In the movie Snatch, there’s a hilarious scene in which Cousin Avi’s gravely injured bodyguard is promised, “Don’t worry, we’ll get you to a doctor. A nice JEWISH doctor!” Unfortunately for the bodyguard, there’s a car accident and he’s accidentally decapitated. Still, the Jewish doctor line was funny (as it was spoken by a Jewish character) and it reinforces that even among certain ethnicities, there are stereotypes. Namely, Chanukah-loving Jewish doctors, lawyers, and dentists. If you’d like a nice Jewish lawyer, consult the Jewish American Bar Association, the first legal referral service for people seeking Jewish lawyers.
The Jewish American Bar Association, whose bus ad asks, “Want a Jewish Lawyer?” is the brainchild of Lisa Spitzer. Surprisingly, she’s not a lawyer, though she might be Jewish. She says the service acts as a legal referral service for Jewish people who might be more comfortable with a Jewish lawyer and does not discriminate, saying “If an all-women’s medical group posted an ad ‘Prefer a woman gynecologist?,’ would that be offensive?” She added that non-Jewish lawyers would be welcome to join “if his heart was in accordance with our goals and purposes.”
Not all Jews are comfortable this this idea. David Shulman, whose anti-JABA blog post got the bus ad pulled, said the ad was offensive and stereotypical. “I felt it played on certain stereotypes of Jews. I know a lot of lawyers both Jewish and non-Jewish and some are good and some are bad. I don’t think using someone’s ethnicity is fair to determine whether they are a good or a bad lawyer.”
Tags: Jewish American Bar Association, Jewish lawyer service, want a Jewish lawyer bus stop ad, unusual advertisements, Jewish lawyers, Boca Raton, Florida, Lisa Spitzer, legal referral service for Jewish lawyers, David Shulman