American Jew

When I was looking for a picture that describes how “Jews Became White Folks” this picture automatically caught my eye. This picture symbolizes all of America’s colors, stripes, and stars. This picture also represents Jews in the sense that it is shaped as the Star of David.

In class we studied all of the ways different races have become a form of the American community: Japanese, Asians, Mexicans, Africans, Jews, etc. In one of our recent classes we have read an article by Karen Brodkin called “How Jews Became White Folks.” We’ve discussed their travels, their hardships, and their struggle for the American Dream. Karen wrote, “It is certainly true that the United States has a history of anti-Semitism and of beliefs that Jews are members of an inferior race.” To overcome this belief is mind boggling. The American Dream for a person of Jewish decent is to survive in the United States while maintaining their culture. For a Jewish person to be successful he not only needs to endure the racism, hardships, and labor, he needs to bring his family and heritage into this melting pot of a country. That is where this picture comes into play. The all-known Jewish symbol mixed with the colors and stars of the American flag covers the American Dream with a little bit of Jewish culture thrown in.

I literally typed in American Jew and this picture came up. That tells you right there what people think about when they think about Jewish Americans. And another quick fact is that someone had to draw this picture. That means that in someone’s mind the combination of the American flag the number one representation of the American Dream mixed with the Star of David equals an American Jew. But as far as struggling for the dream I believe that the Jews had the least hardest time. They already had the white skin pigmentation they just came from another country and had a slightly different religious belief. But none-the-less they were discriminated against over and over. I think that racism will never end but hope is still alive.

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