 Now, what does it mean to be Jewish, do you have any? I've nominated Alan Grossman. First time he ran for office. I got a fair idea. Right, well, what does it mean generally speaking? What does it mean to? It means a very tight-knit race, which is very self-supporting, that supports other people of the same faith. They're intensely family-oriented, very proud of their family. And the family as a unit, which I think is great. The Bible says that they are the chosen people. Right, well, what does that mean to you, then? Well, to me, that they're especially blessed. That would mean that to me, you know? And that would explain that point, you know? But that's how I see it. The chosen people, like, I'm not following you. You think it means better? No, I don't think they're better. I just think that they probably get, well, more blessings in that sense than the other people. They're not gentiles. Right. Well, I think the Jews are real Christian people. They're real Christian? Yeah, I think they're real Christian people. What do you mean by that? Well, I think they're real holy people. But you're saying they're really Christian people? Yeah, they're real Christian people. They keep up Christmas, and they do good for a lot in the country. Do you know what a Jew is? Yes, religion, right? Right, what is a Jew? That's basically what we're asking people. There's someone who's part of religion, right? Part of a religion? Yeah, like a Catholic, right? Sort of, I mean, it's a way of life, right? Right, OK, do you know how many Jews are in the world? I don't imagine a lot. Approximately. Five billion people in the world, how many Jews do you figure there are? Yeah, it sounds good, five billion, yeah? Do you part in? Five billion sounds pretty good. Five billion people in the world, how many of them are Jews? Maybe half. Half, I don't know. About 250 million? There's a lot of them, yeah. 2.5 billion, though. Yeah. Thank you very much for your honesty, sir. It's hard to define. It's a different race, just like an Arab or an Ethiopian black or a Central European Hungarian or Czech or whatever. It's just a race. It means that somebody who has a very great faith in the Old Testament but who doesn't believe that Jesus, the Messiah, has yet come. It's just someone who's Jewish, who's a Jewish person who's, I don't know, respects like all the different God that they believe in and how they have Christmas like a different part of the year. Like they have Christmas in March or something, because when that's the day of the Passover meal or something like that, don't they have it? I think that some people that are Jewish don't hold up the religion, you know, like if their parents were or whatever. So I'm not really sure if it's a religion or if it's people that are from the country, Jerusalem, you know. What is a Jew? It's a person with a different nationality. What nationality? Israel. Jerusalem. Israel, not Jerusalem. Israel. We are born a Jew. Nonetheless, we might be, you know, somebody originating from Israel. It's just a person that comes from a different place than here. Where do they come from? Um, I suppose they're from Israel. Where? I don't know. I think somewhere in Africa, not sure though. What makes a person a Jew? That's where they come from. Where they come from? So a Jew would come from? I think it's from Palestine. Palestine? Yes. And how many Jews? What used to be, what's now Palestine. A person born in Israel, born in, born under, I guess, in a Jewish religion, under Jewish religion, basically. OK. So somebody born in Canada? Is also considered a Jew. That's true too. Never thought of it that way. Right. Who would? I'm from a different country. It's Jewish. I don't know. Different country, different nationality? Yeah. Which country? Who would? I don't know. Right off hand. Learned in European countries. From Europe. Yeah. My boyfriend is German, and I came from a small town in British Columbia. So I really didn't learn too much in history as far as between Germans and Jews. Well, the Jews are German people. They're just a different religion. A rich religious person, I guess, from Israel. That's what it means to me. Hey. Someone from Israel with the Israeli faith? There are some probably perceived negatives of Jewishness, having to do with dollars, that kind of thing. I say they've got a lot of problems, right? They've got a lot of aggression in them from all the stuff that's going on, right? So they're coming across towards other people. That's very harsh, especially, OK, even the Germans. But they bring it upon everybody, right? A lot of people are trying to help them, but there's not much you can do. A lot of them are nice, though. I know a couple of them, and they're nice people to get along with, and a lot of them are wealthy from through companies and very, very smart people, though. They know exactly what's going on and what they're doing in this society. They're making good money, though. Jews are really popular. I know that Jewish people are really popular. And there's a lot of them. There's a lot of Jewish people. And they just control. They seem to be controlling as the way Chinese people are. They're creating new things. And Jewish people are all over the place. Like, they seem to, they seem like they own the place. What do you think it means to be Jewish? Usually, lawyers are dentists. Lawyers are dentists? So high, like, high visibility? High in the socioeconomic status. Wealthy. Right. And what's your perception of the Jewish people? Well, being one myself, although I'm not very religious, I would think that there is probably a lot of people who have a lot of misconceptions and exhibit a lack of knowledge of the Jewish religion and race and so on. And I feel that there are people within the Jewish religion in this society who, as in any religion, give those people a bad name. And this, unfortunately, tends to be a result of a long history of they're having to go into