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Rabbi Justus N. Baird

Rabbi Justus N. Baird

 

What if Jews Knew That Americans Love Them?

Posted: 03/18/11 01:00 AM ET

During Purim, we hear a lot about who hates the Jews (Haman), but what about who likes the Jews? The Jewish holiday that is full of upside-down surprises is a perfect time to confront a difficult truth: Americans love Jews -- a lot. Even more than they love Protestants and Catholics.

As a 38-year-old American Jew, I am a product of my generation's anti-Semitism education machine. For me and probably most older Jews, it is difficult to digest the data. But the numbers, which come from multiple respected studies in the last five years, are irrefutable.

In their recent and remarkable survey of American religion, American Grace, sociologists Robert Putnam and David Campbell report about the "feeling thermometer" they use to measure how Americans feel about various religious groups. They asked respondents to indicate "how warm they feel toward different social groups on a scale of 0 to 100."

In the period they gathered the data, 2006-2007, Americans said they had warmer feelings toward Jews than any other religious group -- even a degree or two higher than Catholics and Mainline Protestants.

Readers who might be tempted to doubt the veracity of the data (after all, one of the study's authors, Putnam, converted to Judaism when he got married and raised his children as Jews) must also digest a decade of studies by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, which show exactly the same results: that American attitudes toward Jews are as positive -- or even a few degrees warmer -- as attitudes toward Catholics, and significantly higher than toward any other religious group (the Pew data does not ask about attitudes toward Protestants).

Polling reports from the Anti-Defamation League also point toward a growing American love for Jews. In 2009, an ADL nationwide survey of Americans found "anti-Semitic attitudes equal to the lowest level in all the years of taking the pulse of the American attitudes toward Jews. The survey found that 12% of Americans hold anti-Semitic views, a decline from 15% in 2007 and matching lowest figure ever recorded by ADL, in 1998."

There are only two ways to interpret these multiple sources of data: either Americans now believe it is completely socially unacceptable to tell a pollster that they don't like Jews, or Americans really do have really positive feelings towards Jews.

As a rabbi who works primarily in interfaith settings, I have countless personal anecdotes that suggest we have entered an era of philo-Semitism in America. A large class of evangelical seminary students hangs on every word I teach them about the rabbinic tradition or the biblical prophets. Non-Jews come in to the office, ask me about the collection of Hebrew volumes of the Talmud, and ask me, with deep curiosity and respect, to show it to them. Wherever I go, hosts go out of their way to make sure there is something kosher I can eat.

These are superficial examples, of course, but that is exactly the point: at a superficial level, instead of treating Jews with disdain, fear or disgust, large majorities of Americans now have positive associations with Jews.

This data, of course, does not mean that real threats to the Jewish people do not exist. Anti-Semitism remains rampant and goes unchecked in countries around the world. Hateful attitudes toward Israel, whether one counts such attitudes as anti-Semitic or not, proliferate. Some Iranian leaders continue to threaten the destruction of Israel and the Jews and are working diligently to obtain the tools needed to carry out such threats.

All these realities mean that philo-Semitic attitudes in America are that much more unique and compelling. In America today, threats toward Jews are not external but rather internal; millions of intermarried couples are not raising Jews (even though many are), and levels of participation in Jewish life by post-b'nai mitzvah teens is dangerously low.

Paying attention to American philo-Semitism matters so much because young Jews are caught in a major cognitive dissonance: They are taught from an early age that the world hates the Jews, but they feel fully embraced by their American peers. Putnam and Campbell note that since the 1960s "anti-Semitism has continued to fall through generational replacement -- younger people are less likely to harbor anti-Semitic views than older generations."

Are American Jews ready for a narrative of philo-Semitism? I recently presented this data to an adult education class organized by a regional chapter of the American Jewish Committee. I asked the learners to rank different religious groups by likability by Americans. Of 20 learners, 19 got it wrong. Middle East scholar Aaron Miller has said, "Jews worry for a living, because the arc of history has taught them to." Is it any surprise we have trouble hearing a narrative of philo-Semitism?

American Jews regularly tune in to stories like the Jewish passenger who caused a plane to land early when he pulled out his tefillin, an eruv (community border that allows carrying on the Sabbath) in the Hampton's that is meeting resistance, and a grave marker that was desecrated by hoodlums. Such stories make headlines in American Jewish press precisely because they are exceptional and not the norm, and because they feed a narrative we expect. Yet these headlines do not represent mainstream American Jewish life in 21st century America.

