JEWISH PERCEPTIONS OF ANTISEMITISM

Transcription

1 JEWISH PERCEPTIONS OF ANTISEMITISM

2 JEWISH PERCEPTIONS OF ANTISEMITISM Gary A. Tobin with Sharon L. Sassler Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

3 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Tobin, Gary A. Jewish perceptions of antisemitism / Gary A. Tobin with Sharon L. Sassler. p. cm. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. Antisemitism-United States-Public opinion. 2. Public opinion-jews. 3. Jews Uni ted States-Public opinion. 4. Public opinion-united States. 5. United States Ethnic relations. I. Sassler, Sharon L. II. Title. DS146.U6T '924'073-dc OP 1988 Gary A. Tobin Original1y published by Plenum US in Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover 1st edition 1988 ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanicat photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher

4 T 0 Mel Brooks, who has filied the world with needed Iaughter

5 PREFACE I started thinking about writing this book about four years ago. I kept seeing report after re port saying that antisemitism in America was on the decline. The information ca me from a variety of polis and studies. The news seemed good. At the same time, my own research in Jewish communities all over the Uni ted 5tates showed substantial proportions of Jews, usually at least 20% in each community, saying that they had experienced antisemitism in the year prior to being surveyed. The findings were fairly consistent from one city to another, year after year. To my surprise, Jews under the age of 35 were the most likely to say that they were experiencing antisemitism. These experiences did not seem to fit with all the positive news about the decline of antisemitism. 50 I began to look at the subject in greater depth. I examined the available evidence about the actual state of antisemitism in America and was astonished to discover how seldom the topic of "contemporary" antisemitism was actually studied. Instead, impressions, some rather incomplete auditing mechanisms, and occasional public opinion polis were used to measure antisemitism. The methods being used to assess how non-jews feit about Jews today were not " contemporary" at all. The times and contexts had changed, but the measuring tools were essentially unaitered. Much of what is written about antisemitism focuses vii

6 viii PREFACE on the antisemitic beliefs and attitudes of non-jews as assessed by measuring non-jewish adherence to antisemitic stereotypes and attitudes. Interpreting the poils is problematic. We ate not sure what they mean. They do indicate that the percentages of non-jews holding antisemitic stereotypes or expressing anti-jewish attitudes have for the most part declined or remained static over time. In a few instances, the proportion adhering to certain antisemitic attitudes or stereotypes has actually increased. The facts remain: substantial percentages of non-jewish Americans continue to hold negative attitudes and stereotypes about Jews. While discriminatory barriers against Jews have been broken in almost all areas of American life, prejudices remain among non-jews. These may be expressed in seemingly harmless "Jew" jokes. "Jewish American princess" stereotypes, caricatures of greed and sodal parasitism, excessive Israel-bashing, or using American Jews and Israel interchangeably while condemning Israel's "evils" are all aspects of antisemitism that remain part of American sodety today. Antisemitism may erupt in the form of Louis Farrakhan or the desecration of a synagogue or Jewish community center. Although a great deal of antisemitism today may be expressed in attitudes and not behaviors, Jews continue to sense its presence. Certainly, the most "objective" measures cannot be dismissed. Jews have broken the barriers of economic and political discrimination, and have succeeded in nearly all aspects of American sodety. Antisemitic expression does not negatively affect the economic and political welfare of Jews today. Still, Jews do not equate this economic and political success, even the almost universal sodal acceptance of Jews, with the disappearance of antisemitism. They are right. One of the best gauges of current levels of anti-

7 PREFACE ix semitism is Jewish pereeptions themselves. Jews do not have to look far to find antisemitism; the phenomenon remains real enough. The eolleetive intuition, assessment, and examination of antisemitism by Ameriean Jews demands a hard look at the eurrent methods of assessing antisemitism. Jews are eoneerned about the future beeause of the past. When prejudice is expressed-and it is often enough to remind Jews of its persistenee-jews try to interpret the signs. Is the antisemitie joke, or deseription, or anti-israel news report an aberration, a trend, an important shift in behavior, or an aecident? Personal interviews with Jews indicate that most are not sure. What Jews feel and think and sense provides a useful baekdrop for assessing antisemitism in the United States today. The topic of antisemitism eannot be properly addressed without also looking through Jewish eyes, and by exploring Jewish beliefs and attitudes. Clearly, Jews eontinue to remain wary of antisemitism despite their eeonomic, political, and social sueeesses. Their wariness is demonstrated in their eontinued support of today' s eommunity relations agencies-the "defense" agencies of the past-as well as by the dose attention they pay to governmental and legislative affairs and their attempts to influenee poliey through politicallobbying. These eoneerns were doeumented in surveys of Jewish populations throughout the eountry. Numerous personal interviews tere eondueted and artides in Jewish newspapers, ma azines, and organizational publications were examined. norder to add an element previously missing from assessments of antisemitism in the Uni ted States, this book tunes in to the Jewish eommunity's eolleetive view of their fellow Americans' feelings about Jews. Overall, Jewish pereeptions are aeeurate in assessing the amount of antisemitism present in the United States today. While