certain professions. I think in medieval days, they weren't allowed to go into certain professions. So as a result, they've gone into very highly visible professions, such as lawyers and doctors and so on. And they tend to make a lot of money. Therefore, people tend to think of most Jews as fairly wealthy. I'm not one myself. But they're not wealthy when we're self. But there are a lot like that. Thank you very much. So thanks for your honesty. In business, if you find I'm not American, for example, we control a large proportion of the economy. So yeah, in business. And then I believe in science also. Because we find that most of the scientists are also Jewish. OK, so you think in the economy and in the scientific community? Specifically, what would you say? I can't mention names, but especially in medicine, the whole of doctors that you find have names like Goldfarb or whatever. You know those names are Jewish, of course. Traditional doctor, lawyer type of deal. Right. I associate that with Jews. OK. Business wise, yes. Business wise. Yeah, that's probably the biggest impact that the Jews are making, I think. Not religious wise, I don't think. Why do you think Jews are such good businessmen? Because they came from their own country and then to a foreign country and they need to make a living. So that's the thing they know. So they have to. It would seem that everybody comes from another country here, in fact, and has to make a living. Well, why would you say Jews have been more successful or are in fact good businessmen? Well, it's a tradition. So they're, I don't know, they're it's a kind of a way back tradition in the Jewish Jewish religion, I guess. They probably ruled the whole city of America. They rule America? By fine, financially. Financially ruling America. They seem to get a lot of money and they're doing all right. They're very good in business, like Reichmans, you know, and they're in jewelry. They're very good business people and they seem to get ahead. Well, I just think they're rich mostly and I associate them with stores and furniture and stuff. Why do you think that is such a rich? Because they seem to be in most business enterprises. Yeah. And a lot of people make fun of them, like at school. Like what do they say? Like if someone, yeah, they always make fun of them. They say they have big noses and they pick up panties. What do you think it is to be a Jew? What do you think it is? Pretty sad. Okay. For what reason? People call you Jew. I just don't like that. Okay, what does it mean? Like you're on welfare and all that. What do you mean? You're on welfare. Pick up panties and all that. Okay. I'm sorry. Some people call you Jews because you know, pick up panties and all that. Okay, what do you think? Well, do you want to expand upon that? Do you think that's what it means to be a Jew? Not really. If you're a Jew... They think that Jews are not religious. Cheap with money sometimes. And big noses. Cheap with money, big noses, right? Just dark. Just their religions different. And their religions different. Any picture? Yep. Cheap. What else? What else do you think of? You think of... To make fun of them. Rich. Rich. Very rich. Lawyers. Successful people. Yes. See, it's like... You think of the opposite because like, I know some Jewish people. And everybody makes fun of the cheap, but really they're rich and they're lawyers. And they have money. Yeah, but it's not actually rich right now. So let me ask you a question. Why do you think that is that they have the reputation for being rich and successful? Well, because a lot of them are lawyers in Toronto. And a lot of them have hired like, good respectable jobs and good making money type people, right? People say you're a Jew. It's because, I don't know, I guess Jewish people just, that's why they have so much money. Because they know what to do with their money and they don't waste it. And they wouldn't waste it like other people. So people respect them as being, like they'd say that word Jew because they think, you're not like your Jaime type person. See what I mean? I was wondering, weren't they the ones who killed Jesus? Yeah, they were. Weren't they? That's true. Yeah, Jesus once was a Jew. They killed their own child. They're still waiting for their God to come or so it's been said. That's right. Yeah, they just thought he was some crazy man. It is a Jew. Oh, he's a gentleman to me. You know, after all, Jesus was a Jew, eh? So I would say I have Jewish friends and I haven't had a bad one yet. There's some other beliefs that they don't keep Christmas or I forget the name of it. It's a church to go to. Like the World Wide Church of God and stuff like that. They don't keep Christmas. But they do things like have their own meat stores and things like that. I don't know. But I thought they always have their own types of stores and that kind of thing. All businesses, yeah. Their own businesses, yeah. Well, I've had occasion to tell somebody, because they're Jewish, because we celebrate our Christmas, I have occasion to call them Scrooge because they don't want us to celebrate our Christmas, but they have their Onika, right? Jews are the child of God. God chose Jews as His children. And they need to watch what's going on in the Middle East right now because they say the Lord in the East is coming. He's coming soon. And over in the East over there where the Jews are, you know, Jesus was a Jew even. And, you know, back in World War II, they had the Holocaust and a lot of Jews were slaughtered and killed, you know. It's not right. That's right. So what do you think of when you think of Jews? I have nothing against Jews over there. You know, I love them like a brother. Jewish people are... they don't believe in God, you know. And God chose them as their children. It's really hard to understand that. Wait a sec. They don't believe in God? They have Hanukkah and all that. Before you said they don't believe in God, I