Three recent major newscycles, each of which would have been devastating for American Jews two generations ago, suggest how powerful this new context of philo-Semitism really is: Madoff, Mezvinsky and Muslims.

Why didn't coverage of the Bernie Madoff scandal spiral into anti-Semitic rants about evil Jewish business practices? With an identifiable Jewish antagonist bilking everyone -- even nonprofit endowments -- it was the perfect setup for anti-Semitic headlines, cartoons and jokes. But they never materialized.

And where was the American uproar when the daughter of an American president married Marc Mezvinsky wearing a tallit under a chuppah in a ceremony by a rabbi?

And if you were asked to choose the most likely faith group to serve as America's scapegoat, could the answer be in doubt? The same polls that say Americans love Jews also say that Americans are queasy about Muslims, who score the lowest of all religious groups in all the surveys noted earlier. While Jews can put a synagogue wherever they want, Muslims are forced to engage in sophisticated public relations battles in communities across the country if they want to build a mosque. If Chelsea had married a Muslim, what would the headlines and blogs have said? Any Jewish joy about being well-liked in America is dampened by the fact that Americans have found a new scapegoat.

Nevertheless, American Jews would do well to accept the fact that American culture had definitively shifted away from the old stereotypes. Jews are no longer the Other. American Jews are not strangers in a strange land.

Can Jewish identity survive being so well-liked? Some will cling to old narratives and say that philo-Semitism is just an advanced form of anti-Semitism -- a sophisticated strategy to kill Jews with kindness. They'll argue that without the threat of anti-Semitism, a central component of Jewish identity, Jews will slowly disappear.

I, for one, believe American Jews will survive the transition to being well-liked in America. Like singing in a major key after centuries of singing in minor, it will feel weird at first but it will eventually become authentic. The 4.7 million people who listened to that Hanukkah song by the Maccabeats have a clue as to what major-key Judaism might feel like.

The challenges of Judaism in a major key are great. Fundraising letters that claim the Jewish sky is falling in America must be re-written to attract younger Jews like me who throw such letters directly into the trash. Our educational approaches must shift by teaching young Jews that throughout Jewish history the world has often treated us with disdain and that there have been numerous exceptions to the rule, with 21st century America as the most prominent example. Most importantly, conceptions of Jewish identity that require a negative environment to thrive must give way to positive, more nuanced and complex conceptions of Jewish identity that can thrive in an environment of philo-Semitism.

It is time for American Jews to see the everyday respect, kindness and fairness that Americans offer to Jews as a sign that Jews in America today are actually respected, well-liked and considered normal. And when we internalize that acceptance, we can do even more to help others who are not yet accepted in America.

The Book of Esther mentions no Persian resistance to Haman's decree to destroy the Jews. Is there any doubt how Americans would react to a modern-day Haman's decree? This Purim, as Jews drown out Haman's name with shouts and groggers, let us thank God for our lot in America and commit to building and celebrating Jewish lives that can thrive even when we are loved.

 
During Purim, we hear a lot about who hates the Jews (Haman), but what about who likes the Jews? The Jewish holiday that is full of upside-down surprises is a perfect time to confront a difficult trut...
During Purim, we hear a lot about who hates the Jews (Haman), but what about who likes the Jews? The Jewish holiday that is full of upside-down surprises is a perfect time to confront a difficult trut...
 
 
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rationaljimmy
love-child of Tom Jefferson & Carl Sagan
03:37 PM on 03/23/2011
Americans can be counted on to always let go of old enemies when boats full of fresh new ones wash ashore.
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TomFox
02:11 AM on 03/23/2011
Well I know the old saw about "some of my best friends are Jewish"; I will just say most of the people I have affection for in my social circle are Jewish. Most are artists, some are business people but there are two qualities of Judaism that I seriously admire, Art and Education.

I'm Episcopalian by choice but I have grown to love abstract paintings of The Burning Bush, modern Jewish architecture, the Decalogue and the like. There is so much to appreciate regardless of where one is religiously speaking.
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lezahgg
11:28 AM on 03/22/2011
I get where the author is coming from but I don't think that people are having a love affair with the Jews but things have definitely changed. First of all most Jews are at least two generations removed from their immigrant roots. Between the horror of the holocaust, civil rights legislation, and just a general change in our society, expressions of overt anti-semtism or racism are unacceptable. Jewish people have been very successful in the United States and a large percentage, if not the majority are a century or more removed from their immigrant roots. I think as a group, we are discriminated against, we have people who don't like us or who even hate us but we are at the point that these barriers don't matter so much economically and while nobody likes to be disliked or hated, we have come to the point where instead of being hurt or insulted by anti-semitic comments or acts, most of consider the perpetrators to be ignorant; however, we don't let everything slide because after the holocaust when Jews said "never again", they meant "never again" and that could explain why some people think in some ways we are a little too quick to react at the slightest perceived insult. Sometimes we are but that's our history. That being said, the Jews have never been able to flourish as well as they have in the United States in any other place at the world at any other time in history.
02:47 AM on 03/22/2011
I'm not terribly happy to read that "only" 15% of Americans are openly anti-Semitic. Also, there can be negative attitudes toward Jews without being fully anti-Semitic.