8 x PREFACE American Jews see antisemitism as potentially threatening, they also clearly think it is under contro!. Sodal sdentists use survey research and other sodal sdence techniques to measure and analyze sodal phenomena. Most of this book is based on surveys of many kinds. What is different about this assessment of antisemitism is the fact that it incorporates Jewish perceptions. The collective perceptions of American Jews may tell much about their extemal environment and the ways in which they are viewed or treated. Jewish perceptions alone cannot and should not be used to measure antisemitism. However, they can be used as an indicator which mirrors and reflects it. The collective views of American Jews can be used to guide further research and enrich our understanding of antisemitism and other forms of prejudice in the United States. Gary A. Tobin

9 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book could not have been completed without the assistance provided by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University. Peter Medding, who served as a Visiting Professor at the Center, helped me first conceptualize this topic, and I value my opportunities to spend time with hirn. Larry Sternberg, Associate Director of the Center, was involved at various stages of the book, from helping design questionnaires for Jewish community relations professionals, to reading and editing drafts. Sylvia Riese, the Center's Executive Secretary, helped in the preparation of the manuscript, including transcribing much of the text and preparing the tables. Sharon Sassler, who is now a Research Assistant at the Center, assisted in all phases of this book: research design, interviewing, data analysis, drafting text, and manuscript preparation and review. It was a formidable undertaking, and she fulfilled each task with skill and creativity. I would like to thank all those who agreed to be personally interviewed and those who participated in mailback surveys conducted by the Cohen Center for their time and their insights. Representatives from a number of organizations were extremely helpful in providing resource materials, including Tom Neumann and Alan Schwartz of the Anti-Defamation League, David Singer of the American Jewish Committee, Jerome Chanes of the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council, xi

10 xii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS and Evan Mendelson, formerly with the American }ewish Congress and now with the }ewish Community Federation of San Francisco. Earl Raab also read the manuscript. He is a tribute to the field and an exceptional person. To all my students from St. Ferdinand Parish in Florissant, Missouri, I send a special note of gratitude for all that we were able to teach each other in a very special year. To Stewart and }udy Colton, I thank you for your hospitality and friendship and the quiet place you so graciously provided me to write this book. To my brother and sister-inlaw, Mark and Sharon Tobin, I thank you for the not-soquiet place you provided. Vicki Ibera proofed and edited the final version of the manuscript, and as always, did a wonderful job. To my father, who taught me tolerance, and to my mother, who gave me street sense, I give my respect and affection. And to Gussie, Adam, Amy, and Shaina my gratitude and apologies for the missed times while I finished this book. I love you all very much, and next year we will all skip school and go to St. Louis to watch another St. Louis Cardinals' World Series.

11 CONTENTS Chapter 1: Through the Jewish Looking Glass 1 Assessing Antisemitism from the Jewish Perspective 1 Dual Threats: Antisemitism and Assimilation 3 Defining and Assessing Antisemitism 8 Jewish Views of Antisemitism 14 Chaptet 2: Chapter 3: The "Reality" of Antisemitism in the United States 27 The Reality of Antisemitism 27 Measuring Antisemitism 30 Polling Data 32 Other Polling Data 45 Attitudes about Israel 49 Assessing the PolIs 51 The ADL Audits 54 E~tremists and Hate Groups 56 The Constraints on Antisemitism 61 Living in Two Worlds: Being a Jew and an American 65 The Dual Identity of American Jews 65 Antisemitism and Marginality 72 Jewish Identity and Extemal Forces 81 xiii

12 xiv CONTENTS Chapter 4: Denial, Wariness, and Fear: What Jews See 85 The Experts' Views 87 Views from the Grass Roots 96 Antisemitism over Time 101 Personal Experiences with Antisemitism 106 Jewish Assessments of the Antisemitism of Other Americans 112 Combatting Antisemitism: Who Is Perceived as Threatening 113 Non-Jewish Feelings as a Measuring Device of Jewish Concern 117 The Threat of Antisemitism to Jewish Security in the Future 123 The Effect of Jewish Perceptions of Antisemitism 125 Chapter 5: An Institutional Response to Antisemitism 127 Origins 135 Perceptions of the Community Relations Professionals 137 How Each Institution Views Antisemitism 149 Conclusions 174 Chapter 6: The Jewish Press: A Watchful Eye 179 How the Jewish Press Influences Perceptions 179 The Network of the Jewish Press 185 The Readership of the Jewish Press 186 The Jewish Telegraphic Agency 187 The Nature of Coverage 190

13 CONTENTS xv Chapter 7: Notes 229 Coverage in Jewish Press versus General Press 192 Louis Farrakhan 194 The Farm Crisis 198 Survey of Christian Fundamentalists 200 A Profile of Jewish Press Editors 202 How They Cover Stories: Responses from Jewish Press Members 205 Personal Experiences of Antisemitism 210 Combatting and Containing Antisemitism 215 List 01 Interviews 245 Interviews with Jewish Leaders 245 Interviews with Jewish Press 246 Miscellaneous Interviews 247 Interviews with Community Relations Professionals and Other Institutional Professionals 247 Appendix A: Tables 249 Appendix B: Surveys 285 Bibliography 307 Index 317 Survey Methodology 285 Survey Instruments 288

14 JEWISH PERCEPTIONS OF ANTISEMITISM