherwise timid people, this phenomenon (along with the excessive amounts of PDA) seems out of place. But perhaps music is an affirmation of freedom. The affirmation of freedom to join the global community. To join the global community of uniformity, lack of creativity and originality. To be, in a way, one, united, but at the same time, desperately unique.
My father once accidentally broke a key off our family computer’s keyboard. This happened around December. The following April, while trimming the lawn, I found the scattered remains of a keyboard all across the backyard. There was also an old Toshiba laptop, which, having reached the end of its much abused life, found a similar fate awaiting itself. So it is in the family. Something breaks, it’s gone. Although I myself have had a few victories, notably with computers, my skill for fixing things these days seems to rank just a hair above my fathers.
So I got this washing machine for free. It belonged to a teacher who no longer needed it, and kindly, she let me have it. It was never a glorious machine, indeed it was quite old. But, being of German make, it still worked well enough, if loudly. Last week during the usual tumbling, I heard a new noise. It was going “tumble, scratch, splash,” normal, when followed, “bang, twaaang.” When a washing machine goes, “bang, twaang,” it’s not good. But the cycle managed to finish. Today I dump a fresh load in, and after filling up, again, “bang, twaang,” only this time following the frightening racket, the drum stops spinning and instead I can hear that sound of a motor trying to move but making no process – you know, that strained buzzing.
Perhaps I overloaded the machine and nothing is really wrong, I think. So, removing half the load I fire it back up only to get one cycle followed by that buzzing. I take all the clothes out and start it up, but no progress is to be had. At this point I become convinced that something has gotten stuck somewhere in the works… a stray sock perhaps. Not having much to do and feeling adventurous, I decide that I’ll fix it.
Three hours later:
Tomorrow I’ll be going shopping for a second-hand washing machine. I think I’ll stick to teaching…
I am thrilled by the defeat of Joe Lieberman in CT.
Although Ned Lamont is himself a millionare, he spoke honestly and with conviction.
Ousting Lieberman does not mean that Democrats are weak on terror.
Right-wingers will claim that the Democratic party is being taken over by radicals… answer, mirror.
Wanting out of Iraq is not “anti-American” or “pro-terrorist.” Wanting a sane foreign policy is in the best interests of this country.
And Joe, you lost, go home!
