Karen Bodkins, "How Jews Became White"

I recently read an interesting article, “How Jews Became White Folks and What That Says about Race in America” by Karen Brodkin. This article portrays the experience of many Jewish immigrants that came to this country during the time of great migration into the United States. The author herself is of Jewish decent and grew up with parents who went through the experience of “Jews becoming white in America”. Brodkin explains how when the major migration took place in the late 1800s and early 1900s that the Euro-American immigrants that came to this country where looked down upon by the predominant white middle and upper class elite. During this time political figures and scientist began to develop the theories of eugenics, the superior race. Brodkin describes this as “scientific racism. Racism and anti-Semitism were high in the United States during this time period. Bodkins explains how Jews and other Euro-American immigrants such as the Irish, Polish and Italians were able to assimilate into that of the white middle class culture that was expectable in the United States.
America is know for the myth of the American dream, that with hard work an dedication one can pull themselves up by their bootstraps. This terminology is expressly used with those of Jewish decent. However is that really all there is to it? According to Bodkins there are other social and racial factors that have to be considered. It is true that during the early 1900s Jew people began to strive for better education, which meant better jobs and housing conditions. The movement towards the suburbs was an increasing trend. So how was it that Jews and other immigrants were able to assimilate and not others such as African Americans? The Euro-American advantage was their ability to assimilate due to their separation from African Americas. The government provided for this advantage. Although labor was increasingly needed during the war effort, blacks were still discriminated against. Therefore the better and higher paying jobs went to the “white” immigrants such as the Jews. The Euro-America immigrants were able to distance themselves further from blacks due to the housing regulations that were present during this time. Blockbusting and Redlining were common practice made by realtors and banks. These tools made it so that Blacks and Whites lived in segregated neighborhoods. With the difference in jobs and housing the Jews, Irish, Polish, Italian, and other “white” immigrants were able to assimilate into the white middle class because the government allowed for the Blacks to continue the tradition of segregation and racism. It is not true that racism against other immigrants disappeared all together because that simple wasn’t true. It seems that because of the difference in skin color and the history of the slave in America, Blacks made an easy target for discrimination and persecution.
By reading this article it is easy to see that Jews and other Euro-American immigrants suffered racism when they first arrived in this country. That is evident through the scientist who tried to prove that they were all inferior races. Yet what changed to allow them to gradually move away from that type of thinking and enter the middle class? Was it simple that they worked hard and pulled themselves up by their bootstraps? After reading this article it is easy for me to see that the government played a huge role in the assimilation of the Jews and other immigrant groups and the continued discrimination of the Black population. To me it is somewhat of a hard concept to follow. Why did things go one way for a certain group of people and a different way for another? I think that this can only be supported and discussed by taking a look back at the roots of our history and discovering the balance that it was formed on. Our history shows that of a superior way of thinking towards Blacks and other minorities. Although strides have been made I still feel that looking back we have some unfortunate parts of history that should really be studied and observed for the greater future of our county.