Schvartze
Racial slur in the Yiddish language
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Etymology
Schvartze is derived from the Yiddish word שוואַרץ, shvarts, which means "black", cognate to the German schwarz.[3] The term was rare prior to the middle of the twentieth century.[4] An article for the Washington Jewish Week refers to it as "the S-word".[5]
Black Jewish writer Michael W. Twitty noted in 2017 a handful of public instances in which the term was used. He notes that he had never heard the term used in earlier stages of his life and spoke against a return of the word's use, comparing it to the term "kushi".[6]
Responses
In 1991, the stand-up comedian Jackie Mason was criticized by African-American organizations including the NAACP, when he called New York City mayor David Dinkins "a fancy shvartze with a moustache";[7][failed verification] Mason later apologized.[8][failed verification] In 2009, Mason referred to Barack Obama as a shvartze during one of his stand-up routines, which prompted members of the audience to walk out.[9]
In 2021, the Republican Jewish Coalition and other Jewish groups in North Carolina urged Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson to apologize for antisemitic comments, including a Facebook post that said the film Black Panther was created by an "agnostic Jew" and a "satanic Marxist" in order to extract "shekels out of your Schvartze pockets." Robinson refused to apologize.[10][11]