Schvartze
Schvartze (from שוואַרץ, shvarts, 'black'; cf. German: schwarz; OED) is a racial slur for Black people in the Yiddish language.
Etymology
Schvartze is derived from the Yiddish word schvarts, which means "black".[1] The word is sometimes referred to as "the S-word".[2]
About
The term schvartze has been described as "the Jewish N-word" or "the Yiddish N-word".[3][4][5] Upper-middle class Jews during the 1800s and 1900s often used the term to describe their Black servants because it was assumed they wouldn't understand the word.[1]
Some Yiddish speakers argue that the term is not inherently offensive, claiming that is a neutral term for a Black person.[6]
Among white South African Jews, the term has a history of being used to describe Black South Africans, as well as Indian South Africans and Coloured South Africans.[7]
The Black Jewish writer Michael W. Twitty has criticized the "troubling resurgence" of the term.[8] The Black Orthodox Jewish rabbi and writer Shais Rishon has objected to the term as offensive and racist, saying that "It is not merely a 'color' word...American Jews do not say 'Pass me my schvartzer jacket' or 'Today I'm wearing my schvartzer hat', adding that term "was thrown around quite often in my youth, even more so toward my fellow African-American Jews who went to yeshiva, and always in lieu of an actual name. In short, in the exact same contest that 'nigger' was used in the 1960s."[9]
Controversies
In 1991, the stand-up comedian Jackie Mason was criticized by African-American organizations including the NAACP, when he called New York City mayor David Dinkins "a fancy shvartze with a moustache";[10] Mason later apologized.[11] In 2009, Mason referred to Barack Obama as a shvartze during one of his stand-up routines, which prompted members of the audience to walk out.[12]
See also
References
- ^ a b "schvartze (n.)". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ "The Real "S" Word". Washington Jewish Week. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ "No More Jewish N-Word". The Forward. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ "The Jewish N Word". Orthodox Union. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ "South Florida Author Examines Miami Race Relations And The "Yiddish N-Word"". WLRN-FM. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ "To Yiddish Speakers, 'Shvartzer' Isn't Hateful". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ "Jackie's racism". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ "Kippahed While Black: The Troubling Resurgence of 'Shvartze' and 'Kushi'". The Forward. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ "Schvartzer: it's not black and white". Moment Magazine. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ Chadwick, Alan (June 13, 2006). "Metrolife: Jackie Mason". Metro. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ Thomas S. Hischak (2003), Enter the Players: New York Stage Actors in the Twentieth Century
- ^ Bill Hutchiinson. "Comments about President Obama by Jackie Mason draw racism charges". New York Daily News, March 16, 2009. Retrieved April 27, 2023.