[Ask Shuli is on vacation, so we’re asking you, our TC Jewfolk readers, to answer this question amongst yourselves. Nu, two Jews, three opinions, right? Let’s have it.]
You wear a kippah at shul. You put a mezuzah on your doorposts, but are you “out” as a Jew at work? Especially as young-ish folks trying to break into corporate culture, and find our way up the ladder in a difficult economy, it seems like we should be tussling with this question. When is it okay to be Jewish at work? And how?
Do you Jew-dentify yourself at work? And how have your colleagues/superiors reacted?
(Photo: archie4oz)
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What a great question – how proudly should we wear our Jewishness in the workplace, how honkin’ big an Israeli flag should I wave in the office, how big a plate of Jerusalem salad and Kugel should I share in the office kitchen?
Given that my PR agency is actually named after a famous band of Jewish guerilla fighters whom we remember every Chanukah, I’m always puzzled by Jewish businesspeople who hide their cultural identity for fear of alienating Minnesota-nice gentiles. An Israeli Hamsa hangs proudly on my bulletin board above my Mac, an “I Love Israel” refrigerator magnet stands guard over my filing cabinet. I remember being initially surprised by, and then appreciative of, a marketing director for a Minneapolis-based radio network who happily wore a kippah to business meetings.
But I also recall how mortifying it was to work at a Minnesota PR agency that insisted on celebrating Christmas with visits from Santa and which piled gifts around the company XMas tree that was located in the lobby (and which employed an executive who openly referred to me and other Jewish employees as ‘Hebes’, but that’s another story).
My suggestion is: let your Jewish Freak Flag fly . . but inside your own personal office. Bring hummus to work! Slap some pro-Israel magnets on your file cabinet! Play some hot klezmer on your office CD system and wear your “Everyone Loves a Jewish Boy” lapel pin. Just make it clear you’re paying tribute to your own culture and not, as so many Minnesotans do, trying to pretend that everyone shares your faith and heritage. L’chaim!
I disagree. It’s just plain tacky. Leave it at home. I work for a fortune 500 company and I get sick of each month being another heritage month such as Asian or Latin (though I don’t recall a Slavic or Anglo month). I don’t need my employer to enlighten me about other cultures. I’m personally involved in many cultural associations outside of work. I think people flaunting their culture or religion is cheesy and dangerous at worst. Can you imagine putting up those pro-Israel pins next to your Palestinian boss’s cube? If you really want to be pro-Israel move to Israel and forget the fluff.
I am very proud to be a Jew and so I like it when people anywhere can tell that I’m a Jew just by looking. That’s why I wear a kippah. That’s why I wore a magen-david over my t-shirt before my common daily attire became a business suit. I am following the example of my father who proudly wore a magen-david in the streets of Soviet Kiev (a fairly antisemitic place).
(A short aside: I have found that, when I am conscious that people can identify me as a Jew, I try to behave better. I think thrice before doing such innocuous but not-quite-right things as crossing the street not at the crosswalk.)
It can be tough, though, to decide when to let other considerations override my desire to wear my Jewishness on my sleeve (well, head). I have held back at times from wearing my kippah. I wrestled with it, but for several job interviews, I left it off. I was concerned that potential employers might think that I would have to leave early every Friday and take many (non-standard) holidays off. None of that applies to me. To “hide” my Jewishness in any way is really against my principles, but, because I was unemployed and really needed a job, I ultimately decided that I couldn’t afford my principles at that time. It was a painful decision, but I thought it necessary at the time. Once I was hired, I wore my kippah to work. And it’s never been a problem.
I have recently placed several mezuzot in my home, and in my heart, I would really like to place a (small, tasteful) mezuzah in the doorway to my private office. As I am a Jew By Choice, this would be a pretty visible act of coming out, which is probably fueling both my excitement and my nervousness about it.
I’ve been gradually assuming–perhaps a better word is “claiming” — a Jewish identity among my colleagues. For example, it’s common Fridays for another Jewish employee and I to “Shabbot shalom” each other in passing. That feels great.
Don’t know where I’ll come down on this, but I really appreciate this Kibbitz topic. I am enjoying seeing what others have to say!
I “came out” with coworkers when I got married. I invited several coworkers and my manager to our wedding. When other coworkers learned I was married on a Sunday, I quickly gave the explanation that I am Jewish.
It was interesting… A few had questions about the difference between Jewish and Christian weddings. One woman actually told me that she’d been married at the same place. I wasn’t aware that she was Jewish.
I’m not the type to wear a kippah anywhere except temple (and only on high holidays). I don’t hang any type of religious or politically identifying items in my cube at work – and honestly, I don’t like people who do. I don’t wear a Magen-David – I don’t wear any jewelry, except my wedding band.
I don’t loudly proclaim being Jewish, but I will decline to take part in “Secret Santa,” and explain my reasons. When coworkers asked me what I did for Christmas, I told them I followed the traditional Jewish custom – a movie and Chinese food.
While I was in the Army, I made sure that my dog tags stated “Reform Judaism” as my religion of record. I did bring my faith up to my commander on a few occasions. The first being a ceremony where the invocation ended with the name of Jesus being invoked. The other times were an objection to the lack of food on the menu that did not contain pork. I was one of two Jews in the battalion, but we also had several Muslims.
I don’t believe in
The folks where I work know I’m Jewish, because I take off work for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, I leave work a little early on Fridays to go to synagogue, and I don’t eat pork or shellfish or meat with dairy.
I don’t make a big deal out of it, but it’s there. And it’s useful, because my co-workers ask me questions about Judaism and they ask me my opinion when things happen like the recent flotilla incident. As a result, it gives me a chance to dispell some misconceptions they may have, as well as to satisfy their curiosity.