Wanna Be Jew

                                                    Wanna Be Jew

I’ll admit it, I’m a wanna be Jew, I guess I have been for a long time. Like the rest of us Gentiles, I have envied, coveted,  and wondered why I wasn’t one of the ‘chosen,’ and blessed with the money, wit, intelligence and credentials that my Jewish friends seem to exude. The only saving grace in all this is some bastion of hope that, because I resonate and exemplify many Jewish traits, that I must have been Jewish in a past life (or possibly will be in the future!).

“Why don’t you just convert to Judaism?” you might ask. Well, I have no interest in an angry, jealous, mean male god who makes up a bunch of nonsensical laws, rules, and rituals merely to control people. To summarize Jung’s “Answer To Job,” “God, get a freakin’ grip!”

No, I’m interested in much deeper Jewish issues than the whole God/commandments thing. The secular Jews like Einstein, certainly are inspirations par excellence, but ironically, the spiritual aspects of Jewish culture, particularly their proclivity towards Buddhism, intrigues me as well.

The radical aspects of Judaism also interests me, because Jews have been so persecuted, they have had to find radical means of surviving and thriving. Einstein for example, was fairly bored with his university life, he knew what he needed to learn and he knew where to find it (not in the classroom!).

                               

I’m interested in such particularly Jewish traits as self-critique and humor, for in my view, there is no culture that is more entertaining, insightful and funny as is Jewish culture. Jews are notoriously able to make fun of themselves, which I believe is a hallmark of psychospiritual health.

There was a recent event in which some Muslim newspaper ran a cartoon of Moses, making fun of Jews because a Jewish newspaper had some cartoon about Mohamed. Well, not to be outdone, a Jewish newspaper first critiqued the Muslim Moses cartoon as ‘not that funny,” and then went on to offer a contest for the best ‘making fun of Moses’ cartoon. Needless to say they came up with a much higher quality of humor, satire, and self-deprecation.

  

                                       

Neurosis and inferiority, are also qualities I greatly admire, and people like Woody Allen have made his career playing off his insecurities. Again ironically, Allen’s expose’ of his own insecurities and angst has plumed the depths of the human condition and given us laughter as well as existential insight for some 50 years. I know of no other writer/director as prolific as Woody Allen.

                                                                          Marginal Man

                                                  

Robert Park, in trying to understand and characterize Jewish sociology, introduced the concept of the “marginal man,” which characterized him as suffering from “spiritual instability, intensified self-consciousness, restlessness, and malaise” (“Human Migration and the Marginal Man,” American Journal of Sociology, Volume 33, 1928).

The idea of a ‘marginal man’ fits, I believe, because like so many persecuted and oppressed peoples that have been marginalized, the Jew can feel this as much as any other oppressed people. But what I think is unique is what this culture does with feeling/being marginalized. What I have observed is that marginalization in Jewish culture is a badge of honor and is seen as opportunity. Whether it is business, entertainment, science, philosophy, etc., Jewish cultures goes in the opposite direction of victimhood and rallies everything and everyone to rise above the oppression. I see this as a pinnacle of the human spirit.

               

Perhaps the Jewish child, just as any other oppressed child, cannot help internalizing society’s evaluation of the Jewish stereotype, herein may lie some primary form of inferiority feeling and its consequence, self-hatred. Woody Allen says he didn’t want to be a member of any club that would have him as a member. But then, whatever feelings of inferiority or self-hatred Jewish culture feels, it is turned, with the help of family and community, towards a striving that is relentless in its acquisition of goals and dreams that aim at the highest levels of success and prosperity. 

                                  

It has been theorized that an increase of anti-Semitism may play into a desire for aggression and power and a compulsive striving for social and professional recognition. The constant struggle to subdue an unfriendly world, to attain some sense of personal security and dignity, could well produce aggressiveness/assertiveness towards one’s goals. This certainly played into my motivation to finish (after 10 years of playing around), my undergraduate degree. I just got so mad at myself and the world that I tripled my efforts and aggressively pursued a diploma.

Theodor Reik said of Jewish oppression (“Zur Psychoanalyse des jüdischen Witzes,” Imago, Volume 13, 1929). “Unable to take revenge upon their oppressors, the Jews . . . introject the object of hate and . . . enjoy the expression of witty malice and verbal revenge against the enemy in the self.” I think a certain amount of this is true, but it’s not just turned toward the self. I think the Jewish mind is some of the most satirical, critical, and biting social commentary on the human condition that holds a mirror up to us all. Just consider the brilliant writing by Larry David on the shows Seinfeldand Curb Your Enthusiasm.

