What Do Jewish People Look Like?

The week leading up to my third class was a pretty interesting one. Ever since I moved to the Valley (even before I moved) I knew there was a strong Jewish culture and presence. Naturally, it wasn't until I started to get more involved and take classes about Judaism that I began to encounter more of the Jewish experience. I started to realize people can be really surprised by what Jewish people look like (including the ones that convert).

So in this week's class it got us discussing, what exactly do Jews look like? We started the conversation with a video from Def Comedy Jam by the Hebrew Mamita. She explains how she meets a guy at a bar, he asks her out on a Tuesday, and she declines because it is Yom Kippur. He then tells her she doesn't look or act Jewish, and she just smiles. She gets angry and thinks, what exactly does a Jew look like and act like to you? Should she be acting like the quintessential Jew portrayed in movies? She gets angry because she thinks he is talking down to her and accusing her of NOT being a Jew, accusing her of not being a part of her people or her community.

Hebrew Mamita
It's a great video to watch. I'm not sure how old the video is. I didn't even know Def Poetry Jam was still active (if it is) when the video was uploaded in 2010.

So Really, What Do Jewish People Look Like? 

Obviously Jewish

Orthodox Jew. Photo by Danny Hammontree

 They look like this, right? The typical Jewish answer is yes AND no...

We also know this famous guy too  
We're no stranger to Adam Sandler and his jokes and songs about being Jewish. Especially in his movie about an Israeli soldier faking his death to avoid dangerous encounters with Palestinians.

 

Not-so-obvious Jews  

Marilyn Monroe in Israel Magazine

Marilyn Monroe was a convert for husband Arthur Miller.

Elizabeth Taylor was also a convert that said she had done it for herself, but had dated and married a few Jewish men.

There's plenty of other women Jewish converts such as Elizabeth Banks and Isla Fisher. There's also another group of Jewish people you might be surprised about such as gays and blacks.

"Oh, you're Jewish? I didn't know black people were Jewish!"

 

I went into a Coffee Bean and overheard (ok, maybe I was flat out eavesdropping) a black employee talking to a Persian girl. I heard him say something about his girlfriend also being Persian, and that he was Jewish. Then she said, "Oh, you're Jewish? I didn't know black people were Jewish!". That's when I butted in to the conversation by laughing. Admittedly, I was actually laughing because I *may* have thought something similar once before. :-P 

When I laughed the girl turned to look at me and smiled, "I know it sounds bad, but I seriously didn't know". We began talking and I said I knew a black guy that converted to Judaism, and that I am also in a conversion process. The Jewish black guy I know I had met at a CrossFit gym, and was surprised to see him with a kipa on. That very same day I also went to a new CrossFit gym and found out the owner of the gym was also Jewish. When I went into the Intro class that week I shared this story because it was perfect timing. It turns out that our Rabbi knows the guy at Coffee Bean and informed us he was taking the same courses as us and would be finishing very soon. What a small world it is! 

Jewish Culture

I also learned that weekend that a Jewish culture could be anywhere and everywhere you look. My friend and I randomly went to a comedy show I heard about on Fairfax. We walked up and down the street waiting for the show to start and realized this area was a thriving Jewish community. There were Jewish gift shops; kosher restaurants, delis & bakeries; synagogues, and the improv itself was owned by a Jewish woman. We ate at Canter's Deli which is one of the most notable landmarks of the area. As soon as the waiter asked us if we wanted pickles, and I knew it was kosher...