Unfortunately, I am still in bad health and will not have the article on playing music on Shabbat ready in time for June 2023.
Fortunately, I am finally getting better, and hope to have this article (and the article on halacha originally scheduled for last month) up in the next few weeks.
THIS ARTICLE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. DUE TO HEALTH-RELATED ISSUES I WAS UNABLE TO COMPLETE THIS ARTICLE AS OF YET. HOWEVER, HERE’S A SAMPLE FROM WHAT I HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN:
Although the Jewish holiday of Shavuot has been discussed in several previous articles (e.g., Search for the Ark of the Covenant, Mount Sinai, Cheese, and even Pluralism), I never discussed it in any detail. This month will be no different, but I promise to dedicate a future article detailing the ins-and-outs of the holiday itself, including its origins, history, and evolution of its celebration. In today’s article, I will specifically discuss one of the traditions of Shavuot called Tikkun Leil, which is an all-night Torah study session. The main topic of this month will be to provide a basic overview of Jewish Law (and Jewish legal literature). It will be a high-level discussion on this topic, which I had explained to someone as “Halacha for Dummies.” Of course, there is a food which will be highlighted and this month will be Tabbouleh, with a recipe on the Syrian version of this dish called Bazargan Salad.
To be added later:
In the simplest terms, halacha is the law of Judaism. There are a lot of books and writings that encompass what is Judaism, but halacha is what is extracted and can be applied to how Jews should be guided to conduct their lives. This article is not being written to state what should and should not be followed (we all take our own path in life), but to point out the rules, regulations, and guidance that have been evolved to form the halacha of modern Judaism. Interesting, the word halcaha is translated to “the way of walking” in English, which I believe goes to the core of what the laws are supposed to be (in the religious sense). Another translation of the term is “the way to behave,” which also concludes that there is a moral compass to these laws.
When it comes to something like American law/jurisprudence I know how to define the law and can easily point to its sources: Case law, legislation, and decisions by regulatory bodies. For halacha, it is not as clear cut.
However, what I will try to do is make the evolution of Jewish law a little clearer to you. I will also provide you with some understanding of the lingo used when discussing Jewish law. For instance, many people would be completely confused by many of the terms used, such as the difference between the Tanakah and the Torah. Hopefully the below discussion will help to make it easier to understand.
Practice Note: I am going to present the guidance in a hierarchal order, but many may not see it as such placing the Five Books of Moses on the same “level” of authority as the Books of the Prophets and the Writings or placing the Talmud on the same level as the Tanakh. Although this hierarchy is not true in practice, making this distinction allows me to more easily present the subject in a manner that would be most easy to be understood by you, the reader. This is something I will come back to later in the article after we have soaked in some basic knowledge of Jewish law itself.
Torah (definition #1) – The Torah is the book that all of Judaism is based on. The book was written by G-d and given to Moses and the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. [Note: This article is not going to discuss the historicity of the Torah (and who wrote it) or Moses. The various facts and theories will be discussed in later articles.] The word “torah” means direction, although can also be translated as guidance or direction.
The Torah is divided into five books (the Five Books of Moses), or parts:
Facts about the Five Books:
Other Names/Terms Used for the Torah
In the hierarchy of legal precedent in Jewish law, the next two pieces are:
Tanakah is an acronym for the three sections Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvim.
Together with the Five Books of Moses, the three works encompass the Tenakah (also spelled Tenakh). Whereas the Books of Moses was written by G-d as per Jewish thought, the additional two sources of Jewish law were written in the years after the Torah was given to Moses by G-d’s Prophets and leaders. The Tanakah consists of 24 books from all three works, and the written Torah/Tenakah is also called Torah she-bich’tav in Hebrew. [Fast Fact When the Tanakh was translated for Christian use, the 24 books were divided differently, and one would find 39 Books in a copy of the Christian “Old Testament.”]
Prophets (Nevi’im) –
This is the second of the three parts of the Tenakah. It tells the history of the early days of the formation of Israel as told through the activities of the Prophets and leaders of this infant country. The Prophets are names as such because (through divine guidance) they prophesize the future of Israel and its people. The stories begin with the conquest of the Jewish people over the other local inhabitants and continues through the building of its capital (Jerusalem) and the Holy Temple and end with exile of the Jews after the destruction of Israel (by Nebuchadnezzar II in 586 BCE). Historically, the stories were divided into two parts. The first grouping include those of the “Former Prophets” – Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. The second includes: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and twelve “minor” Prophets.
Each part has been divided into 8 “chapters,” with each division containing 4 chapter apiece. Although note that the Christian Bible divides Kings and Samul into two books each.
In order not to get caught up in the weeds, I am only going to be listing the various books and individuals mentioned within and not provide a synopsis of each. That (the minutia) will come in due time in various future articles. The Book of Judges and Book of Kings can be divided even further by each of the Judges and Kings that appear in these works . . . .
| + Samuel and Deborah were both a Judge and Prophet * Their story is not part of the Book of Kings; it begins at the end of David’s reign ** Not all of the Kings are mentioned by name, but I am presenting the full list of Kings (and a Queen) as a reference *** Note that the Book of Kings may also be divided and referenced as 1 Kings and 2 Kings | ||||
The following shows the books of the Later Prophets and the individuals that correspond to each of the books.
| *They are referred to as “minor” not due to their importance, but because their stories are relatively short compared to the other Prophets. | |||
Ketuvim – Writings (e.g., Psalms, Kings, Proverbs)
Ketuvim (or Writings in English) is the third section of the Takakah. It is usually described as the “third section” or listed after the Torah and the Prophets. [Food for thought: Although I have read in multiple sources that the Ketuvim has less authority (in regard to Jewish law) than Nevi’im, I have not yet found such a citation from a source of authority on halacha. But this may lead one to believe that there is a hierarchy of authority even within the Tanakah.] Although this section is referred to as “writings,” it is much more. There is history, poems, and in some parts even tales of romance. The Ketuvim contains 11 books which are divided into four different sections – Poetry, Scrolls (Megillot), History, and Prophesy. Most of the sections are further divided by books or scrolls as follows:
All of the writings were not written at the same time. In fact, it is believed that they were written from just before the Babylonian Exile in the 597 BCE through the 2nd century (ACE), when the Tanakah was being compiled. However, many scholars (based on literary style, language, and subject matter) also believe that much of the writing began during the time of the Second Temple (515 BCE to 70 ACE).
This section of the Tanaka is also sometimes referred to as the Hagiographa. The Writings have also been referred to as the “Wisdom” and “Words of Holiness.”
The writings listed above were canonized by the rabbis during the second century. There are some records that discuss the inclusion for some of the books (which were all voted on separately). For instance, there was disagreement as to whether the Song of Songs or Ecclesiastes should have been included (and obviously the majority won out). Even the inclusion of the (now) popular Book of Esther (which was not found among the Dead Sea Scrolls) was also argued against its inclusion.
