It never occurred to me that this song by Steve Martin was anti-semitic. I doubt it occurred to Lorne Michaels, either. It did occur to me that this song might be anti-white, but then I realized that Steve Martin was just being a goofy, hilarious guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYbavuReVF4

P.S. We will be doing extra readings from Lemony Snicket at this year's seder. No joke.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh lord. Rookie mistake. And during admissions season. You’d think a POC would know better.

He probably wouldn't know as he's focused on POC diversity.

He is? With “fun” Civil war dress ups including Antebellum dresses? YIKES.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.adl.org/blog/antisemitic-rapper-young-pharoah-spews-bigotry-racist-hate

So I was not aware of this recent imagery being used this way. But looks like it has received considerable news coverage... enough to think it is probably unwise for a black head of school to dress as a pharoh as a super hero, or at least issue a mea culpa now that he is aware. Has anyone told this man? Maybe he is legitimately as clueless as I was. And I consider myself a pretty woke Lib.

Didn't pharoahs enslave blacks? There were many pharaohs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a big Jewish school. This is also btw cultural appropriation and just not really in good taste.

I am all for cultural appropriation precisely because it is good taste. I love fusion food and hate the thought that we will have to give it up in the name of PC purity tests.

I also love art, music, fashion--all of which culturally appropriate every single day.

Anonymous wrote:Not a big Jewish school. This is also btw cultural appropriation and just not really in good taste.

I am all for cultural appropriation precisely because it is good taste. I love fusion food and hate the thought that we will have to give it up in the name of PC purity tests.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.adl.org/blog/antisemitic-rapper-young-pharoah-spews-bigotry-racist-hate

This is on ADL's own website, and it's about some two-bit rapper that I doubt anyone at the school has even heard of.

https://www.newsweek.com/young-pharaoh-calls-cpac-2021-ban-censorship-offers-debate-rabbi-1571238

Newsweek and many others just FYI. But nice try.

I am a Jew- no it’s not the worst thing you can do, of course, but it would make me question whether the place was the right place to be as a Jewish family.

Anonymous wrote:I'm Jewish. When I was a kid and spending time with other Jewish kids, some of the cool kids dressed like Pharaoh. It was sort of like dressing up as Darth Vader. It was not like dressing up as Hitler or Robert E. Lee.

King Tut. Disco Tut. (You can probably find the Steve Martin song by googling it.)

Also, King Tut was a character in a Batman comic.

Anonymous wrote:I'm Jewish. When I was a kid and spending time with other Jewish kids, some of the cool kids dressed like Pharaoh. It was sort of like dressing up as Darth Vader. It was not like dressing up as Hitler or Robert E. Lee.

King Tut. Disco Tut. (You can probably find the Steve Martin song by googling it.)

King Tut was a huuuuge thing in the 70s because of the tour of his tomb artifacts. And I knew all the words to that Steve Martin song growing up (born in Babylonia, moved to Arizona, had a condo made of stone-a, I think....)

For people who are offended (genuine question, not snarky!) would the costume bother you at all if it were another time of the year or still bother you but less?

Anonymous wrote:https://www.adl.org/blog/antisemitic-rapper-young-pharoah-spews-bigotry-racist-hate

This is on ADL's own website, and it's about some two-bit rapper that I doubt anyone at the school has even heard of.

I'm Jewish. When I was a kid and spending time with other Jewish kids, some of the cool kids dressed like Pharaoh. It was sort of like dressing up as Darth Vader. It was not like dressing up as Hitler or Robert E. Lee.

King Tut. Disco Tut. (You can probably find the Steve Martin song by googling it.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am I only Jew here who finds this odd, but ultimately harmless and irrelevant?

I’m not a Jew but yes?

Thanks for weighing in, but I think the opinion of those who are not members of the marginalized group are kind of irrelevant. Of course you’re not offended.

I’m Jewish and I think it was unfortunate, somewhat offensive, and most likely born of ignorance, not malice. Education is the next step here, not ostracism. I do think an apology would be appropriate, as all of us should apologize when we accidentally cause pain.

Anonymous wrote:Am I only Jew here who finds this odd, but ultimately harmless and irrelevant?

I’m not a Jew but yes?

Are we sure he wasn’t trying to be Moses? Wasn’t he adopted into the pharaoh’s family?