"The Jews"

Memories and Polarization

Like many kids who grew up in the NYC Tri-state area, I spent my youth amongst tons Jewish people. Bar and bat mitzvah parties, pick-up basketball at the YJCC, late September school holidays off for the high holy days of Judaism.

For a gentile, the close proximity to such a unique tribe leaves lasting impact. Occasionally I still find myself using Yiddish slang like “chutzpah” or “yenta” in conversation. Freud might posit that I’ve been forever cursed/blessed to be attracted to slender Jewish girls with big milkers.

It wasn’t until you get older and branch out that you realize many Americans have almost no personal contact with the Jewish. Their conception of the people is built primarily from the media and the internet.

I have mostly fond memories of the Jews I spent formative years with and remain friends with some. Nice people, generally family oriented, certainly did not seem like sworn enemies of western civilization. They have enough quirks though that you can see where someone with minimal exposure to the group can start building wild conspiracy narratives.

How does such a small group occupy so many positions of power? What goes on at those Summer retreats to the Catskills for Jews only? Why did my doctor have his office adorned with Israeli iconography? Why does his referral list for specialists read like a Jewish phonebook. Why does the Israeli government pay Americans to come for a free vacation?

To the extent that there is any “Jewish Conspiracy” I’d guess it’s probably just a tight knit group that looks out for each other. Not a nefarious evil network, more of a tribe that prioritizes the interests of its members and its faith. I have to respect this element of the Jewish community. They’ve used the power of their network to achieve great heights as a people for a group that is hated by many. They’re an example of what is possible when a motivated, competent tribe bands together.

As the propaganda of the Arab-Israeli war heats up, you can’t help but marvel at how much influence the tribe has accrued. As an outsider, I don’t have very strong views on the affair aside from hoping for minimal civilian losses and limited American involvement in the ancestral blood-feud.

“Aspirationally Jewish”

Only a few days before the attacks in Israel, Elon Musk hosted a fireside chat with Jewish community on his website. The optics of the event were humorous. Here’s one of the richest and most powerful men in the world, and he has to take a few hours out of his day to assure advertisers that he’s not antisemitic.

During the 90-minute song-and-dance Musk stated that he has a great kinship with the Jewish people and feels “aspirationally Jewish” on some level. A strange phrase. Implies a bit of a longing to be accepted into circles that are somehow inaccessible and elevated from the common man. It also brings to mind the curious dynamic of Jewish identity in America.

On the one hand you have gentiles seeking to amplify any association they may have with Judaism/Israel to gain favor amongst semitic-organizations. And then on the other side you have some Jewish people that try to downplay their heritage, even going so far as to adopt a different name for their public persona. Bizarre phenomena.

There is an endless pre-occupation with the identity. Shielding it, embracing it, hating it, loving it. The sheer mention of the term “The Jews” produces such visceral reactions out of folks. In the aftermath of the Hamas attacks you’ve been witnessing people on both sides go mad because they have overly strong feelings about the conflict and the group. The fervor surrounding this event is different than the Ukraine-Russia situation.

There’s probably a lindy element to the polarization of the Jewish people. People have been fixated on them for thousands of years, and will likely continue to do so. You would like to imagine a future where it becomes less of a hang-up, but I don’t see those days coming anytime soon.

“The Jew who wasn’t”

John Steinbeck, the great American novelist, also an embodiment of the great American Jewish fixation.

At first glance the name Steinbeck sounds like it’s of Jewish origin (his son Thomas grew up thinking that he was Jewish), but its actually an Americanized version of the German Großsteinbeck family name.

Steinbeck’s grandfather established a radical Christian mission in the 19th century in then Palestinian land. The intent of was to teach the Jews of the region to farm and hopefully accelerate the return of Jesus Christ. The short lived “Mount Hope” was eventually abandoned after raids from local Arabs.

Despite his deep Christian roots, John Steinbeck was routinely accused of being a Jewish propagandist. The Grapes of Wrath in particular was viewed as a subversive anti-capitalist work. In 1939, a group called the “Friends of Democracy” demanded that the only way to clear his name of treasonous intent would be to prove he is not of Jewish origin. Steinbeck fired back in a letter detailing his family history:

“Anyway there it is. Use it or don’t use it, print it or not. Those who wish for one reason or another to believe me Jewish will go on believing it while men of good will and good intelligence won’t care one way or another. I can prove these things of course — but when I shall have to — the American democracy will have disappeared.” - John Steinbeck

I have to say, my initial impressions of Steinbeck were also unfavorable. Was forced to read Of Mice and Men in 9th grade English class and thought it dull and heavy-handed. In History we watched the Grapes of Wrath movie and most of the 8th grade class found it boring and mildly depressing (I suppose that may have been the point though). It wasn’t until I read East of Eden years later that I gained greater appreciation for his work.

I found myself thinking of that book recently. It’s a Christian wrestling with the cruelty of the of Torah. A modern retelling of the Cain and Abel saga. In the work Steinbeck offers the Hebrew phrase timshel (thou mayest) as the secret to salvation. Thou mayest triumph over sin, not “thou must", or “thou shalt”. A compelling notion, leaves the door open for choice.

As you doomscroll through the latest snuff films coming out of the Middle East you contemplate such questions of good/evil, cycles of violence, and eternal damnation. “Thou mayest triumph over sin”, but will we?