Patriot Games: Is Captain America Too American?

In March 1941 — nine months before the attack on Pearl Harbor impelled America to enter the Second World War — one colorful American hero had already joined the battle: Captain America.

The famous front cover of “Captain America #1″ showed its titular hero punching Hitler straight in the face, sending the ridiculous looking Furher tumbling backwards.

With that single unforgettable image, the Nazi ideal of the Aryan ubermensch was dealt a fatal blow, as was what remained of the once respectable American “isolationist” movement.

As the first comic book character to enlist in World War II, Captain America was an instant success, selling almost one million copies per issue. In a way, that’s not surprising, considering the character’s pedigree. Captain America was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby – the second-generation Jews who made no secret of their source of inspiration. Simon, noted the character of Captain America, “was our way of lashing out at the Nazi menace.”

In that first issue of the Marvel comic, readers meet the superhero’s “everyman” alter ego, Steve Rogers. A sickly Depression-era child, Rogers loses his parents at a young age, then tries to enlist in the military. Too feeble to join the regular forces, Rogers volunteers for a top-secret military medical experiment known as “Operation Rebirth,” being overseen by one Dr. Reinstein. (Note that character’s very Jewish name, one that sounds suspiciously like “Albert Einstein.” In 1941, Einstein was a wildly popular — if little understood — cultural icon in the real world.)

In need of a human “guinea pig” to test his formula, Dr. Reinstein injects Rogers with his Secret-Soldier Serum. Unfortunately, a Nazi spy infiltrates the experiment and kills Dr. Reinstein, leaving the newly empowered Rogers as the serum’s sole beneficiary. Hailed by the U.S. military as a superhuman savior, Rogers dons a patriotic costume of red, white, and blue, with a star on his chest and stripes on his waist. Captain America is quickly dispatched to his most important early assignment: destroy his evil “super soldier” counterpart, a Nazi agent called the Red Skull.

Fast forward to 2011: this summer, Captain America returns to the big screen. Unfortunately, the spirit of 1941 (let alone 1776) is a long way off. In an era of anti-Americanism (at home and abroad) the movie’s director and star have been playing down the character’s “American” identity.

Director Joe Johnston insists, “…this is not about America so much as it is about the spirit of doing the right thing.” Chris Evans, who plays the title character, echoed the sentiment: “I’m not trying to get too lost in the American side of it. This isn’t a flag-waving movie.”

This isn’t the first time Hollywood has eagerly de-Americanized superheroes, sometimes by undercutting traces of “corny” patriotism with doses of winking irony. Take the 2006 film “Superman Returns,” which has Clark Kent’s boss cynically describing Superman as fighting for “Truth, Justice… all that stuff.”

Or take the 2009 movie based on a hugely popular toy from Hasbro. The film’s title, “G.I Joe: A Real American Hero” was trimmed down to just “G.I Joe,” the toy’s iconic logo with the American flag was removed, and the storyline transformed the title character’s American anti-terror squad into an international peacekeeping task force that apparently took its marching orders from the United Nations.

The fact is, Hollywood movies today live or die based on worldwide ticket and DVD sales, and in a world in which American flags are burned regularly from Paris to the Punjab, received wisdom has it that anything too “American” is international box office poison.

Anticipating anti-American blowback, Paramount and Marvel Studios actually offered distributors the choice of marketing the new movie using its real title – “Captain America: The First Avenger” – or opting for simply calling it “The First Avenger” instead.

Most distributors say they’re going with the original title, eager to take advantage of decades of “Captain America” brand recognition. However, three countries – Russia, Ukraine and South Korea – have decided to promote the movie as “The First Avenger.”

By literally cloaking their character in patriotism, Kirby and Simon displayed unabashed love of, and confidence in, the United States. Like many Jewish Americans during World War II, such as the heads of Hollywood studios, they felt duty bound to use their creativity in the service of their country.

Alas, times have changed. Hollywood is now more concerned with international box office numbers than national pride, never mind respecting the obvious wishes of the two artists without whom Captain America wouldn’t exist.

Simcha Weinstein is an internationally known best-selling author. His first book, Up, Up and Oy Vey! received the Benjamin Franklin Award for the best book of 2007. He has appeared on CNN “Showbiz Tonight,” and NPR, and has been profiled in leading publications including The New York Times, The Miami Herald and the London Guardian. He is a regular contributor to the Jerusalem Post and Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). He chairs the Religious Affairs Committee at the renowned New York art school, Pratt Institute. His latest book Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st century (Barricade Books: 2008) is on sale now.

