LarrySanger.org

I am not Jewish (not one of the Frozen Chosen)

I am not Jewish, not that there is anything wrong with that!

OK, seriously, neither my mother nor my father (or any grandparents or great-grandparents) has, to my knowledge, any Jewish blood or religious heritage.  If we do, it must be a very small percentage.  I was raised Lutheran and, after annoying family members and former pastors, have since become a typical Ph.D. philosopher agnostic who, having taught philosophy of religion and been exposed to philosophers like Alvin Plantinga and William Alston, to say nothing of Catholic theologians, respects the possibility of being a rational believer.  Ethnically I know our family has substantial amounts of English, German, and French blood.  Our line of Sangers seems to have come from the New York Sangers, which spawned Margaret Sanger, but I have no known relation to her.

I have nothing whatsoever against Jewish folks.  I laughed when someone recently asked me, “Are you one of the Frozen Chosen?”  “Huh?” I asked.  “You know, Jews from Alaska.”  But, for what it’s worth, I have liked virtually every Jewish person I can recall knowing, and for the record, I support the right of the modern state of Israel to exist.  Moreover, anti-Semitism has long struck me as weird, but recently I think I’ve come to understand it a little better and now my attitude toward it is that it is completely indefensible.

Nevertheless, as part of the obsession, among some, with finding Jewish conspiracies everywhere, I have apparently been made an honorary Hebrew by idiotic anti-Semites because I helped get Wikipedia started.

If you type the name “Larry Sanger” into Google, the search engine will helpfully suggest the following:

larry sanger net worth [bwa-ha-ha-ha!!!]

larry sanger jewish

larry sanger twitter [how about that? I’m not at all big on Twitter]

larry sanger jew

jimmy wales larry sanger [no comment]

The Jew Larry Sanger

Apparently, people who search for my name often wonder if I am a rich Jew, or they suspect that I am.  So let’s see what happens when we search Google for “larry sanger jewish,” shall we?

You’ll no doubt get the idea that, yep, Sanger really must be Jewish.  The first result is an article from RadioIslam.org, titled “The Jewish hand behind Internet [sic]” and authored by “Freedom Research.”  If you scroll down, you’ll see a picture of me looking awfully Jewish, and the text says, “Larry Sanger, one of the two recognized cofounders, is openly Jewish.”  Really?  How did they figure that?  “In their rabblings of what different famous Jews are doing The Jewish Chronicle mentions Sanger in an article ‘Larry Sanger… creates a new Wikipedia’, The Jewish Chronicle, 26 October 2006, p. 10.”  Well, of course, since I was interviewed by a Jewish newspaper, I must be Jewish — openly Jewish.  (Not a closet Jew, I guess.)  Also, if Jimmy Wales is Jewish, that’s news to me.  I’m pretty sure he isn’t, but I’m sure there’s a lot about Jimmy Wales I don’t know. Once I tried to contact RadioIslam.org to tell them to remove my name from the piece.  I received no reply.  I did notice that they added the following near the beginning of their screed:

WARNING: Please note that the contents of some of the sites with revealing Jewish material we have linked to below, may be altered by the Jews in the future. Perhaps even information contrary to this document and Radio Islam will replace the original material we had linked to. This has happened before and for our part just illustrates the level of Jewish dishonesty.

Anyway, citing this clearly unimpeachable source, a number of other sources have said that I am Jewish.  There is even a Facebook page, “Wikipedia run by Jewish Zionists” (text from the RadioIslam.org article), among various forum comments that proclaim my Jewishness, with zero actual evidence.

Now, I would ignore all this stupidity, as any sensible person would, but I find it quite funny, and–I admit it–I like proving people wrong.  If I can deflate and mock some anti-Semites, by golly, what fun!

If I were a little more clever, I might add something profound to say about anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, but what really would be the point?  Anti-Semites are banal and stupid, so there’s not much to say, as far as I’m concerned.  Of course they’re going to say that there is a “Jewish hand” behind the Internet.  Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly.

By the way–Happy New Year!

by

Larry Sanger

“Internet Knowledge Organizer.” Currently President of the Knowledge Standards Foundation, started Wikipedia and various other educational and reference sites. Ph.D., Philosophy, Ohio State, 2000. [read more]

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Please do dive in (politely). I want your reactions!

23 responses to “I am not Jewish (not one of the Frozen Chosen)”

  1. Ralph Adamo

    That was inspired, hilarious writing, Larry. Thanks for making my day!

