Written by Kearin Green
Let’s start off with the many topics which arise in random conversation with Jews or those who identify as a Jew. Often people may feel the need to exclaim that the Jewish person looks Jewish. Depending on the recipient, they may respond with ‘thanks’ or ‘uh…I guess so’. Another question which may come up is one sparked by curiosity, being telling the ‘gentiles’ (non-Jews) what they believe in or practice. If I was the Jew in question, I would politely explain that I’m a cultural Jew; I was born to Ashkenazi Jewish parents, raised the bare minimum Modern Orthodox, was batmizvahed at 12 and decided by the time I was 14 that I was agnostic and not interested in the practice. However, despite this, being Jewish is a big part of my identity and one that I enjoy embracing and expressing.
This response may be greeted with interest, or the expression of those too polite yet audacious enough to give you a non-verbal response of ‘that’s absolute rubbish', or ‘so you’re not actually Jewish then’ even though I know what I’m talking about and am confident enough to say that. You can only imagine what the other possible question is, which I have fortunately not been requested to answer: “do you agree with Israel’s action?” People are really chutspuah enough to ask.
This question is something that is terrifically debated between two prominent Jewish figures, David Baddiel and Miriam Margoyles, in Baddiel’s Channel 4 Documentary Jews Don’t Count (based on his bestselling book of the same name). Baddiel, who considers himself a left-wing, liberal Jew as well as an atheist, explains to Margoyles that he feels no connection to Israel as a British Jew, and feels it ridiculous that he should have any responsibility for Israel just because he was born Jewish. Margoyles, who also considers herself a liberal and atheist Jew, believes the Israelis are the Jewish people and are connected to Jews wherever they are from or born. That as Jewish people, we have to take responsibility and acknowledge Israel’s actions against Palestine. The argument is considered one that arises due to generational differences (Margoyles is 23 years older than Baddiel) but it is also based on how you are raised as a Jew. It is a fascinating argument, and just one many brilliant points brought up in the hour-long special.
David Baddiel and Neil Gaiman in Jews Don't Count. Via the Financial Times
Baddiel, alongside his comedic career, has become a highly-respected commentator on anti-Semitism in the UK and on social media internationally. His arguments are often extremely logical, supported by significant evidence and personal experience of antisemitism and abuse on social media. He has been called a Zionist scum via an Instagram DM (a Zionist is simply the belief that Jewish people should have their own homeland, despite the slur it’s considered to be across social media. Baddiel, however, doesn’t even identify as a Zionist) and has been accused of ‘conjuring anti-semitism out of thin air’ by the media.
The documentary is made of Baddiel’s own debate and discussion with pivotal Jewish celebrity figures. These guests range from actors and comedians like Stephen Fry, David Schwimmer, and Sarah Silverman, to writers like Neil Gaimen and Dara Horn. Dana shares a story about a time she saw swastikas drawn across a university campus, and that blame was traced back to students since the spray cans used for the horrid act were found in the recycling bin the next morning. “It’s literally like their ideology was let’s kill the Jews but save the turtles”, she recalls.
Instead of discussing Jewish religious practices, being Jewish- in Baddiel’s opinion, which is shared amongst those who are interviewed in his documentary- is just as much a race and ethnicity as it is a religious practice. Many terms like ‘passing’ are brought up to describe not having stereotypical Jewish facial features (specifically Ashkenazi features like large noses, darker skin and curly hair etc). Not only is this term used to dodge anti-semitism in daily life, but in the darker, wider picture, if the Nazis were around gathering the Jews up now, would one be able to ‘pass’ as a gentile? This is something which is brought up during Neil Gaimen’s interview, who recalls his youngest daughter having ‘beautiful Jewish features’ but knowing what this would mean for her if she was around in the 1930s/1940s. It is a devastating realisation within the documentary and brings silence between both Baddiel and Gaimen.
The documentary overall covers the trials and tribulations of Jewish modern identity. No one is debating Jewish practices or religious aspects; they are more interested in what it means to be part of the Jewish population and the danger which comes from just being a Jew. In Sarah Silverman’s interview, she details a conversation with an NBC executive about something as simple as Jewish origins, and the idea that if Winona Ryder had run her career with her birth name of Winona Horowitz, she wouldn’t have been cast in something like Age of Innocence (1992).
And after spending an hour speculating with David Baddiel about how hard it can be to a Jew even in this day and age, it felt justified to think people might just be that cruel.
Jews Don’t Count is available to stream on Channel 4.
About The Author: Kearin Green (she/her)
Hi, I’m Kearin and I am the magazine’s Welfare Officer! I am a second year Film Production student and am currently committed to using our support platform to give mental health a louder voice at our university. I also write about cinema, political issues, humour pieces and whatever comes to mind.
(This piece was edited by Amber Turner-Brightman)
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