July 28, 2024
Many years ago I did a college Summer Break working the graveyard shift (till 11pm) on the docks of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. One night, while smoking ganja with an all Black African crew, a wizened senior member of the crew (who I hadn’t had any prior communication with) called me a Jew. I said I wasn’t a Jew, but he replied that I was. After a few go-arounds — I gave up and consented to be a Jew.
I didn’t feel any different having done so.
Many years later I was having lunch with a former colleague (whom I had hired). I must have said something about ordering pork sliders — to which my lunch mate replied: But you’re a Jew (he is Jewish). I said I wasn’t — to which he replied, “Of course you are.” After a few back-and-forths he said “You had me fooled.” I didn’t think I had been trying to fool him about anything?
These are just 2 of the prominent examples of people pegging me as a Jew. Something about me must radiate Jewishness.
But I’ve been called a Nazi as well.
Back in the day, I had a fun colleague (who is Jewish [perhaps a Zionist?]). He had an interesting tattoo on his hand of a six-point star. I’m sure I asked him about this tattoo more than once — but he never gave me an answer as to what it symbolized.
Anyway, one night we both had too much to drink and he asked me if I’d been to any of the concentration camps (knowing I am of German descent). I replied “Yes I have.” (I had been to Dachau twice and counted quite a bit of reading on Auschwitz as a ‘quasi’ visit.)
Thinking we could be candid with each other (based on our 20-year relationship and my seeming Jewishness) — I asked if the #6 (referring to the 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust) had any symbolic significance — because in some of the meticulously gathered Nazi records — the death toll of murdered Jews does not reach 6 million?
I asked: Would it make any difference if it were only 5 million Jews? Or 5.7 million rounded up??
My colleague called me a Holocaust denier and a Nazi (Readers will recall that I had often been called a Nazi in my youth because of my aforementioned German Mother).
We later patched things up with me apologizing (for what I’m still not sure) and he accepting this apology. All was well: we could talk Dodgers, Lakers and Trojans again… until I came upon an article about Zionism on the internet: written by one, David Icke.
When I forwarded this article to my colleague — he went off on me again. I can’t remember if he called me a Nazi, again. I think he did. And this time I knew our relationship was over. I have missed our sports talk ever since.
For the record, I enjoy civil, mature discussions on just about any topic imaginable! But it seems that certain questions or statements about Jewishness trigger stoppers to further discussion on the subject: on the grounds of Antisemitism. It is as if something like the “N” word is spoken.
In this Antisemitism series I aim to understand the subtleties surrounding this “ism” — as overt examples are easily identifiable and condemned. Not only do I want to keep my current Jewish friends (and perhaps make new ones) but I want to hold my ground should anyone accuse me of being antisemitic when I certainly didn’t intend to be.