"Discriminate or Stimulate"

http://www.acclaimimages.com/cgi-bin/photobase/comps.pl?do=get_comp&image_number=0018-0405-1708-5008

The above website leads to a photo of the "Jewish" flag. I chose this image because we read an article this week about how Jewish individuals came to America and were eventually, post WWII, considered equal to Caucasian people, despite African Americans still fighting for equality.

The photo does not directly relate to course material, per Se. It merely is symbolic of the Jewish community. We read Rothenberg's article this week and it was quite interesting. It is class, basically, that made "Jews" equal to whites, according to our reading. "Jews were the first of the Euro-immigrant groups to enter college in significant numbers, so it was not surprising that they faced the brunt of discrimination there" (Rothenberg, 41). "Compared with other immigrants, Jews were upwardly mobile" (Rothenberg, 42). "Jewish mobility became a new Horatio Alger story. The economic mobility of Jews and other Euro-ethnics derived ultimately from America's postwar economic prosperity and its enormously expanded need for professional, technical, and managerial labor, as well as on government assistance in providing it. (Rothenberg, 43).

It's apparent that Jewish individuals played it smart and became educated even though they were met by resistance and discrimination. However, when it came down to stimulating the economy, a college degree was very desirable s/p WWII and Jewish people had them. Pretty much, it seems to me that they were being used to help stimulate the U.S. economy and the discrimination was never addressed. That could be why there are comments, yet today, that I hear about how Jewish people have all of the money. I hear people say things like, "Don't be a Jew", and it refers to being stingy or keeping things all to yourself. People don't realize how much of a struggle those of other religions or races had to endure just to be a part of this civilization. We really need this material to be a part of junior high/high school education. It's never been more evident to me, prior to this course, that our education system should be revamped! Let the truth be known.

Sources:

http://www.acclaimimages.com/cgi-bin/photobase/comps.pl?do=get_comp&image_number=0018-0405-1708-5008

Rothenberg. Paula S.Race, Class, and Gender in the United States: An Integrated Study.William Paterson University of New Jersey.2003.pgs.38-53.