The content on this page is copyrighted by the author and can only be reprinted with permission from the author.

Chanukah: A Time For Superheroes

Doctor Leonard Samson, better known as “Doc Samson,” strides down the corridor and into the classroom, massive muscles rippling beneath his skin-tight red costume. He sports a long mane of hair, just like his biblical namesake (except the real Samson’s hair wasn’t green, presumably).

Today, Doc Samson, taking a welcome break from his crime fighting, is visiting the children at his old Hebrew school to tell them all about Chanukah. It’s a very special occasion, so Doc Samson’s wearing a navy kippa along with his skin-tight red costume. The teacher, an aging bubbe named Mrs. Klein, proudly introduces our colorful hero: “I was his teacher here at the yeshiva when he was a very little boy.”

But the chutzpadik kids are unimpressed by their bizarre guest.

One student voices his certainty that Doc Samson had been beaten up by the Hulk. Others ask whether the Maccabees had guns or cable TV. Read more

Hallmark Holiday

Of all the annual “Hallmark holidays”, I hate Valentine’s Day the most.

In high school, we ran to our lockers, hoping to see a bunch of pink and red cards waiting for us. While my locker was never empty, it wasn’t exactly overflowing, either.

High school was a long time ago, but as a rabbi, my contempt for Cupid has only grown. The whole occasion is so fabricated and trite. We send out millions of cards. Drugstores turn themselves into chocolatiers for a week, to the point where I can’t find the vitamins and cough syrup. Florists have their busiest day of the year. Restaurant reservations are at a premium. But after all that build up, how can the day itself turn out to be anything but a flop?

And when we designate a single day to celebrate the power of love, what does that mean for the rest of the year? We hate each other?

Even the Vatican seems to share my low opinion of Valentine’s Day. The “Vatican II” reforms of the 1960s crossed the feast of St Valentine off the Church calendar, explaining that the lore surrounding the “patron saint of lovers” was nothing more than romantic legend.

Speaking of which, one of the least known but perhaps most joyous and festive holidays on the Jewish calendar occurs on the 15th Day of the Hebrew month of Av.

Tu B’Av, the 15th Day of Av, is both an ancient and modern holiday. At one time, it marked a matchmaking day for unmarried women. In modern times, Tu B’Av has slowly evolved into a Hebrew-Jewish “Day of Love,” a little like Valentine’s Day.

The last Mishnah in Tractate Ta’anis says:

“There were no holidays so joyous for the Jewish People as Tu B’Av (the Fifteenth of Av) and Yom HaKippurim (The Day of Atonement), for on those days, daughters of Jerusalem would go out dressed in borrowed white clothing.”

The Mishnah explains that women borrowed each others’ white dresses, so as not to bring shame upon those who couldn’t afford finery. On that day, the poorest woman may have ended up wearing the most expensive dress. The message to suitors was not to judge their potential brides by mere externals.

If only Valentine’s Day could incorporate a lesson from Tu B’Av: it doesn’t matter how many cards you get in your locker, as long as you find that one special card that you’ll treasure for a lifetime.

Simcha Weinstein is an internationally known best-selling author. His first book, Up, Up and Oy Vey! received the Benjamin Franklin Award for the best book of 2007. He has appeared on CNN “Showbiz Tonight,” and NPR, and has been profiled in leading publications including The New York Times, The Miami Herald and the London Guardian. He is a regular contributor to the Jerusalem Post and Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). He chairs the Religious Affairs Committee at the renowned New York art school, Pratt Institute. His latest book Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st century (Barricade Books: 2008) is on sale now.

Everything Changes But You

As an Englishman in New York, I sometimes find myself balanced between two cultures that are more different than you might think.

As the old joke goes: “America and England are two nations divided by a common language.” Here’s an example: I have spent the last decade as the Chair the Religious Affairs Committee at America’s renowned art school, Pratt Institute. But when I’m “back home,” I reminded by my old mates that the word “prat” is, well, not exactly a term of endearment.

So I felt like a “prat” when I found out that I almost missed the latest craze across the pond. I was shocked to see my English friends updating their Facebook profiles with messages like “OMG I just got Take That tickets!”

Take That are back?! Americans have never heard of this cringe-worthy boy band that we all used to mock (and many of us secretly liked) back in my university days. Now, they’re no longer boys, but incredibly, these “washed up” performers have reunited with lead singer Robbie Williams — and just sold one million concert tickets in 24 hours.

