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Revision as of 01:28, 6 August 2006 by Tybalt1212 (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Shiksa (Yiddish: שיקסע) or "Shikse," literally means "female abomination". Shiksa is a Yiddish word that has become commonplace in English usage, mostly in Jewish culture. While it can be simply defined as a pejorative term for a gentile woman, for the American Jewish community, there are many nuances of meaning.
The word could be derived from the Hebrew term sheketz, which means either "detestable", "loathed" or "blemish," depending on the translator. Other possible source is Polish, were "siksa" means "young girl who pisses her pants" (constructed similarly to "plaksa" i.e. "someone who cries"). While it can be used to refer to any female gentile, for many North American Jews, the "shiksa" conforms to the classic all-American cheerleader stereotype, a White, Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) named "Cathy" or "Mary," for instance, with long blonde hair and blue eyes.
Discretion in use of the term is called for, as it is still regarded as offensive in some contexts. However, it has been observed by both comedians and more serious thinkers that such shiksas are often fetishized by Jewish men (which is the point of the term to begin with, as shikse are thought by some to tempt Jewish men to forbidden sexual congress with gentiles). Many ascribe it to the particular neuroses of the Jewish-American male, especially in terms of his relation to his mother.
Pop cultural uses
An example of this trope can be seen in "The Serenity Now" episode of Seinfeld, where a number of Jewish characters display attraction to Elaine Benes; George Costanza then explains this as a response to her "shiksappeal."
Lenny Bruce wrote a short story on the subject of shiksas, in which he subscribes to the WASP-y conception.
Jason Robert Brown's musical The Last Five Years features a song titled "Shiksa Goddess" that explores the main character Jamie's desire for a non-Jewish woman - whom he eventually marries.
In an episode of the American sitcom The Nanny, Fran Drescher's character describes Maggie, the eldest girl in her care, as a "shiksa goddess" to a Jewish boy she wants Maggie to date.
The term was also used in an episode from season four of Queer As Folk. The Jewish lesbian, Melanie, describes her gentile partner, Lindsay, as a "Shiksa Goddess" after she has been unfaithful to her.
In an episode of Sex and the City, Harry Goldenblatt refers to his girlfriend, Charlotte York, as a "shiksa goddess" after they discuss how he must marry a Jew; this eventually leads to her conversion to Judaism.
Dr. Julianna Cox, the chief medical examiner on the TV series Homicide: Life on the Street refers to herself as "an ordinary shiksa" following the examination of a dead Jewish victim (to the surprise of Detective John Munch).
In the first season Chicago Hope episode, "Heartbreak", Camille, who was raised Catholic, is speaking at the shivah of a rabbi friend. She mentions that "Rabbi Taubler married me and my husband. He used to joke that I was his first shiksa." This is greeted with smirks from some of the congregation and head-shaking from others.
The term figures prominently in Philip Roth's novel Portnoy's Complaint, a Jewish man's narrative about, among other things, his sexual exploits with several shikses.
Shiksas are mentioned in "You won't succeed on broadway", a song from the musical "Spamalot".
See also
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