When my huge extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins) moved from New York to NC when I was 3 yrs. old, most of the people here had never seen Jewish people and those that had, feared them because they had no understanding of the religion. When I started school, the kids behind me looked through my hair for horns because their parents had told them that “Jews have horns”.
I endured many years, through junior high, of anti-semitism, country clubs and other organizations that we were not allowed to join and even today, in 2018, there’s a country club nearby that has a “quota” on the number of Jewish members. I use the word Jewish, because I personally find the word “JEW” offensive since I was called that, as if it was a negative description. I’m not sure how others feel about that.
At 3, until my teens, no grocery stores knew what a bagel was or carried Passover foods. Our synagogue placed an order with a store in Richmond or Atlanta and we picked it up at the bus station. Kosher? Those that needed kosher meats ordered as well and picked it up at the bus on dry ice twice a month.
At the age of 15, I was invited by a classmate to his country club dance. My Mom had purchased the gown, purse, dyed to match shoes and I had an appt. to have my hair “put up” that afternoon. The night before the dance, his mother called mine to cancel because she said she found out “I was a Jew and I was not permitted to enter their club.” Her son didn’t realize.
There are neighborhoods here still around today that we know we are not welcomed. Gated communities that will turn down an application to purchase a house or lot to build if your name sounds Jewish, suspect you are or hear from someone else that you may be Jewish.....practicing your religion or not. Many families went “underground”, my parents called it. They changed their names, joined the clubs, didn’t associate with other Jewish families and if questioned, did not acknowledge their religion. This continues to this day.
When we moved down, there were generations of Southern Jewish families in the small towns who owned clothing stores, jewelry stores, etc. Gentiles would shop there, but they were still not welcomed into the community. They built their own synagogues...50 members or less or met in someone’s home for services.
This thread has been more than upsetting to me to hear discussions about Jewish neighbors not being included and many reasons were either out of ignorance, fear they may accept and then what if they want to be friends? Then what do we do w/ the Jews next door? Amazing to me the number of people who still have no idea what the religion is and its practices along with the many degrees of Judaism.
I have asked the moderators to close this discussion several times because I assumed religious discussions (& politics) were against the forum standards. Obviously, anything goes.
.....but not for me. I’m not going to attempt to explain why you invite any neighbor over for any meal or for just a cup a coffee....whether it’s religion, they have one leg, don’t agree w/ political views, child has autism and don’t understand how to act around him/her....This entire discussion is based on not being inclusive and I’ve had more than enough of that in my life.
Shanus
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