I did the math and couldn’t believe how much time had passed since Take That’s glory days, when I was still a student (and a long way from becoming a rabbi – or even thinking about it.) It was almost 20 years ago that Nigel Martin-Smith began manufacturing a British boy band, hoping to replicate the meteoric rise of the New Kids on the Block in the United States.

My generation got sucked into the subsequent mass market merchandising mania, buying up Take That dolls, apparel, posters, sticker books – you name it.

So I suppose the band’s resurrection should have come as no surprise. Cultural commentators (not to mention parents who can’t believe their “children” are moving back home) have noticed that adolescence is lasting longer and longer in the West. Many of us are desperately keen to re-live our college years. In fact, some of us are still living them, twenty years on.

Only a generation or two ago, the average twentysomethings had achieved most of adulthood’s milestones — education, job marriage, and children of their own. Yet these days the age of marriage is growing and those having children is dwindling. Such a notion would have been baffling and laughable to our grandparents.

I have to be honest: I’m not enjoying the thought of one million nostalgic, menopausal mammas dancing to Take That’s cover of the Barry Manilow disco hit “Could It Be Magic.” (Although in fairness, my old mates tell the band’s new music isn’t quite as dreadful as their old hits. Naturally, I haven’t listened to any of their latest songs myself…)

British writer Nick Hornby’s bestselling novel, About A Boy, tells the story of two likely lads: Marcus, an eccentric, introverted, bullied 12-year-old with a suicidal mother – and Will, a 36-year-old bachelor. Thanks to the royalties from his father’s hit Christmas song, Will doesn’t have to work and spends his days living the aimless life of an overgrown adolescent: smoking, watching TV, listening to albums, and looking for female companionship.

Following a pleasant (if inevitably short-lived) relationship with a single mother, Will comes up with the idea of attending a support group for single parents as a new way to pick up women. To fit in, he invents a two-year old son called Ned. At one of these meetings, Will meets the very real Marcus, and a friendship develops. Marcus helps Will grow up and visa versa. In the end, both of them start to act their age.

The book and subsequent film version of About A Boy struck a chord with many people of my generation – which, for all their humor, is a sad commentary about my Peter Pan cohort.

And speaking of “chords”: Take That might be back for good, but – call me a ‘prat’ if you like – I’ll give them a miss. I’ve moved on.

Simcha Weinstein is an internationally known best-selling author. His first book, Up, Up and Oy Vey! received the Benjamin Franklin Award for the best book of 2007. He has appeared on CNN “Showbiz Tonight,” and NPR, and has been profiled in leading publications including The New York Times, The Miami Herald and the London Guardian. He is a regular contributor to the Jerusalem Post and Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). He chairs the Religious Affairs Committee at the renowned New York art school, Pratt Institute. His latest book Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st century (Barricade Books: 2008) is on sale now. He will be speaking on Monday, Nov. 22, at the Chabad of Bloomsbury

Fowl Play: Throw a Chicken in the Air

Amongst the harder Jewish traditions to explain to Jews and non-Jews alike is kaparot. This symbolic “atonement” rite, conducted in preparation for Yom Kippur, involves waving a chicken over one’s head three times while reciting the appropriate text.

The chicken is then slaughtered in accordance with halachic procedure, and its equivalent monetary value is given to the poor — or, as is more popular today, the chicken itself is donated to a charitable cause.

Before I hear cries of “fowl play,” bear in mind that during this ritual, the chicken is treated as humanely as possible. After all, Jewish law forbids causing unnecessary pain to any of God’s creations.

In fact, kosher slaughter, or shechita, is widely considered the most painless method of butchery. The animal’s trachea and esophagus is cut with a sharp, flawless knife, rendering it insensate almost immediately.

Please note: I’m not heartless or naive. I won’t tell you that the slaughtered animal feels nothing. In fact, since becoming the rabbi of a liberal arts school (New York’s Pratt Institute) I’ve become more sensitive to these issues. I cater to a large number of vegetarian students, literally: when we gather for Shabbat meals, I forgo my beloved chicken matzo ball soup in favor of a mushroom, barley and asparagus medley, out of respect for their preferences.

Because of my students’ concerns, I’ve paid more attention to the controversies surrounding kaparot in recent years. Animal rights groups including PETA say these large annual gatherings leave unsanitary conditions, which is a legitimate cause for concern. Occasions when the chickens are simply thrown away (because the cost of cleaning and processing them for food is considered too high) must be discouraged.