[Editor’s note – I will be including details for each book of the Ketuvim in various articles of this blog, many of which have not yet been written.]
[THE REMAINDER OF THE ARTICLE IS COMING!!!]
“Bible FAQ” (Karaite Korner) @ https://www.karaite-korner.org/bible_faq.shtml
“The Bible’s First Translation Was in Greek” (Luisa Rosenstiehl: Greek Reporter: 2023) @ https://greekreporter.com/2023/04/02/bible-first-translation-greek/
“Book of Kings” (Jewish Virtual Library) @ https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/kings-book-of
“Book of Judges” (Wikipedia.org) @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Judges
“Books of Kings” (Britannica.com) @ https://www.britannica.com/topic/books-of-Kings
“Did G-d Write the Torah – And Does it Matter?” (Marc Zvi Brettler: My Jewish Learning) @ https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/did-god-write-the-torah-and-does-it-matter/
“Halakha: Jewish Law” (Judaism 101) @ https://www.jewfaq.org/jewish_law
“Halakhah: The Laws of Jewish Life” (My Jewish Learning) @ https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/halakhah-the-laws-of-jewish-life/
“Introduction to Halacha, the Jewish Legal Tradition” (My Jewish Learning) @ https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/halakhic-texts-101/
“Kings of Judah and Israel” (InfoPlease.com) @ https://www.infoplease.com/religion/kings-judah-and-israel
“Mishnah” (Sefaria.org) @ https://www.sefaria.org/texts/Mishnah
“Prophets (Nevi’im)” (My Jewish Learning) @ https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/prophets-neviim/
“The Prophets (Nevi’im) “ (Jewish Virtual Library) @ https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-prophets-nevi-rsquo-im
“Septuagint” (Britannica.com) @ https://www.britannica.com/topic/Septuagint
“The Story of the Synagogue Chumash” (Yosef Lindell: Jewish Action) @ https://jewishaction.com/jewish-world/history/the-story-of-the-synagogue-chumash/
“The Torah” (British Library) @ https://www.bl.uk/sacred-texts/articles/the-torah#:~:text=Torah%20(%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%94)%20in%20Hebrew%20can,have%20been%20composed%20by%20Moses.
“Vayigash: Translation of the Torah” (Asher Meir: OU.org: 2007) @ https://www.ou.org/life/torah/mm_translation/
“What Was Wrong With Translating the Torah Into Greek?” (Yosse Ives: Chabad.org) @ https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/5346243/jewish/What-Was-Wrong-With-Translating-the-Torah-Into-Greek.htm
“Who Were the 12 Judges in the Bible?” (Bibilium.com) @ https://bibilium.com/who-were-the-12-judges-in-the-bible/
I like to travel. Correction, I love to travel. When I do, I perform a huge amount of research into the location(s) we are visiting. I not only look at the possible sites to visit and the activities that could be performed, I also learn as much about the people, the culture, and the history. While the pursuits of my research will take me down the path of theology of all religions, I do delve deeper into the Jewish history of the areas; both good and bad.
Jewish history does not go back very far in Denmark in comparison to other European countries (17th century). However, it was the first Scandinavian country to permit Jews to settle within its borders, and has had a positive relationship with Jews ever since. There was never a very large Jewish population, and it is still not very large (especially after the Jewish population was diminished during World War II). However, there are signs of the existence of Jewish life if you know where to look. One of the most impressive stories about the Jewish history in Denmark is not about the Jews themselves, but of the amazing strength of character of the Danish people that helped save 90 percent of their Jewish neighbors from the Nazis. This month’s article is written in honor of the Danes on the 90th Anniversary of King Christian X’s visit to Copenhagen synagogue.
It should be no surprise that Danish food is (obviously) the focal point of this month’s essay. The dish I will be highlighting is frikadeller, a Danish meatball, which will be discussed further below. Oh, and as the title elude to, the delicious pastry, the Danish did not originate in Denmark, but was made popular by the country.
The history of Danish Jews is not a very long story in comparison to southern European countries. Just a few months over 500 years ago (November 22, 1622), King Christian IV sent a message to Sephardic communities throughout Europe that they were invited to settle in Denmark (technically, the order only allowed for “Portuguese” Jews; other Jews needed to obtain a special letter of protection) . The reason for this was that he needed someone to take up the post of Mintmaster, and it was Albert Dionis that was hired to this position in 1619. He then convinced the King to allow other Jews into Denmark so that they could help the country prosper financially. A number of Jews took up his offer and many moved to the town of Gluckstadt.
The Jewish community began to grow throughout Denmark making their mark in trading and manufacturing. In fact, Benjamin Mussafia became the royal physician in 1646. [Fast Fact: Mussafia was also the author of the Talmudic Dictionary, Musaf Ha-Arukh (1655).] In 1684 his son-in-law (Gabriel Milan) was appointed the Governor of the Danish West Indies. Jews continued to prosper during the 17th and 18th centuries in Denmark. It was also in 1684 that a jeweler named Meyer Goldschmidt applied for, and was given the right to hold Jewish ceremonies (in his own home). Another home in Frederica was algo given permission to hold religious ceremonies, and in 1766 they were given permission to build an actual synagogue in Copenhagen (which unfortunately burned down in 1795). In 1782 there were estimated to be a little over 1800 Jews living in Denmark.
The 19th century provided for more growth of Danish Jews. Jews living in Denmark were given civic equity in 1814 and full citizenship in 1849. Abraham Wolff was appointed chief rabbi of Denmark, and under his guidance, brought many of the disgusting Jewish groups in the country together and made them more cohesive, even building a huge synagogue in 1833 on Krystalgade street in Copenhagen (in which he orated a weekly sermon and a service accompanied by a chorus). By the middle of the 19th century there were estimated to be 4,200 Jews in the country and grew to over 6,000 in the 1920s and over 8,000 before World War II. Jews were involved in all levels of business, art, society, and government, through the mid-20th century. One of the most well-known Jewish Danes of the early 20th century was physicist Niels Bohr, the co-founder of quantum theory, and who received the Nobel Prize in 1922.
However, it was not all peaches and cream for the Jews. The State church was not friendly to their Jewish neighbors and made a concerted effort to convert them during the 18th century, even proposing a law that Jews must attend conversion sermons. However, beginning in 1747 (due to mistrust of the church), Jews were mandated to take a special oath of their loyalty, which lasted until 1864).
There were also high tensions in 1813 when the Danish economy collapsed, and a number of people pointed to the Jews as a scapegoat and a year after Jews were provided with a Royal Decree of being equal citizens. [Fast Fact: This was known as the “Jewish Literary Controversy” sparked by an anti-Semitic book that was refuted by a host of authors.] However, a few years later (1819), the Hep! Hep! riots broke out targeting Jews in Bavaria due to the proclamation of the Carlsbad Decrees and spread to Copenhagen, but luckily the Danish authorities quickly put an end to them before they were allowed to grow.
