A Project Genesis website

JewishAnswers.org

Ask the Rabbi: answers from Project Genesis rabbis

Bad News Jews

Question

I work for a Jewish man. From day one this man has lied to me about my salary. He has been manipulative and cruel. My bible teaches me that I am never to disrespect an elder man or woman. How should I deal with this man?

Answer

I sympathize with your plight. What you have discovered is that being Jewish is not a guarantee that a person will be an upright and honest individual. There are good Jews and bad Jews just as there are good Christians and there are bad Christians. If this individual is not observant of Jewish laws then his Jewishness is just incidental and does not define him.

Ignore his being Jewish and deal with him the same way you would if he were an atheist or a Christian who did not observe his religion. If he is an observant Jew, attending regular services in his synagogue, then you could approach his rabbi and ask for some assistance in dealing with him but, keep in mind, that if he finds out that you went behind his back to his rabbi, he might fire you.