She informs you in advance about“basic Jewish principles” or “extreme holiday traditions like Purim or Simchas Torah. So it won’t teach you” But specialists like Dr. Sandor Gardos, who're prepared to place their complete names close to statements like, “Jewish guys are always more attentive, ” give the book the veneer of real self-help, and many Amazon reviewers indicate which they got it for advice when dating somebody Jewish.

Therefore. Harmless silliness? We don’t think therefore. From the upside, the guide could pique a non-Jew’s fascination with discovering exactly what the hell continues at Purim and Simchas Torah. But beyond that, it just reinforces stereotypes—glib at most useful, anti-Semitic at worst—that, ironically, anybody could dispel by themselves by, um, dating a genuine Jew.

Sadder still, Boy Vey implies that maybe not really a good deal has changed since 1978. The Shikse’s Guide makes a distinctly more rigorous effort at wit, nevertheless the stereotypes remain the exact same: Jewish males as metrosexual mama’s males that are neurotic yet offering between the sheets. The publications also share an exhausted yet evidently unshakable meta-premise: “the Jews, they’re funny! ” They normally use funny terms like yarmulke and meshuggeneh, and they’re funny because their over-the-top club mitzvahs invariably end up in slapstick.