My first thought is that there is an enormous difference between how we see ourselves and how other people see us. Both of those factors affect the course of our lives. I can respect the fact that someone might not think of himself as white because he's Jewish (or more likely, would see being white as fairly irrelevant to his identity), but he still needs to understand that other people see him as white and that he benefits from being seen that way, even though he doesn't choose it.
Why do many Jews not think of themselves as being white? It could be because of the history of persecution you've described. I'd suggest also that being white feels relatively empty of culture, either because it is a meld of so many different cultures or because it is the majority and dominant culture in the United States. Meanwhile, even non-religious Jews may participate in Jewish culture and see this as a much more significant part of their identities than anything about being white. Furthermore, for white Jews who grow up mostly surrounded by white non-Jews, it is being Jewish, not being white, which stands out because that's what makes them different from the people around them. I wonder if there might be some correlation between how likely white Jews are to identify as being white and how many of the people they interact with on a regular basis are not white.
Finally, for the record: There are plenty of Jews who aren't white.
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branchandroot
(no subject)
Date: 2005-05-31 10:18 pm (UTC)My first thought is that there is an enormous difference between how we see ourselves and how other people see us. Both of those factors affect the course of our lives. I can respect the fact that someone might not think of himself as white because he's Jewish (or more likely, would see being white as fairly irrelevant to his identity), but he still needs to understand that other people see him as white and that he benefits from being seen that way, even though he doesn't choose it.
Why do many Jews not think of themselves as being white? It could be because of the history of persecution you've described. I'd suggest also that being white feels relatively empty of culture, either because it is a meld of so many different cultures or because it is the majority and dominant culture in the United States. Meanwhile, even non-religious Jews may participate in Jewish culture and see this as a much more significant part of their identities than anything about being white. Furthermore, for white Jews who grow up mostly surrounded by white non-Jews, it is being Jewish, not being white, which stands out because that's what makes them different from the people around them. I wonder if there might be some correlation between how likely white Jews are to identify as being white and how many of the people they interact with on a regular basis are not white.
Finally, for the record: There are plenty of Jews who aren't white.