I'm an american jew, no, a jewish american, no, just a jew

yo'ma

Thu, Oct 21 2010, 9:24 pm

I was thinking about this guy I know who is from Mexico and trying to figure out how to say what he is, mexican jew or jewish mexican. I know it's terrible, but when I think of a mexican, I think lower class, being from america and all and a lot of the mexicans are. I don't see any jew as lower class, so it didn't go. I know just jewish always works, but...
What do you see yourself as? What would you call yourself?

someoneoutthere

Thu, Oct 21 2010, 9:31 pm

A Jew with an American passport. Smile

What makes the most sense to me is a Mexican Jew. Mexican is just an adjective, describing the essential being which is a Jew. Jewish Mexican puts the essence in Mexican and Jewish is just some adj.

(Reminds me of the story told of Kissinger telling Golda Meir that (paraphrased) "I'm an American, a Statesman, and a Jew- in that order" and Golda Meir replied "and in Hebrew we read from right to left.")

justbreathe

Thu, Oct 21 2010, 10:15 pm

I submitted my vote as "just plain Jewish" and so far it is at 20%.

I am not "proud to be an American" --I am Jewish and I just so happen to live here...

Truth is I don't think so much of about the fact that I am not "proud to be an American" --it is more like I am the only girl at work who wears a skirt everyday, I have to take a whole lot of time off in September (and I get to hear "oh maybe I should become Jewish so I can get all that time off...) and soon I will have to leave early on fridays no matter how much work there is to be done--and it is all because I am Jewish and it happens to come up EVERY DAY

bluebird

Thu, Oct 21 2010, 11:49 pm

It depends on the context for me.

If I'm describing myself as a type of Jew, it's "American Jew."
If I'm describing myself as a type of American, it's "Jewish American."

For whatever reason, the phrasing doesn't really speak to what I feel is my own identity, which is probably different from how many other imamothers feel.

louche

Fri, Oct 22 2010, 12:05 am

An American Jew of Lithuanian descent, of course. "Jew" defines my essence; that is what I am, immutable. "American" modifies that, narrows the description, but is not my essence; it could change.

zipporah

Fri, Oct 22 2010, 4:43 am

yo'ma wrote:

I know it's terrible, but when I think of a mexican, I think lower class, being from america and all and a lot of the mexicans are. I don't see any jew as lower class, so it didn't go. I know just jewish always works, but...

If you know it's terrible, why did you say it? This is an international board... there are probably people from Mexico on it, or people with family from Mexico. Confused

It's pretty mean.

As a note, there are Mexicans of all class levels.

BTW - I am an Anglo Israeli by way of Africa, the long (hard) way.

yo'ma

Fri, Oct 22 2010, 7:05 am

zipporah wrote:

yo'ma wrote:

If you know it's terrible, why did you say it? This is an international board... there are probably people from Mexico on it, or people with family from Mexico. Confused

It's pretty mean.

As a note, there are Mexicans of all class levels.

BTW - I am an Anglo Israeli by way of Africa, the long (hard) way.

I'm not getting into it, but it is not mean and I didn't mean for it to be mean. It's my thoughts and I expalined how I came to that thinking. Also, everyone on here is jewish, so...

zipporah

Fri, Oct 22 2010, 7:17 am

yo'ma wrote:

zipporah wrote:

yo'ma wrote:

If you know it's terrible, why did you say it? This is an international board... there are probably people from Mexico on it, or people with family from Mexico. Confused

It's pretty mean.

As a note, there are Mexicans of all class levels.

BTW - I am an Anglo Israeli by way of Africa, the long (hard) way.

I'm not getting into it, but it is not mean and I didn't mean for it to be mean. It's my thoughts and I expalined how I came to that thinking. Also, everyone on here is jewish, so...

so... what?

Raisin

Fri, Oct 22 2010, 7:20 am

there are oklenty of middle class mexicans. but they tend to stay in mexico, not sneak over the border. there are also white americans who are poor.

chaylizi

Fri, Oct 22 2010, 7:46 am

Raisin wrote:

there are oklenty of middle class mexicans. but they tend to stay in mexico, not sneak over the border. there are also white americans who are poor.

Who can be (and usually are) referred to in a derogatory way as well.

Ruchel

Fri, Oct 22 2010, 7:56 am

It's a bit a play on words.

If the question is "Is your Judaism or your nationality more important", that's clearer.

B"H

Fri, Oct 22 2010, 9:15 am

someoneoutthere wrote:

What makes the most sense to me is a Mexican Jew. Mexican is just an adjective, describing the essential being which is a Jew. Jewish Mexican puts the essence in Mexican and Jewish is just some adj.

BrklynMother

Mon, Oct 25 2010, 12:30 am

oof, ladies, dont argue...

youre all Jewish, we're all related and thats what counts...where youre from just makes the foods you eat different Smile