[Assistance Requested: There is not much information on the Jewish Literary Controversy, and I am trying to conduct additional research – if you know of any good sources, please let me know via the Comment section below. Thank you.]
Sixty-three years ago, on April 9, 1940, the Germans invaded Denmark. The Danish militia being weak and extremely small put up very little resistance and the King surrendered that very same day. Luckily for the Jewish population, the Nazi’s allowed the Danish government and people to their own governing, using the country as a base of operations for its military. However, in September of 1943, Germany declared martial law in the country and took control, and one of their first actions was going to be to deport all of the country’s Jews to work and death camps.
A German man by the name of F.G. Duckwitz, who was in Denmark as part of the Nazi attaché, heard of the German’s plans. He contacted many Danish leaders and relayed the information. From leaders to many ordinary Danish people quickly organized a mass exodus of the country’s Jewish population. [Fast During the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, on September 23, 1943 (notification begin being spread, and people were being told to go home to prepare to flee while the High Holy Day services were being conducted) the Danish people managed to smuggle approximately 7,200 Jews (which amounted to approximately 95% of the Jewish population) in addition to 700 non-Jewish family members to Sweden; saving them from almost certain death. The Danish people hid Jews until it was time for them to be transported, provided food, many fisherman provided passage to Sweden.
[Fast Fact: A sad side note to this situation were families with small children. Although the crossings to Sweden needed to be made in cold weather on a choppy ocean, the passengers needed to remain quiet. A crying or screaming child would alert a patrol to the boat. Many had to make the decision to place their young children into hiding with friends and strangers. It is estimated that about 150 children were left behind, with about 100 being under 5 years of age. Although the foster families had to create cover stories for the additional person in their homes, none of these children were discovered and taken by the German authorities.
When the Germans decided to take action and round up the Jews on most of the Danish police refused to help. A German ship with enough space to take 5000 Jews to help fulfill the “Final Solution” waited in the harbor that, as did other transportation to take another 2000. Thanks to the Danish people they remained mostly empty.
Although the Danes tried to protect all of its Jewish neighbors, 472 Danish Jews were rounded up and sent to Theresienstadt concentration camp. However, the helping hands of the Danish people still found a way to extend to these unfortunate souls. Through negotiations the Danish Jews were allowed to stay in Denmark and away from the extermination camps in Poland. In addition, they were allowed to send the prisoners food and supplies beginning in 1944. Unfortunately, 50 Jewish Danes did die (mostly before aid was allowed to be brought in) due to the harsh and unsanitary conditions of the camp, the remainder made through the experience alive. Do to negotiating by Danish and Swedish officials, one month before WWII ended, white busses were sent to the camp and took the survivors to Sweden where they were treated and waited out the last few weeks of the war.
On April 12, 1933, King Christian X, visited the Krystalgade synagogue in Copenhagen to celebrate its 100th anniversary. This was the first time a Danish monarch had ever done so. Although the Nazis had not yet overtaken Denmark, Hitler had risen to Chancellor of Germany only four months prior. Although the arrangements had been made before the change to German leadership, members of the synagogue sent a letter to the King letting him know that they understand, and it would be okay if he were not to attend. The King responded saying that under the current circumstances, even if he had not been previously invited, he would now insist on being among the attendees. This was a move that set the tone of the Danish King and its people were in support of its Jewish citizens.
When the German’s began the occupation of Denmark in 1940 they left King Christian to maintain a sense of authority over the country. I return the Germans would not interfere in most activities for the exchange of resources (e.g., agriculture). Part of the agreement (as mentioned above) was that all Danes (Jewish and non-Jewish) were to be treated equally and the Jews were not to be treated differently. [Fast Fact: Although the Jews were lucky to not fall under Nuremburg-like regulations, Communists were not given a pass.]
As the years of German occupation progressed, their agreement to leave the Jews alone was becoming more and more fragile. In a private journal entry by King Christian in 1941, he remarked that if this came to pass that he and others would wear a yellow Jewish star in solidarity with the Jews (who were required to wear it so they could be easily identified in other German-occupied countries). This thought may have been conveyed to some of his compatriots (possibly his Finance Minister). This is probably the source of the myth that King Christian came riding into town to visit the synagogue during the Nazi occupation wearing a Yellow Jewish Star. Although he may not have worn it on his sleeve, the story / myth is still apropos in that it represents the fortitude of the Danish people and acts as a symbol of the solidarity between the Danes and the Jews.
There is a stain, albeit small upon this story. While many helped the Jews without any want or need of compensation, some Danes charged extravagant prices for their help. Luckily, half of the fees paid came from donations from the average Dane in addition to the Danish business community. Interestingly, the prices fluctuated, and it was less expensive to make the escape towards the end of October. If a Jew could not afford any payment, they were eventually smuggled out of the country, but may have had to wait a few additional weeks to make their escape.
After researching the event years later records showed that the German authority took little action against the Danish people that were caught helping the Jews (and mostly all during a crack-down on October 1st). Although it is estimated that the total cost was close to 20 million Danish kroner, equivalent to over $52 million US dollars today. Dr. Werner Best, who was appointed to oversee Germany disagreed with Hitler and decided to turn a blind eye to the exodus of the Jews. He was soon replaced by a more ardent Nazi follower, General von Hannecken, but luckily it was too late to halt what was already being put into motion. Only a few Danes were imprisoned, and no more than 3 months for assisting in the escape of the Jews. Most the Danes caught were either charged and served no punishment, or simply “slipped out the back door.” While there were reports of some vessels being boarded, none were detained at sea (reportedly between 600 and 700 were used). After World War II had ended, the Danish government was providing compensation via a reparations Act for its citizens whose property was used or destroyed during the Nazi occupation. One of its stipulations provided the clerks to be aware of the fishermen that made huge profits during the Jewish exodus and should not receive such compensation.
It must also be noted that most Danes that assisted the Jews were not compensated. In addition, most of the individuals that helped the Jews refused afterwards to be given credit for their actions. As historian Leni Yahil wrote, it was “a living wall raised by the Danish people in the course of one night.” [Fast Fact: Mr. Duckwitz was honored the Righteous Among Nations Award in 1971.]
If you were wondering what happened to the property and possessions of the Jews that fled? The Germans gave the Danish government control over what to do with it (under the Danish Department of Social Affairs). The agreement also kept the Germans from breaking into, destroying, or taking the property left behind by the Jews. The rent, mortgages, and taxes of a number of Jewish homes were even paid for the government and Danish citizens. In cases where possessions could be inventoried and boxed, they were placed into storage for whenever the Jewish families returned (and no one knew how long that would be). Danish neighbors would also try keep watch over the houses so that no one (German or Dane) would steal from or vandalize these properties (although it still occurred). Amazingly, around one third of the Jews returning to Denmark found their homes intact (or almost so).
