Josh Rosen (Photo courtesy of SB Nation).
In our final article for Jewish American Heritage Month in 2024, we will discuss the negative experiences Josh Rosen has had in football. Rosen’s experience likely mirrors the experience of others, and we need to magnify the voices of people who speak up. Josh Rosen should only be judged for his terrible football skills, not his heritage. There is no room for anti-Semitism in football. As a warning, there will be some anti-Semitic words and phrases in this article, as told by Josh Rosen himself.
Josh Rosen Faces Anti-Semitism
Rosen spoke of anti-Semitism as early as high school. He casually brought up the occasional slur on the gridiron. My heart breaks for the child-version of Rosen. No one should have to experience racism, particularly as a child, and especially often enough for it to be discussed with little to no emotion.
If anything, college was worse for Josh. At some point, he learned to use racism to fuel his competitive edge. I’m always a fan of having a chip on your shoulder, but ideally, in the world we should be living in, that chip wouldn’t be anti-Semitism.
In an interview, Rosen discussed some examples of slurs he had experienced in college: “I get a lot of Jewish things. My nose, particularly. I get, like, ‘Stay the fuck down, you Jewish bastard … I’m gonna break your fuckin’ nose, you Jew.” Rosen also recalled that fans have also held up signs, including his face on the queen from Disney’s Frozen, and another sign that said, “Josh Rosen’s Bar Mitzvah Wasn’t Even Lit.’”
Josh’s dad, Dr. Rosen, was quoted as saying, “It used to be difficult in athletics sometimes if you were Jewish. That was 30 years ago, and things change.” Clearly not that much, Dr. Rosen. Not much at all.
How Rosen Approaches His Jewish Identity
Josh Rosen is Jewish on his father’s side. Charles Rosen is a well-known orthopedic surgeon in California. Josh’s mother, Liz Lippincott, is a Quaker. Further diversifying Rosen’s religious experiences, he also attended a Catholic high school and gave confession twice every semester. Rosen did have a bar mitzvah and goes to seder every year for Passover. At the same time, he celebrates Christmas and mostly identifies as an atheist.
Besides a religiously diverse childhood with the option to choose his own path identity-wise, his parents also passed down athletics. Charles Rosen was actually a nationally ranked ice skater who almost went to the Olympics, and Liz Lippincott was the captain of her college lacrosse team.
About that NFL thing…
Thankfully, Josh Rosen’s painful NFL career has come to a shuttering close as of 2022. In his five short seasons, he played for seven different franchises. For three of those franchises, he never made it out of the practice squad.
Of course, not every talented college player will have his skills translated well into the NFL. It’s an unfortunate truth that must be a tough pill for players to swallow. Although an article about Josh Rosen is not complete until his NFL career is highlighted, that isn’t the focus of this one.
Rosen’s experience in college is no less meaningful or important because he flopped like a fish in the NFL. It’s truly disheartening what Rosen experienced in the 21st century. It calls back memories of anti-Semitism in football from over 100 years ago. We have to do better.
Make sure to catch all of the Jewish American Heritage Month articles for 2024 here!
