![American and Israeli Jews [Illustrative] (photo credit: REUTERS)](https://i3.wp.com/images.jpost.com/image/upload/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_537,w_822/433149?w=1000&resize=1000,500)
In an American political climate where meritocracy is the word du jour, it’s not clear if any minority label – for any group – will be an asset or a liability.
Perhaps it’s helpful to draw public awareness to the idea that some Jewish business owners do need help breaking down barriers. Particularly, during a peak of shameless antisemitic activity in the US.
But as my friend, a music agent living between LA and Israel, told me, “It won’t break the trope that Jews are rich, and will only fuel the one that says Jews steal. The minority status sounds good and important. But if the reason for gaining that status is to get more money, I don’t like it. Once I read that it’s for the benefit of Jewish business owners, it just sounds scammy.”
Accepting minority status?
Liza B., an American travel entrepreneur living in London, argues for a broader acceptance of Jewish minority status, not just economically but culturally, reflecting the often invisible challenges Jews face in the Diaspora. “As a Jew, I hate the fact that I was always told to just label myself white or Eastern European on census sheets.”
But will any minority label confer a victim mentality?
Much has been written on Jewish entrepreneurship and our modern-day statistical success from the boardroom to the chess board. So do we even need government benefits? Yury G., an entrepreneur in New York’s financial sector, was emphatic: “We don’t need a victim status or a victim mentality – we can depend on ourselves.”
