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Jewish Stereotypes
Jews bucking traditional stereotypes
By Jenny Glick
We all have our stereotypes about who we should be. As a Jewish mom, I, for example, should be a good cook. Unfortunately, my dinners are often greeted by a look of puzzlement, followed by a smirk of laughter by my adoring husband.
My children can be relied on to add insult to injury, with pronouncements of, “Mommy, I don’t like this! Can I have something else?” Maddeningly, my husband is a great cook, which makes me wonder why I even bother, given he can whip up something fabulous in minutes.
But I digress. As Jews, even though we do not fit the stereotypes in the kitchen, our family fits the stereotype. He’s a doctor; I’m a journalist. We also do things that are quite normal for Jews to do. We like to go to the theatre, enjoy good music, and I love to read.
We love good food and wine, and enjoy time with friends and family. You get the picture.
We all know plenty of Jewish doctors, teachers, lawyers, accountants and business owners. For better or worse, the stereotypical Jew engages in serious, thought-provoking careers. But for some reason, we do not tend to be in law enforcement and we are not known for being do-it-yourselfers, or for being outdoorsy. We are definitely not known for being hunters.
But there are also plenty of us who are breaking free of the mold. I interviewed five interesting Jews who are all bucking the stereotypes and, perhaps, teaching us an important lesson along the way. By sticking to the script, you can miss out on a great career, or perhaps even the best vacation of your life.
Brian Rudo
Escape Artist/Magician/Comedian
He is able to wiggle out of two straight jackets at the same time while balancing on a two-foot ball. He can jump on glass without a scrape and wow crowds by jumping rope on a ball with a fiery jump rope.
To watch Brian Rudo’s show is to get lost in the spectacle. The 32-year-old’s job is literally to be the life of a party. He says he wasn’t into theatre or the performing arts as a child, but as a teen realized it would make for a great business.
“When I was 17, I remember finding out what a clown got paid to do a birthday party,” he says.
There is no doubt that becoming an escape artist/magician/comedian is a unique career path, but for Rudo it’s about reading a crowd and bringing some fun and laughter into people’s lives.
“My goal is to entertain myself and hope others are amused,” he says.
Although not the norm, Rudo says in many ways his business model is no different from any other successful business. His living relies on customer loyalty and repeat business.
“It is a traditional business. If I don’t do what I’m supposed to do to entertain, I won’t be back. Business is business,” he adds.
Rudo graduated from Franklin High School, where for the past 11 years he has coached wrestling. He currently lives in Reisterstown with his family.
Jon Krieger
Police Corporal
Corporal Jon Krieger says his parents were quite simply shell-shocked when, at 23, he graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park and decided to go into a career in law enforcement.
“They didn’t think I was serious. Nice Jewish boys become doctors and lawyers; they don’t become police officers,” he says.
But for Krieger, it was the right fit from the beginning. Although right now his title is corporal, he says his job has always been more than his title. He calls himself a combination officer, social worker, teacher and counselor. He says being Jewish has helped him impact his community of Pikesville in a positive way.
“I like Pikesville and understand the dynamic. A lot of people call me personally.”
Krieger says that while he went into a career in law enforcement, a lot of his friends went into a career in business. Now, at age 42, he says some of those same friends are out of work and wishing they had made different choices when they were younger.
“I think we lock ourselves into expectations. I didn’t fall into the mindset. People get tunnel vision with what everyone wants you to do,” he adds.
Krieger and his family belong to Beth El Congregation. His children attend the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School. The friends of 12-year-old son Jared and 7-year-old daughter Alison think he’s COOL.
“I’m so cool, because none of their dads are policemen. It’s so different,” he laughs.
Josh Abrams
Do-It-Yourselfer
Thirty-two-year-old Josh Abrams says he didn’t grow up in a family of do-it-yourselfers.”My father doesn’t own a toolbox. I’ve never seen him change a light bulb…he has no interest,” he recalls.
Abrams says his interest in fixing things percolated while he was attending the University of Maryland, College Park. When he wanted to get something fixed in college, he had to figure out how to do it himself.
The list of his completed DIY projects on his Owings Mills home is impressive. He’s done everything from painting to extending gutters, installing closet shelves to rebuilding kitchen cabinets, even installing electrical units.
Of all his DIY projects, Abrams says he is most proud of the workbench he built from scratch for his growing collection of tools.
“It’s a huge accomplishment when I finish something. I feel like I learn something new,” he says.
Abrams says it doesn’t bother him if he puts a wrench in the stereotype. “I kind of like surprising people. You can do that when you do it yourself.”
Abrams is an auditor. He and wife Rachael and sons Sam and Ben belong to Chizuk Amuno Congregation.
Marissa Feinsilver
Camper
Marissa Feinsilver has been camping since she was in diapers. The physical therapist and mom of 5-year-old Mia and 9-year-old Julian says that when she was little her family used to camp with a group of other Jewish families. Her best memories were in front of the campfire. She says somebody played the guitar and they would sing along for “something like three hours.”
When she married husband Joe Urban they did some longer camping and hiking trips in New Hampshire. Now she is enjoying introducing her children to the great outdoors. Last year they pitched a tent at a campground near Cunningham Falls in Maryland.
Feinsilver says given that her family lves in the city, even short camping trips offer her kids an appreciation of the great outdoors.
“Watching the caterpillars on the trees, we found a frog. It forces them to take notice of these things,” she says.
For her, it’s special family time. For her kids, it’s a great adventure. “They like the idea of having the home being in an outside place,” she says.
On one of her last trips, her son Julian, who has always steered clear of the water, got adventurous and rode a wave in on a boogie-board.
As for the stereotype that Jewish people don’t camp, Feinsilver says, don’t knock it until you try it. “I think everyone should experience camping, just getting away from it,” she says.
Feinsilver and her family are members of the Bolton Street Synagogue.
Adam Berg
Hunter
Adam Berg has done two kinds of hunting, waterfowl hunting and upland hunting. For those of us who don’t know anything about hunting, upland hunting uses dogs to point or flush the birds. Waterfowl hunting is most often on water and involves laying down bird decoys, so birds think it’s safe to land. Then it is up to the hunter.
“You have to call them in. …You can’t just go out without studying or skills,” he says.
Berg uses a bird caller that imitates the sound of geese or pheasant, which attracts the birds. Then he shoots when the bird takes flight and is successful about 85 percent of the time.
“It’s a sport. Your adrenaline starts going and it’s exciting. You have to hit a moving target; you definitely don’t hit it all the time,” he says.
Berg adds that every bird he shoots, he eats.
He is also a member of Ducks Unlimited, a conservation group that supports wetland and waterfowl conservation, and has also raised baby mallards to be released in the wild.
“Most hunters are members of conservation groups. They don’t take-take-take; they give back,” he notes.
Berg lives in Baltimore County with his family. They are members of Beth Tfiloh Congregation.
Brian Rudo woos crowds as an escape artist, magician and comedian.
Corporal Jon Krieger says his children think his job as a policeman is “cool.”
Unlike his father, who never owned a toolbox, Josh Abrams loves to fix things.
Marissa Feinsilver grew up camping with other Jewish families.
Most hunters are members of conservation groups, says Adam Berg.
Photography by Justin Tsucalas
