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JAP JOKES LEAVE FROWNS

In the milieu of jocular genres, JAP is the recognized acronym for Jewish American Princess-the spoiled shopping fiend, who, in answer to the question

”What does a JAP make for dinner?” replies: ”Reservations.” But some believe JAP more accurately stands for Jewish American Putdown.

”It`s time to say out loud that this is not funny,” says Linda Greenman, women`s issues national coordinator for the American Jewish Committee.

The group is sponsoring a conference in Atlanta Oct. 28 to explore a resurgence of JAP jokes, books, greeting card and commercial depictions and their effect on society`s perception of Jewish women and Jewish women`s view of themselves.

Participants at a recent meeting in New York City concluded the Jewish American Princess stereotype is eroding Jewish women`s self-esteem, undermining their romantic relationships with Jewish men and hindering coalition building between women, they concluded.

Most disturbing, says Susan Weidman Schneider, editor-in-chief of the Jewish feminist magazine, ”Lilith,” is that the stereotype`s antiwoman tone ”is masking a more traditional, classic antisemitism.”

”It is all Jews that are getting dumped on, not just Jewish women,”

Schneider said.

Francine Klagsbrun, a feminist writer, lecturer and conference participant, believes the surge in JAP jokes and characterizations is a backlash to the feminist movement.

”This reflects a kind of discomfort with women`s success and evolving roles,” she said.

But Sandy Toback, 36, who with another Chicagoan, Debbie Haback, 29, wrote, ”The Jewish American Princess Handbook,” says critics are

overreacting.

”We wrote it as tongue-in-check. It was a takeoff on the Preppie Handbook,” said Toback, an advertising executive, who along with Haback is Jewish.

The book, billed as ”The first complete guide to this Menonite Mystique. The clothes, the Stores and the Social Life,” has sold 125,000 copies since 1982.

”We did get quite a bit of negative feedback,” Toback admits, primarily from Jews affected by the Holocaust, who complained about portraying Jewish women as frivolous and materialistic.

Toback argues self-deprecating Jewish humor has been an accepted comedy staple ”since almost forever.”

”What about Joan Rivers?” she asked.

The hostility toward the book and its 1986 sequel, ”The Jewish American Prince Handbook,” is uncalled for, insists Toback, because they are hardly intended as serious portraits.

”I`m `Jappy.` I don`t think that means you can`t accomplish things,”

she said, adding that every ethnic group should be able to ”laugh at themselves.”

But conference organizers maintain the JAP genre is harmful, pointing to a recent report in ”Lilith,” which revealed a rise in harrassment, termed

”Jap-baiting,” on college campuses.

”It`s gotten very ugly,” Greenman saidof reports of graffiti advocating violence against Jewish women, ”Jap-Buster” buttons and ”Slap-a-Jap” T-shirts. The magazine also cited incidents in which Jewish coeds have been singled out for verbal abuse en masse at sporting events.

More subtly, the stereotypes reinforce unappealing and untrue opinions, critics say.

”It`s not Jewish women alone who keep Bloomingdales in business,”

Schneider said.

But the first counterstep must be taken by the targets themselves, conference participants agreed. Jewish women repeat the jokes ”in the spirit of fun” without considering the toll, they say.

”We must stop putting ourselves down this way,” Klagsbrun said.