U. Museum talk explores origins of Jewish jokes

Like many societies throughout history, ancient Greeks and Romans had their fair share of Jewish jokes. Erich Gruen, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, shared a few of these racist jabs last night at the University Museum -- and shed some light on their origins. For example, Seneca, the ancient philosopher and political adviser, scoffed, "By observing Sabbath, Jews use up one-seventh of their lives in idleness." Juvenal once said, "Jews are so exclusive that they won't even give directions in the streets to those who aren't circumcised." And Augustus joked, "I'd feel safer as Herod's pig than his son," referring to the King of Judea who notoriously slaughtered his offspring. But according to Gruen, it was not a case of simple anti-Semitism. Rather, these jokes represent "Greco-Roman cultural snobbery" more than a widespread anti-Semitic ideology. He explained that ancient societies simply branded all other different cultures as inferior. Tacitus has often been called "the arch anti-Semite." But as Gruen argued, the Roman historian didn't reserve his hatred specifically for Jews --he despised Christians, Egyptians and many others as well. In fact, explained Gruen, throughout the pagan world, many were complacently ignorant about Jewish practices and customs. "They didn't care enough to get the facts straight," Gruen said. He went on to note that just because ancient Greeks and Romans may not have been anti-Semites, the Jews still suffered under their rule. For example, Egyptian Jews in 38 A.D. were confined to a ghetto, and women were forced to eat swine's flesh. And a worse fate befell Jews in what is now modern-day Israel, where 20,000 were slaughtered by the Roman army. But Gruen argued that this persecution resulted not from an ideological commitment to anti-Semitism, but rather sprang from local frictions and isolated events. "In periods of political crisis or local tensions, xenophobia leaps to the surface," Gruen explained. "Jews didn't hide themselves," he continued. "They made a point of maintaining their ancestral traditions." For this reason, the Jews frequently became targets and scapegoats during difficult times. In this respect, Gruen said "the experience of Jews in antiquity does bear a striking resemblance to their experience in the modern world." Gruen's talk -- and its historical relevance -- seemed to resonate with many who attended. "I enjoy hearing about issues of religious tolerance and freedom throughout history," College freshman Andrew Fink said. Nursing staff member Rebecca Tobias said she enjoyed learning about the "parallels between ancient history and modern times."

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