don't understand that. There are some Jews, you know, they think back to, I guess, when Jesus was chosen as a child for them and stuff like that. As far as racism with other ethnic groups, I don't think the Jews have that. I don't think they are racially... people are against them racially as they are against other ethnic groups, specifically the physically. In Toronto, you mean? Yeah. Right. But in the context of the world and the history, that would seem to be just self-evident. That wasn't true. Well, I don't think I'm going to present answers to that question. I'm not really that involved with it at all. No, no. Jewish people are people who are very religious about Hanukkah and take great pride in their religion. Although some people don't, I think that... Some people don't take pride in religion. Right. But the Jewish Jews do. Some do, but a lot of them do. And some don't. Right. Do you have any perceptions of what the Jewish people? Not in anything bad, but I don't think they're... I don't think they're, like, bad or anything. I just think they're, like, just like me or you. Just like me or you. Okay, thanks very much. You're welcome. The original Jews were sort of... didn't look nothing like they did today. Right. Many of the great... so-called great minds of the Jewish people were from the Greeks or from someone else. The Greeks. After the barbarians, they came around and they entered Greece and they've transformed a good 25% of Greece into Jewish population. You mean converting them? Exactly. Oh, I think you're mistaken. Jews never were a conversion religion according to the stuff that I've read. Oh, I don't know. They've never converted anyone. They're not a conversion religion. Okay, no, I was thinking about great minds in terms of, like, Einstein, Freud, Jesus, Paul. They're all Jews. I don't think that's very fair. Okay? No, I don't think that's very good. The reason I say that is because about 5 billion people are in the world today and only about half a percentage of that are Jews, about 14 million. And so you're giving them credit for their great name, okay? No, I'm just saying that they're... I'm saying, though, they did a damn good conversion job because the people with the most open minds changed, okay? And therefore they got stuck with becoming the so-called great minds. Right. And that's why the Jews got stuck with the great mind name. The Jewish people think that Christ was born for them. Hell, I don't know. I don't know. I used to say, I mean, I don't know, I'm not a Jew. I don't know, you know? Okay. But I had a couple of girlfriends that were Jewish. No problem in that, eh? You know, and a lot of them were like the parents were holocaust victims and things like that, too, right? But basically they just average people, you know? Average things. It's about it, you know? Just the middle of the road average? You wouldn't say there's anything different about them than anyone else? No, but I will compliment them on one thing. I think we need more of them in the government, you know? They got this. They know how to do things, eh? A bit more mature, a bit stoic type of people. You go to their homes, they treat you right, you know? So it's about it, eh? People are people. They're all the same, really, eh? That's about it, eh? Thank you very much. You're welcome. That's all right. Anyway, good luck with the traffic tonight, eh? Thanks. To be Jewish? Yeah, one or two sentences on what it is? Part. It's hard to be Jewish? In this society? Why is that? Because this is a lot of prejudice. Right. I think the way that Christians have interpreted the prophecies of the Old Testament in a way that the Jewish people cannot accept must be really difficult for them, almost like seeing their sacred texts perverted. Right. That must be very hard for them. I think it must be hard in this society for any minority that is not Christian. Right. Okay. Okay. Part. Did you have any perceptions that makes them a distinct different people? Their sense of history, I think. Their history. And that's written right into the Torah, the idea of a God who intervenes in history. Right. And that seems to me relatively unique amongst the world's religions. Okay. There's five billion people that stand in the world today. And out of five billion, how many people would you say are Jews? Just a hazard to guess. A hundred million? Okay. So I want to ask you what it takes very much for me to guess. I'd like to ask you one question, one final question. Tell yourself. You see there's a hundred million people. I'm guessing. Right. There's 14 million. There's less than half a percent of the world's population is Jewish, less than half a percent. Yeah. So, you know, why would you pick such a large number? Well, I figure Israel's a country. It's full mainly of Jews. It's, I think, you know, England's like 50 million people. And I think of the... Where do people you figure are in Israel? Of the dispersion. 20 million? Right. Okay. Thanks for your answer. 14? Yeah. There's only 14 in the world and Israel only has about three. Incredible. They've had such an influence with such a small number of people. It is. Yeah. It is. Thank you very much, sir. Well, you know, I have Friday night dinners at home with my family. I'm not very religious, but I mean, I know some Jewish families who are Orthodox go to synagogue or whatever Saturday. And, you know... So, but what does it mean to you to be Jewish? Just... Nothing much. I mean, it's nice. Religion really doesn't mean anything to me. I just... All right. When I get married, I'm going to carry on the normal thing that my mom does Friday night dinner, you know, but nothing. You think you're going to marry a Jewish person? No. You see, that's the thing. I don't think I'm going to because I said to my mom, I said, if I married a non-Jewish person, would you approve? And she said, well, I would... I can't do anything, but she would rather marry a Jewish person, but it's