beatrice_otter | (no subject)

On Tumblr, someone pointed out that given Howard Stark's now-canon background (where he grew up and his parents' occupations), he is almost certainly Jewish passing as Gentile. And that, you know, this gives extra oomph to him helping Jarvis get Anna (his Jewish wife) out of danger and to England and later America. (And I want to read that story, and I hope someone is writing it!)

But you know what other story I want to read? The one where it's a Jewish holiday and Steve absentmindedly mentions it to Tony ("Happy Chanukah!" or appropriate greeting for whichever holiday it is) and Tony is baffled because he's not Jewish (not anything, really, pretty much raised atheist), and Steve is Catholic (or Episcopalian, I've seen an interesting meta on what it would mean if Steve was an Irish Protestant, but whatever he is, definitely Christian.)

So then Steve is all, wait, but Howard was Jewish, and he didn't show it, but then things were a lot worse for Jews in those days, I thought you would be public with your religion/ethnicity!

And Tony is all, no, nope, nuh-uh, no Jewish background in the family that I know of.

And Steve goes, then how/why did Howard know Yiddish? Because a lot of the scientists on Project Rebirth were Jews, so Yiddish was spoken around the labs, and Steve never heard Howard speak it but he definitely understood what the others were saying when they were cursing people out or arguing or joking around in Yiddish, so.

And Tony's mind is blown, and he goes on an incredibly tacky orgy of self-discovery to "find his Jewish roots."

Threaded | Flat

Okay, that sounds cool.

(Though oh Tony. *facepalm*)

Double extra bonus points if Pepper knew. And is Jewish herself.

Headcanon accepted.

I... honestly don't think I could run far enough away from this prospective fic fast enough. (Sorry.) It's... I can't imagine Steve being that clueless having grown up in New York. I can't imagine Tony being that oblivious. I can't imagine this staying on the right side of "wow, this is offensive" if the punchline is Tony wearing a giant gold chai pendant with a knish in one hand and a matzo in the other.

Being Jewish then and being Jewish now... it's not "oh, it's easier now." Because in a lot of ways it isn't. And the history of American Jewish assimilation is complicated one that's not about being crypo-Jews suddenly allowed to live openly. And for New York Jews, it's almost a separate case entirely.

It's also my family history and maybe that's why I'm not eager to see it turned into a Judd Apatow comedy, but... yeah. Sorry for showing up and grousing, but...

I confess I have no interest in Tony Stark, that is a very interesting idea to explore.