For example, in a survey of people identifying themselves as belonging to one of the major political parties, 32% of one party and 18% of the other blamed Jews "moderately" or "a lot" for the economic crisis. I'll key you guess which is which:
http://bostonreview.net/BR34.3/malhotra_margalit.php

Rabbi, I'm afraid this disproved your statement that there was no reaction to Madoff.
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Catriona
Wha daur meddle wi me?
05:17 PM on 03/20/2011
"This data, of course, does not mean that real threats to the Jewish people do not exist. Anti-Semitism remains rampant and goes unchecked in countries around the world. Hateful attitudes toward Israel, whether one counts such attitudes as anti-Semitic or not, proliferate. Some Iranian leaders continue to threaten the destruction of Israel and the Jews and are working diligently to obtain the tools needed to carry out such threats."

Ah. Ok, Rabbi. Now we get it. You are telling us that goyim must love Israel, without question, or be be called anti-Semitic.

It won't work.

Israel is hated because Israel does hateful things.

And what do Irani-Israeli relations have to do with Americans?
12:35 PM on 03/24/2011
Indeed. Anti-Israel does not equal anti-semite. Just as anti-vatican does not imply anti-christian.
07:43 PM on 03/24/2011
"You're telling us sthat goyim must love Israel, without question...."

We should always give Israel the benefit of the doubt. And for better or worse, love, stand by Israel which stands out democratically in the Middle East against some of the most anti-Semitic and undemocratic societies on earth. Some day, these societies will let Israel share her inner and democratic strength with them; but in the meantime, we should never allow ourselves to take a step from the Israeli people. We need each other -- if only to protect the seed of tolerance and hopeful future of what is to come some day in that part of the world.
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Pembrokelib
01:25 PM on 03/20/2011
I commend you on your article which gives me hope that the bigotry against Jews has lessened. I am elderly and I have always despised
All prejudice. I am not Jewish but will probably have half Jewish grandchildren in the future, I hope! Perhaps intermarriage has convinced
some that people of all races and religions are the same - some good, some bad. I would suggest to all that if you hear a derogatory remark about someones race or religion, don't ignore it. Censure it! Doing so can be uncomfortable but important.
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Richard Bartholomew
My micro-bio isn't empty.
12:41 PM on 03/20/2011
To the Hebrew Congregation in Newport Rhode Island.

Gentlemen,
.

The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent national gifts. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.

It would be inconsistent with the frankness of my character not to avow that I am pleased with your favorable opinion of my Administration, and fervent wishes for my felicity. May the children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid. May the father of all mercies scatter light and not darkness in our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in his own due time and way everlastingly happy.

G. Washington
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NYC123
10:40 AM on 03/20/2011
Denial of truth at a grand scalel! "God's chosen people," given the privilege to chronicle, in the Old Testament, the historic interaction of a people with their (and our) God, and the birth prophecy and lineage of our Savior (for all mankind) Jesus is reduced to "culture status (i.e., I not religious just culturally Jewish)" -- and it's okay by all! That is denial at a grand scale!
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mrkurtzhedead
I'll be back, when it's dark!
04:37 AM on 03/20/2011
I hate to burst bubbles but half the Christians in this country love Israel only because of their (the Christians) deluded belief in the bizarre Book of Revelation. The Jews are needed to fulfill these nutty prophecies which are supposed to lead to Armageddon and then the rapture.
And if you are not their sort of Christian you are not invited.
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NYC123
10:41 AM on 03/20/2011
What passage is that in Revelation?
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Craig 212
Tide goes in, tide goes out.
03:27 AM on 03/22/2011
The most common one that I hear apocalypse-obsessed people talking about is the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, which is mentioned in Ezekiel 40-48.
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Craig 212
Tide goes in, tide goes out.
05:21 PM on 03/22/2011
>-- where is the rebuilt temple stuff or anything that points to the end of time?

