we need to talk about jews
howdy people. so in light of nazis being terrible as usual i decided to put together a comprehensive list of things you should not do when using a jewish faceclaim and/or writing a jewish character. bc hey, education is key and really do you want us coming for your ass? (no, you do not. we bite.)
what not to do when using a jewish faceclaim and/or writing a jewish character when you are not jewish:
writing a witch character with a jewish fc is a messy path to go down. jews were often depicted in propaganda as having grassy complexions, and the 1215 fourth council of the lateran required all jews to identify themselves by wearing the judenhat (“jewish hat” or “horned skullcap”).
in 1431, hungarian legal codes required first-time sorcery offenders to walk among their peers in “peaked jews’ caps.” aka the pointy hat we’ve come to associate the stereotypical witch with. if you’re writing a witch character with a jewish faceclaim do not under any circumstances depict them with these stereotypical witch traits.
another thing to avoid is using demonic imagery (horns, cloven hooves, tails, honestly this one is obvious) when using a jewish faceclaim. depicting jews as deformed and satanic has always been a method of oppression for my people.
another obvious one, don’t use a jewish faceclaim to depict a money-hungry/greedy character, especially if your character is also jewish.
nagging jewish mother stereotype. don’t do it.
jewish-american-princess stereotype. don’t do that either.
nice jewish boy is no a lot of the time. think about your portrayal. is his niceness a comment on his masculinity? is he nonthreatening because he is nice or because he is jewish and nice?
jewish lawyer stereotypes. listen i’m all for you writing jewish lawyers but keep in mind we are often portrayed as lawyers in media and writing bc of the association that lawyers are manipulative, greedy, and liars.
the self-hating jew. this concept originated during the mid-nineteenth century when a lot of orthodox jews and reformed jews accused either side of betraying jewish identity. nowadays it’s often used as a tactic to silence jews from commenting or criticizing israel’s actions.
the nice jewish girl. see nice jewish boy except she is a domestic, darkhaired woman who dreams of marrying a nice jewish boy and one day becoming the nagging jewish mother.
a few extra tidbits that don’t involve antisemitism:
not all jews have mothers that are jewish. many of us were raised jewish with jewish fathers and secular mothers. many of our mothers converted (my grandma did)
many jews are not regular practicers, many of us were raised in a culturally jewish environment but were given a choice or not made to go to hebrew school or mitzvah’d. these people still have every right to lay claim to their jewishness. don’t even start.
jewish ≠ zionist. not all jews are zionists and not all zionists are jews. for a lot of us this is a very conflicting, very sensitive subject. so really don’t bring it up if you’re looking to start a fight. we’ll shut your ass down so quick you’ll get whiplash.
not all jews speak yiddish. very rarely do we speak fluent yiddish especially in america. most of the time we simply use phrases and sayings.
if you’re not jewish, don’t use the term jew. we’ve reclaimed that term and for a lot of us it makes us upset bc it’s a method of dehumanizing us.
not all jews are white! many of us are poc. don’t just write white jews.
aaaaand that about covers everything i can remember. i honestly don’t like bringing these hurtful stereotypes up bc i just know some asshole is gonna use it as inspiration. but if anyone has anything to add (preferably if you are also jewish) please feel free to reblog and write them up yourself or im me so i can do it!
theartofmadeline
discoholicmusic
germansingergirl
kaledo-art
dailybridgerton
annaxmalina
titsay
stormborns
