#jewish representation

[batboyblog]

What are some traits you would want to see in a badass Jewish protagonist?

hm, interesting question.

just them being "bad-ass" would be pretty different, overtly Jewish characters (in English any ways) are often if not almost always, very... nebbish, and often neurotic, you know the racism. So you know any character who isn't weak, ineffective, who makes themselves the butt of the joke would be a big change

the other thing is Jewish characterization is often all about that nebbish neurotic joke, Jewish cultural things outside of jokes about Bar Mitzvahs (often Bar Mitzvah money jokes), throw away mentions of Hanukkah (usually gifts) and mentions of bagels and maybe the use of the word "bubbe" I've just covered 99% of all Jewish characterization in English language media

So a Jewish character who wears a Kippah would be refreshing, I can only think of one that I've seen in my life (and he only wears it during early scenes in the film and stops by the end without comment, maybe costuming lost it?) some mention of a holiday thats not Hanukkah? a house with a mezuzah? Yiddish words that English speakers don't know? any amount of Hebrew at all?

idk if any of these fit bad-ass as such but they're just general notes on Jewish representation

#Jewish #Jumblr #judaism #jewish representation #jewish characters

[military-newsboys]

Erik Lehnsherr is a better man than me, because if a little twink that thinks the world is sunshine and rainbows would have told me "They are just following orders" I would have bitch slapped him all the way to next week.

That alone is proof that they are gay, because if Charles would had told any other jew something along the phrase "They are just following orders", He wouldn't have made it off the fucking beach, let alone continue to be treated like a "friend".

Like for real Charles is so lucky Erik is gay for him. There isn't a single jew, let alone a holocaust Survivor that would have let that slide as smoothly as Erik did.

Being a pretty twink saved his life from his own stupidity.

#x men first class #x men #x men comics #x men movies #erik lehnsherr #Jewish Erik lehnsherr #charles xavier #Erik's crush on Charles saved his life #jewish #jews #jewish representation #antisemitism #cherik #erik x charles #They are just following orders my ass. #Charles get your shit together ok? Like Come'on you won't be that pretty forever you need common sense. #jewblr

[fromchaostocosmos]

We Need To Talk About The Oscars

Or more like I a Jewish person need you non-Jewish people to listen and actually hear me and other Jewish people when we talk about Jewish representation and utter lack of it in media.

I know that you think there is Jewish representation is media and I know many of you think that is probably an over abundance of Jewish representation in fact.

But having characters occasionally say oy vey, or kosher or mazal tov even though they are not Jewish is not representation. Saying schmear or a yiddish word here and there again usually by non-Jewish characters is not representation.

Having characters who we only know they are Jewish because it comes up during xmas episodes and they mention Hanukah like once is not representation especially if they are not played by Jewish actors.

Having canon Jewish characters stripped of being for tv shows or movies is not representation. Having a canon non-Jewish character made Jewish, but by doing so it plays it really harmful stereotypes and tropes abouts Jews is not representation (i.e the penguin in the animated Harley Quinn Series being made Jewish even though he is not all while not having Harley be Jewish even though canonically she is).

Having Jewish actors play villainous roles all the time especially ones with certain overtones is not only not representation it is actively harmful.

Having non-Jewish actors play Jewish characters and people is not representation, no matter how far back they may or may not have some Jewish ancestry perhaps.

There are three movies nominated for multiple Oscars about three real Jewish people. Not one of those films bothered to get a Jewish actors to portray these very real Jews.

Maestro has Bradley Cooper portraying Leonard Bernstein, Golda has Helen Mirren portraying Golda Meir, and Oppenheimer has Cillian Murphy portraying J. Robert Oppenheimer.

All three actors are not Jewish and yet all three portrayed Jewish people in their films.

All of three films are being awarded for their antisemitism, because that is what this is, with a bevy of award nominations from the Academy. Even if one does not go home with Oscar to be an Oscar Nominee still comes with prestige and seal of approval.

Both Maestro and Oppenheimer are being awarded with the Best Actor Nomination for their choice of non-Jewish men to play Jewish men.

Golda and Maestro have been awarded with the Best Hairstyling and Makeup Nomination despite both films heavy use of prosthetic makeup of their non-Jewish actors in order to make them "look more Jewish".

