So that's the point that OP is making. First learn JavaScript, then move to abstractions such as jQuery. That way you won't ask silly questions such as "how to write a if statement in jQuery".
Such a combination is essentially needed merely to bring JavaScript up to a minimal level of usability. We generally don't find this to be the case with other, more sensible languages, which is why it seems so odd. C, C++, Java, C# and Python implementations come with a sensible language and a rich standard library. Developers using them don't need to bring their own standard library just to get a basic level of functionality.
You shouldn't make your trolling so obvious, man.
Note that jQuery is a pretty big (and complex) wrapper. Zepto provides a much smaller wrapper with a very similar (though not fully identical) interface. It used to be mobile-webkit-only but has since moved to "modern browsers".
I don't understand why people want to make a distinction between vanilla JS and jQuery. It's like saying you want to make a distinction between standard C++ and QT. One is a language, the other is an interface. jQuery doesn't exactly provide a standard library by any stretch of the imagination.