Is it true that being Ginger used to be associated with being Jewish?

SomersetThreads: 7 Posts: 28 Joined: Sep 6, 11 ♂	Sep 20, 11, 01:44 #1
I have heard that having ginger hair in Eastern Europe used to be associsted with being Jewish, is that true?

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Sep 20, 11, 01:48 #2

=Somerset]I have heard that having ginger hair in Eastern Europe used to be associsted with being Jewish, is that true?

Hmm, I am not sure about the past but certainly the nowadays attitude doesn`t connect ginger/red hair with Jewishness. When I see such looks in POles, I associate it with Ireland or Scotland. And their facial features do look Irish/Scottish.

I think it is those Scottish merceneries in Swedish armies which devastated Poland.

tovarischThreads: 2 Posts: 19 Joined: Aug 26, 11 ♂	Sep 20, 11, 01:50 #3
Not really, from what I have heard, most people associated gingers with being Scottish or Irish

Zman	Sep 20, 11, 02:00 #4
Well, if you read sources from the 30'ies and after that you would see that there was some truth to that. But, as far as I remember it was not an all-out (pale) redness, but some ginger genes protruded here and there nevertheless.

beckskiThreads: 19 Posts: 2,148 Joined: May 15, 07 MEMBER ♀	Edited by: beckski Sep 20, 11, 02:10 #5
nowadays attitude doesn`t connect ginger/red hair with Jewishness There's a good possibly ginger hair today, might not even be someone's natural hair color. Different hair color variations may be produced in a matter of minutes (thanks Clairol.) A sincere thanks PF, for putting up with me FIVE terrific years, muah!

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Sep 20, 11, 02:17 #6

=Zman]Well, if you read sources from the 30'ies and after that you would see that there was some truth to that. But, as far as I remember it was not an all-out (pale) redness, but some ginger genes protruded here and there nevertheless.

Apart from ginger hair, you needed other conspicuous features.

But in Polish culture, ginger hair in Jewish people is quite popular:

Film Promised Land

Drama Wedding

SomersetThreads: 7 Posts: 28 Joined: Sep 6, 11 ♂	Sep 20, 11, 03:36 #7
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_hair#Modern acorrding to wiki : 'The stereotype that red hair is Jewish remains in parts of Eastern Europe and Russia'.[18]

modafinilThreads: - Posts: 831 Joined: Jun 28, 11 ♂	Sep 20, 11, 03:45 #8
I used to work with a Polish/Russian Jew. He definitely had a tinge of ginge. Looked a bit like this dude:

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Sep 20, 11, 04:01 #9

yah, I get it....

Mort Goldman,A Jewish pharmacist with Polish ancestry, and one of Peter's friends. He runs Goldman's Pharmacy and was married to the late Muriel, with whom he has one son, Neil. Mort's defining characteristics are stereotypically Jewish such as his whiny neuroticism, his chronic hypochondria, his wimpy attitude and his general gawkiness. Mort has terrible social skills, frequently discussing his various disgusting (and probably imaginary) maladies and childhood bullying in otherwise polite conversation

ShAlEyNsTfOhThreads: 8 Posts: 232 Joined: Feb 5, 11 ♂ [Suspended]	Sep 20, 11, 08:09 #10
i thought all jews, more or less, had black eyes/hair...

teflcatThreads: 6 Posts: 1,074 Joined: May 29, 11 ♂	Sep 20, 11, 11:21 #11
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Thanks. huge population of Scots in the PLC? I'm intrigued. Please tell us more.

WroclawThreads: 77 Posts: 7,404 Joined: Apr 1, 06 ♂ [Moderator]	Sep 20, 11, 19:13 #12
for connections regarding scottish surnames and red hair from scotland.... we've done it all before. please, search the threads.

jochemczykThreads: 1 Posts: 41 Joined: Nov 27, 11 ♀	Nov 27, 11, 16:24 #13
my Father was polish and he did associate red hair with being jewish. He was born in 1921.

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Nov 27, 11, 16:36 #14

nope, everyone knows that being a ginger means you're an Irish tinker/gypsy/pikey whatever ya wanna call it.

The ginger hair gene is associated with inbreeding, that's why it's still popular in Celtic countries coz there was so much of it going on back thru history.
So, next time you see a ginger you know that somewhere in his bloodline some of his ancient cousin we knocking boots.

