The generalized representation of Jews which is often caricatured and of anantisemitic and prejudice nature enumerates the stereotypes of Jews. For over 2, 000 years the Jewish Diaspora have been stereotyped, as such, linking them to a multitude of societal problems. In the Third Reich, the antis emit ism which was still in progress had reached its climax. The modern-day Jews even appeared to be stingy misers, greedy, nit-picky and often were depicted as propaganda posters collecting diamonds or counting money. Some of the common
traditions and phrases which are used to ridicule Jewishness include klezmer, kvetching, shalom, mazeltov, and oy vey.
Distinct Physical Features in Jews
One of the most commonfeatures which characterize an individual as a Jew is the idea of the aquiline or the “Jewish nose.” This stereotype is traced back to the 13th Century. A detailed doodle is one of the earliest records of anti-Jewish caricature in the upper margin of the Receipt Exchequer Roll in 1233.
Concerning their hair, Jews are somewhat presumed to be hairy and swarthy, in most cases, they are associated with a hair texture
know as “Jewfro.” In other societies Auricularia cornea is used to describe an edible woodland Fungus, it is also commonly referred to as the “Hairy Jew’s Ear.”
Medieval Europe
An element which constitutes the most damaging anti-Jewish stereotype is the portrayal of Jews as theprimary historical enemies of Christendom and Christianity. In many occasions, Jews were depicted as consorts who bore evil plan. In the physical perspective, Jews were portrayed as hirsute, menacing, with boils, and other bodily deformities. The propaganda leaned on Jews, describing them as an inferior race.
Even though Jews had not been mainly identified with money lending in antiquity, a stereotype in this capacity arose at the beginning of the 11th Century. The prohibition of usury by the Catholic Church meant that Jews were the leading representatives of trade, even though not all Jews practiced money lending.
Prevalence in the United States
By the Jewish Stereotypes, three clusters of traits were developed by David Schneider. In this particular case, manipulative and powerful is considered the first and primary trait. Secondly, accusations of dividing their loyalties between Israel and the United States. The third set of attributes were linked to the aggressiveness, clannishness, and the Jewish materialistic values.
Basing on the constitutive fact that America primarily constitutes of immigrants, the identity of the Jews is enumerated as highly voluntary, negotiable, and fluid. As such, the colonies allowed the Jews to live openly as Jews, within the first Jewish communities. In the eyes of the colonial, the attitude the Jews had, was linked to several assets for business.
It was of the objective of most Jews to settle in the port cities and thrive in a trade by relying on community and family ties for negotiation purposes. Peddling played a constitutive role of shedding their outward stereotypical appearance. On the positive side, some of the Americans had positive views concerning the Jews’ family and ethics. A significant percentage of Americans convicted that Jews had an extraordinary commitment to civil rights and social justice, and also shared in the emphasis on the importance of family life.
Jewish Women
One of the typical stock character and stereotype used by most of the Jewish and non-Jewish film writers, authors, and comedians is the
Jewish wife or the Jewish mother stereotype. In this stereotype, a lot of nagging, over-protectiveness, talkativeness, and an overbearing wife or mother, who will continuously persist in interfering in her children’s lives, even long after they have become adults. All these actions tend to befall the typical mother, as such, the children, in this case, are left feeling guilty for the pains they caused their mothers.
The stereotypical Jewish mothers are described by Jackie Mason, as parents who have attained expertise in the field of needling their children in achieving honorary degrees in the Jewish Acupuncture. As a result of the importance which is traditionally placed on the home and family, the Jewish mother at some point will have to develop the attributes highlighted above.
The character ofthe Jewish mother has also been premiered in the popular television program The
Big Bang Theory, in 2007. The nature of Howard Wolowitz’s mother, which is only heard as a voice character, is enumerated as overprotective, loud, and overbearing of her son. Also, in the television show South Park, Sheila Broflovki who is the mother of the main character Kyle, is Jewish
and represents a caricature of the stereotype. This is linked to her role and ethnicity, which subjects her to speak loudly and being overprotective of her son.
The Jewish American Princess
The Jewish American Princess is a pejorative stereotype which portrays some of the Jewish women as a bunch of spoiled brats. In several occasions, this stereotype is linked to materialism and selfishness, which is attributed to a wealthy background or a pampered lifestyle. The Jewish Princess is the humor which can be used to describe this stereotype.
In rare occasions, the Jewish American Princess is used for jokes in both the inside and outside of the Jewish Community. In recent years several attempts to re-appropriate the term “JAP” Jewish American Princess and incorporate it as a part of cultural identity has been made. It also has received several criticisms for its sexist basis, and the pejorative branding of young Jewish American women as materialistic and spoiled.
The Jewish Men
The stereotype evolving around the Jewish masculinity circulating within the American Jewish community is the cute Jewish Boy. The attributes of the sweet Jewish boy are derived from the Ashkenazic. The resistance a Jewish male launches with the primary objective of becoming a regular guy is found in the Jewish American Literature.
Over the years the Jewish stereotypes in literature have undergone continuous evolution. The persistence which is presented concerning the Jewish stereotypes suggests that the treatment which is currently being given to the Jews in literature is entirely static. It was substantially unaffected by the changes in the Jewish situation in the general society as that society itself changed.