The description of the rebuilt Temple and the surrounding area, in great detail, starts in Ezekiel 40.
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heroine addict
habitual goddess worship
12:18 PM on 03/20/2011
Well said.
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cjohnathan
I speak only in hyperbolic statements...
03:41 AM on 03/20/2011
I love my Jewish friends- the sense of humor and fun ...the FOOD- my God....and the women are hot...
in my twenties I had a buddy who was jewish- if I stopped by his house and he wasn't there, his mom wouldn't let me leave until she fed me- loving people...and I've never heard a r@cist remark out of any of them...
09:39 AM on 03/20/2011
I know you mean well, but positive stereotyping can be just as ignorant as negative ones. As a Jew, I can assure you there are planty of humorless, dull, unhot, racist Jews -- who can't cook. In fact, I'm related to them -- and may I add "long live anonymous commenting!!"
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cjohnathan
I speak only in hyperbolic statements...
08:03 PM on 03/20/2011
LOL- I wasn't exactly generalizing, though...just my personal experience...i'm Irish-Mexican- I KNOW stereotypes when I hear them...fanned...
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HonkyTonkMan
03:54 PM on 03/19/2011
That's the thing about America...

Jews were persecuted almost everywhere, but not here. Whatever immigrant hazing they experienced, it was at least no different than that of any other group. I think some people can't wrap their heads around the idea, because they had it so hard everywhere else.
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MarcEdward
likes all cats more than most people
08:23 PM on 03/19/2011
Well put.
Jewish people did face discrimination for a long time, but as a nation we never had purges, we never exiled people, no pogroms. Our nation has struggled with racism and bigotry, but the right side has been winning over the wrong side for a good couple of generations now.
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ZenSufi
Sisters and Brothers of America!
12:48 AM on 03/20/2011
Never exiled? Native Americans, hmmm?
09:57 AM on 03/20/2011
Many Jews grew up surrounded by people who brought their old-world antisemitism to America with them. Growing up in the 70s, I experienced constant antisemitism, being called a Christ killer, having pennies tossed at me, and much more. I've never heard Jews say they have it worse than other groups, but to say all we experienced was immigrant hazing shows great ignorance of the facts.
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HonkyTonkMan
02:56 PM on 03/20/2011
How'd you like to be Irish or Chinese in the 1840s? Japanese in the 1940s? Italian or Eastern European at the beginning of the 20th century? Latino now?

The point is, Jews had it no different than anyone else. Not that there was no anti-semitism at all.
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Barbara Graham
Comin at u from Area 5150
01:19 PM on 03/19/2011
It's a long-standing fact about human nature...you never hear about the good things that happen every day.

Last year, some of us got together to protest Westboro Baptist Church creeps when they came to annoy some Jewish community facilities here. We're not Jews, but we came because it was the right thing to do.

You'll never see a "We Love Jews" day, but shouldn't need to. Just see how most of us behave, especially when confronted by anti-Semitism.
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cjohnathan
I speak only in hyperbolic statements...
03:35 AM on 03/20/2011
fanned- very cool post...
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CarlyHope
10:08 AM on 03/19/2011
One need only peruse the comments section of the Huffington Post to know that even though we've come a long way and are safer than ever before, there is still plenty of hatred
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farmilyman
everything is illusion
02:22 AM on 03/19/2011
Tens of $billions in annual aid from a country that is broke.........now that's love.
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TheLonelyGod
The oncoming storm
04:40 AM on 03/19/2011
And here I was thinking Israel and Jews had nothing to do with each other.
06:40 AM on 03/19/2011
The haters will make any connection that fits their hatred!
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02:43 PM on 03/19/2011
You might have a better chance telling me there is a Santa Claus.
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cjohnathan
I speak only in hyperbolic statements...
03:46 AM on 03/20/2011
I hope your family learns love in spite of you ...
hfpf
Wake up World.
12:59 AM on 03/19/2011
There is a reason that Middle East scholar Aaron Miller has said, "Jews worry for a living, because the arc of history has taught them to."

If you forget history you are condemned to repeat it.

I for one, will keep worrying.
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MarcEdward
likes all cats more than most people
08:25 PM on 03/19/2011
Needless worrying is not "wise", it's just spinning your wheels. Teaching kids to expect fear and persecution makes them see every normal every day happening through the lens of persecution where none exists.
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Naithom
Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me vide
09:03 PM on 03/19/2011
I think it's not so much worry, as never allowing ourselves to become complacent. Recognizing that if it's happened before, it can happen again.