Running Head: TOLERANCE

Tolerance

Isabella Martillaro

November 19, 2018

Arizona State University

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Abstract

The following is a ethnography I have written for my English 101 class, focused around the

Jewish culture at Arizona State University. I attend Arizona State University and for this

assignment we were instructed to investigated a specific culture . For my essay I chose to focus

on the issue of Anti-Semitism and what it is like being Jewish in a predominantly christian

society. In this essay I portray the struggles Jewish people face as well as the traditions in the

Jewish religion.

Keywords: Judaism, Tradition, Culture, Stereotypes, Arizona State University

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About fifteen minutes north of Denver, Colorado is a small town where I resided for the

first 18 years of my life. Almost everyone in this snowy small rural town was born and raised

Catholic or Christian and if you were not, then you were not considered a functioning or

respectable member of the society. I am not saying I condoned or agreed with this standard, it is

just what I grew up with. I had only met a handful of Jewish people until I had left to attend

Arizona State University, where I would make some of my closest friends. Growing up I was

forced fed many stereotypes about jewish people: They were lost souls, dirty, greedy and selfish.

Coming to Arizona I was exposed to many new cultures, but the one that was most intriguing to

me was the Jewish community. Why are they looked down upon in the environment I grew up

in? Why are there so many stereotypes surrounding their religion and character? I decided that I

wanted to take a deeper look into these issues and see if these stereotypes affected there life

growing up and what it actually means to practice judaism.

A few months ago I ran out of meal swipes in the dining hall of my dorm, when a random

Jewish girl named Simone generously swiped me in so that I could eat breakfast. I thanked her

and we ended up eating breakfast together, since then have become very close friends. When we

first met we would have these profound discussions about religion. As we were both genuinely

curious about the different beliefs we each held. For hours at a time she would ask me questions

about Catholicism and I would ask her questions about Judaism. When I was assigned a research

project on a specific culture for my english class, I was so excited to inform her that I was going

to be researching Judaism because it is something she holds very close to her. Simone and her

friend Harley were thrilled to have me join in on some of their favorite Jewish activities as well
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as introduce me to their Rabbi. At the start of my research I was a little intimidated to immerse

myself into a religion I was completely ignorant to. However, the weekend I spent with the

Jewish community at the Arizona State University Tempe campus is one I will cherish for the

rest of my life.

I woke up sick the day I was supposed to meet with the Rabbi, but ended up taking some

dayquil and driving to Tempe anyway. I got the privilege to meet with Rabbi ​Shmuel Tiechtel​,

who I spoke with for about an hour and a half. Him and his wife welcomed me into their home

and let me ask them all the questions I had about Judaism. They were thrilled to talk to me and

answered every question in depth. He described that he also came from a small town and in his

high school there were only about three other Jewish kids. He was bullied for not celebrating

Christmas and having a large nose. However, because his religion was something he held so

close to him he always took pride in being Jewish, despite the relentless bullying. By the end of

the meeting they started asking me questions about my life and my well being. After finding out

I was sick they gave me two cartons of homemade soup to take home with me. Apparently I am

not the only student they have done this for. “​For more than a decade, Rabbi Shmuel Tiechtel

and his wife Chana have brought bowls of homemade chicken soup to Arizona State University

students who are feeling under the weather” (CBS News 29 Nov. 2018). This gesture was so

touching and shows the selfless nature that the Jewish culture prevails. The people within the

church deliver soup to anyone who is feeling ill, no matter their religion. To me this really

represents what Judaism is all about, they focus a lot of their attention to helping those in need

and to spreading positive energy across their community.

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About a month ago In Pittsburg, Pennsylvania a man murdered 11 Jews in their own

synagogue. Armed with an AR-15 style assault and three hand guns he yelled out, “All Jews

must die” as he opened fired on innocent civilians. This is the deadliest act of anti-Semitism in

the United States in all of history (Robertson, Mele, & Tavernise, 2018). This recent event was

devastating not only for the victims but for the Jewish community. Today Jewish prejudice is

still a very prevalent problem in the United States. According to Milton Kleg, “In the United

States alone there are over three hundred hate groups that support or embrace the same beliefs

that spawned German National Socialism” (Kleg, 2004). I find it shocking that such prejudice

exists in today’s society. Harley and Simone tried explaining what it was like growing up jewish

in a predominantly christian environment. Harley explained that because he was taunted so

relentlessly it caused him to abandon his religion for a large period of his life. It is discouraging

to know that some people choose to disregard their identity in order to be fully accepted in their

community. My family has never been anti semitic, despite the town I was raised in. However,

many of my peers held very opposing beliefs due to the ideal they were raised with. If our

parents were to refrain from communicating their prejudices and cultural apprehensions. I am

confident that as generations pass, we would begin to see a change (Dumas).

My research has made it prevalent to me that Anti-Semitism still exists within American

society. In order to fight this issue, we must begin within ourselves. We need to start taking steps

in the right direction and not tolerate acts of prejudice so that future generations can never adopt

it. As society we cannot tolerate Anti-Semitism no matter how harmless the act may be. In order

to eliminate this issue, it will be vital for our Government to accept that Jewish prejudice is a
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serious dilemma in society. As a human race, we hinder our true potential with obstacles such as

prejudice and hate. Imagine what our world could accomplish without such trivial complications.
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References

CBS News. (2018, November 29). Arizona couple delivers homemade chicken soup to

sick college kids. Retrieved December 02, 2018, from

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-perfect-union-arizona-couple-delivers-chic

ken-soup/

Meenes, Max, M. (1941). American Jews and Anti-Semitism. Retrieved from

https://dh.howard.edu/reprints/139

Keg, Milton. “Anti-Semitism: Background to the Holocaust.” ​Social Studies​,

​www.socialstudies.org/sites/default/files/publications/se/5906/590605.html

Robertson, C., Mele, C., & Tavernise, S. (2018, October 27). 11 Killed in Synagogue

Massacre; Suspect Charged With 29 Counts. Retrieved December 03, 2018, from

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/27/us/active-shooter-pittsburgh-synagogue-sho

oting.html

Dumas, Karen. “The Solution to Racism.” Michigan Chronicle, 2007, p. A.6.

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