Great analysis. What's interesting is that they got a good percentage of the visual and story facts right but botched the rest. That, to me, is even lazier research than none at all, because they think they're doing their proper research job. "Yup! We're authentic!"
"If only there were some Jews in the comic book industry you could ask for research or recommendations on someone to talk to for research, or to look over the finished script or pencils!"
Say, what was the story that established why Superman doesn't drink?
Boy, I was many things, but I wouldn't say 'lazy.'
Okay, great article, I really enjoyed it. First, I did have a very Orthodox young lady helping me, and we discussed this at tremendous length, because I did feel it was very, very important to be respectful of the culture and tradition.
I recently did an interview for a Superman documentary, and they asked me what Kal El was like, and I said he's a nice Jewish boy (because both his creators were Jewish), and I still believe that, but if you look at the religious traditions in Superman, it's been virtually 100% Christian. That didn't seem right to me.
So we did try to get it right, spent a lot of time on it, in fact, and I knew we messed up with the headcovering of the last panel. Some of your nitpicks don't seem to carry in every single household, but I apologize for those that are universally incorrect.
I did try to avoid the 1950's Catskill stand-up comics speech, but Schuman does have a bit of patois lifted from Orthodox Jews I've known.
In any case, it was meant to be completely loving and respectful, so I'm sorry if it didn't work in that regard. It would be my fault, no one else's, especially not John's.
Gail
I had actually bought this for the Livewire appearance as a huge Batman/Superman:TAS/Batman Beyond/JLU fan, so the last few pages did kind of confuse me. I really appreciated the commentary on this, since it at least gave me some context and helped me understand the traditions going on.
At the risk of sounding completely stupid, what is a breakfront?
All in all, it was a great comic, even if intentionally cheesy in some parts and made me consider adding it to my pull list. I appreciate all the work you put into this Gail. Even though I'm Christian, I have quite a lot of Jewish friends. =)
The Gotham Detective you referred to would be Eric Cohen. And no, he was never given much to do (although the 'least-used' cast member of GC would be Trey Hartley, who was a complete blank).
Good review. BTW, what would be the '90s Superman story about drinking?
You know, I am embarrassed and ashamed when I sit and make blanket comments about somebody's work (anonymously on the internet) and then the person shows up.
So Gail, I apologize. That was crass and cowardly, and I am sorry for it. I should remember that it's very easy for me to sit here and make internet criticisms of someone else's work but that it's entirely possible that that someone might show up and see those words.
I've got nothing else to say except--yeah, I was throwing stones. I'm truly sorry. I will rethink what I say directly about a person's actions or work online from now on.
As a Modern Orthodox Jew, I disagree slightly with this analysis (although Mordecai does acknowledge that he's nitpicking). There were a few artistic errors in the pictures, but to pick on the fact that Superman rang the buzzer or brought flowers...why would he know?
I must admit I'm curious to know the full story behind the creation of Josef for the Superman stories. And it would be nice to see other random background Metropolis citizens wearing kippot every now and then...
Hey gang.
The Superman story in question was from back when I was in Junior High. Young Clark is at a party with Pete, Lana, and Other Guy. Other guy drives them home, drunk. Friend ends up in a coma. It's actually deeper than that and frankly, it was very well done.
Gail,
I appreciate your responding and enjoyed your AC run very much. I hope you realize that my critique was not meant as a slam of any sort. In fact, I was more impressed with the work than I was disappointed. The head-covering thing and the kiss were the only bits that felt really "off" and at no point did I actually find the work to be "disrespectful".
And a breakfront is that big wooden thing.
Bully, honest, don't give it a second thought. It's always okay to give your honest opinion! I hate writers' forums where the readers can't really give their full opinions.
Nothing at all, and I mean AT ALL to apologize for, not for a second.
Gail
I still don't understand why Superman wouldn't drink a glass of wine to be polite. It's not like it would make him drunk or anything.
Interesting, those nitpicks about the flowers and the doorbell made me actually learn something. Guess this internet is good for something.
And hey, I still enjoyed the story. Even if we retcon Gail to have put those errors in on purpose, it shows that Superman can move mountains and read at superspeed, but he still has a lot to learn of the world.
Or he's an anti-semite. Well, I'm doubting the latter.
