Conversational style and gesture: exploring the role of communication in shaping, maintaining and reinforcing American Jewish identity.

This essay examines the little explored relationship between communication and Jewish identity, using communication as a means through which to open a discussion on the state of American Jewish identity in the twenty-first century. Focusing in particular on the topics of conversational style and gesture, this paper draws both on historical studies of Jewish behaviour and a contemporary analysis of the television sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm to determine the extent to which identifiably Jewish behaviours continue to be seen in the United States, before seeking to explore the impact of these behaviours on shaping, maintaining and reinforcing American Jewish identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]