PETA also argues that the underlying message of the ritual could be retained if prayers were simply recited over donated money, rather than a doomed chicken. Indeed, I encourage those uncomfortable with traditional kaparot to explore this reverent alternative.

However, even this variation of kaparot poses a problem. Yes, the money is used to feed the poor over the holidays—but if the meal being paid for turns out to be chicken (and there’s a good chance it is) then a chicken will still be slaughtered. At the end of the day, has anything been gained by altering a Jewish ritual dating back thousands of years?

Now, here is a timely (and more lighthearted) question – what is worse? Sacrificing meat for charitable and religious purposes, or wearing it as clothing?

Pop star Lady Gaga’s now infamous “meat dress” (and matching purse, hat and shoes) which she wore to a music industry award ceremony earlier this month, was a follow up to the meat bikini she wore on the cover of the Japanese edition of Vogue. Naturally, as a rabbi I can’t help but wonder if any of this meat was kosher. The media went wild with questions of its own: Why did she wear a meat dress? And who made it? Lady Gaga maintained that her dress (designed by Franc Fernandez) was a protestation of discrimination against gays.

Lady Gaga didn’t exactly reveal herself to be a font of great wisdom, and responded to questions with banal, pop spirituality sound bites: “If we don’t stand up for what we believe in and if we don’t fight for our rights,” she explained, “pretty soon we’re going to have as much rights as the meat on our own bones. And I am not a piece of meat.”

Lady Gaga might think she’s making a deep and profound point, but her stunt actually seems pretty shallow. Millions of people go to bed hungry every night, yet food is “sacrificed” to create wearable “art” that will be thrown away in a few hours, all so a performer can briefly capture the spotlight on the red carpet.

I know I’m a rabbi and not an “artist” like Lady Gaga, but none of that sounds very kosher to me.

Simcha Weinstein is an internationally known best-selling author. His first book, Up, Up and Oy Vey! received the Benjamin Franklin Award for the best book of 2007. He has appeared on CNN “Showbiz Tonight,” and NPR, and has been profiled in leading publications including The New York Times, The Miami Herald and the London Guardian. He is a regular contributor to the Jerusalem Post and Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). He chairs the Religious Affairs Committee at the renowned New York art school, Pratt Institute. His latest book Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st century (Barricade Books: 2008) is on sale now.

In Your Dreams: The Kabbalah of Inception

It turns out that my mundane reality of morning school runs and chai tea lattes may not be as real as I thought, at least according to a new hit movie.

Directed by Hollywood hotshot Christopher Nolan (of The Dark Knight fame), the movie Inception stars Leonardo DiCaprio, and turns out to be among the rarest of things: a big-screen blockbuster with brains.

iii. Complex and visually innovative, Inception is a science fiction/ heist film that explores the phenomenon of lucid dreaming. We’ve all experienced uncanny moments of self-awareness during deep sleep – knowing we’re dreaming while we’re dreaming, trying to control the narrative. Inception depicts what you might call “lucid dreaming on steroids.”

DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, a veteran “extractor” who enters the dreams of others to obtain otherwise inaccessible information. Not surprisingly, he’s handsomely rewarded for this ability, but this arduous avocation has also cost Cobb the reality of a normal existence.

In exchange for a chance to get his old life back, Cobb must now perform an “inception”: instead of extracting dreams, Cobb is assigned to implant a valuable idea into a target’s mind while he sleeps.

The act of inception is far more difficult and dangerous than extraction, but it’s also more lucrative. (Just think of how useful such a gift would be in the real world-I could finally get my children to clean up after themselves, or reprogram the barista to make my order right.)

The movie Inception works on many levels, not only as glossy entertainment but also as a philosophical puzzle. As a rabbi, I can’t help thinking of the Kabbalist teaching that while we sleep, our souls leave our bodies and ascend to their heavenly source to replenish energy.

The Kabbalistic commentary called The Zohar explains that, when we sleep, 59 out of 60 parts of our soul leave the body, leaving only 1 out of 60 to sustain us physically. In this disembodied state, the soul encounters visions usually off-limits in our everyday world.

Inception even has a character named Yusuf, a chemist who formulates the drugs needed to enter the dream world. According to biblical scripture, Joseph (or Yusuf) was blessed with the ability to interpret dreams, a rare skill highly valued by the Egyptian royal court. As such, his talents granted him access to the highest echelons of society. Joseph eventually became the second most powerful man in the empire-even though he was a foreigner who’d recently spent time in jail.