    Reply
  2. Tim Chambers

    I find your writing in the oddest places, Larry. Today this post was in the top 10 when I googled 4 characters: I am. [1]

    I share your amusement, but anti-Semites exhibit a particularly sinister delusional element that makes the world far more dangerous than, say, the kookiness of pro-UFOites.
     
    I learned a little about your approach to religion from this post, too, so as dangerous as it may be, I’ll use this opportunity to go on record as a Hebrewphile, a friend of Jews and a brother by adoption of the Great Jew, Jesus of Nazareth.

    — Tim 1E4AF729D5CEFFD0 timc 120119a

    [1] Google decided I should see it. I was logged in. This post wasn’t in the top 100 when I logged out. Honestly, I am not googlestalking you. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Larry Sanger

      Google moves in mysterious ways.

      Reply
  3. selim

    Yeap,you are obviously not Jewish as we see from your pic.:)

    Reply
    1. Larry Sanger

      I assume you are attempting sarcasm. If so, you’re clearly an idiot.

      Reply
  4. aj

    hilarious. glad i came across the link when searching for the founders of wikipedia. i myself am an open jew and was chuckling when i read about the zionists behind the internet.

    think i’ll read the rest of your posts now 🙂

    Reply
  5. Yaakov A Sternberg

    Jimmy Wales (as well as many if not most of the people radio islam claims are Jewish) is not Jewish. My source is a good one, Jimmy Wales himself http://www.quora.com/Jimmy-Wales-1/Is-Jimmy-Wales-Jewish

    Reply
  6. Yenokh Gershevich Iyeguda

    You might not be Jewish but you are quite obviously every bit as idiotic and indoctrinated as they are.

    Just another “Ph.D. philosopher agnostic” who is completely incapable of seeing beyond the historical revisionism and unending propaganda, eating humble pie and admitting that you were fooled.
    It’s nothing to be ashamed of Sir. we all underestimated the scope of the crime and collusion.

    So much for the ‘Jewish century’.
    These maniacal fanatics have had a good run, but it isn’t going to last forever, no matter how many dissenters they ridicule, smear, imprison, kill, assassinate (or otherwise silence) keep that in mind.

    Reply
    1. Larry Sanger

      I just had to include the above silly remark to illustrate how certain idiots think. Sort of explains why I had to make this blog post, alas.

      Reply
  7. David Friedfeld

    Very entertaining dialog . Thank you Mr Sanger .

    Reply
  8. Charles Lozada

    Aren’t we all Jewish by sanguinity (sic). The Bible states that Around 4004 bce, the Creation took place, Animals first in one section, and Humans before in another. God said, “’tis Not good for man to be alone, he needs aggravation” NOTE: God created MAN (first) then woman(subordinate). So, aren’t we all descendants of Adam and Eve? Naturally, this throws that Evolution rubbish in the trash bin where it belongs! You seem like a nice goy!

    Reply
    1. Yaakov Sternberg

      @Charles Lozada

      No. (Even if the bible were meant to be taken literally rather then allegorically) The Bible does not say/imply that Adam &/ Eve were “Jewish” – just cuz they’re in the bible, doesn’t mean/make them Jewish. That distinction is traditionally attributed to Abraham – the first of the Jewish forefathers.

      Also, with regard:
      “NOTE: God created MAN (first) then woman(subordinate).”

      Why does the order of creation imply subordination?
      In-fact, if anything, the scriptures imply the opposite.

      NOTE: God created humans after all the animals (and everything else). Obviously this does not imply subordination of mankind to animals. In fact, the as the scripture (Genesis 1:26) states the opposite:

      ‘And God said: ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ – Genesis 1:26
      – Genesis 1:26 http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0101.htm

      Reply
      1. William Fabio

        How can a Jews be Jewish by ancestry only? Isn’t Judaism a religion. I understand that Jewish culture and traditionalism is a thing, but how can one call themselves an atheistical Jew? It is impossible to trace your lineage back to the 12 tribes of Israel.

        It also is odd, considering many of the practicing Jews, specifically the Orthodox sect did not believe an atheist could be a Jew. In fact they proclaimed that they were not Jews, and only religion determined if you were a true Jew.

        Now if Jesus was teh Jewish messiah, than that means his teachings, “The Way’, is actually the real Judaism of the new covenant. Christiandom does not follow these teachings and neither does modern Judaism.

