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]'s ''Behind the Fence'']] ]'s ''Behind the Fence'']]


'''''Shiksa''''' ({{lang-yi|]|translit=shikse}}) is an often disparaging,<ref name=MW>{{cite Merriam-Webster|shiksa|access-date=May 22, 2016}}</ref> although not always, term for a ]{{efn|Non-Jewish}} woman or girl. The word, which is of ] origin, has moved into ] usage and some ] usage (as well as ] and ]), mostly in ]n ]. '''''Shiksa''''' ({{lang-yi|]|translit=shikse}}) is an <ref name=MW>{{cite Merriam-Webster|shiksa|access-date=May 22, 2016}}</ref> term for a ]{{efn|Non-Jewish}} woman or girl. The word, which is of ] origin, has moved into ] usage and some ] usage (as well as ] and ]), mostly in ]n ].


Among ], the term may be used to describe a Jewish girl or woman who fails to follow Orthodox religious precepts. Among ], the term may be used to describe a Jewish girl or woman who fails to follow Orthodox religious precepts.
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The equivalent term for a non-Jewish male, used less frequently, is ].<ref name=Kaiser>{{cite web |url=http://lareviewofbooks.org/essay/anti-non-semitism-an-investigation-of-the-shiksa |title=Anti-non-Semitism: An Investigation of the Shiksa |first=Menachem |last=Kaiser |date=March 6, 2013 |work=] |access-date=May 22, 2016 }}</ref> Because of ], there is often less of a taboo associated with non-Jewish men.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Quest for the Ultimate Shiksa|last=Jaher|first=Frederic Cople| journal=American Quarterly| year=1983| volume=35| number=5| pages=518–542}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Ordeal of Civility: Freud, Marx, Lévi-Strauss and the Jewish Struggle with Modernity| first=John Murray| last=Cuddihy| year=1976| publisher=Beacon Press| place=Boston, MA| isbn=9780807036099}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26067980|title=The Jewish fear of intermarriage|work=BBC News |date=7 February 2014 }}</ref> The equivalent term for a non-Jewish male, used less frequently, is ].<ref name=Kaiser>{{cite web |url=http://lareviewofbooks.org/essay/anti-non-semitism-an-investigation-of-the-shiksa |title=Anti-non-Semitism: An Investigation of the Shiksa |first=Menachem |last=Kaiser |date=March 6, 2013 |work=] |access-date=May 22, 2016 }}</ref> Because of ], there is often less of a taboo associated with non-Jewish men.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Quest for the Ultimate Shiksa|last=Jaher|first=Frederic Cople| journal=American Quarterly| year=1983| volume=35| number=5| pages=518–542}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Ordeal of Civility: Freud, Marx, Lévi-Strauss and the Jewish Struggle with Modernity| first=John Murray| last=Cuddihy| year=1976| publisher=Beacon Press| place=Boston, MA| isbn=9780807036099}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26067980|title=The Jewish fear of intermarriage|work=BBC News |date=7 February 2014 }}</ref>


==Etymology==
The etymology of the word ''shiksa'' is partly derived from the ] term שקץ ''shekets'', meaning "abomination", "impure," or "object of loathing", depending on the translator. According to the ], it came into English usage in the late 19th century from the Yiddish ''shikse'', which is an adaptation of the Hebrew word ''šiqṣâ'', which is derived from ''sheqeṣ'' ("a detested thing") and the feminine suffix ''-â''.<ref name=etymology>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Shiksa |encyclopedia=] |year=2009 |version=Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-956383-8 }}</ref> A passage in which ''shekets'' (translated as "abomination") appeared in the ] to refer to people (rather than non-] actions) can be translated as:<ref name=salon/>
{{blockquote|Let him not marry the daughter of an unlearned and unobservant man, for they are an abomination and their wives a creeping thing.}}



Several dictionaries define ''shiksa'' as a disparaging and offensive term applied to a non-Jewish girl or woman.<ref name=Kaiser/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/shiksa |title=shiksa |via=] |access-date=May 22, 2016}}</ref>


==North American and diaspora context== ==North American and diaspora context==
In North American and other diaspora Jewish communities, the use of "shiksa" reflects more social complexities than merely being a mild insult to non-Jewish women. A woman can only be a shiksa if she is perceived as such by Jewish people, usually Jewish men, making the term difficult to define; the '']'' suggested there are two concepts of the shiksa, the forbidden seductress and the hag. Despite appearing in ] for many decades, the term shiksa did not enter mainstream vernacular until the works of ] popularized it.<ref name=salon/> In North American and other diaspora Jewish communities, the use of "shiksa" reflects more social complexities than merely being a mild insult to non-Jewish women. A woman can only be a shiksa if she is perceived as such by Jewish people, usually Jewish men, making the term difficult to define; the '']'' suggested there are two concepts of the shiksa, Despite appearing in ] for many decades, the term shiksa did not enter mainstream vernacular until the works of ] popularized it.<ref name=salon/>


