The Intersecting Experiences of Asian and Jewish Americans
By James Moreau | 23 Sep, 2025

From shared values and achievements to discrimination, Asian American and Jewish American communities have experienced striking parallels.

Beyond unique histories and vibrant cultural traditions, Asian and Jews share a tapestry of profoundly parallel experiences in America.

One similarity is seen in modern marriage patterns.  46% of U.S.-born Asians marry someone of a different race and 72% of non-Orthodox Jews married since 2010 are interfaith.  Of 340 million Americans 24 million are Asians and 7.5 million are Jews, giving them access to smaller in-culture dating pools.

Both cultures place a high value on educational attainment, with Asians and Jews above age 25 attaining an undergraduate education rate at a nearly 60% rate compared to a 38% national average.   A focus on academics has led to disproportionate number of breakthroughs like Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine and Min Chueh Chang’s IVF pioneering.

The shared values of self-reliance and a shared experience of discrimination have given both groups an exceptional entrepreneurial drive.   Remarkably 21% of American Jews are self-employed while 10% of U.S. businesses are run by Asian Americans, nearly twice their representation in the general population.

A mutual interest in entrepreneurship and education have afforded higher median income levels than the general population.  Asians median household income sits at $113,000, the highest of any racial group and over 40% higher than the general population.  Over half of Jewish American households earn more than $100k.

Despite achievements both groups have historically faced significant systemic discrimination. The Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese American internment serve as a stark historical example for Asian Americans, while General Order No. 11 was aimed at Jews.

More recently the model minority stereotype have minimized the unique struggles of each population, often conflating their experiences with those of white Americans.

Social media has provided a dangerous amplification of hate in the form of racist memes and antisemitic conspiracy theories, including Holocaust denial.  Online hatefests have produced an alarming rise in hate crimes for both communities, inspiring counter-messaging like the “Stop Asian Hate” movement during the pandemic and “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” in the wake of October 7th.  

An alliance of the two communities is reflected, for example, in the appointment of Jonathan Greenblatt, the Anti-Defamation League’s CEO, to The Asian American Foundation board.  He is TAAF’s only non-Asian board member.  Similarly over 100 Chinese American organizations joined support for the “Show Up for Shabbat” campaign following the 2018 mass shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue that claimed 11 lives.

Beyond these sociological parallels are sometimes more humorous Asian-Jewish intersectionality.   Examples include the quasi-tradition of Jews eating Chinese food on Christmas and products like “Soy Vay”, a teriyaki sauce that embodies Asian-Jewish fusion. Distinguished by resilience, achievement, and the fight for acceptance, the experiences shared by Asian Americans and Jewish Americans illustrate the truth that shared experiences reveal the depth of our shared humanity.