Breakfast
Was on TVNZ’s Breakfast this morning chatting about social networking in the election campaign. Went okay but said one stupid thing – that Obama had raised more money on the Internet than NZ’s GDP. The moment I said it I realised I was out by a couple of orders of magnitude.
Recieved a phone call while walking home afterwards from a retired lady wanting to know if I was related to a Captain Roger Farrar, who had helped her during WWII. I explained that my immediate family are not related to any other Farrars as our name was anglicised from Feuer after leaving Austria.
She them exclaimed “Oh you must be Jewish, I thought you were from Television”. I laughed that the nose must give it away. It seems the other Farrar she knew many years ago was also Jewish – Scottish Jews. Of course I’m not actually Jewish as the Jewish ancestry comes from my father’s side and it only counts if it is on the mother’s side.
October 20th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Oh, so its NOT a ‘blood’ thing like ‘colour’?
He said with a firm tongue in cheek…
October 20th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Oh styerotype overload!
Thats funny, you don’t look Jewish.
Scottish Jews, OMG what a target rich environment!
October 20th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Its more of a Nuremberg Law thing expat. You can tell you’re Jewish if it gets you into the ovens.
October 20th, 2008 at 9:34 am
“Scottish Jews, OMG what a target rich environment!”
I know someone who can sell you a good drool-proof keyboard.
October 20th, 2008 at 9:35 am
“The moment I said it I realised I was out by a couple of orders of magnitude.”
Would’ve been better to say you were engaging in intentional and obvious exaggeration.
October 20th, 2008 at 9:35 am
You reckon they’d try and lend themselves money but in the end wouldn’t be able to part with the cash?
October 20th, 2008 at 9:39 am
David with a history like yours you could legitimately appoint yourself ‘Der Fuhrer’ of the VRWC – in the most benign way, of course!
October 20th, 2008 at 9:46 am
No requirement stephen, my Jewish brother – of Scots ancestory – has already told me all the good jokes thanks.
Although I express no suprise that you can tell people where to get moisture proof keyboards.
October 20th, 2008 at 9:48 am
“Of course I’m not actually Jewish as the Jewish ancestry comes from my father’s side and it only counts if it is on the mother’s side”
This is not the case for Israeli citizenship which as I understand it allows ancestry to be traced down either the maternal or paternal line.
October 20th, 2008 at 9:52 am
“Although I express no suprise that you can tell people where to get moisture proof keyboards.”
The iPhone debacle of oh-eight was a real blur.
October 20th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Again I defer to your expertise in the matter.
October 20th, 2008 at 10:14 am
That’s the spirit
October 20th, 2008 at 11:25 am
DPF said…
Oh you must be Jewish
Hehe, I had experienced certain people asking me that type of question a few times before. In my immediate family and distant relatives there exist names such as Ishmael, Abraham, Lazarus, Herschel, Zachariah, Beulah, Jemimah, Keziah. My typical reply was to say, Nope!. I had to explain that there is a substantial percentage of the populations in the Island/s (Tonga and others such as Fiji, Samoa I believe), where parents’ naming their offspring after biblical names are quite common thing.
October 20th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
“Went okay but said one stupid thing”
Don’t worry. Nobody watches “Breakfast”.
October 20th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Reform or Progressive Judaism recognises paternal descent if you choose to identify and practise as Jewish, without a Jewish mother. Orthodox and Conservative Judaism still follows a clear and unbroken line of maternal descent to recognise someone as officially Jewish, regardless if the father is Jewish or non-Jewish. Probably the only major world religion where women have a direct, controlling and dominant hand.
Falafulu Fisi – I would shake the family tree a bit harder and don’t be surprised if a Jew is on a branch. The German army unit in Samoa contained a few Jews amongst them, just ask MP Winnie Laban, her non-Samoan descent is German-Jewish via her great-grandfather who was a soldier in Samoa. She proudly comes to events in the NZ Jewish community, not as a recognised Jew as such, but as someone who is proud to acknowledge her descent.
October 20th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Speaking of breakfast did you have bacon and eggs
October 20th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Next time you’re down that way can you ask Paul Henry why he’s so soft on Helen but tough on Key?