This is disgusting. This is antisemitic point blank. Hollywood as an industry has always been antisemitic and continues to be so. And now it rewards itself for its antisemitism. Once again it is left to Jews to shout into the void about this shameful injustice and hope that others will hear us and help make our voices heard.

This should not be happening still. This should be a wake up call within Hollywood and should a moment to course correct and do better.

Clearly it is not. I do not hold my breathe. I can say what I feel needs to be said and hope and that others see it and understand the truth in what I am saying.

It is time to stop erasing from our own stories and narratives. It is time to start giving us true and meaningful representation.

#antisemitism #hollywood antisemitism #antisemitism in media #jewish representation #lack of jewish representation #jewish erasure

[vasilissadragomir]

my hot take is that making a canonically jewish character explicitly secular/detached from judaism is more often than not just lazy writing in shows not devoted to exploring religious themes

i can think of countless jewish characters across entertainment media, but i can name maybe two whose connection to judaism extends beyond their last name, mentioning hannukah during the christmas episode, and a few thrown-in jokes with yiddish words. that would be fine to a degree, but there’s always some sort of “explanation” for why they don’t connect more to their jewish identity, and that explanation is almost always appropriated from dechristian atheists/non-religious people and ill-matched to judaism (usually it’s that they don’t believe in god or the bible story, which isn’t required in judaism anyway)

it’s perfectly acceptable and necessary to show secular jews. but there is a massive spectrum of and between secular and extremely devout jews, with varying beliefs, perspectives, and cultural identities. if you don’t want to do the research to properly represent a group, then don’t do it at all. half-assed representation has the potential to be even more harmful than not representing in the first place

#jews #jewish #jewish representation #judaism #i am absolutely sure that this is true for other marginalized religions #but i don’t have examples the way i do for judaism #def want to hear about those experiences if ppl are willing to share

[buryyourdoves]

Writing Jewish Characters (what not to do, according to one jewish gal on discord) (a probably incomplete list):

(For reference, because I say it a few times: goyische = not Jewish, or relating to non-Jewish things/culture/etc)

Preface:

Many of these are things that some Jews do irl for various personal reasons, and that is 1000% valid and fine!! This is in no way dragging any Jew’s life choices whatsoever. When it comes to representation, there is a huge skew in one direction: the Jew-ish, bacon cheeseburger-loving, Xmas-celebrating, modern Jew whose nagging, kvetching Jewish family comes up for a special holiday or life event episode and is never heard from again. The implication is that Jewish traditions don’t fit modern people/society and that a non-Jewish audience can’t connect with a Jewish character who remains close to their cultural roots. All that to say, this piece is all about representation, not necessarily irl accuracy.

Primer:

Jewish characters don’t have to be “religious,” and definitely not in the way you might conceive of a religious Xtian character. But being an irreligious Jew doesn't inherently mean they won't follow any Jewish rituals or holidays. It’s a culture as much as it is a religion, and there are a million reasons an atheist Jew (not an oxymoron!) might follow any of these rituals/rules, including but not limited to cultural heritage, community, and religious family/friends <3

Eating treif (aka never-kosher food like pork and shellfish):

They don’t have to keep kosher (altho that would be a very welcome change just one (1) time ksdjg), just don’t make them actively not kosher. I know it feels super innocuous to talk about Erik Lensherr grabbing a bacon egg and cheese from the bodega, but it sticks out to me every time because it is, in itself, a statement. If that's a statement you want to be making, think about why. What are you trying to add to this Jewish character by giving him bacon, or shrimp, or a cheeseburger, etc etc. And is it something you think is a positive addition, or is the implication just that not eating bacon is silly, or outdated, or only something super duper religious Jews could ever want to do? If so, maybe skip the shrimp. It’s a tiny thing that can really make a big difference.

True bonus points: actively have the character keep a semblance of kosher. A simple, 2-second choice for a character to turn down a bite of their coworker’s pork fried rice because they’re Jewish feels SO NICE to read in an ocean of Jewish characters eating treif.

A lot of media codes Jewish characters by drawing attention to the fact that they’re eating bacon, even though they “shouldn’t.” Very little media codes Jews by having them leave the cheese off their burger.