not that I'm going to. So you're really not going to keep the same traditions as your mother? Well, I mean, if I'm in love with somebody, I mean, I'm not going to really worry about religion. What I'm saying is, like, you're not going to keep the same traditions as your mom. Well, my mother doesn't really keep traditions. It's just Friday night dinner, and all the family just gets together for dinner and that's it. You know? Just Friday night dinner? Yeah. None of the holidays? The holidays, yeah. Family gets together, but we don't make a big deal about it or anything. All right. It's not really a deal. I have lots of good friends among them. Yeah, Jewish people. Right. So just any other perceptions of what the Jewish people as a whole you know? Well, I say that they put a lot of money into the environment and everything. So they're philanthropists, aren't they, honey? Yeah. They give a lot to, like, they put a lot back into the country. Oh, they do, yes. Yeah. Right. I can't understand that. No, I can't understand that. But it shouldn't have anything against them, and they even were all like buffoon. Yeah. Why should we talk about Jews? They don't exist. They lost their culture, their language, every tradition. Why should we talk about them? They don't exist here in Ukraine. It's a pity we didn't keep them alive because for a long time we were together. Your Jewish friends don't leave for Israel? Yes, some leave. Why? I think just to change the atmosphere. Only for that? Yeah. So you think that even people who are not like here should stay? Yes, they should prove themselves. They should struggle. Do you have any Jewish friends? Can I be excused? They're smart, they're kind, and they're rich. Their families put them into musical schools. They make them culturally aware in literature. Not like Russians who only know how to work. They're very well-rounded. They're very developed. Do you know any Jews who went to Israel? Yeah. For a few years already. I don't really care. It means they don't want to be together with us. It's better in Israel. There's food and clothing. Do you think they're richer? Yeah. They have more connections. What kind of connections? They have a very strong bond of friendship. They help each other. It's very well seen outside of Russia. They have a very positive opinion. They're very business-like. They're very clever. They're hardworking. My son-in-law is a Jew. My wife is Russian. We have full internationalism in our family. And I think it's very foolish to say that Jews are bad. What about the Germans, the Ukrainians, the Russians? Everybody is similar. Personally, I don't like them very much. I think the Jewish question has been blown out of proportion by the Jews themselves. They're everywhere. They're in every country. It's not by chance God shows the Jewish people to be an example for others. What does that mean? They're the chosen people. They were chosen to be an example of how people should live. But they changed and became bad. They began to sin. That's why they're being chased by people. It's their punishment for wrongs. In America, in the 50s and 30s, why did you suffer so much? They were a very good example. They just have very strong family ties. They just help each other all the time. And when they're ready to leave, they have people to go to. You understand, if we could just leave, we wouldn't go because we don't have anybody there. I know that nobody's going to help me to get myself together and get out. But Jews keep together. Old people and young people. They're all together. But we cannot do it this way. It's not the same thing for us. This friendship bond between Jews is very strong. They just keep together. It's amazing. Well, I like Jews. I respect them. Why? They're very clever. They're smart. They treat their children well. They have good families. Their culture is very ancient. And I think we don't know them well enough. Hello, I'm Ricky Magder. I've asked many people why they are so intrigued and often amazed that they're watching the video that you've just seen. I think the answer is that for many of us, it strikes an emotional chord. On the one hand, we can't believe the responses coming from within a community where Jews are so visible. And on the other hand, it makes us question our own identity. How we would answer the same questions if they were asked of us. What you're about to see is a compilation of images from some 18 hours of footage I shot this past summer in the Soviet Union while taking part in the first camp for Jewish children in the city of Kharkiv in the Ukraine. Despite numerous attempts by the KGB to close it down, the Joseph K. Miller camp continued to operate. With the threat of constant physical harassment and persecution, the children, as well as the Russian staff, many of whom had lost their jobs because of their involvement with the camp, continued in their commitment to learn about their Jewish heritage and ultimately to answer the question, what is a Jew? Intercut with this footage, you'll see the field of Drobitskyar where thousands of Jews were murdered. A small monument with no mention of the word Jew marks this mass grave which has now become a garbage dump. The safer Torah which was once the focal point of a thriving Russian community is now a relic in an antique shop in Moscow. My experience in Russia is one that I'll never forget. For me, it was a lesson. A lesson to appreciate that living in a society where freedom and the opportunity to practice religion is everyone's right and should never be taken for granted. This, I hope, will be a lesson for us all. For 15 centuries of the Russian soil as much as anyone in countless armies our young boys have died for you but never did you call them sons you always called them Jews. We fell in battle for the Tsar a hundred thousand died for the Tsar. Our monument will mark their grave just on our passports the word Yevrey have way for us the Hitler way