If the mystics and sages are right, our life is just a dream. In an instant, we can be transported to another dimension-no special effects or fictional narcotics required. Kabbalah considers our physical world to be an illusion, a temporary residence, and not true reality. So stop existing and start dreaming!

Simcha Weinstein is an internationally known best-selling author. His first book, Up, Up and Oy Vey! received the Benjamin Franklin Award for the best book of 2007. He has appeared on CNN “Showbiz Tonight,” and NPR, and has been profiled in leading publications including The New York Times, The Miami Herald and the London Guardian. He is a regular contributor to the Jerusalem Post and Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). He chairs the Religious Affairs Committee at the renowned New York art school, Pratt Institute. His latest book Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st century (Barricade Books: 2008) is on sale now.

Goldman, Lipman and Spider-Man: All Jewish names.

My Spidey sense is tingling, 48 years after the Spider-man was first concocted by Jewish artist Stan Lee; Jewish actor Andrew Garfield will don the spandex for the forthcoming fourth film in the Spider-man franchise, replacing Tobey Maguire in the role.

Garfield noted in an interview that he grew up in a middle-class Jewish home and attended private school. While born in Los Angeles, Garfield moved across the pond to live in England with his British mother and American father when he was 3.

Garfield being Jewish is no small matter to the Spider-man universe. In August 1962, Stan Lee was basking in the success of the Fantastic Four and the Hulk, created a new kind of superhero: “A teenager, with all the problems, hang-ups, and angst of any teenager. He’d be an orphan who lived with his aunt and uncle, a bit of a nerd, a loser in the romantic department, and who constantly worried.”

Spider-Man has a number of classically Jewish qualities.

Angst-ridden teenager Peter Parker is introduced in the first panel as “that bookworm [who] wouldn’t know a cha-cha from a waltz!” He’s drawn as a nebbish – a dark-haired, spectacled, neurotic worrier. When he’s bitten by a radioactive spider while visiting a science museum, Parker ends up with an array of superhuman, spider like powers: speed, strength, and agility; a tingling “spider-sense” that warns him of impending danger; the ability to quickly recover from injuries and poisons; and a proficiency for sticking to walls. Originally near sighted, Parker now has perfect vision.

The death of a loved one is a commonplace motive for crime fighting in comics. Just think of Batman. But Spider-Man is driven by guilt rather than revenge. Michael Chabon notes, “I don’t think there’s another comic-book superhero that’s as completely driven by trying to pay some debt, a debt that can’t be paid, as Spider-Man is.” Amazingly, Garfield recently noted, “I have a really big guilt complex and that if I’m not doing any kind of good then there’s no real reason for being.”

Sam Raimi, director of the previous hugely successful Spider-Man movies, agrees with Chabon: “Spider-Man is a character that spends his life trying to pay down his guilt, the only difference is that it’s caused by his uncle, not his mother. That’s a real classically Jewish quality — to be very aware of your sins in this life and try and make amends for them in this life.”

Michael Chabon’s fictional account of the early days of the comic book industry, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay depicts how badly the comic creators themselves needed heroes.

The theme of guilt leads to talk of Spider-Man being Jewish. So does Spider-Man’s dry sense of humor, “He’s a very funny guy, almost Seinfeld with webbing,” observes Marvel writer Danny Fingeroth. Chabon comments, “For years people have speculated that Peter was sort of crypto-Jewish. You know, living with his uncle Ben and aunt May in Queens.”

Many people consider spiders pests and are fearful of them, but in fact these creatures perform a vital natural function by keeping the insect population under control. In the same way, the Jewish people have received their share of bad press over the years. Israel is a special target of misrepresentation in media “spin.” Like the Jewish people, Spider-Man tries to do the right thing but is viewed with suspicion by authority figures.
Spider-Man’s famous costume covers his entire body from head to toe. Even his eyes hide behind unblinking white triangles. Spider-Man seems to be trying particularly hard to conceal himself; not many other comic book characters are so thoroughly disguised.

Spider-Man, unlike other superheroes, is more Woody Allen nebbish than all-powerful, suffering from stereotypical Jewish neuroses. When he was in his Clark Kent guise, Superman was only pretending to be a nerd. Peter Parker really was one.

The director of the forthcoming movie Marc Webb noted, “Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker.” With a guy named Webb helming a Spider-man movie starring a guilt-ridden Jewish actor, who am I to disagree!