(And if you do write them eating non-kosher, a friendly reminder that Jews who don’t keep kosher don’t think about how disappointed their mother would be everytime they bite into a piece of bacon. They just eat it lol.)

Interfaith parents/“half-Jews”:

I feel it necessary to reassure with this one in particular that there is nothing wrong with this, and both matrilineal and patrilineal Jews deserve representation. This is common enough irl and if they identify with the Jewish side of their heritage to consider themselves Jewish, that’s great! Variety is the spice of life. Once again, I want to emphasize that I am not making any judgments on irl Jews in any of these complaints.

This is only up for representation discussion because this feels like another trend in media and fandom, where it seems like one parent is Certified Not Jewish™️ almost as an excuse to…have Jewish characters not have to be Jewish except in name. Interfaith families are almost always shown mainly celebrating Xtian holidays, with a tiny nod to Judaism: agiant Xmas tree with a menorah to the side, or an Easter episode with a throwaway mention of Passover (if anything). Mainstream media especially will do either this, or have both parents be Jewish and the main character be such a ~disappointment~ to their parents for being less so, and of course falling into lots of icky stereotypes along the way.

Basically just, don’t not write interfaith characters, but be careful with them. Please don’t use interfaith characters as your reason excuse to let them do the Goyische Stuff, like celebrating Xmas. And speaking of…

Christmas (derogatory):

My opinion on Jewish characters celebrating Xmas, my prayer hands and shameless begging, is just…please don’t do it. I get it, plenty of irl Jews participate in Xmas activities or even celebrate it with their friends and extended families, that’s fine, absolutely no judgment. But without getting into the whole shebang of christian hegemony and the myth of secular Christmas, that’s already EVERYWHERE. Almost every tv show, every movie that has Xmas in it, if there’s a Jewish character, there’s a solid 98% chance they celebrate Xmas too. Maybe even LOVE it. Maybe there’s even a confused goyische friend going, “aren’t you Jewish?” and the Xmas-loving Jew happily informs them why that doesn’t matter, or how actually only their dad is Jewish (and he loves Xmas too so woo!) so they get to do the whole Xmas shebang and maybe have a lil menorah off to the side for the token representation.

Jews who participate in or celebrate Xmas exist, but this is a reminder that those who don’t also exist, and they are not remotely uncommon. And we don’t feel deprived for not having had Xmas, I promise. Go against the grain! For lols you can even have your Jewish character be half clueless about Xmas traditions because he never had them! Ben Grimm who has no idea what a garland is and at this point he’s too afraid to ask. There’s so much you can do with it and have fun with in a way that still keeps your Jewish blorbo unassimilated <3

There Was Only One Jew:

Most content has one (1) Jew and that’s that. It’s almost like there’s a rule that there can only be one (1) Jew per friend group. If you have more than one Jewish character, then slay! More Jews are always welcome, and the more you have, the more leeway there is, imo. It feels less egregious for, e.g., a Jewish character to loooooove shrimp if you’ve got another in the story who’s never touched it in his life and never plans to. (Although, when deciding which characters to do this with, consider making the more observant one your main, instead of relegating them to the background and/or parental characters.)

In Summary…

Thanks for reading!! There’s no one way to write Jewish characters, but I hope this helped give you something to think about! I’m always happy to answer questions if you want to learn more. You can also check out the Jewish and Judaism tags on the Writing With Color blog if you want to hear opinions from other Jews. (Not affiliated, just love their blog, haha!) These are just my thoughts on these things after reading a lot of Jewish characters (canon or headcanoned) in fic. 😊

B’hatzlacha! <3

#writing tips #jewish representation #writing jewish characters #jumblr #judaism #writblr #writing #representation #writing resource #jewish characters

[obsessive-bear-walking]

Question for Jumblr! I've seen one or two posts on the topic but I'm interested in hearing from more people. What's one thing(or more if you'd like!) you would love to see from Jewish characters in media?

