The Role of Jewish Americans in American Society

Although Jewish Americans comprise less than three percent of the country's total population, their influence and importance has been significant throughout the nation's history. Jewish immigration to America has been happening for nearly 400 years. One of the first significant movements of Jewish people occurred in 1645, when Jews of Sephardic origin (from Spain and Portugal) were expelled from their home countries and immigrated to the U.S.

The greatest migration of Jews to the U.S. came voluntarily and simultaneously with the great European immigration in the early 20^th century. These Jewish people were much more likely to remain in the U.S. than other ethnic groups. Between 1908 and 1937, one-third of all European immigrants left the U.S., whereas only five percent of Jewish immigrants returned home. Also, these Jewish immigrants were often less observant of Judaic religious customs than those who remained in Europe (Schaefer 360). The U.S. may have symbolized freedom for the Jews because the young nation had no history of anti-Semitism (Schaefer 360).

The third wave of Jewish immigration came at the brink of WWII. Jewish refugees fled from Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, the Ukraine, and other countries to escape the impending war. Many of these Jews were more religiously orthodox than previous Jewish immigrants (Schaefer 360). Continuing through the twentieth century, an estimated 500,000 Jews immigrated to the U.S. during the 1960s and '70s. While the majority came from Israel, a large number also crossed the Atlantic to escape persecution in the Soviet Union and Iran. Today, the Jewish population in the U.S. is the largest in the world, approximately 6 million, accounting for 46 percent of the world's Jewish population and about 2 percent of the total U.S. population.

Though a plurality of Jews live in the U.S., they still experience ethnic tension in America. Early anti-Semitism, because of the Jewish population's small size, went nearly unnoticed, except of course by the Jewish population (Schaefer 364). An early example of discrimination and an attempt to separate Jews from the rest of the population is Peter Stuyvesant, governor of New Amsterdam in 1654, who attempted to expel the new Jewish colonial immigrants from the city and failed.

Greater social discrimination surfaced beginning in the 1870s, when colleges began to limit Jewish admittance or exclude Jews altogether. In the 1920's and '30's, anti-Semitism hit its peak in the U.S. A few well-known discriminatory groups were the KKK and the German American Bund. Even automotive leader Henry Ford published anti-Semitic material in his company newspaper, the Dearborn Independent, for seven years.

Perpetuated stereotypes have played and continue to play large role in discrimination against Jewish Americans. A 2004 survey found that 26 percent of Americans felt Jews were responsible for Christ's death 2000 years ago (Schaefer 361). Another stereotype, which assumes Jews are cunning and opportunistic money handlers, can be explained by the fringe-values-theory. "For centuries, the Christian church prohibited the taking of interest in the repayment of loans, calling it the sin of usury. Consequently, in the minds of Europeans, the sinful practice of money lending was equated with Jews," although most Jews were not moneylenders, and those who were usually did not charge interest (Schaefer 361).

The typical Jewish stereotype [hook-nosed and dark-haired, curly hair] can be seen in Leonardo's "Last Supper"; the swarthy, hook-nosed Judas stands out among the Caucasian apostolic band. According to one research study, however, Jews tend to reflect the physical characteristics of the surrounding people. Among English Jews 26% have blond hair and among German Jews 32%. An American research project concluded that only 4% of American Jews exhibit the 'typical' hooked nose" ("Stereotypes").

As these stereotypes and American anti-Semitism in general reached their peak in the decades after World War I, true acceptance of Jews into American society may have seemed unlikely, if not impossible. In the decade after World War II, however, Jews began to experience a newfound sense of economic and intellectual prosperity. These improvements came as a result of a booming post-war economy and 1944's GI Bill of Rights, which provided monetary support and access to higher-level education for war veterans (Brodkin 38). For a number of reasons, the GI Bill heavily favored white male veterans and Jewish Americans consequently began to see themselves being afforded the same societal rights as other Americans of European decent.

In the words of author Karen Brodkin, "[The fact that] white men of northwestern and southeastern European ancestry were treated equally in theory and practice with regard to the benefits they received was part of the larger postwar whitening of Jews and other eastern and southern Europeans" (Brodkin 50). While anti-semitism was not erased during this period, economic and educational success for Jewish Americans was able to counter much of the discrimination and stereotyping they had experienced in the past and facilitate a thorough assimilation into American society and the concept of "whiteness."