Simcha Weinstein is an internationally known best-selling author. His first book, Up, Up and Oy Vey! received the Benjamin Franklin Award for the best book of 2007. He has appeared on CNN “Showbiz Tonight,” and NPR, and has been profiled in leading publications including The New York Times, The Miami Herald and the London Guardian. He is a regular contributor to the Jerusalem Post and Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). He chairs the Religious Affairs Committee at the renowned New York art school, Pratt Institute. His latest book Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st century (Barricade Books: 2008) is on sale now.

Homer in the Holy Land!

Sure, Israel has been under a lot of pressure lately from the Obama administration, but that’s nothing. It recently survived the biggest challenge in its history when the Simpons family landed at Ben Gurion Airport.

The first family of American comedy ventured to the Holy Land in a new episode called “The Greatest Story Ever D’ohed.” Leave it to the hapless Homer to do the impossible: uniting Jews, Christians and Muslims together – in outrage.

It all starts when Homer’s born-again Christian neighbor Ned Flanders invites the Simpson family to join his Bible study group on a tour of Jerusalem.

“Hmm, let me think,” muses Homer. “Take my family to a war zone, on a bus with religious lame-o’s, in a country with no pork, in a desert with no casino…”

But his devoted wife Marge insists that the whole family schlep over to Isreal for the trip of a lifetime.

As usual, this episode of The Simpsons was packed plethora of cringe-inducing gags, including the “Israel Airlines” plane coming down on a drinking glass (like the groom at a Jewish wedding – get it?), a hotel named the “Wailing Waldorf,” and even a gutter cleaner — wait for it — fiddling on a roof.

(Personally, I wasn’t thrilled by one sight gag: the sign over baggage claim reading, “Israel: Your American tax dollars at work.”)

The Simpsons are joined by cocky Israeli tour guide named Jacob, voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen. (This actually makes sense, since the very Jewish Cohen spent the entire movie Borat speaking a “foreign language” that was actually Hebrew – an in-joke lost on almost all viewers.)

When Jacob takes the group to the Wailing Wall, Homer and Bart argue about how to place written prayers between the rocks. Being an incorrigible brat, Bart pulls out some of the notes and reads them:

“Sad. Sad. Never gonna happen. Sad. Maybe if you were Brad Pitt.”

Next stop is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Ned prays that Homer finds some meaning in the tour — then discovers Homer taking a shluf on the tomb.

“Homer, this is the most sacred spot in Christendom,” Flanders says, “not your backyard hammock.”

Homer: “I’m sorry. It’s just that these tours are so exhausting. You’re jet-lagged, you’re walking around all day, it’s so hard to sleep knowing Marge and the kids are all stuck in one small room. It’s so nice and cool in the Tomb of the Unknown Savior.”

Flanders: “Unknown?! This is the tomb of the most famous man who ever lived.”

Homer: “Porky Pig?”

With that, the normally mild mannered Flanders loses his Christian cool with Homer — and as a result, he’s the one banned for life from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher! Meanwhile Homer, thinking that Ned is wandering alone in the desert, rides off on a camel to save him and soon becomes lost in a sandstorm.

While feeling the effects of dehydration, Homer starts singing about how thirsty he is, to the famous musical signature from Lawrence of Arabia.

In a haze, Homer makes his way to the salty Dead Sea — clearly not the best place to quench your thirst. There, he’s confronted with a vision: a pickle, tomato and carrot – that is, the creatures from the “Veggie Tales”— who proclaim Homer the messiah.

Back in civilization, Dr. Hibbert diagnoses Homer with Jerusalem Syndrome, “the name given to religious delusions or psychoses that occur when people visit Jerusalem.”

(And I should know: about a decade ago, I made a trip to Israel and decided to give up my successful film production career to become a rabbi. “D’oh” is right!)

The episode ends with Homer standing at the Dome of the Rock, exhorting an interfaith crowd to forget their theological differences and become “ChrisMuJews.” He even tries to unite the masses through a universal message of “peace and chicken,” since at least all three Abrahamic faiths approve of eating that particular variety of poultry.

It’s a cute joke, but even though Homer is begging Christians, Muslims and Jews to put aside their differences, he didn’t actually specify what those differences are. Perhaps not surprisingly for a 30-minute comedy show, The Simpson’s experiences in Jerusalem didn’t touch on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Of course, another animated comedy show, South Park, has gotten itself into a lot of trouble lately for daring to mock those religious “differences,” particularly Muslim extremism. So The Simpsons deserve credit for showing their solidarity with another cartoon. Every episode opens with bad boy Bart Simpson writing lines on a chalkboard as punishment; this time the lines said, “South Park – We’d stand beside you, if we weren’t so scared.”