Can I nitpick right back?
Superman is NOT A HUMAN. I am not a Talmudic Scholar, but wouldn't his behavior be covered under the rules for animals rather than persons? it is well established that nonhumans are NOT responsbile for obeying Jewish law. He can even kiss Orthodox women- he cannot break ritual purity any more than a dog, cat, or helper monkey can.
If the Justice League shows up for Shabbos, most of them would not be covered under Jewish Law as responsible persons.
Aquaman - Technically, not Human.
Superman - Not human.
Martian Manhunter - Not human.
Batman - Must observe laws.
Green Lantern - Ditto.
Flash - Ditto.
Wonder Woman- A special case. She is a clay object given life by Greek Gods. She is FORBIDDEN to attend, as she violates one of the 10 Commandments - she is an idol for the Greek Pantheon. Orthodox Jews and Muslims should avoid Wonder Woman like the plague.
Anyway, I agree with the doorbell and flowers nitpicks, but Superman could use his super-Shabbos-Goy heat vision to reheat any cold dishes, again without breaking any laws.
Tenzil, an idol is something to worship as or in place of a god, not something made by a god. There was a storyline where WW was made the goddess of truth, but I think that's mostly been ignored. So she's not an idol.
If she had been imbued with life by a Ba'al Shem, she'd be a golem. Since she wasn't, she's a theological dilemma: although Torah taken literally suggests the actual existence of other gods, mainstream Jewish thought denies their existence. Therefore, she would have to be a demonic creation, OR a miracle of Ha-Shem acting secretly. In the former case, one would of course avoid her, in the latter, not. The better course would probably be to reserve judgment as a courtesy, but remain wary.
Certain sorts of interaction with her would be off-limits simply because she's a pagan -- e.g., drinking wine she had poured. But one needn't avoid her entirely.
Aquaman is human, just of an odd offshoot.
I'm not sure that Superman is actually kissing Esther in that panel, he may just be doing the California air-kiss thing, which would be fine. Although given the errors he made with the flowers and the doorbell I wouldn't expect Esther to trust him not to get it wrong.
Not really a nitpick, but I could wish that the Jews weren't about half Superman's height. I have to admit that I know many very short Jews, OTOH, I know a lot of tall ones, and there was a time when the world's greatest escape artist and a performer who billed himself quite plausibly as "The World's Strongest Man" were both Jewish. Really, we're not ALL wispy little guys.
Great discussion! Could it be that the couple Superman is visiting simply isn't as observant as everyone is assuming? And why blame Superman for making mistakes? Why should he know better? And speaking of orthodox Jews in comics, whatever happened to Jordan Gorfinkel?
The height thing...well, to be fair, that has nothing to do with being Jewish, and more to do with Josef's role at the Planet, as someone small of stature but with a big conscience.
Gail
Maybe Josef's family is more Conservadox than strict Orthodox? I must admit to not having read this run of Superman (sorry Gail), but that's the first thing that occured to me when I read the column.
Fascinating analysis and resulting discussion! I love it.
Now, regarding the debate about Superman's (and other heroes) human status, would Josef and his wife know that he's alien? I'm not up on whether Superman's origin is common knowledge in the modern DCU.
If it's not, then they would assume he's a meta-human and not have cause to think of or treat him differently.
And, further, not having any knowledge of these things, does Jewish law mean specifically human in the sense of coming from this planet? Could human be taken to include sentient life from other planets, especially if such life is humanoid?
The "such a nice young man" could have just been an age stereotype; I know I've seen Ma Kent say the same sort of thing.
As far as the drinking story goes, if I remember correctly, back before Clark got his powers, he and some friends got pretty plastered and ended up in a car accident that killed at least one ot them. I don't remember if Clark was driving or not, actually I think it might have been Pete Ross, but it really had an impact on Clark, no pun intended.
As far as humanity goes, Superman considers himself human for the most part, so he'd probably be trying to observe the customs as best he could. But, like anyone entering into a somewhat unfamiliar realm, he's bound to do some things that from his perspective seem kind and generous, but are actually unintentionally disrespectful.
This has been an extremely interesting post, and kudos to an comic book writer who is very much in touch with the fans! I like that very much.
