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Revision as of 16:42, 2 January 2009 by Untwirl (talk | contribs) (changed an unsourced definition to a sourced one)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Self-hating Jew (or self-loathing Jew) is a pejorative term most widely used as an epithet for a Jewish person who is perceived by others as a Jew who holds different views regarding "their lifestyles, interests or political positions (particularly with respect to Israel) from their accusers.". Several Jewish writers and activists critical of Israel or Zionism have challenged the phrase as being being ad hominem attacks, based on their political views.
Origin
The term self hatred has its origin in psychology and refers to extreme dislike of oneself, anger at oneself. The term is also used to describe individuals with a dislike or hatred of a group to which they belong.
According to John P. Jackson Jr. "The rise of the self-hating Jew was a response of German Jews to popular anti-Semitism that primarily was directed at Eastern European Jews."
The term "self-hating Jew" sometimes is used to accuse a Jew of hiding, being ashamed of, or failing to understand his or her religion or heritage. As an example of such behavior, in the early 20th century it was not uncommon for Jewish immigrants in those countries to change their family names in an effort to assimilate better with the dominant culture and hide any easily identifiable signs of Jewish identity.
Similar terms
"Self-loathing Jew" is used synonymously with "self-hating Jew". "Self-hating Jew" has also been compared to the term "Uncle Tom" as used in the African-American community. The term "auto-antisemitism" (Template:Lang-he) is also used in Hebrew to refer to Jewish self-hatred, and is a charge levied against Post-Zionists and the New Historians by their political opponents.
See also
- Antisemitism - Neo-Zionism
- The Operated Jew (1893 book)
- The Believer (2001 film)
References
Footnotes
- W. M. L. Finlay, "Pathologizing Dissent: Identity Politics, Zionism and the 'Self-Hating Jew'", British Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 44 No. 2, June 2005, pp. 201-222. Online summary.
- The Language of Psychology - Dictionary and Research Guide
- John P. Jackson, Jr. Social Scientists for Social Justice: Making the Case Against Segregation, NYU Press, 2001, p. 122.
- Jerry Klinger, "The Meaning of American Jewish History", The Jewish Magazine, July 2005.
- Eugene Kane, "A phrase whose time has come and gone", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 10, 2002.
- Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman, BLACKS & JEWS: Facilitator Guide, 1998.
- Hendelsaltz, Michael. "Letting the animals live". Haaretz. Retrieved 2008-08-17. Template:He icon
- Dahan, Alon (2006-12-07). "The history of self-hatred". nfc. Retrieved 2008-08-17. Template:He icon
- ^ Dahan, Alon (2006-12-13). "Holocaust denial in Israel". nfc. Retrieved 2008-08-17. Template:He icon
Further reading
- Henry Bean, The Believer: Confronting Jewish Self-Hatred, Thunder's Mouth Press, 2002. ISBN 1-56025-372-X.
- David Biale, "The Stars & Stripes of David", The Nation, May 4, 1998.
- John Murray Cuddihy, Ordeal of Civility: Freud, Marx, Levi-Strauss, and the Jewish Struggle With Modernity, Beacon Press, 1987. ISBN 0-8070-3609-9.
- Sander L. Gilman, Jewish Self-Hatred: Anti-Semitism and the Hidden Language of the Jews, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990. ISBN 0-8018-4063-5.
- Theodor Lessing, “Jewish Self-Hatred”, Nativ (Hebrew: translated from German), 17 (96), 1930/2004, pp. 49-54 (Das Judische Selbsthaas, 1930).
- Kurt Lewin, "Self-Hatred Among Jews", Contemporary Jewish Record, June 1941. Reprinted in Kurt Lewin, Resolving Social Conflicts: Selected Papers on Group Dynamics, Harper & Row, 1948.
- David Mamet, The Wicked Son: Anti-Semitism, Self-hatred, and the Jews, Schocken Books, 2006. ISBN 0-8052-4207-4.
- Raphael Patai, The Jewish Mind, Wayne State University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-8143-2651-X. Chapter 17, "Jewish Self-Hate".
External links
- Rabbi Levi Brackman, "Confronting the self hating Jew", Ynetnews, September 1, 2006.
- Rabbi Michael Lerner, "Israel's Jewish Critics Aren't 'Self-Hating'", Los Angeles Times, April 28, 2002. Reprinted at Common Dreams NewsCenter.
- Daniel Levitas, "Hate and Hypocrisy: What is behind the rare-but-recurring phenomenon of Jewish anti-Semites?", Southern Poverty Law Center Intelligence Report, Winter 2002.
- Jacqueline Rose, "The myth of self-hatred, The Guardian, February 8, 2007.
- Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, "Love, Hate, and Jewish Identity", First Things, November 1997.
- Menachem Wecker, "In Defense of ‘Self-Hating’ Jews: Conversations with the Targets of Masada2000’s S.H.I.T. List", Jewish Currents, May 2007.