===Severity===
The term is typically considered pejorative but not a severe slur. Sometimes, response to its use has treated it as more severe. In 2009, it was recorded as a ] in Toronto.<ref name="salon">{{Cite web |last=Kaiser |first=Menachem |date=2013-03-06 |title=Is "shiksa" an insult? |url=https://www.salon.com/2013/03/06/is_shiksa_an_insult_partner/ |access-date=2021-10-25 |website=Salon}}</ref> In 2014, Rabbi Jack Abramowitz described it as "simply indefensible", "inherently condescending, racist and misogynistic".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ou.org/life/inspiration/jewish-n-word/ |title=The Jewish N Word |first=Jack |last=Abramowitz |date=December 18, 2014 |publisher=ou.org |accessdate=May 9, 2018 }}</ref>


==Israel and Orthodox context== ==Israel and Orthodox context==
In Israel, where most women are Jewish, the word is sometimes used among the religious as a pejorative to refer to Jewish women who are not ] or who demonstrate unseemly irreligious behavior.<ref name=salon/> In other Orthodox communities, it can be used in the same way.<ref name=MW/> In Israel, where most women are Jewish, the word is sometimes used among the religious as a pejorative to refer to Jewish women who are not ] or who demonstrate unseemly irreligious behavior.<ref name=salon/> In other Orthodox communities, it can be used in the same way.<ref name=MW/>


==In popular culture==
The shiksa has appeared as a character type in Yiddish literature. In ]'s ''Behind the Fence'', a young shiksa woman is impregnated by a Jewish man but abandoned for an appropriate Jewish virgin woman. Her grandmother can be considered a hag form of the shiksa. More dangerous shiksas in literature include ]'s "Lady and the Peddler", in which a shiksa plans to eat the Jewish man she is dating, and ] "Monish", which sees a Jewish man fall into a hell-like place for loving a blonde woman.<ref name=salon/>


{{quotebox|width=300px|But the shikses, ah, the shikses are something else again How do they get so gorgeous, so healthy, so blonde? My contempt for what they believe in is more than neutralized by my adoration of the way they look, the way they move and laugh and speak.|author=]|source='']''}}
As Jews populated American culture in the 20th century, more shiksa characters began to appear. '']'' focused on such a relationship, and the concept is mentioned in '']''. Roth's books made the term mainstream, particularly '']'' in 1969. Roth placed the taboo nature of the shiksa in a cultural Jewish-American context, not a religious one. His work influenced that of ], whose films depicted the concept. In American media, including Roth and Allen, the shiksa is often associated with eating lobster. The ''Los Angeles Review of Books'' noted that with more examples of shiksa characters, particularly on television, the concept became less taboo and more of a common stereotype.<ref name=salon/>


Actresses ] and ] have both been described as "the archetypal shiksa" based on their roles;<ref name=salon/><ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-01-11|title=Why We Don't Need Jewish Actors to Play Jewish Roles|url=https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/why-we-dont-need-jewish-actors-to-play-jewish-roles|access-date=2021-10-25|website=Tablet Magazine}}</ref> Agron is Jewish<ref>{{cite web|date=2021-09-09|title=A Baby at the Shiva|url=https://therevealer.org/a-baby-at-the-shiva/|access-date=2021-10-25|website=The Revealer}}</ref> and Bergen is not, though she speaks ].<ref>{{cite AV media|title=A Conversation with Mayim Bialik on Her New Film, As They Made Us|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq3qBbl-1x0|language=en|access-date=2022-04-08}}</ref> Actresses ] and ] have both been described as "the archetypal shiksa" based on their roles;<ref name=salon/><ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-01-11|title=Why We Don't Need Jewish Actors to Play Jewish Roles|url=https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/why-we-dont-need-jewish-actors-to-play-jewish-roles|access-date=2021-10-25|website=Tablet Magazine}}</ref> Agron is Jewish<ref>{{cite web|date=2021-09-09|title=A Baby at the Shiva|url=https://therevealer.org/a-baby-at-the-shiva/|access-date=2021-10-25|website=The Revealer}}</ref> and Bergen is not, though she speaks ].<ref>{{cite AV media|title=A Conversation with Mayim Bialik on Her New Film, As They Made Us|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq3qBbl-1x0|language=en|access-date=2022-04-08}}</ref>
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In 1997 '']'' episode "]", the term "shiksappeal" is used to describe the character ] and why every Jewish man she meets seems to be drawn to her.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2014/07/01/the-25-best-seinfeld-isms/|title=Seinfeld's 25 greatest contributions to the English language|first=Max|last=Gross|date=July 1, 2014| work=New York Post}}</ref> In 1997 '']'' episode "]", the term "shiksappeal" is used to describe the character ] and why every Jewish man she meets seems to be drawn to her.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2014/07/01/the-25-best-seinfeld-isms/|title=Seinfeld's 25 greatest contributions to the English language|first=Max|last=Gross|date=July 1, 2014| work=New York Post}}</ref>


In 2009 ] episode "]", the Jewish ] is explaining the term Shiksa, ("We don't pray ''to'' them - we prey ''on'' them!") to his best friend, the Hindu ]. Raj wins the argument by pointing out their friend Dr. ] has one, while Howard does not.