Most Jews that came back to Denmark did not come back to a home. They also did not have money or a job. The Office of Special Needs had been set up to help Danish resistance fighters, but also included returning Jews in their scope and helped them to find jobs and provided grants to find a place to live as well as other aid. They also set up refugee shelters to house the Jews (and many others) until more permanent housing could be found or created.
Unlike many European countries that were ravaged by war and Nazi occupation that both wanted the Jews to go in the first place and did not want them back, the opposite occurred in Denmark. The Danish people did not want their fellow-Danish citizens to leave, and welcomed them back upon their return.
Since the late 1940s, the population of Jewish Danes has fluctuated between 6000 and 7000 over the last 50 years and thrives today. Denmark has had positive relations with the State of Israel since it recognized its formation in 1948.
While Denmark had been mostly a safe haven against antisemitism since WWII, a growing Muslim population and political tensions between Israel and Palestine had been the cause of a number of antisemitic activities to occur beginning in 2012. Although many of the occurrences were deemed political and anti-Israel, the actions were perpetrated directly against Jews and in today’s day and age “Anti-Israel” is most often a coward’s way of showing “Anti-Semitism” or just plain “Anti-Jew.”
There are a number of articles that try to emphasize the “myth” of the rescue of the Jews by the people of Denmark. They cite the fishermen taking huge sums to ferry the Jews, some that took compensation for safe-housing them, or those that either took no action for or against helping the Jews, and those that continued to hold antisemitic beliefs. Although it is important to provide the good as well as the bad to tell a complete story, I decided to maintain an emphasis on the good of the Danish people and how they both helped to save over 95% of the Jewish population of their country (what is more precious than human life) and that they took a concerted effort in helping them upon their return.
Accuracy of Dates: Also note that there seems to be some divide among the sources I read on the exact dates of when the Jews began spreading word of the roundup of the Nazis and the notification to the Jews to flee. September 29, 1943 was the first evening of Rosh Hashana, and may have been when Rabbi Marcus Melchior notified the congregation in Copenhagen, but other sources state that the word began being spread before that date (Some sources cite September 28th as the date Duckwitz leaked the information, but could it have been before). In addition, it is unclear as to whether September 30th (the next day) was the date the Germans began to try to round up the Jews (although it was the actual date the order was proclaimed). However, other sources cite October 1st as the date for when the Germans took action. The date that Werner Best was replaced is also unclear. In the long run the dates are not of consequence, it was a very short period of time for which over 7,000 people were evacuated from almost certain death, but wanted to ensure that the reader was aware of the possible inaccuracies. However, I will try to conduct further research to find an definitive and factual answer.
As a final note on Denmark and the Danish people . . . we thoroughly enjoyed our vacation a few years ago that began in Copenhagen. It is an amazing city with friendly people, `hopefully we will return one day and get a chance to travel through the rest of the country. [Travel Tip: A wonderful do it yourself (DIY) walking tour of Copenhagen with a Hans Christian Andersen theme can be found [here], which does take you past the main synagogue.]
I have seen Danish food being defined and described in many different ways, but I think that Denmark.net sums it up best in three words “hearty, rustic, and filling.” Although this trio of adjectives hits the mark, there are subtle sub-layers contained within each as well. Due to its location, the cuisine has many influences, from the cold Scandinavian countries (e.g., dishes with preserved foods (smoked, salted, pickled, etc.)) to the north and east as well as Germany, Britain, and the Netherlands (the last two due to their sea trade bringing then exotic ingredients (e.g., curry) to the Danish shores.
Living in a cold temperate location meant that the Danes would have needed to traditionally create dishes that contained preserved foods such as smoked fish or meats, in addition to many carbohydrates from local sources. Preserving food for the long winters also included fruits and vegetables cultivated during the warmer months (e.g., cabbage and root vegetables). When potatoes began to become available by the early 17th century, it quickly became a staple in the Danish diet and many of the dishes reflect this. Trade was also very important to the evolution of Danish food. When the Portuguese and Dutch began trading with India in the early 16th century, the availability of different spices became available and eventually became infused into their “traditional” culinary offerings (such as boller I karry, which is a meatball dish with a curry sauce).
Before the arrival of potatoes, it may be said that the Danes had two main sources of carbohydrates in their diets – rye bread and beer. Both are well suited for Denmark’s climate and have been enjoyed for centuries.
Below is a list of a various Danish dishes, a number of which I had enjoyed during my stay there . . . .
Swedish meatballs are known far and wide (especially with the global expansion of Idea and their food court). But meatball-type dishes have been cooked and served throughout all of the Scandenavian countries for years. The balls are traditionally smaller than their Italian cousins, and are served in their own unique ways.
Swedish meatballs (Köttbullar) are pan-fried in butter giving them a crispy brownish exterior. They are usually beef, but may also contain pork or veal and their traditional seasoning includes: salt, pepper, onions, and allspice. A thick brown gravy will usually accompany the meatballs and if you really want tob be authentic, have it with lingonberry sauce. Mashed potatoes may be served as a side.
Danish meatballs (Frikadeller) are usually made with pork or a pork-veal mixture (although I have made it with beef) with a traditional Danish brown gravy (brun sovs). It may be accompanied by a boiled potato.
Boller I Karry, the other Danish meatball is prepared in much the same way as the Frikadeller, however, it is dressed in a curry sauce and served over rice.
Note that Norway also has two meatball dishes that are worthy of mention here – medisterkaker, which are traditionally meatballs made with pork combined with flour, eggs, spices and milk, then fried in oil; and kjøttkaker, which are similar to Swedish meatballs, although larger and flatter (like a beef patty) and served either with a creamy sauce.
