Tag Archives: judaism

online

Keshet Calls for LGBTQ Jewish Superheroic PoC

Keshet, the organization for LGBTQ equality in Jewish life, has put out this call on Twitter for multiracial queer superheroes for inclusion in their poster series:

Are you a character with an eligible character? Know of one you want to recommend? Follow this link to their form and aid in their efforts “to do better and reflect the multiracial reality of the Jewish people.”

from the Internet

Thank you, Dr. Yinsen

It’s film, not comics. But given that it’s a rare Muslim character in that medium’s superhero genre based in comics, we’re opting to include this touching Twitter thread on the impact of one man’s sacrifice repercussing all across this blockbuster narrative; it’s a testimony to the principles behind Islam, Judaism, and many of the world’s great religions.

 

Uncategorized

Superheroes Do Hanukkah

Over at the Brooklyn Comic Shop site, owner Joshua H. Stulman shares a few candle-kindling moments from Hanukkah in comics:

In truth it is still rare to find Jewish comic characters in comics and even harder to find mainstream comic stories about Chanukah. Although I must say that both Marvel and D.C. have been pretty good about including a one page Chanukah pin up in their holiday annuals since the 1990’s.

Jack Kirby's family Hanukkah card

This does, tangentially, raise the question whether Batwoman, as portrayed by Ruby Rose on CW crossover shows Flash, Green Arrow, and Supergirl, will be overtly depicted as Jewish on television, too.

Chanukah In Comics!

events

Jews and Comics in Canada this October

Beth Tzedec Comics Event

The Beth Tzedec Congregation in Toronto, Ontario has announced its late October showcase of connections between the comic book industry and the Jewish people. Of particular note is the involvement, along with co-curator Ron Kasman, of Steven Bergson, long-time S&S friend and contributor. Steve runs the Jewish Comics blog and is the force behind The Jewish Comics Anthology.

Details can be found here and admission is free, though reservations are required for opening night, October 23rd.

O Canada!

articles and essays

Superman as Jewish Assimilation, not Exodus

The talented Noah Berlatsky recently wrote a piece for The Forward where he challenges many of the semi-religious attributes assigned to Superman — in particular, the closeness of the hero’s link to Judaism.

The truth is that Siegel and Shuster, like many Jewish Americans in the 1930s, had little investment in Jewish religion or in Jewish history. Brad Ricca wrote in “Superboys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster” that Siegel and Shuster were both disinterested in the Jewish religion and culture of their “old world parents.”

This reading of Superman aligns much more closely with scholarship produced just two years ago by Martin Lund, entitled Re-Constructing the Man of Steel, than it does the work of The Forward‘s own Larry Tye or that of Harry Brod’s 2012 book Is Superman Jewish?

In many ways, Bertlatsky’s article counters another recent piece by The Forward, that of Marcy Oster’s “Making Superman Jewish Again” in February. This increasing intensity and variety of takes on the Man of Steel strongly suggest that his religious symbolism, particularly with a Jewish lens, remains a hot site of debate.