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I’m Jewish, and you?

Do we live in what amounts to a white, Christian, middle-class, straight, male society?

Ask yourself. Now answer. Honestly.

Of course we do. As a white, middle-class male, I am constantly reminded of how my socio-economic caste dominates just about everything in the United States. The fact that most universities have a Black Student Union or a gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender group or a Jewish or Muslim or Bahai student group, tells us that society is not addressing their needs or interests enough. The fact that these groups exist is testament to the need for them.

Why isn’t there a white students’ group? Simple. There is, and it is called the Establishment. It is the university, it is the college, and it is the school itself. In general, the white, straight, middle-class, Christian male is who is running things.

I am Jewish (a term that I always have found funny. It sounds like I am just a little bit of a Jew … Jew-ish). I was raised within the Reform Jewish faith, and I strongly consider myself to be both culturally and ethnically a Jew. While I don’t really practice the religious aspects of Judaism at this point in my life (I like to tell people I don’t really need to practice anymore; I’m already pretty good at it), being Jewish is very firmly a part of who I am.

I come from, originally, a town (Buffalo, N.Y.) that has a relatively large Jewish community. My first higher education experience was at UB, the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, a school of 28,000 students, 30 percent of whom were Jewish. Over 50 percent of the professors were Jewish. It was known, throughout the SUNY system, in a nonpolitically correct way, as Jew B.

At UB, Jewish students had a nice little bonus: we got the High Holy Days off. (Well, everyone did.) In Judaism, Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) is followed 10 days later by Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). These are, religiously speaking, the most important holidays of the year, and many Jews spend these days at prayer, in synagogue.

At UB, we got these two days off. Out here, it seems like most people haven’t even heard of them. Getting the day off from work is a hassle, and getting excused from class takes explanation.

Here’s the thing: Seattle is (at least in my opinion) a pretty liberal, forward-thinking town. People are most often happy to let everyone else be whatever they want to be. The funny thing about it is Seattle is VERY white and VERY Christian.

Upon moving out here, I quickly became the token Jew, oftentimes I was the ONLY Jew people had met. Seattle is also very segregated. I work downtown, and when I wait for my bus I notice a bunch of white faces waiting on the northbound side of the street and a bunch of colored faces waiting on the southbound side of the street. Doesn’t it seem strange that this happens even here, in this Shangri-La of liberalism?

As the token Jew, I am always quite happy to answer questions or explain things to gentile friends of mine. It is a chance to share with others, and oftentimes, a chance for me to learn about their religious, cultural or ethnic backgrounds. This sharing and learning is a vital component of personal growth. Sometimes, though, being the only Jew just makes me feel like I am getting the short end of the stick.

I am subjected to “Merry Christmas” greetings for a solid month. It was only in the past few years that people started saying “Happy Holidays.” When I first moved out here 10 years ago, even close friends of mine who knew I was Jewish said “Merry Christmas.” I actually had one friend tell me that he couldn’t think of anything else to say. (The nonsectarian “Happy holidays” or “Seasons greetings” had obviously never occurred to him.)

Everyone I know goes nuts with the constant bombardment of Christmas music everywhere you go. Nowadays this aural assault runs from right after Halloween straight up until Christmas Eve. My Christian friends can’t stand this. Think about how I feel. I don’t even celebrate the holiday. How would you like it if I forced you to listen to “Draidel Draidel Draidel, I made it out of clay,” over and over for two months straight. Up until Adam Sandler and the “Chanukah Song,” that damned “Draidel” song was the only one we even had.

The fact that most gentiles think that Chanukah is a major holiday in Judaism shows the basic ignorance of a Christian dominated society. Chanukah is a relatively minor holiday that has been pumped up by marketing executives because it is close to Christmas. That’s the only reason most gentiles have even heard of it. You haven’t heard of Tu B’Shevat, or Simchah Torah or Sukkot, have you? All of these holidays hold far more religious significance than Chanukah; they just aren’t nearly as marketable.

I realize that I am going off on a rant here. What I really want to do is to challenge you to think about the box that society has put us all in.

How much do you know about others? Do you know about Muslim holidays like Milad-un Nabi (Maulid), or Ramadan and Eid al Fitr? How about all of the beautiful and moving Hindu festivals? Don’t laugh at me because I don’t eat on Yom Kippur; ask me why. Go to a Moslem Student Union event. Find out about something you don’t know.

Classes are not the only educational opportunity here on campus. Learn about our fellow students, their backgrounds and where they come from. Not only do we have an opportunity to do something special, to broaden our world, we have a responsibility to do so. As a society, we would be far less willing to hate, to mistrust, to commit acts of aggression against people of differing backgrounds (religiously, culturally and ethnically) if we got over our xenophobia and took the time to educate ourselves. An institution of higher learning (such as SCC) is a wonderful opportunity to do just that.