Simcha Weinstein is an internationally known best-selling author. His first book, Up, Up and Oy Vey! received the Benjamin Franklin Award for the best book of 2007. He has appeared on CNN “Showbiz Tonight,” and NPR, and has been profiled in leading publications including The New York Times, The Miami Herald and the London Guardian. He is a regular contributor to the Jerusalem Post and Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). He chairs the Religious Affairs Committee at the renowned New York art school, Pratt Institute. His latest book Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st century (Barricade Books: 2008) is on sale now.

Oh, to kick some villainous tuchas

They call me the “Comic Book Rabbi.”

They call me the “Comic Book Rabbi.”

Given the chance to choose my own “superhero” nickname, I’d have picked something more dynamic, like “Super Jew” or simply “The Rabbi.” (Imagine The Thing, but with a kippah.)

I come by my humble nickname honestly, though. My first book was called, Up Up and Oy Vey : How Jewish History, Culture and Values Shaped the Comic Book Superhero. Not surprisingly, I quickly came to be seen as an expert about the Jewish influence on American popular culture.

Most of the time, I study these matters at arm’s length — literally, with a well-thumbed issue of the Fantastic Four circa 1964 in hand.

However, I confess (and that’s not something rabbis normally do) that I sometimes fantasize about doing more than writing and talking about superheroes. Like millions of ordinary people, I wonder what it would be like to pull on some Spandex, then hit the mean streets and kick some villainous tuchas.

No wonder the new movie Kick-Ass is getting so much buzz. The film, based on the 2008 graphic novel by Mark Millar, tells the story of teenage dweeb Dave Lizewski, who sets out to become a real life superhero.

Like Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster and the other members of the tribe who created “Golden Age” superheroes like Superman, Lizewski is a bit of a nerd, invisible to girls and the “cool” kids. So he creates his own superhero costume, dubs himself “Kick-Ass” and goes out in search of bad guys to beat up.

Predictably, Dave fails at his first attempt to fight crime. He discovers that, unlike the fights he’s seen in the movies, real fisticuffs can actually be pretty painful.

After being recorded in action by bystanders with cell phones, Dave/Kick-Ass predictably becomes an internet phenomenon that inspires a whole legion of copycat costumed crime fighters, including a foul-mouthed 11-year-old named Hit Girl. Meanwhile, Dave sets up a Kick-Ass website and is soon overwhelmed by requests for help from total strangers.

These days, aren’t most of us looking for heroes, or wish we could be one? Before you dismiss Kick-Ass as ridiculous fiction, consider my friend, former yeshiva student turned crime-fighter Chaim Lazaros. A bit like Spiderman’s Peter Parker, Chaim is a student at Columbia University by day and a superhero by night, going by the name of “Life” (that’s what his given name means in Hebrew.) Dressed all in black – complete with an eye patch — Chaim goes out looking for trouble on the streets of New York, but it’s not what you think: he’s dedicated to helping out the sick and the homeless.

Chaim is one of a surprising number of people all over the world who are living out the Kick-Ass fantasy. At websites like RealLifeSuperheroes.org, they explain that their “main objective is to inspire others. We hope through our actions we can inspire others to go out and do good, help others, and stand up for what they believe in. There is a hero in everyone and we need to bring it out to help make this world a little more super.”

For whatever reason, these “real life superheroes” feel more empowered to help others when they put on a mask. It seems bizarre, but think about it: don’t we all wear a mask? We hide behind forced smiles or make-up or even Botox. Sometimes we “try on” a new personality, especially when we’re younger and just learning about ourselves, and the world. In fact, the word “personality” comes from “persona,” the Latin word meaning “mask.” We might have one “persona” at work, and another around friends, and yet another around members of the opposite sex we’re trying to impress. Sometimes we forsake our real selves for the assimilated archetype we think society wants us to portray.

So putting on the literal mask of the superhero lets Chaim and his partners in crime fighting throw off the shackles of society’s expectations and pursue more noble, transcendent pursuits.

Yet we have to remember that, “with great power comes great responsibility,” as Spider-Man always says, in a rueful, resigned tone that hints he’d rather be an ordinary mortal.