        I don’t think what I’ve states is in any way anti-Semitic. I don’t even understand that word, because Arabs are semities too.

        Reply
  9. friend9

    Mr. Sanger,

    Margaret Sanger was born a Higgins and MARRIED William Sanger who was an architect and who was also Jewish. Margaret Sanger was an anti-Semite, so that her name and marriage seem ironic … as does her MANY followers who were Jewish women physicians. But whereas Margaret’s interest in “family planning” was based on her firm and single-minded skier in eugenics, the Jewish women physicians who helped to promote the clinics (and the availability of abortions for low income people) was–one hopes–were interested in giving poor women choices they otherwise would not have. If someone may think that analysis (of different motives among the “partners” who created Planned Parenthood, then consider this: Other American Eugenics Movement luminaries were lauded with honarary doctorates by a university in pre-WWII Hitler Germany because Hitler’s “population control” scientists made the recommendation to their leader to go with involuntary sterilization of the feeble-minded (and, eventually, several other notable “demographics” that were targeted for elimination by the Nazi’s). Eugenics was phase one of the Holocaust, and as history records: (1) began as a German theoretical idea, (2) was fully fleshed out in the USA when over 30 states adopted involuntary sterilization laws, making eugenics a reality in the world HERE first, and (3) it was adopted in Germany, then–when it was too slow for.Hitler’s purposes–it became subordinate to the more well-known system of reducing the number of members of the Groups in Germany (and the rest of Western Europe) who were being targeted for elimination. Sanger–who was it a Jew, held ideas and promoted ideas and organizations the were VERY anti-Semetic … so it was’t just her attitude that was that way but her involvement in the Eugenics Movement actualized that attitude or belief system. But, again, Sanger was her Jewish husban’s name. You might want to do a DNA test, and. Sanger. I did one for each of my parents, and found that one is about 5% Ashkenazi, and the other is about 5% Sephardic … both heratages completely unknown to either of them. My surname is “Christy” so imagine the surprise since the family stories that would have connected us back to Jewish culture or religion. No, it’s not much, but who knows what “Chosen People” really means? Whether or not some aspect of that designation may be passed on genetically? Why not? Imagine the multiplying effect and the greater strength in numbers that an activation of some as-yet unknown gene-baesed initiating connection would be … someday, when all has come to fruition–whatever that means.

    Reply
    1. Larry Sanger

      I’m leaving this up just to show what idiots anti-Semites like you are.

      What kind of idiot comes to my own blog and actually argues that I am Jewish—as if that would be a bad thing—when I have already told you that I have absolutely no evidence that I am?

      “Sanger” is not a terribly uncommon name, and can be found in that spelling in England, Germany, and France. It probably has many origins, being the German word for “singer.” Moreover, whatever genes are associated with the Sanger name make up a miniscule portion of my genome. So, even if some Sanger back before my Great-Great-Grandpa Sanger were Jewish, that would still represent at most 1/32 of what I have.

      Moreover, I have zero evidence that our branch of the Sanger family has any relation to Margaret Sanger. We are as far as I know no more closely related than you and I are. And yet you, in your brilliance, criticize Margaret Sanger for being “VERY anti-Semetic [sic],” as if you weren’t yourself.

      Yes, it’s possible that I might be Jewish. I said I don’t know what portion of Jewish genes I have, and that I have no evidence that it’s any more than whatever the average is; I didn’t deny that I have any.

      Do you see how your bigotry makes you fall prey to really poor reasoning?

      Reply
      1. Ray

        I don’t think he is arguing that you are Jewish, only that you could have Jewish anceestry like he does. His history on Sanger is nothing new. Planned Parenthood was originally a eugenics program; the Fabian Socialists in particular were quite well versed in this movement.

        Maybe he is trying to connect you to Sanger because your last name is Sanger, but that’s stupid, considering I have a neighbor whose last name is Sanger.

        Reply
  10. friend9

    Sorry, some auto spell / bad key strike typo and omissions corrections of the above:

    “skier”. = belief
    “who was it a Jew” = who was NOT a Jew
    “the were VERY” = that were VERY
    “husban” = husband
    “test, and. Sanger” = test, Mr. Sanger
    “culture or religion.” = culture or religion did not exist.
    “gene-baesd”. =. gene-based

    Sorry.

    Reply
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