As noted in an earlier article, while I am busy in other areas of my life, I am temporarily not adding my recipes into articles for the next few months. When I get some free time, I will return to these articles and add my recipes. In the meantime, please enjoy these how-to recipe videos for Frikadellers (Danish Meatballs):
Sources
“5 Most Popular Scandinavian Meatballs” (Taste Atlas: Last Updated 2022) @ https://www.tasteatlas.com/most-popular-meatballs-in-scandinavia
“An Introduction to Danish Cuisine With Chef Rasmus Munk” (Clare Vooght: Culture Trip: 2020) @ https://theculturetrip.com/europe/denmark/articles/an-introduction-to-danish-cuisine-in-9-dishes/
“Anti-Semitism: the Hep Hep Riots” (Jewish Virtual Library) @ https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/hep-hep-riots
“Are Danish Pastries Really From Denmark?” (Aliki Seferou: Culture Trip 2018) @ https://theculturetrip.com/europe/denmark/articles/are-danish-pastries-really-from-denmark/
“Cuisine in Denmark” (Frommers) @ https://www.frommers.com/destinations/denmark/in-depth/cuisine
“Copenhagen: Bright Hope and Deep Gloom – A New View of the 1943 Rescue Operation in Denmark” (Sofie Lene Bak: Humanity in Action: 2013) @ https://humanityinaction.org/knowledge_detail/copenhagen-bright-hope-and-deep-gloom-a-new-view-of-the-1943-rescue-operation-in-denmark/
“Danish Cuisine” (Denmark.dk: Last updated 2023) @ https://denmark.dk/people-and-culture/cuisine#:~:text=The%20%22national%20dish%20of%20Denmark,are%20not%20Danish%20at%20all
“Danish Cuisine” (Wikipedia.org) @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_cuisine
“The Danish Exception” (Judith Goldstein: Humanity in Action: 2018) @ https://humanityinaction.org/knowledge_detail/article-usa-judy-goldstein-the-danish-exception-contribution-to-judy-lauders-beyond-the-shadows/
“Denmark, Danish Food, and Gastronomy” (Danish Agriculture and Food Council) [PDF] @ https://agricultureandfood.dk/-/media/agricultureandfood/danish-agriculture-and-food/danish-food–gastronomy.pdf
“Denmark Virtual History Tour” (Jewish Virtual Library) @ https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/denmark-virtual-jewish-history-tour
“Everything You Need to Know About Danish Food” (Denmark.net) @ https://denmark.net/everything-know-danish-food/
“George Ferdinand Duckwitz” (Wikipedia.org) @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Ferdinand_Duckwitz
“The History of Curry” (Palak Patel: Ice.edu: 2021) @ https://www.ice.edu/blog/beef-curry
“The History of the Jews in Denmark” (Dr. Hanne Trautner-KromannJewishGen: 2002) @ https://www.jewishgen.org/scandinavia/history.htm
“History of the Jews in Denmark” (Wikipedia.org) @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Denmark#:~:text=The%20first%20Jewish%20community%20was,the%20basis%20of%20personal%20wealth.
“Is There a Difference Between Swedish and Norwegian Meatballs?” (Quora) https://www.quora.com/Is-there-a-difference-between-Swedish-and-Norwegian-meatballs
“The Myth Behind the Rescue of Denmark’s Jews From the Holocaust” (David Stravrou: Haaretz.com: 2023) @ https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/2023-02-03/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/the-myth-behind-the-rescue-of-denmarks-jews-from-the-holocaust/00000186-140b-d5d5-adef-349bb2730000
“The Solidarity That Secured the Jews Safety in Sweden” (Dominique Barir Jensen: CPH Post: 2016) @ https://cphpost.dk/2016-06-30/history/the-solidarity-that-secured-the-jews-safety-in-sweden/
“Swedish, Danish or Norwegian Meatballs (Köttbullar, Frikadeller, or Kjøttboller) with Sour Cream Sauce” (Cat’s Kitchen: 2014) @ https://www.catsfork.com/CatsKitchen/swedish-or-danish-meatballs-kottbullar-frikadeller-kjottboller-with-sour-cream-sauce/
“What Is Danish Food? Your Ultimate Guide to Eating in Denmark” (Scandinavia Standard) @ https://www.scandinaviastandard.com/what-is-danish-food-your-ultimate-guide-to-eating-in-denmark/
“Why 90 Percent of Danish Jews Survived the Holocaust” (Erin Blakemore: History.com: 2019) @ https://www.history.com/news/wwii-danish-jews-survival-holocaust
This month’s offering will highlight the impact of Jews on literature through the ages, highlight some of my favorite Jewish authors, and provide some insight into how Jews have been portrayed in literature throughout the years. It is my intention to not delve too far into any of these issues, since they will be discussed in greater detail in future articles. The motive behind this month’s topic is the date of the 100th birthday of the author of one of my favorite books, Joseph Heller.
If reading gets you hungry, the food highlighted this month is a Czechoslovakian dish called Bramboracka, a favorite of Franz Kafka. More on this dish and its recipe at the end of this article as usual.
A. Impact of Jews in Literature
This month’s foray will lead us into the history of Jewish authors in commemoration of the 100th Birthday of Joseph Heller (one of the great American novelists). This is follow-up (of sorts) to the article I published not long ago regarding the history of Jews in the literary genre of comic books (yes, I do consider comic books a literary genre). While there was a very large percentage of Jews in the comic industry, other genres do not include as large a number. However, Jewish authors have written some extremely influential and notable works of literature, including one of the most influential books of all time, the Bible / Torah. [Note: I am not going to argue here who wrote it, if it was based on older stories, or if the influence was good or bad. I think that we can all agree that the Five Books of Moses has had a historically immeasurable effect on billions of people worldwide and has changed the course of history. The topic of who wrote the Bible will be the feature of a future article.
Jewish authors have made their mark in all genres of literature, and one of the most prestigious awards given for outstanding journalism is named after a Jew (Joseph Pulitzer). While Jews make up a small percentage of the population (1.9% of the US population and 0.2% of the world population (not 2%, but 2/10ths of 1 percent), yet have received a lion’s share of the major literary awards (data from JInfo.org):
The Nobel and Pulitzer are the most prestigious of the awards for writing. However, Jews have also been disproportionally awarded for their work by other organizations, such as the Academy Awards, where Jews have won 39% of the Awards for Best Original Screenplay and 33% for Best Adapted Screenplay. And the list goes on.
B. Jewish Authors
I have very eclectic taste when it comes to my reading habits. I have a long queue of things I want to read, and when I was regularly commuting, I would sometimes simultaneously be reading three books at the same time (for instance, I remember going back and forth between The Origin of Species (Darwin), Don Quixote (Cervantes), and The Invisible Man (Ellison)). Although the focus of this blog is Jewish-focused, my taste in reading (or most things) has no bearing on the Jewishness of the author/write/director/singer or the subject matter (although a Turkish schoolbook about a decade ago stated that Darwin was Jewish and described as having a big nose as a way of disparaging the concept of evolution).
Fortunately, my reading habits have allowed me to read all sorts of authors in many different genres. Below, I will highlight a handful of my favorite Jewish authors, a little bit about them, maybe why I like them, and some personal insights or experiences with the authors or their work.
I am sorry if your favorite is not listed, I will not have the time to even list all of mine. There is so much to read, and so much more material that I still have to get to, such as: Philip Roth, Saul Bellow, Bernard Malamud, Nicole Krauss, Sholem Alechem, Gloria Steinem, Judy Blume, Ayn Rand, and many more including some of the most influential authors of all time Marx, Freud, and Kafka. [Fast Fact: Marx converted to Catholicism towards the end of his life, and although Kafka had a Jewish mother, he was raised in the faith of his father, Catholic.]
Joseph Heller – He was born in Coney Island, Brooklyn in 1923 and flew 60 missions during WW II. Love, love, love the novel Catch-22, a satire about war and bureaucracy. One of my all-time favorite novels, although interestingly, I have not read any of this other works. The movie by the same name is also fantastically funny. For a look into Heller’s thoughts on Judaism and being a “Jewish novelist,” read the great article by Itabari Njeri in the LA Times.
