July 4, 2013  / 26 Tammuz,  5773

In honor of the Fourth of July - an occasion to which I look forward with great relish (as well as mustard and ketchup) each year - I ask you to indulge me in an exercise in semantics as I ponder the right way in which to express my national/ethnic/religious self.  Am I a Jewish American or an American Jew?

Technically, you could use the terms interchangeably, inasmuch as a "Jewish American" is also an "American Jew," i.e. they are a person who is both Jewish, and American. That being said, there are different opinions as to which is the more appropriate phrase. Often, people will put first whichever they consider the more important term. That is, people who identify as Jews first and Americans second will sometimes call themselves "Jewish Americans". This, I believe, is a mistake.

Ever since college, I have been thoughtful to identify as an "American Jew," not because I think my "American-ness" should get top billing, but rather because I am a Jew with the added quality of being American (as opposed to an American with the quality of being Jewish). Hence, Jew is the noun, and American is the adjective describing the noun.

Now, why an "American Jew"? The reason is simple. I am an American, and most proud of that fact. But, history has a way of not letting Jews get too comfortable anywhere. America is an extraordinary place to live, and its cultural diversity is one of the very things that makes it great. Out of all the lands of our people's exile, it is the most free, and has allowed Jews (and indeed, all religious groups) unprecedented freedom to practice their faith without fear of persecution.

But all that could change, and should never be taken for granted.

In the 1920's, probably the most comfortable, affluent, and let's not forget, assimilated, Jewish community in the world were the German Jews. And yet, look what happened. People hate Jews for being different. And when Jews try to blend in, people hate them for having the audacity to pretend that they're the same. We may try to convince ourselves that we have surpassed the "danger zone," but only a little bit of research will yield that prejudice + social media + opportunism = an anti-Semitism that is cogent and continuous in many parts of the world.

Yes, America is different from the countries that came before, and that it is a nation founded on benevolent and noble principles. That's why I said at the beginning that I'm proud to be a U.S. citizen, and to identify as an "American Jew" (many Jews eschew political labels in general). But the last two thousand years of Jewish history force me to acknowledge that even though I don't believe this country will betray its Jewish citizens, it is foolish and naive to deny that possibility.

If the unimaginable were to occur, namely thatAmerica were to turn on its Jewish population, the government could revoke my citizenship. But nothing can revoke my Jewishness. Therefore, Jew is the noun (i.e. it's what I am), and American is the adjective describing the noun.