"Jewish men make the best husbands" true or false?

There is, indeed a perception that Jewish men are good husband material. It certainly seems to be assumed by nonJewish women who actually seek out romantic attachment to Jewish men. What do they have to say for themselves?

In her autobiography, Crossing Ocean Parkway, Marianna De Marco Torgovnick, an Italian-American who became an English professor identifies her selecting a Jewish husband as one of the keys out of the locked environment she found in her own ethnic group. That is not to say that she married for money or even status, but for someone from a culture that would foster her academic aspirations. I am not sure if a WASP would have been perceived as beyond reach, while the Jewish man -- still rooted in an ethnic group -- was considered more attainable. But she clearly found a Jewish husband to be more compatible with where she wanted to go than a fellow Italian-American.

But, on the flip side, my husband recently declared that his coworkers put him to shame (just don't take that too literally). He said that, not only do they do house projects but they cook full dinners, as well. To my husband's credit, he does do the dishes and really coordinates the Pesach kitchen turnover. He also doesn't have to call in someone just to change a light bulb, put up the sukkah, or put in an air conditioner. But he questioned the husband rankings when he heard about the great accomplishments of his nonJewish colleagues.

Thoughts on the title of this post?

Related: http://kallahmagazine.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-woman-learns-about-dating-by-posing.html

Comments

Chaim B. said…
These days there is less obvious conformity to racial / cultural stereotypes (assuming they were ever true) than decades ago when economic and social mobility was more limited (isn't Obama supposed to be our first "post-racial" pres?) But since you mention academics, I must say that although my coworkers can cook a full dinner and clean the stove, I have yet to see a single one with a book in hand or a serious newspaper (and I would even count the NY Times in that category for purposes of this discussion.) It's hard to have it all.

BTW, you see how valueless these shidduch resumes are. How many people put down that they are looking for Mr. literate and caring who can do the dishes while expounding on either a R' Akiva Eiger or an intellectually challenging book? Instead you have Mr. not shorter than 5 feet who went to yeshiva X but is a mystery man in every other regard.
Janine said…
Jewish men make good boyfriends and husbands, and it has nothing to do with academic or economic stuff.

I am not Jewish but roughly a third of the guys I've dated have been Jewish (and I don't even live in New York or Israel, LOL). In my experience, their culture makes them intelligent, thoughtful and kind. American Jewish men tend to be very respectful to women, very sweet and engaging, the opposite of the ghetto or white trash douchebag that is anathema to me.

Popular Posts