The Wake

Think, for a moment, of all the Jewish actors, directors, musicians, comedians, writers and other pop culture icons that you can. Is your brain overloading or are you drawing a blank? A long list should probably come to mind, Rafi Samuels-Schwartz of Hillel says. According to the JCSC Fellow, the context in which pop culture exists is one that was shaped by “Jewishness.”

In Hillel’s entrance lounge, Samuels-Schwartz and nine others gathered for a discussion entitled “Just how Jewish are we anyway?” to talk about the influence Jews have had on American culture. “This much,” one student joked, holding his thumb and finger about an inch apart. No serious conclusion was arrived at, but the January 30 conversation made the prevalence of Jews in pop culture easy to see.

Take, for example, indie rock. It’s predecessor, punk, was born in a dirty little bar in the Bowery in New York City, CBGB’s. The bar was a favorite hangout and performance spot for many of the most revered musicians in indie rock history, such as The Ramones, The Dictators, Lou Reed of The Velvet Underground, Richard Hell and The Voidoids and more. All of whom (except half of The Ramones), Samuels-Schwartz explained, are Jewish. None of these bands may be considered pop culture strictly, but musicians such as U2, Green Day and the Red Hot Chili Peppers cite them and underground rock in general as huge inspirations. “The Jews that came out of CBGB’s established a new genre of not just music, but popular culture,” Samuels-Schwartz says.

You may have heard of some other popular Jewish entertainers. Recently a satirical film about an Eastern European journalist who decides to travel through the United States, making a documentary of his adventure along the way, was released. It was called “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” Sound familiar? Sacha Baron Cohen, its writer and leading actor is Jewish. And Jon Stewart, Jerry Seinfeld, Steven Spielberg, Norman Mailer, Adam Sandler, Thomas Friedman, Sarah Silverman and Ben Stiller, to name a few, are also Jewish.

The discussion at Hillel focused for some time on what it means to be Jewish. “It’s not simply a religion,” Samuels-Schwartz says. There’s a culture behind Judaism that’s more than just birthright or faith. He calls it “Jewishness” or “Jewyness.” The difference is “a question of semantics.” It’s societal; it’s an “attitude,” Samuels-Schwartz explains.

But really, what’s the significance of “Jewishness” in American pop culture? There’s no clear answer, but the discussion came to a few enlightening conclusions. “[The Jewish history] is the quintessential American success story in that it’s a small minority that goes on to great success but still feels the pressure of being a small minority,” Samuels-Schwartz explains. “American pop culture is always the story of the underdog who makes it big.” In other words, many Jews have had the personal experience to identify with a classic storyline that sells easily, but at the same time, many in the Jewish community feel an obligation to produce, give back or succeed because of their small size.

An excerpt from Samuels-Schwartz’s inspiration for the discussion, Steven Beeber’s book The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB’s: A Secret History of Jewish Punk elaborates: “Punk is Jewish… Punk reflects the whole Jewish history of oppression and uncertainty, flight and wandering, belonging and not belonging, always being divided, being both in and out, good and bad, part and apart.”

So which came first, the chicken or the egg? “Is it inherent to Judaism to set the tone for pop culture?” Samuels-Schwartz wonders. “Or are we only noticing because they’re Jewish?” There are so many successful Jews. Perhaps they do possess some special DNA strand of superior creativity. Or on the other hand, we could just be looking too hard at their success. Maybe every minority community contributes, albeit in its own way, and we’re just not paying attention. It’s impossible to know, but an irresistible thought nonetheless.

Perhaps time will tell as pop culture and the Jewish community evolve. “Jewishness has reached a point in American dialogue where it’s begun to reflect back on itself,” Samuels-Schwartz says. It’s very introspective and aware of its role on the national mood. “It’s reached a second renaissance.”