#jumblr #judaism #jewish representation

[mountain-fawn]

What if we met.. at the retro bisexual themed Taco Bell.. haha jk… unless

#bisexual taco bell #bisexual pride #bi dyke #disabled representation #cane user #cripplepunk #jewish representation #bi love #nonbinary butch #nonbinary character #trans woman #queer art #bi art #trans art #nonbinary art #fawnsart #bi lesbian art #bi lesbian

[koshercosplay]

the new canadian miniseries "Little Bird" sounds fascinating. has anyone else heard about it?

an older jewish woman named golda adopts a 5 year old native girl, thinking she's an orphan and has no home. she raises her as a jew and names her esther. when esther is in her 20s, she finds out that she does in fact have family, and that she had been forcibly taken from them by the canadian government as one of the scoop children in the 60s. esther now wants to reconnect with her native heritage and family, while struggling with the judaism she was raised in.

golda has to come to terms with her own complicity in removing a native child from her family and culture. she's a holocaust survivor: she knows more than most exactly what that means. how can she reconcile her own history of experiencing racial oppression and discrimination with her complicity in the oppression of inidigenous canadian people?

it was created by two jewish women, one of whom is also indigenous, and is being directed by two indigenous women.

I am really looking forward to this.

(Here are three links if you want to know more)

#anyone else heard of this? #ill be honest i dont know much about canadian history #i did some googling on this specific subject after reading about the show #but this sounds incredible honestly #i hope they do it well #tv show #jewish history #jewish representation #indigenous history #text post #little bird

[vaspider]

HELLO

Do you like GAY JEWISH THINGS? Are you a BIG LEFTIST who likes WORKER STRUGGLES and also JEWISH THINGS? Do you want the self-revelations of a gender-indifferent angel to make you fucking sob in your kitchen?

If so, you need to read this book like FUCKING IMMEDIATELY.

Spoilers behind the cut, because I literally just sat and transcribed the part from the audiobook that made me sit down at my kitchen table and ugly cry for like five solid minutes. It was like being punched directly in the solar plexus in the best of all ways. FUCK! It's SO FUCKING GOOD.

One of the main characters is an angel who leaves, in the company of its partner, a demon called Little Ash, the shtetl in which it has been sitting in a room, studying Talmud so intently with its companion, a demon, that the two of them literally did not notice when a synagogue was built around where they sat and studied. It ends up becoming more and more human over the course of the book due to Events, and at one point finds himself in a union meeting to decide on whether the garment workers should protest over their working conditions. The angel is being called Uriel at this point because this is what is on its falsified immigration papers. A young woman is reading a list of people who have been injured, gotten sick, or been killed because of the working conditions. And then this:

The girl's voice rose and fell like a cantor's, and Uriel listened as to a voice from heaven, drinking in every word of the Yiddish that was starting to feel as familiar to it as a mother tongue. The words filled it up, and soaked into its heart, and it thought to itself, all of this time, I had been missing something, and I had no idea. Its heart was heavier with the weight of the young worker's words, but should a heart not be heavy in a world full of injustice? It looked down at its lap, twisting its tzitzis in its fingers. This was the world Essie lived in, and her family, and all of the people back in Shtetl, and it had never noticed. How many times had it said "Listen, Israel!" and not been listening? Oh, it thought, I have been terrible. Terrible. Uriel Fetterman needs to be someone who sees what is happening in the world around it. I must stay this way, this person, so that I won't forget. This is why Torah was not for angels. Angels forget what humans can remember. Angels skip lightly over ground that needs plowing with rough hands and sharp blades. Uriel had thought that it could not be doing wrong because it had no inclination for evil. But what had it been doing for hundreds of years? Studying, and forgetting that studying should lead to action. It would never have left Shtetl without Little Ash, would never have known it was missing anything. But it had missed the most important purpose it could ever have, something bigger than an angel could ever be.

#jumblr #jewish culture #jewish representation #queer representation #seriously i cried so hard #this book is fucking amazing

[malepresentingleg]

How is tumblr not obsessed with dead end paranormal park on netflix???

It's a super fun and creepy cartoon (think gravity falls vibes), with great plots and animation.

The characters are very diverse, and it's being discussed openly. What was the last cartoon that actually talked about binders? Or the struggles of coming out in an Asian family? About intense anxiety?

Everything is addressed very sensitively and given the respect it deserves, and it's balanced out with great humor and action.

