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Opinion | Why Did George Santos Lie About Being Jewish?


Foreign politicians in Arkansas do not brag about Jewish ancestry. But in Brooklyn or Queens or on Long Island? There are Jews, and they vote.

Jewish – or Jewish-to be-No? — can bring a person closer to powerful activist groups, can help give a person a constituency. For Mr. Santos, having a Jewish identity makes him a better candidate for the Republican Party, which has tried and failed for decades to separate Jews from Democrats. (Following the revelations of Mr. Santos’ fabrication, the Republican Jewish Union speak that Mr. Santos “will not be welcome at any future RJC events,” which does not appear to be a punishment.)

It is noteworthy that in many cases the statement it is in a Jew doesn’t seem to benefit, exactly – but having a bit of Jewish heritage or ancestry does. That makes sense, because in politics, or celebrity, there is no such thing as a bad lineage. Being 1/128 Native American or partly Romanian or a tiny Jew – they all offer a bit of flavor, enlivening a serious image. Really a current, practicing, engaged member of the group? Less attractive. A practicing Jew, observance of the Sabbath raises some suspicions; being a secular American who happens to have a great-grandfather who was a rabbi shtetl is an interesting biographical fact.

To quote Dara Horn’s essay anthology title, every dead Jew lover. Having a dead Jew in your past is bloated. George Santos fabricated his business history because he hoped it would make him appear successful. He made up dead Jews to make himself seem sympathetic or interesting.

However, I am a bit wary of criticizing Mr. Santos for culturally appropriating Judaism, for trying to identify with my people, because we Jews have always tried to assimilate everything. people with us. In the words of Adam Sandler, in the famous Jewish roll-call Hanukkah, “Harrison Ford is a quarter Jew — not so shabby” (and he really half Jewish). There’s nothing a Jew enjoys more than welcoming a celebrity with Jewish background unexpectedly to the club.

But it was an invitation made by the Jews, tongue-in-cheek. It’s like MacArthur’s “genius” grant: You don’t apply; you just need to be in touch. (I still waiting for my phone call.) If you want to apply or be accepted as a member of the community, there are many ways – but they all involve being serious, not opportunistic; not only care about your DNA or ancestry, but also the Jewish community in which you live. you can be serious in many ways: pray with us, study with us, learn to cook with us, organize politics with us, convert to be one of us.

And for those who feel Jewish, either because they had a lot of Jewish friends in college or because they found out their great-grandfather was Jewish, even though everyone close to them since the Civil War is Christianity: Is it possible to keep quiet about it? Or just say you’re a friend of Jews—you might even find Friends of Jewish United, which, like Friends of Pets United, may not exist, but it certainly does.

Mark Oppenheimer is the host of the podcast”Gatecrashers: The Hidden History of the Ivy League Jews” and author of “Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and Soul of a Neighborhood.” He previously wrote the column Belief for The Times.

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