Superman may not be human, but I certainly wouldn't put him in the realm and rules binding animals! I'm guessing that one day, if we encounter sentient life from other worlds in the future, that 'human' would also mean sentient life.
About Wonder Woman...was she actually made from clay and not born from her mother? I've never heard that before...
For every one of Wonder Woman's origins she has been made from clay and that form given life.
For her Post-Crisis origin it was revealed that her soul is from from a dead unborn child whose mother was murdered by a man. I think. It does not matter.
The important thing is this: Wonder Woman was sculpted from clay into the form of a child. That child figure was turned into a human being by the gods and then she grew up as an Amazon.
Some theories hold that Kryptonians are super-mutated or super-evolved human beings. Some look at it as if they are not humans at all.
Aquaman is the son of an American lighthouse keeper. He is human.
Atlanteans are mutated humans who evolved gills and such after Atlantis was sunk a few thousand years ago.
Also a little factoid about Cohen:
Named after DC editor Ivan Cohen, who is neither Orthodox nor relegated to making donut runs, but always wanted a character named after him.
Being Jewish sure looks complicated.
Wow. A lot more comments since I went to bed!
Tenzil – The problem is how do you define “humanity”? I myself would not make the attempt. Superman and J’onn seem to act as though they have souls though.
As for Wonder Woman, it would be a fascinating question to ask a Rabbi. Technically, as trilobite mentions, she’s a mixture of a Golem and a Gilgul. Since in the DCU the Greek and Roman gods are generally portrayed as extra-dimensional beings, I don’t see any reason why she’s any more “forbidden” than say, The Red Tornado.
That said, there’s no reason you can’t have an Idol Worshiper in your house, you know. Aside from needing the wine to be Mavushel (boiled).
Oh and trilobite, I just figured that Josef and Esther suffered from Osteoporosis. Gail’s answer makes more sense though.
Tam – Most of the clues lean towards them being fairly observant. Down to style of Yarmulke. Although only Gail knows what she was going for. And Jonathan raises a good point, as I have never been in a Conservadox home, so that could be it.
Michael – Superman’s origins are common knowledge, last time I checked. As for life on other planets, I don’t believe there’s a clear “tradition” on that, for obvious reasons.
Chris – Actually, Aquaman’s current origin is that he’s the son of an Atlantean woman and the wizard Atlan. And yes, he’d count as human.
Phil – A friend of mine once said that Judaism was like “The Green Beret of Religions”
Thanks to everyone for their thoughful responses.
Further notes:
To be very nitpicky, WW was sculpted by her mother, Queen Hippolyta (not a deity). She was given life by the Greek Pantheon.
Wonder Woman is an idol for two main reasons.
1. Her existence is 'proof' of the existence and legitimacy of the Greek Pantheon, and would encourage worship of them and doubt of the powers of the Monotheistic Deity.
2. As an earthly vessel for the Greek Pantheon, she would be a focus of worship for pagans, assuming there are still people around who worship the Greek Pantheon. This is no different than the cult that worshipped Hercules in ancient times. People would pray to her. She is a clay object. Idol.
To put it in another cultural context, imagine you are at the house of a Hindu friend when he says that his Pantheon is powerful and real. When you doubt him, a statue of Hanuman in his house COMES TO LIFE AND TALKS TO YOU, then beats up Captain Cold and addresses the United Nations on Global Warming.
Then your friend questions the existence of your invisible, silent Deity. He might pray to the living Hanuman statue ("It's really Hanuman!"). Hanuman might even be a member of the Teen Titans or Justice League and be in the news all the time. You might claim that Hanuman and Ganesh are really aliens (like Thanagarians or Dominators - people in the DC Universe certainly know about aliens) or extradimensional beings, but that would make your friend, and other Hindus around the world, very angry.
People would be very interested in Hinduism if they could meet a Deity from the Pantheon (or be rescued by him). Pretty heavy stuff.
Strict monotheists in the DC Universe need to avoid Wonder Woman. It is not consorting with a Pagan (acceptable). It is consorting with a Pagan Deity and Pagan Idol (unacceptable). The Ancient Hebrews were not permitted to 'hang out' with Moloch.
It would not be surprising if the DC Universe had many active pagans worshipping the Greek Pantheon.
I erred.