All of us have responsibilities, and they aren’t fantasies. We can’t hang them up in the closet like a cape when we’re too tired to deal with them. The secret is to stop thinking we either have to be a superhero or a nobody. Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is just be ourselves.

Simcha Weinstein is an internationally known best-selling author. His first book, Up, Up and Oy Vey! received the Benjamin Franklin Award for the best book of 2007. He has appeared on CNN “Showbiz Tonight,” and NPR, and has been profiled in leading publications including The New York Times, The Miami Herald and the London Guardian. He is a regular contributor to the Jerusalem Post and Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). He chairs the Religious Affairs Committee at the renowned New York art school, Pratt Institute. His latest book Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st century (Barricade Books: 2008) is on sale now.

Like Father, Like Clown!

In celebration of two decades on television, the writers of one of America’s most dysfunctional family shows, The Simpsons, chose to focus on the character of Jewish entertainer, Krusty the Clown (born Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofski).

In a case of art imitating life, the episode’s plot focuses on poor Krutsy and his show’s rating issues, as TV executives force poor Krusty to add a new co-host to his show. Despite initial tensions, Krusty soon bonds romantically with his new co-host, Princess Penelope, voiced by The Devil Wears Prada star Anne Hathaway.

While she is a Princes she is no JAP. (Jewish American Princess.) Romancing a non-Jew leads to conflict with Krusty’s father, whose voice is familiar to fans as Rabbi Hyman Krustofski (voiced by Jackie Mason ) — who can’t quite restrain the guilt under the chuppah. “Friends, loved ones,” says the rabbi, “we are gathered here today to marry a Jew and — a Congregationalist? Is that even a thing?”

In moment of out of character clarity, Krusty ends the ceremony. He has decided that his bride is too good for him. Yet, a distraught Krusty soon follows his beloved to Paris for a reunion. Princess Penelope seems to show appreciation for Krusty’s Jewish roots, proclaiming him her “Borscht Belt baby” in the episode’s closing scene.

The Krusty character is no stranger to family feuds. In a memorable 2003 episode, “Today I Am a Clown,” Krusty discovers that he doesn’t have a star on the Jewish Walk of Fame. He files a complaint at the head office (“Where the chosen get chosen” as the sign on the wall declares), and finds out that because he never had a bar mitzvah, he’s not eligible for a star of his own. Krusty, devastated, states, “I thought I was a self-hating Jew, but it turns out I’m just a plain old anti-Semite.” Krusty visits his father, Rabbi Hyman Krustofski, who is forever saddened that Krusty did not enter the family business of the rabbinate (“A jazz singer, this I could forgive. But a clown!”). Hyman tells Krusty that he decided for forgo the boy’s bar mitzvah out of fear that his jokester son would make a “mockery out of the whole ceremony.”

Poignantly, Krusty’s marriage wows seem to mirror the larger cultural zeitgeist. The American intermarriage rate in the 1920s was no more than 1%. Compare this to today when the intermarriage rate hovers around 50%.

Jewish intermarriage has been a staple of American comedy; while all-Jewish families have become a rarity in film and TV. The short lived series “Arrested Development,” created by Mitchell Hurwitz, depicts a dysfunctional Jewish family that makes Krutsy’s seem like a haftarah reading. Ironically, the fact that Jews feel comfortable producing a show that makes them look so unsavory simply proves how far we have come.

Could the shortage of all-Jewish families be because Jewish comedy writers themselves are often intermarried? Maybe today’s comics are still just “writing what they know.” Perhaps it’s simply that all-Jewish families don’t get ratings. It’s one of the oldest rules in theater, conflict makes for both high drama and low comedy. To cite just one example, the conflict inherent in a “mixed marriage” provides show plots for programs from “I Love Lucy” to “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Yet I would like to see some all-Jewish couples on film and on TV for a change, beyond Gerald and Sheila Broflovski on South Park (exception like this merely prove the rule). Anybody that thinks a Jewish husband and a Jewish wife is not cause for comedy has clearly never been to my house!

Simcha Weinstein is an internationally known best-selling author. His first book, Up, Up and Oy Vey! received the Benjamin Franklin Award for the best book of 2007. He has appeared on CNN “Showbiz Tonight,” and NPR, and has been profiled in leading publications including The New York Times, The Miami Herald and the London Guardian. He is a regular contributor to the Jerusalem Post and Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). He chairs the Religious Affairs Committee at the renowned New York art school, Pratt Institute. His latest book Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st century (Barricade Books: 2008) is on sale now.

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