A Question of Blood and Belief - Part Three

By David Tamas-Parris, Candidate for A.A. at the University of Vermont

(Link to part 1: http://51ststateofmind.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-question-of-blood-and-belief.html)

(Link to part 2: http://51ststateofmind.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-question-of-blood-and-belief-part-two.html)

It would seem just from the above information that Jews are their own race. It isn’t, however, so simple. The divisions among Jews make it difficult to think of the group as one race. There are certainly differences in physical appearance between Jews of different background, and in Israel, where they all live together, there has been corresponding tension. Especially of note are the Beta Israel community, who are Jews from Ethiopia whom most people in the United States would describe as “Black.” These Jews were subjected to discrimination parallel to that of Blacks in the United States. Upon immigration to Israel, many faced nonconsensual injections of birth control, mirroring the American eugenics movement (The Independent). Using the same logic as expressed throughout this paper, one could reasonably argue that the divisions among the Jewish ethnicity can be considered races of their own. So, there isn’t quite an answer for whether “Jewish” is a race. When having a discussion about race, a social construct, one discusses how society forms ideas concerning a group of people. But different societies think differently, so whether a group is defined as a race depends heavily on the context. For example, it would be difficult to argue that the Rwandan Genocide came out of anything but racism, but it came from a conflict among two groups that most Americans would describe as “Black.” Since race doesn’t really exist for any good reason, racial divisions aren’t necessarily obvious, and this is demonstrated among Jews. 

    Although it depends on the context, Jews are a race in most respects. The definition of race allows for this, and the possibility of identification, on top of malice towards the group provide strong justification, although there are complications. Race is deeply flawed concept, but one that is necessary to face. Many Jews don’t prefer to see themselves as a race, essentially since the most prominent man to hold this position was a certain failed painter-turned-statesman. When talking to a friend about the premise of the paper, she replied that making the case for Jews as a race concerned her because she thought it would lead to more division. The point is valid. If the public acknowledged Jews as a separate race, more people might be encouraged to “other” us. I am not, however, arguing that my argument be adopted into public opinion. This is a completely different debate, and one that should occur, but I am simply trying to find truth, not necessarily to publicize it. I am contending that the flawed concept of race makes a comparable amount of sense applied to Jews as to anyone else whom we apply it.

Best regards, 

 David Tamas-Parris