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