I don't know when it started to be cool to be Jewish. But somehow, the stereotype of the Jewish comedian has morphed from the nebbish Woody Allen to the cool Jon Stewart and Sarah Silverman. Jews have gone mainstream. This is progress. No longer sidelined as much, maligned by the mainstream, or ridiculed, Jews have the opportunity in modern America to be cool. (Just ask Drake if you don't believe me.)
Growing up as this transition was happening, I was taught to appreciate the successes of fellow members of the tribe. Most notably, this appreciation is codified in Adam Sandler's Chanukah Song, but it extends to other industries as well. When a Jew gets a promotion or gets elected, I am supposed to be proud, simply because I am also a Jew.
However, this acceptance of Jews into the mainstream allows Jews to feel a part of that mainstream. Which means? Jewish Republicans. And I am supposed to be proud that a Jew is House Majority Leader. I am supposed to say "look at our progress" when a Jew is on the frontline of the fight to deny Americans basic rights? I'm sorry, but I can't feel proud of that. It's a shonde.
Showing posts with label popular culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label popular culture. Show all posts
18 September 2011
15 September 2011
Amy Winehouse
Sorry this post is so late. I don't often post about random popular culture, but here goes. In the hours following the death of musician Amy Winehouse, the media frenzy went forward on two fronts. The first question they examined was whether the singer had overdosed, and the second question they examined was whether the singer's family's desire to have a Jewish funeral for their daughter was appropriate.
Amy Winehouse is the Jewish girl that gave Jewish girls the ability to not be so nice. She was always open about her background and never apologetic that her life was not beholden to halachah. Adherence to Jewish law is not the only factor that makes a Jew, and Winehouse's parents and family should have been free to bury her in a fashion they saw fit (assuming she had no documentation indicating otherwise) without question. In Judaism, caring for the dead is considered the highest mitzvah because the deceased cannot bury themselves. And whether the person in question followed the commandments is not at issue. The burial does not become more or less kosher based on the actions of the deceased.
Not all Jews are observant, and not all who are not Orthodox lack all observance. So someone who was not a nice Jewish girl can be buried as soon as possible according to Jewish custom without a contradiction.
Amy Winehouse is the Jewish girl that gave Jewish girls the ability to not be so nice. She was always open about her background and never apologetic that her life was not beholden to halachah. Adherence to Jewish law is not the only factor that makes a Jew, and Winehouse's parents and family should have been free to bury her in a fashion they saw fit (assuming she had no documentation indicating otherwise) without question. In Judaism, caring for the dead is considered the highest mitzvah because the deceased cannot bury themselves. And whether the person in question followed the commandments is not at issue. The burial does not become more or less kosher based on the actions of the deceased.
Not all Jews are observant, and not all who are not Orthodox lack all observance. So someone who was not a nice Jewish girl can be buried as soon as possible according to Jewish custom without a contradiction.
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