54 thoughts on “Z100 Prank Prompts Hate-filled Reactions By "Concerned" Jewish Parents

  1. Good god. I hope this is scripted. Did this girl ever think about how horrible this would make us Jewfolk look?
    I’m speechless, though. I don’t even have something clever to say.

  2. how the hell did the dad calm down so easily? he didnt seem to mind being exposed as a nutjob with just a smidgen of prejudice?
    and the mom? “he could be a criminal!”

  3. I love that you tagged this as “racism.” Get a dictionary man! That having been said, great mp3! It sounds way too real to have been scripted, otherwise the parents are the greatest actors ever. And the daughter. yikes! Bad, bad idea… I really thought she was going to give her old man a heart attack. The funniest part though was how much he calmed down when he realized he was on the radio…

  4. No, this is real, this is also quite old. I remember this. I know, lamentably, too many parents whose reactions would make this mp3 an understatement.

  5. you know, there’s a part of me that kind of wants to say that these types of phone calls have strangely become an integral part of our tradition, at least here in America. I’ve had at least one of them, not as ugly as this one, but ugly nonetheless.
    Now that I think of it, putting together a website where people can submit the horror stories about when they told their parents (or when they found out) would be a really interesting idea.
    Get on top of that, Mob!

  6. I love that you tagged this as “racism.” Get a dictionary man!
    gee dave, what would you call it when someone exclaims, simply for the fact that a person is not jewish, that he could be a rapist?

  7. I call that prejudiced and ignorant. But I don’t call it racist. “Italian” isn’t a race and neither is “Jewish.” I could never understand why some people just don’t get that…

  8. Well, strictly speaking, then, black and white aren’t ‘races,’ since they’re both part of the human race…

  9. When I was in college before I was Jewish, I went to a formal with one of my Jewish friends. Even though there was nothing significant between us, she would not let her parents know that she was going to it with a goy, for some reason she mentioned several times to me that her father served in the IDF. The interesting thing now is that I am probably more observant than she is and I defend Israel more than most Jews.
    As for this tape, it is very damaging to us. People do not understand the problem with interfaith relationships. They could look at this as racist, and think of Jews generally as racist. It has nothing to do with race. If the partner is sincerely interested in conversion, I would be surprised if a Jewish parent would sincerely object on racial grounds.

  10. Yep, this is racist in the extreme. These people are racists who believe non-jews are some sort of sub-human animals. “We’re nothing like that. I thought you were smarter than that,” the father says. Racists. “We stick with our own, you stick with your own.” Racists. These people are shameful bigots. I’m embarrassed to be in the same religion with them.

  11. Apparently you missed that part when her mom expressed concern about the guy being a criminal because he was italian.

  12. The DJs remarks at the very end are telling. He says something about “religious parents.”
    I think a casual listener would simply understand this parents as being unreasonable due to their devout religiosity, sort of lumping them in with all people who are unreasonable because of their religious beliefs.
    I don’t think it makes Jews that bas, aside from the reinforcement of the Jewish-mother-guilt thing.

  13. can you guilt your children into following Torah? maybe. for a little while. they’ll at least fake it maybe. but how long will that hold? all you can really do is try to set a good example and make sure they have the education to understand the Torah, even if that understanding turns out to be one you disagree with.
    You can’t beat your kid over the head with a chumash and expect that to turn them into tzaddikim.
    I see articles on stuff like “How do we stop intermarriage?”
    Well, we can’t. People who don’t think its important to marry a Jewish spouse are probably going to marry a non-Jew. And can you really convince someone who has their mind set that its not important that it is? What are you going to reference? Torah? Chazal? What if they don’t take stock in that, or at least not in regards to relationships? Then what?
    Well a lot of folks would play on holocaust guilt, but its not been that effective in the past and is questionable (to say the least) ethically.
    love is the best way to teach torah…i forget who said that exactly…but it was somebody cool

  14. Is it unreasonable to think that if this daughter would pull such a prank on her parents that this may not be the only trouble she’s put them through?
    It’s clear to me that these parents are pretty over the top even when their daughter and an obnoxious radio host aren’t yanking their chains. Plus, we didn’t hear the call that the “new boyfriend” made to Julie’s parents. They seemed pretty polite until the guy started pushing his “relationship” with their daughter in their faces.
    I don’t think that there is any reason to overplay the importance of this stunt. To me the parents just come off as being upset that their little girl is “growing up” and appears to be doing things that they see as out of character.
    And I’m surprised that some of you don’t have nosebleeds on account of the height of your horses.

