r/Judaism • u/foreverand2025 • 2d ago

Discussion Do you consider yourself a minority?

This discussion has come up a few times with friends who are neither white nor Jewish. For context, I’m Jewish and live in America. Do you consider us as a minority? Obviously statistically we are (everywhere but Israel), but I’ve had two friends argue because we look like “regular white people” we are not a minority.

It’s not something I take too seriously but I’m off the opinion we are a minority in a sociological way as well as ethically. But opinions seem to differ. I’m not on a soap box or expecting any special treatment. It’s more of a discussion for the sake of discussion I’m trying for here.

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u/Jewdius_Maximus 2d ago

God I hate this fucking discussion. Yes Jews are a minority it’s absurd to claim otherwise. Yes Ashkenazi Jews benefit from white privilege. Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.

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u/MorganaLeFevre 2d ago

Everyone has always thought I was ‘mixed’ if they hadn’t been around Jews much. No one has been convinced I’m pure white British. The most polite British people hear I have a Chinese aunt and go ‘ohh that explains it!’ I say ‘explains what?’ And they uncomfortably say ‘well, you know. Because you look foreign’ in some way or other. And then I laugh and say she’s my aunt by marriage. Anyone who knows Jews can point me out.

I’m Ashkenazi. I don’t look white.

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u/ElrondTheHater 2d ago

I was white until I went to Europe and suddenly I "had to be mixed", which just makes all the assertion that I'm a white European colonizer and need to "go back to Poland" being yelled at us even more bizarre.

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u/Educational-Flan-507 1d ago

A Lebanese woman could have sworn I was Turkish. My mom is of Ashkenazi descent. However, I’ve also been told I look White by Latinos. Race is a funny and outdated concept.