In 2014, in the eighth episode of the fifth season of ], the term shiksa is used by the Jewish ] to describe ] (his son's Anglican fiancée) to his son ], as part of an argument between father and son over the former's disapproval of a non-Jewish marriage.


==Derivatives==
In ], ''siksa'' or ] ({{IPA-pl|ɕiksa|pron}}) is a pejorative but humorous word for an immature young girl or teenage girl. According to Polish language dictionary from 1915, it has been defined as "pisspants"; a ] between the Yiddish term and its similarity to the Polish verb ''sikać'' ("to piss"). In today's language however, it is roughly equivalent to the English terms "snot-nosed brat", "little squirt", and "naughty schoolgirl" in a humorous context.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ebuw.uw.edu.pl/dlibra/doccontent?id=239&dirids=1 |title=Warsaw University Digital Library - Słownik języka polskiego |volume=T. 6.: S-Ś |year=1915 |page=128 |publisher=Ebuw.uw.edu.pl |accessdate=May 22, 2016 }}</ref><ref> ] 2016.</ref><ref name=salon/>


In ], ''schickse'' roughly means a promiscuous woman, with no religious or ethnic implications.<ref name=salon/>


In ], London slang included "shickster" and "shakester", alternative spellings of the same word used among lower-class men to refer to the wives of their direct superiors (who were still lower-class women). As forms of the word entered British English more popularly, the implications became further detached, meaning variously a servant; a woman of low parentage; or a prostitute. By the middle of the 20th century, the word had dropped out of usage in Britain; the ''Los Angeles Review of Books'' suggests any continued use would be by older people referring to maids. The North American word "shiksa" is not (or rarely) used in British Jewish communities.<ref name=salon/>


==See also== ==See also==
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* {{Wiktionary-inline}} * {{Wiktionary-inline}}


{{Ethnic slurs}}
{{Religious slurs}}




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] ]
] ]
]

Revision as of 01:31, 24 June 2024

Term for a non-Jewish woman or girl

Not to be confused with Shiksha.
Josef Budko's woodcut depiction of the shiksa in Hayim Nahman Bialik's Behind the Fence

Shiksa (Template:Lang-yi) is an term for a gentile woman or girl. The word, which is of Yiddish origin, has moved into English usage and some Hebrew usage (as well as Polish and German), mostly in North American Jewish culture.

Among Orthodox Jews, the term may be used to describe a Jewish girl or woman who fails to follow Orthodox religious precepts.

The equivalent term for a non-Jewish male, used less frequently, is shegetz. Because of Jewish matrilineal descent, there is often less of a taboo associated with non-Jewish men.



North American and diaspora context

In North American and other diaspora Jewish communities, the use of "shiksa" reflects more social complexities than merely being a mild insult to non-Jewish women. A woman can only be a shiksa if she is perceived as such by Jewish people, usually Jewish men, making the term difficult to define; the Los Angeles Review of Books suggested there are two concepts of the shiksa, Despite appearing in Yiddish literature for many decades, the term shiksa did not enter mainstream vernacular until the works of Philip Roth popularized it.


Israel and Orthodox context

In Israel, where most women are Jewish, the word is sometimes used among the religious as a pejorative to refer to Jewish women who are not Orthodox or who demonstrate unseemly irreligious behavior. In other Orthodox communities, it can be used in the same way.


Actresses Candice Bergen and Dianna Agron have both been described as "the archetypal shiksa" based on their roles; Agron is Jewish and Bergen is not, though she speaks Yiddish.

In 1997 Seinfeld episode "The Serenity Now", the term "shiksappeal" is used to describe the character Elaine and why every Jewish man she meets seems to be drawn to her.



See also

Notes

  1. Non-Jewish

References

  1. ^ "shiksa". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  2. Kaiser, Menachem (March 6, 2013). "Anti-non-Semitism: An Investigation of the Shiksa". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  3. Jaher, Frederic Cople (1983). "The Quest for the Ultimate Shiksa". American Quarterly. 35 (5): 518–542.
  4. Cuddihy, John Murray (1976). The Ordeal of Civility: Freud, Marx, Lévi-Strauss and the Jewish Struggle with Modernity. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. ISBN 9780807036099.
  5. "The Jewish fear of intermarriage". BBC News. 7 February 2014.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference salon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. "Why We Don't Need Jewish Actors to Play Jewish Roles". Tablet Magazine. 2019-01-11. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  8. "A Baby at the Shiva". The Revealer. 2021-09-09. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  9. A Conversation with Mayim Bialik on Her New Film, As They Made Us. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  10. Gross, Max (July 1, 2014). "Seinfeld's 25 greatest contributions to the English language". New York Post.

External links

  • The dictionary definition of shiksa at Wiktionary
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