I know it’s not Google’s fault for these, but if I was a young budding Jewish mind I would be a little disappointed and discouraged. Who says I can’t grow up to be a pirate? It turns out Eric Cartman said it (Although the Torah does forbid stealing and murder). He also said Jews can’t play basketball.
This is a very common misconception. Jews are adventurous and not just in the stock market. There were Jews who were pirates, or were atleast financial advisers for pirates. Just ask Christopher Columbus’ Jewish first mate. And Jews can be athletic. Marty Glickman played for the US Olympic Bball team in 1936 in Nazi Germany. He may not have had ups, but the man could shoot. There’s an entire DVD giving hope to klutzy 4-eyed children everywhere.
I will concede one point to these internet Jew-discouragers. We cannot be Paladins (except in WOW). Those are reserved for Christian knights of the Middle Ages willing to fight the heathen hoards. And of course, pork, shellfish, and some argue tattoos, are not Kosher.
Alex - Resident Goy Writer
02/22/2010
Perhaps more disturbing is that the third one down is “Jews can’t eat.” I’d never heard that before. That must be a lesser known stereotype.
Also, “Jews can’t be Paladins” is also from Eric Cartman.
Mike
05/06/2010
I’ve read this, it’s actually quite good:
http://www.jewishpiratesofthecaribbean.com/
From the web site:
At the end of the fifteenth century, the Spanish Inquisition forced many Jews to flee the country. The most adventurous among them took to the high seas as freewheeling outlaws. In ships bearing names such as the Prophet Samuel, Queen Esther, and Shield of Abraham, they attacked and plundered the Spanish fleet while forming alliances with other European powers to ensure the safety of Jews living in hiding.
JEWISH PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN is the entertaining saga of a hidden chapter in Jewish history and of the cruelty, terror, and greed that flourished during the Age of Discovery. Readers will meet such daring figures as “the Great Jewish Pirate” Sinan, Barbarossa’s second-in-command; Rabbi Samuel Palache and his brother, Joseph, who went from commanding pirate ships to founding the first openly Jewish community in the New World; and Abraham Cohen Henriques, an arms dealer who used his cunning and economic muscle to find safe havens for other Jews.
Filled with high-sea adventures—including encounters with Captain Morgan and other legendary pirates—and detailed portraits of cities stacked high with plunder, such as Port Royal, Jamaica, JEWISH PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN captures a gritty and glorious era of history from an unusual and eye-opening perspective.