[Lars Sandström]

It seems to me that American Jews are more willing than their European counterparts to let people know that they are Jewish. From what I have seen on TV, Americans of Jewish persuasion, ranging from comedians to actors to average joe’s are more liable to hold out their Jewishness than European Jews. Jewish Comedians make jokes about themselves, Jewish actors and film producers (such as Woody Allen or Mel Brooks) joke around with it without restraint. Recently, I attended a social gathering, where a large number of people were Jews. It came to my mind that European Jews never seem to ‘expose’ their Jewishness in public the way American Jews seem to do. The Jewish community in Sweden is smaller and less significant than in America, but the ones I have known, and celebrities of Jewish persuasion (there are quite a few actually), have NEVER ‘exposed’ their Jewishness the way I have seen American Jews do. I actually think most gentile Swedes wouldn’t know that 80% of the Jewish celebrities actually were Jews. And if you would ask them somehow (it is indeed a sensitive matter), they tend to become very defensive and look at you suspiciously. Now, I can understand why European Jews are reluctant to expose their Jewishness (the Holocaust), but why are American Jews more inclined to let people know they are Jewish? Is it hip to be Jewish in America? As a European who’s never visited America, what I know about American culture is very much directed by what I have been exposed to from TV, and it may very well be that I have gotten the wrong impression, but still: this is something I have noticed. Tell me if I’m right or wrong?

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Name : Lars Sandström, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 33, City : Malmö, State : NA, Country : Sweden, Occupation : Teacher, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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