  15. Ahavah bat Sarah: Oh fer… PLEASE GET YOURSELF A DICTIONARY! These parents may be many things – bigotted, ignorant, certainly not very politically correct – but there is nothing in what they say that makes them racist. They didn’t object to their daughters prospective suitor on the basis of his race – Italian is not a race – they objected on the basis of his religion. That’s not racist, capish? One can change one’s religion, but one cannot change one’s race, Michael Jackson aside. And I’m not even defending the parents here! Their idea that an Italian is likely to be a criminal is prejudiced and incredibly ignorant.
    But it aint racist.

  16. We all know that the Jews are an endangered species (not unlike giant pandas that are bred in captivity in various zoos around the world). This is what we have been conditioned to believe and it’s why Julie’s parents are so upset. You see, they know that breeding must be carefully controlled (by guilt) and should only take place between genetically pure members of the Jewish race. This has nothing to do with religion. In fact, if Julie was to tell her parents that she was dating a godless atheist who also happened to be 100% racially pure Jewish, I am sure they would be quite happy. Such a match would not threaten the breeding program.

  17. This whole thing was quite disturbing somehow and so very…well, New York-ish and Borat-ish, in fact. Isn’t it possible to make comedy without cruelly making fun of others?

  18. According to dictionary.com, Racism is
    1.a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
    2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
    3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
    Now considering that both Jews and Italians were historically and are still by many considered different races when they first came to this country, a Jew thinking a person is a murderer simply because they are Italian is racist.

  19. As a former radio pro, I not only found this tasteless and unfunny. It’s no wonder radio is going down in a handbasket.

  20. Jesus H. Christ Miss Hipstah. It’s good that you got the dictionary.com definition of racism out. Now go back and look at what race itself is. It doesn’t matter if idiotic people thought Italians were a separate race. They’re not. Hitler thought Jews were a separate race too, and Jews are not. I mean what the hell race can you convert to? If I immigrate to Italy, do I become part of the Italian race? Can I convert to Asian?
    Please tell me you’re pulling my leg. Please…

  21. Wow, that clip was hard to tear myself away from!
    And there’s nothing wrong with preferring your own people (however you define that for yourself). It’s not bigoted or racist.

  22. Yes, CK, the dictionary.com definition is inherently wrong, since there is only ONE human race…as you humorously describe.

  23. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 10th ed.
    excerpt of the definition of Race:
    2a: a family, tribe people, or nation belonging to the same stock; b: a class or kind of peole unified by community of interests, habits, or characteristics .
    By this definition Italians and Jews can be classified as members of separate races.

  24. “He’s italian, he could be a criminal or a rapist.” Replace Italian with Black or Spanish, either way, this statement is racist. It’s not rocket science an, also, it doesn’t represent all Jews.
    In the reality , there are races, period. Philosophize all you want, in whatever the world you’re living in. Say it’s not racism till you’re blue in the face, that’s just undeniably ignorant.

  25. but there aren’t races. races are imagined. to say that races are anything more than the imaginary arbitrary bullshit categories laid down by a bunch of pseudo-scientists of decades past is well, to feed racism.

  26. Check this out:
    In the 1980s, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Jews are a race, at least for purposes of certain anti-discrimination laws. Their reasoning: at the time these laws were passed, people routinely spoke of the “Jewish race” or the “Italian race” as well as the “Negro race,” so that is what the legislators intended to protect.
    http://www.jewfaq.org/judaism.htm

  27. You people seriously think that is real? Have you ever met any jews before? Thats a 1950’s jewish stereotype straight outta the catskills. Its old-fashioned lame ass humor, and Z100 is pathetic for putting such uninventive material on the air. You think that frum jews act that way? damn.

