An explanation of our search results [Or, Google and 'Jew': Why is This Search Different from all Other Searches?]

If you use Google to search for “Judaism”, “Jewish” or “Jewish people”, the results are informative and relevant. So why is a search for “Jew” different? One reason is that the word “Jew” is often used in an anti-Semitic context. Jewish organizations are more likely to use the word “Jewish” when talking about members of their faith. The word has become somewhat charged linguistically as noted on websites devoted to Jewish topics such as these:

• http://shakti.trincoll.edu/~mendele/vol01/vol01.174
• http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/jonah081500.asp

Someone searching for information on Jewish people would be more likely to enter terms like “Judaism,” Jewish people,” or “Jews” than the single word “Jew.” In fact, it’s likely that most of the people currently using Google to search for “Jew” are those who have heard about this issue and want to see the results for themselves. —An explanation of our search results [Or, Google and ‘Jew’: Why is This Search Different from all Other Searches?] (Google)

Since Google determines page rank based on the number of links leading to and from pages, there’s an effort in the blogosphere to supply some more raw material for Google to use. So, here’s a link to Wikipedia’s article “Jew“.

Notice, by the way, how carefully worded this statement is. Google doesn’t come right out and say “The results for this search are not informative or relevant.” Instead, it characterizes the results of other searches as being excellent, then acknowledges that this one is “different”. (The subtitle I added in brackets is a reference to the line spoken by the youngest child in the household on Passover: “Why is this night different from all other nights?”)