How did the Jewfish get it's name?

[BradfordNC]

I didn't know the etymology of the name until now, but I never understood how it was derogatory. Could you explain why it struck you as such?

a friend and i were discussing a dive on which we had seen a good sized Jewfish. another friend of ours, who happens to be jewish, overheard and immediately got offended, demanding to know why we called it a jewfish. he had seen a picture of one we had taken, and was certain we were being offensive because the fish looks like it has a large "nose"

we told him the fish was stingy and had lots of money.

but i do find the origin to be interesting, i had always wondered were the name came from.

 

[MSilvia]

I guess some people have a greater expectation of being offended than I do. Seems to me that if you go looking for insults, you'll find them everywhere... even where they don't exist.

To each his own, but that's not a world view I'd want to share.

 

[BradfordNC]

I guess some people have a greater expectation of being offended than I do. Seems to me that if you go looking for insults, you'll find them everywhere... even where they don't exist.

To each his own, but that's not a world view I'd want to share.

I agree Matt, some people are offended simply because they realy want to be offended. they seek out chances to get upset.

 

[Laurence Stein DDS]

First, let me tell you all the real way the Jewfish got its name. FROM HIS JEWISH MOTHER!!! :11: His father had absolutely nothing to say in the matter!

The fish was born and a week or so later out came the razor blade...swish!...and...well the rest is history. Then the fish went to school to become a doctor. Unfortunately, the name surgeon fish was taken so rather than go back to school to become a lawyer and thus being named a shark, he just settled for Jewfish. See...it's easy.

Personally, being of the Goliath faith, I think it is one of the stupidest examples of political correctness so far. I have never been phased by the term and never even considered that it could possibly be racist or demeaning. Then again, I think it's equally stupid to change the name of baseball teams that end in some American Indian slang.

I'm even having a hard time about the tendency to identify people by their country of ethnic/racial origin vs where they actually live. Every day I have to tell other people that I am Polish/Prussian American. My wife is an Israeli American. I'm not quite sure what that makes my kids! Sometimes...like when filling out U.S. Census forms, my wife has to indicate that she is ACTUALLY, a Jewish Asian American. You see, Israel is a part of Asia, not Europe.

Here in Miami, it is more correct to refer to people as Latin American, Cuban American, Native American, Anglo-American, etc. Unfortunately this seems to leave me out. I have no Spanish heritage so I can't use those terms, I am not from an American Indian tribe, so that's out and none of my ancestors are from England, hence I am not really "Anglo" except when compared to any Spanish speaking American country, I am considered an Anglo.

It also confuses me to no end that are these labels seem to refer to persons born in other countrys and then naturalized EXCEPT when there are children of these labeled Americans born within the US. Then it seems politically correct to refer to these offspring as the same national origin label as their parents...which is senseless because if your born here, you are....you guessed it...American.

I'm wondering...If I lived in Australia, would I be labeled as American Australian, Jewish American Australian, Anglo American Australian, etc. Or...would someone there think that anyone doing this is off their rocker?

Back to the grouper. It used to be nice to go diving on Saturdays. I would go out on the boat with friends and we would sit around blowing bubbles with our friend, the rabbifish. A religious experience! Now however, I have to sit around with this really big, stupid fish and throw rocks at it with a Hawaiian sling!

Regards,

Larry Stein
Polish, Prussian, Anglo, Caucasian, born in the USA, American

PS: OK, one more thing. Do you know why male Jewfish die before female Jewfish?.......
............................
BECAUSE THEY WANT TO!

 

[elbers_e]

I didn't know the etymology of the name until now, but I never understood how it was derogatory. Could you explain why it struck you as such?

Thanks for asking this question. Since I didn't know the history of why it was called a Jewfish I was always uncomfortable using the name. I think that "Jew" is one of those words that can carry alot of loading based on it's context or the users intentions. Many Jews have grown up being called, "dirty Jews" or similar epitaths. It can leave you feeling unsure of what people mean when they use the word. One friend of mine thought that perhaps the fish ws named that as a reference to it's large nose. I didn't think that she was right about its derivation it but perhaps the example gives you a picture of the unease that Jews can feel. I myself converted to Judism in my twenties so I have a chance to see this from both perspectives. I am really happy that I asked this question and that the answer was a positive one. Thanks to everyone for the great replies!

 

[alemaozinho]

I noted recently that the official name for the Jewfish, Epinephelus Itajara was changed to "Goliath Grouper" which made sense to me because the name has always struck me as derogatory. But I have never been able to understand how the fish originally got it's name and I haven't found any information on the web to help. Does anyone have any information about this?

I WOULD BE EXTREAMLY PROUD TO HAVE A FISH NAMED AFTER ME,BUT I GUESS THAT SOME PEOPLE GOT OFFENDED BY THE GOLIATH GROUPER,S AKA JEWFISH,S APPEARANCE AND ITS HABIT TO SUCK AND SWALLOW EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH REGARDLESS OFF ITS SURROUNDINGS.SO WHAT!!!I STILL CALL IT JEWFISH.....PEACE

 

[garyfotodiver]

It is a Jewfish. Shall we change the name of the Jewsharp? How about Jewelry?

I do not care if someone finds history offensive. I do not care if someone is ashamed of his antecedents. I do care that the American language is becoming corrupt because some small-minded people have nothing better to do with their lives than to foece their views on the rest of us.

Sign me this time as "Gershon ben Zalman haLevi", as I am known in Hebrew. For the record, I am of Rumanian-Lithuanian-Galacian extraction.

 

[rcohn]

It is a Jewfish. Shall we change the name of the Jewsharp? How about Jewelry? .

Go to a music store and try to buy a Jews-harp and you'll frind it's been labeled a Jaw-harp for years.

Times change and some names will have to change as well.

Ralph

 

[Albion]

This is another case of someone judging a name by today's standards rather than in the context it was created. As you can see from the explanations above the term was actually a compliment to the fish by the people it is supposedly offending "who favor a certain type of fish - the jewfish - which they consider to be the grandest kosher fish. Kosher, because it has both fins and scales, and the grandest, because it is by far the largest kosher fish around" I'll bet Elbers (no offense intended) also has a problem with the Washington Redskins, Atlanta Braves. This is one of the problems with the USA today. Political Correctness run amok.

not just USA, UK has got it pretty bad as well,

Manhole covers - now public access covers (not PC for females)
Then one of the London local councils a few years back went really crazy over what they claimed were racist issues. I hope this doesnt come accross as racist, i am not racist, but it is just stupid imho and takes peoples focus away from the real issues.

Bin liners for the trash can were at the time in UK all a black colour, because it is a cheap colour to make, and they were known simply as 'black bin liners" said council found this PC offensive and ordered all the bin liners to be some other colour like grey which then cost them more.

In the UK we have a childrens nursery rhyme called 'bah bah black sheep' you may have it in USA as well. Like most nursery rhymes it has a story with some background to it. It is actually kind of a protest song from the 18th centuary about an industrial dispute. It is not even about Sheep be they black, white or Purple with pink spots. However yet again the council stepped in and made all the primary schools in the region start singing "bah bah green sheep"

Doh

 

[415Gem]

And thanks. I think PC should be abolished it causes more trouble than its worth.

:11: First off... Great research and discussion on topic. The changing of the name based on it being derogatory is rediculous. I guess the folks who decided to change name of fish didn`t weigh the relivance of history, definition or levitic meaning. If it was changed `cause it looked like R.G. Robbins `40s actor ( I din`t know if he was Jewish ) or if those folks didn`t like R.G. image as bad guy in movies. Villianization of Jews. Well that might be a bit neurotic but...