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Checklist Judaism, Feckless Journalism
Publication Date: July 2009
Publisher(s): National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership (U.S.)
Author(s): Andrew Silow-Carroll
Series: CLAL on Culture Archive
Special Collection: Berman Jewish Policy Archive
Topic: Culture and religion (Religion and religious groups)
Keywords: Jewish Identification; Jewish Values; Media
Type: Brief
Coverage: United States
Abstract:
The author, a former editor of a Jewish weekly newspaper, reflects on his frustration with how journalists assess the "Jewishness" of a celebrity they are profiling. He asserts that there seems to be a checklist of vague, stereotypical qualities that seem to create the overall profile of a Jew. Instead of journalists probing their subjects to find out meaningful aspects of Judaism in the individual's life, they seem to only ask about where they celebrated their Bar-mitzvahs, or whether or not they went to Hebrew school. The author asserts that such checklist questioning undermines the true value and impact that Judaism has on one's life.