Schvartze (from , "black"; cf. German: ) is a racial slur for black people.
Etymology Schvartze is derived from the Yiddish word , which means "black", cognate to the German schwarz. The term was rare prior to the middle of the twentieth century.https://www.oed.com/dictionary/schvartze_n?tl=true An article for the Washington Jewish Week refers to it as "the S-word".
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".
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"; Mason later apologized.Thomas S. Hischak (2003), Enter the Players: New York Stage Actors in the Twentieth Century 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.Bill Hutchiinson. "Comments about President Obama by Jackie Mason draw racism charges". New York Daily News, March 16, 2009. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
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.
See also African American–Jewish relations Cushi Jews of color Racism in Jewish communities Nigger
References
External links Letter to the Editor: To Yiddish Speakers, 'Shvartzer' Isn't Hateful, The New York Times