MJF is proud of being a great wrestler who just happens to be Jewish.
All Elite Wrestling‘s Maxwell Jacob Friedman recently sat down with David Meyers of The Algemeiner to discuss being Jewish in the world of professional wrestling. There has been a rise of shootings and violent attacks on the Jewish population in the United States in recent years, including the 2018 shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue and a hostage situation in Colleyville, Texas in January. The lack of coverage doesn’t sit well with MJF, who said it’s something he’ll keep bringing attention to.
“Isn’t it strange that no one’s talking about it?” MJF asked. “It’s not the cool thing to talk about, cause we’re not the cool minority, but I’m going to keep bringing it up, because I think it’s bullsh-t.”
MJF is no stranger to facing issues due to being Jewish. He spoke of an incident on the independents when a wrestler from Ohio keyed his car and called him a “kike.”
“Did [the wrestler who keyed my car] think I was white, or did he think I was a Jew?” MJF asked. “I am a minority. Because millions of my people were viciously murdered simply because of our religious beliefs.”
Although a lot of encounters nowadays don’t occur face to face, MJF recalled an incident on social media recently where a fan said he’s only where he is in All Elite Wrestling because he’s a “straight white male.”
“Working hard at the gym. I’m a 5’9″ guy but I weigh 226, and that was through hard work and determination, and so many hours at the gym. And for someone to tweet at me — ‘you’re only in the position you’re in because you’re a straight white male, where’s the diversity’ — that made me really mad,” MJF said. “Was I a straight, white male when all the kids put gum on my locker and drew a swastika so I wouldn’t be able to get to my football uniform? Or was I a Jew?”
MJF enjoys using his platform in All Elite Wrestling to show there’s more than one archetype of being a Jew, something that Friedman is very proud of.
“I get to showcase to people that there’s more than one archetype of being a Jew,” MJF said, “I think I’m the best wrestler in the world, and I just so happen to be Jewish — and I just so happen to be very proud of it.”
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