                                                  

                                                                    Entertainment

Just as the oppression of Black culture contributed to the innovation of Blues, Jazz, and Gospel music, so too Jewish oppression has given us the foundations of what we have in the way of entertainment. I’m using the word entertainment in the highest aesthetic sense of the word as a soul moving, meaning giving, dumbfounded irony and satire on the beauty, pathos, and ridiculous nature of this theatre of the absurd we call human life.

Everyone knows that Jews founded, run, and have fueled Hollywood, T.V. and the theatre industry ever since it’s inceptions in this country. This is no accident, and no, it’s not some conspiracy. I think it is just a reflection of the brilliance of mind, soul, and spirit that takes the drama of life this culture has lived for thousands of years, and goes straight to the bank in creating a multi-billion dollar industry that has given people the needed escape and refuge from the trials and tribulations of life.

Hollywood was essentially founded in the 1920s by five Jewish men who each owned a movie studio.

Joel Stein writes;

I have never been so upset by a poll in my life. Only 22% of Americans now believe "the movie and television industries are pretty much run by Jews," down from nearly 50% in 1964. The Anti-Defamation League, which released the poll results last month, sees in these numbers a victory against stereotyping. Actually, it just shows how dumb America has gotten. Jews totally run Hollywood.

How deeply Jewish is Hollywood? When the studio chiefs took out a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times a few weeks ago to demand that the Screen Actors Guild settle its contract, the open letter was signed by: News Corp. President Peter Chernin (Jewish), Paramount Pictures Chairman Brad Grey (Jewish), Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert Iger (Jewish), Sony Pictures Chairman Michael Lynton (surprise, Dutch Jew), Warner Bros. Chairman Barry Meyer (Jewish), CBS Corp. Chief Executive Leslie Moonves (so Jewish his great uncle was the first prime minister of Israel), MGM Chairman Harry Sloan (Jewish) and NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker (mega-Jewish). If either of the Weinstein brothers had signed, this group would have not only the power to shut down all film production but to form a minyan with enough Fiji water on hand to fill a mikvah.

As a proud Jew, I want America to know about our accomplishment. Yes, we control Hollywood. Without us, you'd be flipping between "The 700 Club" and "Davey and Goliath" on TV all day.

So I've taken it upon myself to re-convince America that Jews run Hollywood by launching a public relations campaign, because that's what we do best. I'm weighing several slogans, including: "Hollywood: More Jewish than ever!"; "Hollywood: From the people who brought you the Bible"; and "Hollywood: If you enjoy TV and movies, then you probably like Jews after all."

                                                                            Jewish Buddha

                                 

                          

                                                          

On the spiritual side of the fence, I have always been impressed with Jews gravitation and integration of Buddhism. I began meditating and studying Zen Buddhism when I was 15 and have always resonated with the East. It has been estimated that 30% of Western Buddhists are of Jewish heritage, and many of the prominent Western Buddhist teachers were born Jews (teachers such as Ram Das {Richard Alpert}, and Jack Kornfield).

Many Jewish seekers find that the Judaism they grew up in lacked a spiritual component with which they could connect. Jews seeking a spiritual connection often find it in Buddhist philosophy where practices such as meditation and mindfulness are both central and accessible.

Both Jews and Buddhists share a deep understanding about the nature of suffering. Buddha’s Four Noble Truths explores this concept in depth, offering a way to understand both the causes of suffering and a path to end suffering. These ideas resonate with Jews who have struggled with a history of persecution that culminated in the horrors of the Holocaust. Applying a Buddhist perspective to such atrocities can offer many a path of healing.

In his book Zen Judaism, David M. Bader gives some sayings of a Jewish Buddha that highlight the synthesis of two enlightened cultures;

If there is no self, whose arthritis is this?

Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated?

Wherever you go, there you are. Your luggage is another story.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single Oy.

There is no escaping karma. In a previous life, you never called, you never wrote, you never visited. And whose fault was that?

                               

Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Forget this and attaining Enlightenment will be the least of your problems.

Let your mind be as a floating cloud. Let your stillness be as a wooded glen. And sit up straight. You'll never meet the Buddha with such rounded shoulders.

Deep inside you are ten thousand flowers. 
Each flower blossoms ten thousand times. 
Each blossom has ten thousand petals. 
You might want to see a specialist.

Be aware of your body. Be aware of your perceptions. Keep in mind that not every physical sensation is a symptom of a terminal illness.

Mark “Zim” Stewart M.A. LCAS