  28. Why isn’t there more rage against the other insidious forms of discrimination that are so pervasive these days?
    AGEISM especially. Society has some pretty ageist laws… you know, namely the one that states that a thirty-year-old cannot date an eleven-year-old. I mean, what about true love?
    And what about people who love animals – and I mean really LOVE ANIMALS! Social taboos and government laws just infringe upon the rights of people to choose who they love!
    C’MON! Don’t jump on the “libero” bandwagon! If it were a different tribe – say the Cahuilla, with a pop. of nearly 800 – where the parents wanted the children to marry “their own,” don’t you think your reaction would be different?
    And aside from the demographic reasons, everyone discriminates in deciding upon a spouse. PETA members are likely not to date NRA members.
    If you’re a MoveOn fan, are you going to marry a Prager assistant?
    And aesthetically-speaking… some women will not date men shorter than they, and vice-versa.
    So why the controversy over Jewish parents preferring that their Jewish children date Jewish? It’s an item on the list of qualities that cannot be overlooked.
    I’m no expert, but, halachically speaking, a Jew cannot marry a non-Jew. Mobius, Y-Love, what do you say?

  29. CK, race is an invention. It was invented, essentially, by white men in order to classify people they did not want in their social circles. Anyone they did not deem part of the “White Race” was considered a different race. Jews (and Italians) were once considered not white, but because they have white skin, were allowed to assimilate into “white society”. Which is why now, there are many who think that being a Jew means just having a different religion and that being Italian is just a nationality.
    My point in all this is that the term “racism” (while in the dictionary says is the intolerence of other races) should include people of all “races.” In other countries, Nationality is deemed a race. Religion can be deemed a race. It’s a word that means different things to different people.
    Take that however you want to.

  30. Dew, put down the white pills, they aren’t ibuprofen.
    Yes, everyone has preferences about who they date, but it’s one thing to say “girls with dark brown eyes rock my boat” and a completely different thing to say “my my daughter shouldn’t date one of those criminals” and imply that all people from that background are criminals.
    Would you prefer if we reinstated the custom of the parents making a shidduch for the children so that this kind of “problem” doesn’t happen anymore?

  31. I have the feeling that if the situation in the MP3 was reversed, and it was someone bringing a Jew home for dinner and the parents freaked out saying “You can’t date him because he’s a Jew – he [insert anti-semitic libel here]” then people would not be making excuses, splitting hairs and saying it isn’t racism technically etc

  32. This can’t be real, the father is screaming how religious they are and then cursing and threatening to beat someone up? I think maybe the “parents” were in on this. But why they would want to create something that makes Jews look like biggots that hate everyone but their own is beyond me! I

  33. I’m actually surprised that Mobius thought this was real! Isn’t it blatantly a joke? If you saw a minstrel show would you think that was reality? This is a jewish minstrel show ! So change the description on your webpage.

  34. “the father is screaming how religious they are and then cursing and threatening to beat someone up?”
    cough.
    a jewish minstrel show? riiight. do you know why i believe it’s real? because it’s BELIEVABLE.

  35. Marisa James – what do you mean by “reinstate” the shidduch? Frum people still use this! Non-frum people too – think JDate, Jewish single weekend retreats, etc. I’m not advocating for or against that; I think it instinctual for Jewish parents to prefer that their child marry Jewish.
    How can Judaism exist without Jews?
    It might sound “racist” that Jewish parents prefer that their children date Jewish, but ultimately it’s the child/adult who decides. If you don’t want the pressure from your parents to do so, then don’t marry a Jew. But why call parents who do, racists?
    As for the allegations of racism, it seems that Mobius is crying wolf. Neither parent employed this kind of syllogism: the boyfriend is Italian, all Italians are criminals, therefore the boyfriend is a criminal. The mother said that it was a possibility that he could be a criminal – and anyone could. These parents were over-the-top, that much is obvious. Any parent who would make death threats against the potential spouse of their child is f***ed up… But then saying that it’s “BELIEVABLE” is confessing that it is actually a hoax.
    Why, then, concoct an allegation of racism? Are there not real examples to use for this?