This severe anti-Semitism of the 1920's has never been matched. The U.S. government never supported such discrimination, nor was anti-Semitism ever institutionalized in the U.S (Schaefer 365). However, some anti-Semitism still exists in the U.S. today. "A 2003 national survey found that 9 percent [of Americans] felt anti-Semitism was a 'very serious problem' and 48 percent 'somewhat of a problem' in the U.S" (Schaefer 365). According to records collected by the Anti-Defamation League, in 2002 there were 1,559 incidents of harassment, threat, assault, and vandalism against Jewish Americans.

When surveying the effect of Jews on broader American society, one can find heavy influence in many areas of culture and politics. The struggles and actions of Jewish Americans for civil rights are particularly integral to American history, as Jewish Americans most often fought for causes that improved the social standing of not only themselves, but also other minority groups. One of the first notable policies that Jewish Americans united to advocate against was the National Origins Quota of 1924. This act, which heavily restricted incoming immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe, reflected anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic views of Americans at the time. Jewish communities became an integral voice in the opposition of this policy, which was in place until the 1960's (MacDonald).

At this same time, many Jewish communities began to incorporate socialist and communist ideologies. This led to a growing involvement in a number of labor movements that were already in place. Jewish membership in labor unions increased drastically and a number of leftist and worker's rights newspapers published in Yiddish grew in popularity (Soyer). These united efforts of the Jewish population, specifically left-leaning Jews, furthered positive advances in labor movements for all ethnicities.

By the 1960's, the economic and social standing of Jewish Americans had greatly improved, which led to a decrease in involvement within worker's right circles (Sachar). This did not, however, cease their involvement in civil rights movements in general. At this time, a united Jewish American population participated in a number of public demonstrations with African Americans that created a lasting partnership that remains today. Among the most notable actions combining Jewish Americans and African Americans was 1965's march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The march, focusing on voting rights, found Rabbi Abraham Heschel and African American leader Martin Luther King Jr. joining arms and leading a group of hundreds of protestors in the action against discriminatory voting rights policies (Heschel).

Theologian Seymour Siegel explains Jewish involvement in the reform and liberation of other minority groups by saying, "From our Jewish historic experience of three and a half thousand years we say: Our ancient history began with slavery and the yearning for freedom." Siegel continues, "It is, above all and beyond all such sympathies and emotions, a sense of complete identification and solidarity born of our own painful historic experience [that motivates us]" (Siegel). The bond formed in this era between Jewish and African Americans has persisted to this day and is reflected in organizations such as the African American / Jewish Coalition for Justice.

Jews played made a large contribution to the US military during WWII. The Manhattan project was a coalition of scientists working to establish the upper hand for the US military force by producing a bomb developed from the theories of Albert Einstein. Many of the scientists who worked directly on the bomb were Jewish; some even escaped the Nazis in Germany and worked on the bomb (Manhattan Project).

The motion picture industry, which started as a very modest and almost unnoticed form of entertainment, was dramatically improved by early movie industry moguls, who were predominantly Jewish immigrants. Columbia, Warner Brothers, Paramount and Universal were all started by Jews (Libo). This is one of the influences that is the most pervasive in American culture, not only because of how large the industry is, but also how present Jews are in the business today.

The political power of Jewish Americans can be seen in their participation of current politics. This ethnic group has the largest turn out for voting, and with 60 to 70 percent aligning themselves with the Democratic party (Kosmin, 2001). The high voter turnout usually causes them to be very effective in elections. 94 percent o f the Jewish American population also resides in 13 key electoral states, which combined can ensure a victory for any candidate. In the past election, 78 percent voted for president Obama (Kosmin, 2001). Also there are 13 Jewish Americans in the Senate and 30 in the House of Representatives. These positions afford Jews a prominent political power, even though their population may be relatively small (Kosmin, 2001).

Looking to the future, the socio-economic outlook for Jewish Americans is very promising. 35 percent of Jewish Americans are receiving college graduate degrees, giving them one of the highest percentages of higher education. They have, on average, the second longest lives, with 22 percent over the age of 65. Jewish Americans have a higher salary on average, bringing them to 46 percent over the $100,000 per year mark. They are also well involved with social events and believe that the U.S. should be involved in world affairs (New Study, 2003).

Jewish Americans face assimilation, like every other ethnic group in America. The intermarriage or interfaith couples has some concerned. Forty to fifty percent of Jewish American couples are interfaith, and with only 33% of each couple choosing Judaism coupled with low birth rates, the Jewish American population is decreasing. To combat this problem, many children started rediscovering their Jewish roots, and choosing to follow the Judaism path, even though their parents did not force them (Bard, 2003).

It is clear that Jewish Americans have had a significant impact on American society and culture. While influencing civil rights struggles, the business world, Hollywood, and more, they have established themselves as an ethnic group that truly shapes the nation as a whole.

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