I suppose it became associated with Jews in Poland because they didn't really assimulate with the locals in inevitably cousins had to start marrying cousins. There were a lot of ginger aristrocrats too....actually isn't prince harry a ginger?

mafketisThreads: 17 Posts: 1,880 Joined: Mar 31, 08 ♂	Nov 27, 11, 17:48 #15
smurf: The ginger hair gene is associated with inbreeding Is that how they lost their souls? smurf: actually isn't prince harry a ginger? Not to mention a cuckoo egg...

blackadderThreads: 4 Posts: 403 Joined: Jun 28, 07 ♂	Nov 28, 11, 19:32 #16
Somerset: I have heard that having ginger hair in Eastern Europe used to be associsted with being Jewish, is that true? Women with ginger hair and big nose were considered witches in my country :)

isthatu2Threads: 13 Posts: 5,225 Joined: Apr 3, 08 ♂	Edited by: isthatu2 Nov 28, 11, 23:04 #17
smurf: actually isn't prince harry a ginger? yes, but only because his father is also a Ginner. mafketis: Not to mention a cuckoo egg... Does that mean what I just said lol ?

rozumiemnicThreads: 4 Posts: 1,019 Joined: Nov 16, 09 ♀	Edited by: rozumiemnic Nov 29, 11, 00:06 #18
isthatu2: yes, but only because his father is also a Ginner. ginger hair is also a Spencer trait. this is a crap rumour spread about to defame a dead woman. I would associate ginger hair with Jewishness.....and with Irish and Scottish, also with mixed black/white. It pops up all over....

grethomoryThreads: 2 Posts: 212 Joined: Mar 19, 08 ♂	Nov 29, 11, 00:13 #19
Here in America, Ginger has always applied to someone with redhair. They call it Ginger. I don't know if it means something else abroad though.

blackadderThreads: 4 Posts: 403 Joined: Jun 28, 07 ♂	Nov 29, 11, 08:01 #20
Chuck Norris,Dave Mustaine,King David,William the Conqueror,Napoleon,Judas Iscariot,Pharaoh Ramses II,Fat Bastard...Don't call them inbred,some of them are pretty badass... smurf: The ginger hair gene is associated with inbreeding

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Edited by: Natasa Nov 29, 11, 10:03 #21

I have two friends with Jewish background, she is ginger, he is not, but his beard is ginger :)
Also while singing in Jewish Serbian choir, mostly Jews, I have to admit that number of ginger singers was not representative for general population.

There were few pure gingers in choir, which is quite rare in Serbia. We also have that reddish pigment in the hair, which pops out after attempts to dye it. it tends to get some orange nuances. it seems that in folklore gingers were associated with vampires. I guess they didn't procreate much, they are rarely seen here. People here are either middle blond, dark blond, or mousy dark brown, or dark brown.

A solid proof that gingers ARE vampires ;)

p.s. my best friend, half UKR half Serbian is ginger, and she likes it, it draws attention, positive and negative.

stop the earth i want to get off

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Edited by: blackadder Nov 29, 11, 21:33 #22

Being Jew is not a matter of “blood” but of self-determination,yours or of your ancestors.Jewish religion is too ancient,open and widespread to generalise about their physical appearence.We could do that with Mormons maybe,they are closed religious group.
We Slavs are prone to generalisations and stereotipes.It was tough to be ginger in past,you were witch or Jew.Sadly-stereotypes about Jews are much older than Hitler.
.
You cannot say ''you look like Catholic''.One of oldest Catholic groups are in Egypt and Ethiopia so there you go.
I cannot explain redheads in NW China,Ural region,Egipt...

Natasa I personally think that red haired woman are really attractive.

alfred	Nov 29, 11, 21:57 #23
Jews with ginger hair must be mixed race surely? It's always been said in the States especially, that if you have ginger hair you have Scottish ancestry.

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Nov 29, 11, 22:04 #24

blackadder:

Natasa I personally think that red haired woman are really attractive.

She is single !!!!:)) I like her hair too, it was blood red when we were kids, surreal. I had extremely curly hair for a white person, and we were envious about the hair of the J. kerr (Simple minds), he was red and curly!

We are close to pass that phase.

Would you do me a favor, you are probably in the neighborhood, she is constantly complaining? Quite good looking and seductive too. And an actress, theater.
Looking for a bright and funny men which sums up all the qualities behind (reasonably successful, humor part covers serious number of higher quality bibliographical entries :), mental health and general satisfaction with one's self). Fox.

Sold? ;)

stop the earth i want to get off

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Nov 29, 11, 22:16 #25

Natasa:

She is single !!!!:)) I like her hair too, it was blood red when we were kids, surreal. I had extremely curly hair for a white person, and we were envious about the hair of the J. kerr (Simple minds), he was red and curly!

We are close to pass that phase.

Would you do me a favor, you are probably in the neighborhood, she is constantly complaining? Quite good looking and seductive too. And an actress, theater.
Looking for a bright and funny men which sums up all the qualities behind (reasonably successful, humor part covers serious number of higher quality bibliographical entries :), mental health and general satisfaction with one's self). Fox.

Sold? ;)

Awww so cute of you honey,sounds tempting lol but I'm happily married ;)

Juli	Dec 28, 11, 19:22 #26
This rumour is correct. Before the 19th century in central and eastern europe having red hair was considered a jewish trait (and subject to much persecution). It is not only scottish and Irish. Many european Ashkenazi jews were red haired.

Juli	Dec 28, 11, 19:27 #27
oh and redheads are NOT a product of inbreeding... that's just ignorant

JonnyMThreads: 16 Posts: 4,487 Joined: Mar 9, 11 ♂	Dec 28, 11, 19:37 #28
Juli: redheads are NOT a product of inbreeding But do they have souls?

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