Jew-kipedia and Tolerance

Last week I was checking out Wikipedia and I was browsing the “Main Page”. You can always find an article by searching Wikipedia but you can also browse interesting tidbits on Main Page. Sections like “On this day” and “Did you know” display linked Wikipedia articles for your enjoyment. This page changes frequently, at least several times per day.

At the precise moment that I was looking at the page I saw this:

As you can see, there are 8 bullet points. Three of the eight articles directly relate to something Jewish. That is a very high percentage (38%).

The Jewish population is estimated at around 13 million. The world population is at around 6.8 billion. Some quick math puts the Jewish world population at just under .2%.

The sampling of those Wikipedia articles is way disproportionate to the number of Jewish people in the world. Maybe we should just call it Jew-kipedia.

It is not surprising though. There have been 180 Jewish Nobel Prize winners (that’s a lot) and we have been around for a long time. The impact the Jewish people have had on the world has been the topic of many books. Perhaps the best of those books is “A History of the Jews” by Paul Johnson who is a scholar on Christianity.

What is somewhat troublesome however is the still rampant anti-semitism that exists. The Jewish population is so small yet still garners hatred and disdain from so many. It’s 2009 people, time to move on! This article is particularly troubling. 31% of Euros think that the Jewish people are responsible for the economic crisis! How is that even possible? Where do they come up with this stuff?

If you need more and you’re a glutton for punishment, then read this article.

Really, all you need to do is a google search for “Jew”.

Our world has progressed so much and yet we remain so backwards in so many ways. One word that needs to be taught and emphasized over and over again is tolerance.

Within the Jewish community we are just as guilty of this. We need to be tolerant of each other and our various customs as well. We have to find the common ground between us. Harmony and love will bring our world to a better place. Divisiveness and scorn certainly won’t.

Say it: Tolerance, tolerance, tolerance.

Now do it: Tolerate, tolerate, tolerate.

Related posts:

1. My Visit to the Museum of Tolerance at the Simon Wiesenthal Center
2. Maghen Abraham Synagogue in Beirut Lebanon: A Symbol of Tolerance
3. My One Sharp Criticism of the Museum of Tolerance

Tagged as: anti-semitism, love, tolerance, wikipedia