11 April 2013

Jews got money? You bet...

As a Jew*, I never argue with people who come out with statements like "Them Jews have got all the money in the world". Long as these people don't hit me for a donation, why not let them consider me a nabob?

The reality of my family history is a bit different. While I am a "privileged" son of a doctor and a teacher, these doctor and teacher were the first ones to get educated in the long genealogical trees of their respective families. All my other uncles (no aunts, my mom was the only female of that generation), grandparents, grand-grand parents etc were menial workers of all kinds. My childhood run its way among children of Jewish and non-Jewish families, only a small percentage of these was what could be called "rich" by the standards of the time.

So, when a non-Jewish documentary director Sasha Andreas produces a movie titled Jews Got Money?, dedicated to these other Jews - the ones who didn't get any money, I definitely see a worthy enterprise that should be of interest and great educational value to many, especially to the "Jews got all the money" crowd. And to start with, you can definitely benefit from reading this article about the movie. It starts with:

Did you know that one in five Jewish persons in New York lives in poverty? If you didn't, you are not alone: the common stereotype all around the world is that "Jews got money." This is exactly the cliché that our upcoming documentary by the same title hopes to debunk.
I was quite surprised to learn that Shasha Andreas didn't have an easy life with creating this movie:
His ambition with Jews Got Money was to put an end to a damaging stereotype, which he associated with Anti-Semitism. To his surprise, he discovered that poverty was also a taboo within the Jewish community itself, as he struggled to get funding and schedule interviews:

"I thought it would be easier, because a documentary on this subject has never been done before and I believed people would be happy to see someone finally address this issue, but most want to keep it that way. I only expected the title to pose some problems, but in the end it was the least of their concerns."
While this quote puts paid to another stereotype, the one about the Jews whining about their poverty, it's a worthy observation and makes the documentary even more appealing.

Here is a trailer of the documentary:

I hope it will cause you to watch the movie and to help with its promotion. It needs your attention and your help.

(*) Lately I caught myself liking this introduction, frequently used by Jewish A/Z (anti-Zionists) as a prelude to some inflammatory A/Z statement. Why shouldn't I use it too from time to time?


SnoopyTheGoon said...

Thanks Snoopy :)


SnoopyTheGoon said...

Really? Then how come I keep getting all these Jewish Appeal calls and letters?

SnoopyTheGoon said...

Ach, that is the permanent MO, you know...

SnoopyTheGoon said...

You mean Jews don't have all the money? Well, that's a bit of a disappointment; I was hoping to hit up Mayor Bloomberg for five bucks. Damn

SnoopyTheGoon said...

That one is practically a pauper. Why he doesn't want New Yorkers to have these big soda containers.