This show is all about the found family and rebelling against oppression and (literal) demons and ghosts. It's a perfect watch for spooky season so please yall watch it so we get a 3rd season😭

#dead end netflix #deadend paranormal park #de:pp #dead end paranormal park #Netflix #show recommendations #cartoon #animation #queer rep #bi representation #trans representation #jewish representation #muslim representation #it's honestly worth the watch #both seasons together are only 20 episodes long you can finish that in a day😭 #it's like 7-8 hours #so watch it #thanks

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

So, I heard there's yet another movie about the Holocaust, that's nominated for an Oscar™ this year

It's called "Zone of Interest," and it's a psychological horror movie. And yes, recognizing the horrors of the Holocaust, and not letting revisionists deny that it happened is important and good.

But you know what else I want to see?

I want to see more movies (or any Media) about Jewish history and culture that focuses on the Joy. Something from before the Holocaust, before six million+ people were erased from the planet (Name another besides Fiddler on the Roof).

Or maybe something set in the present day: A family comedy set around Purim, or maybe Sukkot.

...Something that shows Jewish people as real human beings, and not just symbolic scapegoats we (goyim) can weep over while eating our popcorn, to prove to ourselves that we're good people.

#jewish representation #Perennial Oscar™ fodder #Holocaust fiction

[military-newsboys]

The best piece of jewish representation is in x men apocalypse when Erik talks to a dude that claims to be God and the first thing he asked him is "Where the fuck were you during the holocaust???"

The movies get a lot of things wrong about Erik but I don't think a single Jew would ask a different question and I honestly respect that choice

#apocalypse: hello I am god #Erik: cool ok where the fuck were you a few years ago??? could have used you #apocalypse: sorry i was sleeping #and then erik was like ok you were sleeping i guess it's fine and im like ?????? #jewish erik lehnsherr #erik lehnsherr #x men movies #x men apocalypse #jewish representation #jewblr #jewish #if jew know jew know #x men comics #x men #x men 97

[gay-jewish-bucky]

As a fanboy myself, from the days before being a “blerd” was cool, I’m just as ecstatic as everyone else is to finally see Wakanda in all its onscreen glory. Yet, simultaneously, I find myself feeling conversely to how I often do in American Jewish spaces. In this African-American cultural moment, where am I? Where’s the rest of me? What space do Jews have in Afro-futurism? Or, more specifically: Where are Wakanda’s Jews? Bear with me, it’s not as far-fetched as it seems.

#marvel #mcu #black panther #wakanda #jumblr #jewish #judaism #black jews #jews of color #jewish representation #I've gotta make a post about Bucky's village at some point bc V and I have discussed this in depth lol

[shyjusticewarrior]

Just found out that David Mazouz, the actor that played Bruce in Gotham, almost didn't get the job because a Fox executive thought he looked "too jewy" and they straightened his hair to make him look less Jewish in the show.

#cw antisemitism #tw antisemitism #antisemitism #gotham #tv #dc #fox #jewish characters #bruce wayne #batman #david mazouz #jewish representation #dc comics #comics

[phoukanamedpookie]

Jewish American History Month is a great time to get my book, THE RED DOOR

The Red Door is a dark fairytale told in story-poems that follows a woman’s spiritual and erotic awakening after she has an otherworldly encounter while visiting the mystical city of Tzfat.

The structure and content of The Red Door draw heavily from Jewish folklore and mysticism, and its style is inspired by writers, filmmakers, and other artists who blur the lines between fantasy and horror.

Get your copy today if you enjoy works like…

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter

The Company of Wolves (dir. Neil Jordan)

Lilith’s Cave (ed. Howard Schwartz)

Pan’s Labyrinth (dir. Guillermo del Toro)

Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue Labyrinth (dir. Jim Henson)

Grimm’s fairy tales

And if you've already read it, feel free to reblog and tell everyone why they need to get a copy ASAP.

(BTW, I welcome asks and meta about THE RED DOOR!)

#jumblr #jewish american history month #jewish representation #fairy tales #the red door #pookie's book

[bucket-barnes]

Happy Hanukkah! Thinking about my favorite Jewish boy today

Best Jewish representation I’ve seen in a while

#max wolfe #gossip girl reboot #gossip girl #jewish representation #jewish #thomas doherty #harry hook #hannukah #I’m not kidding when I say he’s the best Jewish rep I’ve seen #he’s not just a jew joke #he’s an important character #who just happens to be Jewish #he’s not a stereotype #quite the opposite actually #I just love him #so much #he’s my boy #my buddy #my Jewish brother