Michael Chabon – Born in D.C. in 1963, he is known for winning the Pulitzer Prize for The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay. To me, the first half of the book was some of the best reading I have ever done, however, I though the second half became too dark and a huge contrast to the story originally being told. I also read the multiple award-winning book The Yiddish Policeman’s Union as an alternative history novel as a fun supplement to all the non-fictional reading I was doing for an Alaskan vacation; it was highly deserving of the accolades. Chabon has also been scorned by some Jews due to his anti-Israel and pro-interfaith marriage of Jews.
Herman Wouk – Wouk is known for The Cain Mutiny, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize, in addition to the Winds of War, and Remembrance (the last I have not yet read). He was raised religious, then became secular for a while, then returned to Judaism, which became a central part of his life. In 1959 he wrote This is My G-d, a non-fiction book that tries to explain modern orthodox Judaism to Jews and non-Jews alike.
Arthur Miller – I was privileged to get to see Arthur Miller in-person at a book signing years ago. This included a talk by him about Death of A Salesman, in addition to discussion the play (which was on Broadway at the time) along with its star Brian Dennehy (winning the Tony). This was a book I had reluctantly first read in Junior High School, wound up enjoying it, and have read it numerous times over the years. Luckily, I arrived their early since the store became so packed that they had to close the doors to any additional newcomers. I did get an autographed book by Miller and had always hoped to get Dennehy’s as well, but that never happened. He was a great speaker and very engaging man. Miller was called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities and was convicted of contempt for not cooperating (and a parable of the Crucible). Although there were hints of it in his writings, he mostly stayed away from explicit Jewish-related themes, except in the Focus.
He also famously married Marilyn Monroe, who converted to Judaism. [Fast Fact: Although she died as Jew she was not buried in a Jewish cemetery, and the funeral was presided over by a Lutheran minister. One of the most interesting quotes she ever said (to friend Susan Strasberg was “I can identify with the Jews. Everybody’s always out to get them, no matter what they do — like me.”]
Neil Simon – If you have ever read or seen any of his plays, or viewed the movie adaptations, you cannot miss the Jewish themes, expressions, and humor within all of them. One of the greatest playwrights of all time IMHO (Biloxi Blues was the second movie I took my recent girlfriend and future wife to see).
JD Salinger – Salinger’s grandfather was a Rabbi, but he did not find out that his mother was not Jewish until after he was bar mitzvah’ d. Although he is not know for writing about Jewish themes, he did take part in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp (he also participated in the Battle of the Bulge and the D-Day invasion). During his tour of Europe, he worked on an early draft of his most famous book (and only full-length novel), Catcher in the Rye. If you do a search of the greatest books of all time, Catcher in the Rye is almost always listed.
Here’s my confession. I read the book in High School at around the age of 16, like most of my classmates, but I just could not relate to the story or Holden (the main character). I lived in New York City and had already “lost my innocence,” and was not able to understand why his actions/activities were so salient to the story. Interestingly, I read the book again a few years ago figuring that I was a much more mature person with a wife, kids, and life, and maybe I misread or misrepresented the book the first time. I would keep an open mind and give it a second chance. Sorry to say I found the second reading just as flat as I had the first time around.
Norman Mailer – Although I knew who he was, I did not begin reading him until I was in my early 40s. He had grown up in Brooklyn and his birth house was around the corner from where one of my friends lived. I happened to pick up a copy of The Executioners Song from the free/borrow library at work so I would have something to read while commuting. Although the synopsis at the back did not sound very appealing (I am not really into the crime/true-crime genre), I was curious to see why people have held him in such high regard. Although I did not care for the content, it was amazingly well written. I have only read some of his shorter works since then, but Armies of the Night is on my queue.
Elie Wiesel – His writing has moved me as it has thousands of others. If you have never read anything authored by him, I would suggest starting with Night (based on his experiences at Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps) and moving onto his other works from there. For his writing and his activism for human rights he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (in 1986).
HA and Margaret Rey – Yes, they are authors of children’s books. But Curious George was always one of my favorites when I was a young child and made sure to buy the books for my own children. Although I did know that the Reys were Jewish (I brought my daughters to the Jewish Museum in Brooklyn when they were younger, and they had a Curious George exhibit with some information on the authors. However, it was not until 2-3 years ago during research for another article that I read about how the manuscript was brought out of France by the Reys by bicycle upon the invasion of the Nazis.
Art Spiegelman – Although there are so many other authors, I did not have time to write about, I am going to finish off with an author of comic books. Well, technically graphic novels – specifically Spiegelman’s masterpiece Maus. Although the work was serialized from 1980 thru 1991, I did not read it until a woman I worked with lent me her copy in the late 1990s (thanks Lucia!). Although I had collected and read many, many comics, I had not yet turned my attention to this offering. When I read it, I was literally blown away by how he conveyed the horrors of the Holocaust (based on interviews he had with his father) through animated panels depicting cats and mice. It was no Tom and Jerry.
C. Antisemitism and the Portrayal of Jews in Literature
[Editorial note: My usual readers are probably asking “Why do these articles always seem to touch on anti-semitism?” To be honest, I wish I did not have to, but unfortunately, the history of this world has been rife in hate towards Jews (and Israel), and because it is so prominent in the Jewish experience of every kind, it has seeped into most research sources I read that touch on Jews, Judaism, or Israel. It would almost be negligent of me if I ignored the issue in my own authoring.]
Jews have had a bad rap throughout most history. Their portrayal, whether unconscious or by design has been in a negative at best. In fact, most of the Jewish characters are a conglomerate of the many antisemitic stereotypes of the time of the writing, such as big noses, and being greedy, cheap, unclean, etc.
Antisemitism has been entrenched in literature for millennia.
Antisemitic writings have appeared as early as in Early Greco-Roman literature, which includes negative comments and characterization of the Jewish people.
The New Testament (written between the middle and late 1st century) begins with the Book of Matthew, which presumably blames the Jews for the death of Jesus in Matthew 27:25 (“May his blood be upon us and upon our children”). This passage has been used by the Nazis and others as an excuse for harassing, torturing, and killing Jews for centuries. The Book of John is also harsh in its condemnation of the Jews, stating in John 8:44 “Jews are the children of Satan.” Note, however, both passages may not be as intentionally antisemitic as they seem on their face, especially when they are read in-context with their related passages. [A discussion of these passages (and others, including 1 Thessalonica 2) will be the topic of a future article.]
Over the next 2000 years literature never matured and stereotypical tropes and posing the Jew as the villain had not let up until recent years. This includes several well-known pieces of literature by some of the worlds most noted scribes, including:
One fictional character does need to be added to this list. Although the character itself does not believe himself to be Jewish, he can never avoid being caught in the trappings of being Jewish. I am talking of James’s Joyce’s Leopold Bloom, who makes his was through a bemusing and overly-anti-Semitic Dublin on a day in June of 1904. Like an early 20th century Howard Stern, the author hangs anti-Semitism out in public for all to see so that he can show its ideocracy in his modernistic satire Ulysses.