The item I refer to as a Chanukiah IS a Menorah. A Menorah can be six or eight (plus shamash). It is a Chnaukiah that MUST be 8. Chanukiot are what we light for Chanukah, they are commonly called Menorahs for a reason I cannot find.
Want me to go in and edit that line?
Please.
All done.
So, a Chanukiah is a Menorah, but a Menorah is not always a Chanukiah, right?
Thanks, Gail, I feel better. 
Can I just say that I love that a click on my friends list finds me reading lines like "Also, Josef should have told Kal-El that the yarmulke is really unnecessary."
Makes life fun, it does!
Wow, this was great. Good job Gail and loved the comments Mordechai.
I do take issue with two comments made my Mordechai though.
Among most of my orthodox older relatives the women certainly touch men - it seems that the younger generation is more stringent. So it would not surprise me at all for a woman of Mrs. Josef's age to allow heself to be kissed on the cheek.
Kugel in my opinion is nothing like soufle. Soufles are light and airy whereas kugels tend to be heavy (think mashed potatoes that can be cut into blocks and hold their shape).
And, further, not having any knowledge of these things, does Jewish law mean specifically human in the sense of coming from this planet? Could human be taken to include sentient life from other planets, especially if such life is humanoid?
Faith and Doubt by Rabbi Norman Lamm
contains an essay called 'Religious Implications of Extraterrestrial Life'. In it he says 'Even if we grant the uniqness of man is an unspoken but real premise of the religious outlook,it remains unimpaired by the existance of other intelligent races - if the concept is properly understood. The uniqueness of man is not a racial doctrine or biophysical phenomenon. It refers to the spiritual dignity of creatures endowed with reason and free will. On earth, only man fulfils those conditions. If we should discover other free and rational species we shall of course include them in the community of uniquely bio-spiritual creatures.'
Malka Esther,
Glad you like it.
Good point on the older adults thing. I haven't seen it, but in light of the basis for Hilchat Niddah (That's the Laws of Ritual Purity, for the Gentiles in the crowd), it makes a bit of sense.
Yeah, the soufle analogy was week, but it was the closest one I could think of.
My sister's mother-in-law actually makes her kugels with shmaltz. YUM!
If people don't mind some harmless self-promotion, I'd like to mention I wrote a couple of livejournal posts on Superman and Halacha. I postulated a set of worlds of observant Superheroes collectively know as Earth-Frum. Another such post deals with Who is a Jew - Kryptonian version.
I agree with Gail's treatment, and disagree with the nitpick Re: Yarmulke.
Whenever a Christian has been at my home when I wore the beanie (which I do when I light the channukah lights or we do a shabbos) they will want to wear one, too. Similarly if they visit Temple. NOT because they are required, but when a nice person is a guest in an unfamiliar situation, they usually will err on the side of conformity and respect. "Everyone else in this room is wearing one, so I will, too."
So Superman put the keepah on to show respect to his hosts. Now if Esther said, "You don't have to do that, Goy-El" it would have been kind of rude on her part. IMO the proper response (and the typical one) when a Christian puts on a Yarmulke to show you and your religion respect, is to accept the gesture.
So YES, Superman didn't have to put it on. But NO, it doesn't ring false that he did, nor that he wasn't called on it.
Furthermore, I think that visitors LIKE to put it on, because they are experiencing something different, and they want the full experience. When I'm at a Catholic wedding, although I don't take communion, I always kneel when everyone kneels. To show respect to my hosts.
P.S. My mom's name is Esther! And my Dad's Hebrew name is Mordechi! Woot!
"The item I refer to as a Chanukiah IS a Menorah. A Menorah can be six or eight (plus shamash). It is a Chnaukiah that MUST be 8. Chanukiot are what we light for Chanukah, they are commonly called Menorahs for a reason I cannot find."
the reason is simple, Menorah means lamp in Hebrew and a Chanukeiah is a kind of lamp therefore a Chanukeiah is a Menorah.
the Menorah your thinking about with the seven candle holders,
(I don't know a english word for candle holder)
is called,
(at least in Isreal where I live) either "Menoraht bet ha-mekdash" meaning the lamp of the temple or "Menoraht shivat ha-kanim" - the lamp of seven candle holders.
Detached flowers can be moved on Shabbos, but shouldn't be placed in a vase with flowers.
Commenting by HaloScan
