(Untitled)

[theshiversbaby]

Why is the term "anti-Semitic" used to describe someone or something that is anti-Jew when the word "Semite" does not explicitly mean "a Jewish person"? Also, I think I have only met a couple of Jews who were actually "Semitic," and I only know one Jew who actually speaks a Semitic language. If I converted to Judaism today, would I become a

Comments

[studtoughguy]

I've always wondered when semitic came to refer only to Jews when it could just as easily be arabs too.

[theshiversbaby]

yeah...if you're anti-semitic, you hate a lot more than jews!

at least, that's what i would think when hearing it.

[cynicjitterbug]

it is used to describie people who hate any type of semite, but it is more comonally herd when refering to jews. i think cause more people hate jews, or at least ahve a more open hate

[theshiversbaby]

see below.

[allplainstapped]

Stolen from wikipedia and paraphrased:

The term antisemitic (or anti-semitic) historically only ever referred to prejudice against Jews. The use of the word "semitic" is a misnomer, thus the recent movement to remove the hyphen from the word, since anti-semitic is not the opposite of semitic. The origins of the terms come from a variety of texts written a century ago, all dealing with Jewish people and hatred toward them, not all races who use a semitic language.

Hope that helps. I was curious myself, so I looked it up.

[theshiversbaby]

Now all I have to figure out is why it's "Semite" and not "Shemite." Noah's sons were Shem, Ham, and Japeth, and we have the words "Hamite" and "Japethian," but it's "Semite" instead of "Shemite." Did some higher-up linguist have a lisp or something and just casually erase that "h"?

[bluespiralbound]

payot
"You shall not clip your hair at the temples or mar the edges of your beard" (Leviticus 19:27-28)

OH

[theshiversbaby]

I always thought that meant no opening a barbershop at the temple!