For Apple, that was indeed the question.
After protests from Jewish activists, the software giant removed from their App Store a French program called “Juif ou pas Juif,” or “Jew or not Jew.” For $1.08, users could find out if their favorite stars qualified as members of the Tribe. The app’s creator, Johann Lévy, is himself a French Jew and sees no problem calling a spade a spade. However, the National Bureau Against Anti-Semitism deemed his program “dangerous” for categorizing someone by their religion and potentially opening them up to hostile behavior.
To be honest, most Jews are able to come out of the Hebrew closet without fearing retaliation – perhaps that’s my New Yorker side talking, but where I live it’s no big deal if someone’s Jewish. That might be different in other parts of the US (or in France), but while celebrities might wish to have their religions kept private (which is certainly their right), in today’s globalized and pop culture-obsessed world, it’s likely that a) everyone already knows, and b) no one really cares. There are enough Jews in Hollywood that it’s unlikely any particular individual will come under fire simply for being Jewish.
What we should be worried about is the very existence of this database. Creating a system by which Jews can be singled out for their religion alone and potentially discriminated against seems dangerous. Currently, the data is only available for celebrities, but the same technology could clearly be applied to regular people. Unfortunately, it’s not that far of a stretch to imagine some Nazi-esque database cataloguing every Jew in France – or America – to “keep tabs” on them.
The app also tracks whether the celebs are converts, and if not, which side of their family is Jewish. Notably, this could lead to discrimination within Jewish communities. If someone was outed as a convert or only Jewish on their father’s side, they could be ostracized from the community for not being “Jewish enough.” This too could just as easily be applied to laypeople as celebrities.
“Jew or not Jew” might let you play Jewish Geography with your favorite celebrities, but it’s a dangerous precedent. The app’s racist potential could easily be unleashed on the real world.
Carly Silver is a senior at Barnard College, Columbia University, majoring in religion and minoring in ancient studies. Originally from Weston, Connecticut, she is currently trying to pay for college by playing the ponies at a Tri-State area racetrack. Her column, Twenty Thousand Leagues From Hillel, appears here on alternating Fridays.