  36. Mobius- Of course parts of it are believable, I’d be the first to admit that frum people are often racist. But aside from the racism, the rest of the tone and behavior of the parents and daughter are totally not believable! The whole “oh I’m gonna kill myself” frantic drivel of the mother is what I thought was indicative of a minstrel show. The whole give and take between the mother and the father, is the stereotype portrayed by George constanza’s parents on seinfeld taken to the extreme. Racism while certrainly being present in frum community, is not really related to the whole intermarriage issue either. They are both completely different phenomenoms.

  37. John Brown – If the situation were reveresed, we wouldnt really care whether the people were racist or not. But all they’d be saying is, “You’re a Christian, you can’t date a Jew!” which is perfectly understandable.
    (except for the criminal, rapist comments, of course)
    Also, if its real, I can’t believe there isnt more outrage over the freaking radio show: “it’s the best religion” “I’m going to bring home your daughter naked”. This is humor? I find it immature and disgusting. Also, the daughter, stuggeling for some comedy, throws in a line about being “bigger in the pants”? That nausiated me.

  38. dew: if the boy was jewish, the question of whether or not he was a criminal would’ve never come up. the entire outburst would’ve been avoided. so i disagree.
    and as to whether it’s fake or not — i sent an email to the z-morning zoo last night asking what the deal is. hopefully i’ll hear back from them today.

  39. Mobius: What scares me more then how lame this skit was, is that anybody jewish would even consider the fact that this was real after having heard it! Come on! you don’t have to e-mail the station! just listen to it again, listen how it sounds like the classic jewish stereotype! This is just silly ass humor, not some reality based programming that sparks debate about jewish racism. Anybody who grew up in a jewish community should know better!

  40. I promise you this is real. I grew up on Staten Island. There is merging of Italian-American and Jewish-American culture there, and in parts of Brooklyn and Long Island too, which is why the father sounds like Tony Soprano. I know plenty of Jews who TAWK just like DIS, YOU GOTTA PROBLEM WIT DAT?! This guy actually sounds a lot like my friend’s father.
    Also, if you Google “Z100 Phone Taps” you’ll see that this is a regular thing that they do.
    I’m also unsure why anyone commenting would mistakenly believe this is a Frum household. The objections to interdating to me seems obviously based on factors other than religion, and these folks sound far from educated let alone Jewishly-educated.

  41. I don’t know if this was actually broadcast, and it it was it is truly hard to believe. I think this whole thing was all made up.
    Now, what Jewish family would swear and act like this when knowing that they were being monitored, let alone any parent of any religion?
    We Jews have assimilated through the years, and it is only understandable since we are still a minority that we encourage our children to not intermarry. In these days and times insn’t there enough for a married couple to deal with without adding to the mix a husband and wife of different religions? Isn’t there enough problems with children growing up in these days and times than to subject them to being unsure of the faith that they are to observe, their history etc?
    Doesn’t a Radio Station have anything better to do that telecast such shtuss? It I was to live in NY and hear this on the radio, believe me, I would have been calling up the radio station and lodged a complaint. Not to mention, during this telecast I would have called my friends up as well to have them witness such ignorance, and they themselves would have called and lodged a complaint.
    This truly must be a farce. Such a shanda to have some prank like this done. The father doesn’t sound Jewish at all, the mother has a some what NY Yiddish accent. This telecast exhibits naarishkeit to the hilt. This can be viewed by us Jews as being anti-semitic, and as promoting anti-semitism.

  42. I seriously don’t understand how anyone could think this couldn’t POSSIBLY have been real. Of course there are ridiculously bigoted people out there, even some Jewish ones.

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