Sunday, March 30, 2008

"Sorry, Sir, You Can't Go In There; This Place is Just for Jewish People"


Read this great story at Aish.com about Reuben Greenberg: black, Jewish, Texan, retired Chief of Charleston, South Carolina Police Department!

10 comments:

أبو سنان said...

Lots of things in this one. I guess most of the community in SA is of European background? Maybe he wouldnt be aware of African and Arab Jews?

This also nudges the idea of race within comtemporary Jewish life, especially in Israel, where non white Jews have often had a hard time.

I have a bit of fascination for Sephardic Jews/Judaism.

Thanks for sharing.

Amina said...

amazing story, how one can be devoted and determinated in beliefs...plus I would also fell into stereotypes to see 'black' jew, not very common indeed.

Anonymous said...

Salaam,

The race issue.......ummmm

Sitting in the corner just reading comments.......

Happy Muslim Mama said...

Assalam-alaikam Sis Saffiyah,
interesting story,
I found the whole race and judaism issue very interesting - sephardic v ashkenazi and then all those that don't fall into that. Until a Jewish coleague explained to me I had no idea how strong an Arab culture/influence some Jewish people have , or that there was a Jewish community in Calcutta (even a tiny one in Karachi)

Safiyyah said...

As Salaamu Alaikum Umm Salihah: Indeed, very strong. Arabs and Jews are ethnic brothers!

أبو سنان said...

My wife says that is why Israelis and Palestinians fight so much, they are cousins.

Interesting to note that much of the anti-Semetic stereotypes that are made of Jews are passed onto Palestinians in wider Arabic culture.

Palestinians are said to be thieves, they steal, they'll rob you, they are cheap.....ect.

I have always thought Palestinians and Jews/Israelis have a lot in common, from the way that other people view them to history itself.

Too bad they do not see it that way.

Anonymous said...

Now that is a really inspiring and terrific story :) Thanks for the link :)

Ya Haqq1

Avi said...

Muslims have hardly treated us as brothers. Ever since Ishmael tried to kill Isaac, we have never known peace.

Nasrin said...

Ishmael tried to kill Isaac? What bible are you reading? I seem to recall Abraham agreeing with Sarah to send Hagar and Ishamael off to the desert to die or not, and Abraham taking Isaac to possiby kill, but Ishmael against Isaac? Erm, no. I've thought a number of times of how Muslims and Jews both claim descent from Abraham, so why so much hate flowing both ways? People like to claim its the religious differences, but that is garbage. To a certain extent its geo-political, but at its heart, its just plain ole racism/anti-semitism on both sides. (And hey, Arabs are semites too, so yeah, Jews can be anti-semitic).

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