In modern times most authors of popular literature have portrayed Jews in a much more positive light. However, with the rise of antisemitism around the world, I hope literature does not devolve into what it once has been.
As mentioned earlier in this essay, all of the themes, books, and authors will be discussed in much more detail in later articles.
Recipe for Bramboracka
At first, I was considering offing a recipe for a dish that was mentioned in a famous book of literature. Instead, for this month, I have decided upon a favorite dish of one of the authors I had discussed. In this case, Kafka a known vegetarian. One of his favorite dishes’ hails from his native country of Chechia and is called Bramboracka, which is soup whose main ingredients include potatoes and mushrooms.
I have not been able to find an actual origin of the dish, but it most likely was created by using the ingredients found in the area using potatoes as its base and adding to it other ingredients, such as root vegetables that could be foraged locally. Although this is known as a “traditional” dish, it could not have been created earlier than the mid-16th century. Potatoes originated in South America, and were first brought back to Europe by Spanish sailors and explorers.
NOTE: I will try to get back to adding a recipe for Bramboracha, but life has gotten in the way (and Passover). I try to make and then perfect the recipe for these articles, and will a growing workload, volunteering, and other endeavors it is become less possible to do all that, research and write these articles and then create and write the recipes. Luckily, most of the activities that are taking up my time are good things). Unless it is a tried and true recipe that I have made before, until my schedule opens up, I am going to include links to videos for the next few articles, then try to come back and add them. And yes, I still have three articles to make up for from 2023, when I took a hiatus after the passing of my parents; as a teaser, the subjects of these articles will include: (1) The history of Jews in Adventure and Fantasy highlighting Hobbit food and other food in this genre; (2) The afterlife and reincarnation and Jewish authors of horror with a discussion of what to bring to a shiva house; and (3) A search for (the historicity of) Sodom and Gomorrah with a culinary highlight on brined foods and the history of the pickle. I will research, write, and publish these once I find some time to do so.
In the meantime, please enjoy and learn from these videos on how to make Bramboraaka . . .
Videos on how to make Bramboracka:
Sources
“Ancient Anti-Semitism” (Rene Bloch: Oxford Bibliographies: 2016; Revised 2021) @ https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199840731/obo-9780199840731-0140.xml
“The Ancient Roots of Anti-Judaism” [Video] (Facing History and Ourselves: 2022) @ https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/ancient-roots-anti-judaism
“Anglo-Jewish Writers of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries” (Silvia Pellicer: Jewish Woman’s Archives: Last Updated 2022) @ https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/anglo-jewish-writers-twentieth-century
“Anti-Semitism in Chaucer’s Prioress’s Tale” (Emmy Stark Zitter: The Chaucer Review: Vol. 25, No. 4, pp 278-84: Spring 1991) @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/25094166
“Arthur Miller Biography” (PBS.org: 2004) @ https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/arthur-miller-none-without-sin/56/
“Brambacka” (Paper and Salt: 2013) @ https://paperandsalt.org/tag/bramboracka/
“Dostoevsky as an Anti-Semite” (Jon Carver: Middlebury.edu) @ https://community.middlebury.edu/~beyer/courses/previous/ru351/studentpapers/Anti-semite.shtml
“Elie Wiesel – Biographical” (Nobel Prize) @ https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1986/wiesel/biographical/
“Encountering the New Testament” (Gareth Lloyd Jones: Yad Vasehm) @ https://www.yadvashem.org/articles/academic/encountering-the-new-testament.html
“Herman Wouk Obituary” (Eric Homberger: The Guardian: 2019) @ https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/may/17/herman-wouk-obituary
“How the Humble Potato Changed the World” (Diego Argedas Ortiz: BBC.com: 2020) @ https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200302-the-true-origins-of-the-humble-potato#:~:text=The%20humble%20potato%20was%20domesticated,to%20the%20Americas%2C%20and%20beyond
“JD Salinger” (Wikipedia.org) @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._D._Salinger
“JD Salinger: Before Catcher In the Rye, a Jewish-American GI” (Jewish Phily Blog: 2019) @ https://blog.jewishphilly.org/jd-salinger
“Jewish Contributions to World Literature” (JInfo.org) @ https://www.jinfo.org/Literature.html
“ ‘Jews are the Children of Satan’ and the Danger of Taking Biblical Passages Out of Context” (CBS News: 2018) @ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jews-are-the-children-of-satan-john-8-44-danger-of-taking-biblical-passages-out-of-context/
“JK Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ Goblins Echo Jewish Caricatures” (Noah Berlatsky: NBC News: 2022) @ https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/j-k-rowling-s-harry-potter-goblins-echo-jewish-caricatures-ncna1287043
“Joseph Heller” (New World Encyclopedia) @ https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Joseph_Heller
“Joseph Heller: The Jewish Novelist Explains Just Why It Wasn’t Easy to Become a Jewish Novelist” (Itabari Njeri: LA Times: 1988) @ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-01-13-vw-23881-story.html
“Michael Chabon” (HarperCollins) @ https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/michael-chabon
“Norman Mailer Was Jewish in his Own Way” (J. Correspondent: J Weekly: 2007) @ https://jweekly.com/2007/11/15/norman-mailer-was-jewish-in-his-own-way/
“Saving Judaism from Michael Chabon” (Chaim Strauchler and David Wolkenfeld: Commentary.org: 2018) @ https://www.commentary.org/articles/chaim-strauchler/saving-judaism-michael-chabon/
“Stereotypes of Jews in Literature” (Wikipedia.org) @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypes_of_Jews_in_literature
“There’s More Than One Way to Fry a Potato (And the History of Latkes)” (Chef Lon: Food History Religion: 2015) @ https://foodhistoryreligion.wordpress.com/2015/12/08/theres-more-than-one-way-to-fry-a-potato/
“When Curious George Made a Daring Escape From the Nazis” (Jeff MacGregor: Smithsonian Magazine: 2016) @ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/curious-george-daring-escape-nazis-180960779/
“Why Don’t People Realize that Marilyn Monroe was Jewish?” (Nathan Abrams: The JC: 2022) @ https://www.thejc.com/lets-talk/all/why-don’t-people-realise-that-marilyn-monroe-was-jewish-cq05i7V6dO0NJOnCtZweh
“Why Is This Darwin Different Than All Other Darwins?” (Stever Mirsky: Scientific American: 2013) @ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-is-this-darwin-different-from-all-other-darwins/
“Why Were the Jews Expelled by England in1290?” (University of Oxford) @ https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/::ognode-637356::/files/download-resource-printable-pdf-5
| CAVEAT: I am far from an elite runner and would really categorize myself as a casual jogger, so the below information is purely my own opinion based on my own personal experiences and knowledge of my own body and preferences. I am not recommending any of my routines for anyone else to use, but providing it as informational for you (the reader) see what “others” may be doing to prepare for these races. I would especially not recommend the preparation for a Half Marathon detailed below for a new runner or a runner that does not have some type of physical base at the start of their training. In fact, I am not even sure I was smart to do these runs myself – and fortunate that I received good corral position so I was able to treat the 13.1 mile course as a “fun run” where time and pace were not a factor. |
Once upon a time I took on my first Half Marathon. That was four years ago, and it happened to luckily be at Disney. To some, four years is an eternity, to others it goes by in blink of an eye.
A lot of things have occurred personally and throughout the world during this time period, and many miles have been traversed physically and mentally. If I was going to spend all the money to go back to Disney, it had to include a Challenge and the Disney Princess Weekend provides such a challenge by completing a 10k and a Half Marathon on consecutive days (and as a kicker, I also did the 5k so that my wife could experience the joy of runDisney as well). [The dates for the Marathon weekend did not work out for us.]
When I initially registered for the Princess Weekend, I was running three times a week between 3 to 5 miles each run. My intention (goal?) was to run the Half in 2h 30min after finishing up these other two (shorter) events. But life got in the way. I had an incredibly hectic schedule of sometimes 10-14 hours a day (including weekends) at work keeping me from any training over a period of several months; then from November to mid-January I was perpetually sick. I began my training for the Challenge only 5 weeks before I was to travel to Orlando. Eve though I was not a couch potato, I do not believe that this was not an optimal amount of time to train for a Half Marathon (after not running for several months). Yes, I completed the challenge, but I would not recommend this training plan for most if you are not at least semi in-shape.
Note that in my last article on training for a Half Marathon for Beginners, I went into detail for a number of different topics, so this article will be a lot shorter and focus on the training for this particular event and my experiences during this year’s races.
The food highlight for this month will feature fueling before, during, and after a race; such as carb loading and the importance of eating soon after physical exertion.
As mentioned above, when I first registered for the race weekend I was in good shape and running between 3 and 5 miles three times a week. I could have easily been ready for a Half Marathon in 4 to 6 months with a respectable time.
Fast forward a few months and I had one of the busiest times of my professional career. I was working late each night and most weekends. Running was the furthest thing in my mind. According to my Garmin app, after a full two-month hiatus, I finally ran during the second week of December – but only got in three runs with distances between 1 mile and 1.9 miles, then nothing again until January 14th. [I was not completely idle, I did have a few 2 and 3-mile walks with my dog.] Fortunately, I still somehow maintained a physical and endurance base (albeit limited) due to runs and rides (mostly bike rides during the earlier part of the year). However, I knew I had to build my body back up with only 5 weeks to go before the event (a step up from starting from scratch). [Note: I do not call runDisney a “competition” because I am not competing against anyone, I am enjoying a run/walk through Disney with a few thousand of my fellow Mickey enthusiasts.]
I created a three-day exercise plan that would work with my personal and work schedule and would also allow me enough time in-between runs to rest and allow my body to repair. In essence, the plan included one long run (which progressed in distance every week) and two maintenance runs of about 30-45 minutes, with at least one day of rest between each run.
Below are the actual distances and pace for each of my “runs.” By runs, I mean that I walked more than ran and would perform them in intervals. For instance, when I began this 5-week program, I would walk for 2 minutes and then run for 30 seconds (4:1 ratio).
| Date | Distance | Pace | Ratio |
| Week 1 | |||
| 1/14 | .07 miles | 22:16 | 4:1 |
| 1/17 | 2.6 miles | 23.07 | 4:1 |
| 1/20 | 3.5 miles | 20:19 | 4:1 |
| Week 2 | |||
| 1/22 | 5.0 miles | 20:01 | 4:1 |
| 1/25 | 1.6 miles | 17:55 | 4:1 |
| 1/27 | 2.52 miles | 18:47 | 4:1 |
| Week 3 | |||
| 1/29 | 6.0 miles | 20:05 | 4:1 |
| 2/1 | 1.89 miles | 18:29 | 4:1 |
| 2/3 | 2.28 miles | 18:16 | 4:1 |
| Week 4 | |||
| 2/5 | 7.0 miles | 17:24 | 4:1 |
| 2/7 | 2.05 miles | 15:59 | 3:1 |
| 2/10 | 2.82 miles (outdoors) | 13:55 | 2:1 |
| Week 5 | |||
| 2/12 | 8.00 miles | 17:14 | 4:1 |
| 2/16 | 2.95 miles | 16:15 | 3:1 |
The pace for each of these runs were intentionally not very quick, however, I figured if I received at least the penultimate corral I had a few minutes to play with. It is important to build the endurance base while avoiding injury. I know the speed would come if I had more time to train. I also needed to build my body back up to a point where it could endure a 13-mile course, even at a quick walking pace. My 17:14 pace for my 8-miler on 2/12 put me at just about the mark I was looking for. [Note: I was planning on a final 5-mile run on 2/19, but I (again) became sick, and decided rest and trying to recuperate was the better option than the run. Also note that almost all of the runs were on a treadmill, except for the 2/10 run, which I took outdoors.]
I knew fairly early in my training that finishing the Half in under 2:30:00 was not going to be a reality – but after seeing my results for the 8-miler on February 12th, I was pretty certain I was at least ready to finish the race and not be picked up by the sweepers.
While I attributed the fact for my better-than-expected time during my very first Disney Half to maintaining a solid training schedule that included strength training, I avoided any type of weight training during these 5 weeks (technically I had not touched a weight since August) to avoid the possibility of injury. I also did not perform any cross-fit training such as bicycle riding. Having a chronic bad back, I did not perform any stomach and core exercises such as sit-ups, crunches, etc. I stuck strictly to running three times a week to allow for proper resting and repairing of the body. [Being a bit over 50, I also used caution in not trying to over-do anything, since injuries do not heal as fast as when I was in my 20s, 30s, or even 40s.]
In hindsight, looking back at my 5-week routine, it did work for me and allowed me to complete each race without injuring myself on the road to the finish line. I felt great after the 5k and the 10k, although I experienced some leg discomfort in the last few miles of the Half [and walking down any flight of stairs was not very comfortable after the race], and the next day brought DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), especially in my quads.
A little foreshadowing . . . . my time for the 2023 runDisney Half Marathon was a full hour and twenty minutes slower than my results for my 2019 runDisney Half Marathon. However, the time difference was probably not for the reason you may be thinking.
The Half Marathon occurred on a Sunday, so I am taking off three days to ensure a full recovery, with a lightweight routing to begin on Thursday and my first “run” on Friday. For these first few runs, I am going to go back to an old Tommy Rivs (iFit) introduction to running program (Iberian Beginner) and follow him for 30 minutes while on the treadmill. In fact, I will stay with some of Tommy Riv’s lighter routines the full week, and switch to his Swiss Alps workouts the following week, which includes a 5-mile run exactly 2 weeks after the Half followed by two 45-minute maintenance runs that week (at a 2:1 walk/run ratio). That week I will also be adding in some cross fit with an hour of cycling on the stationary bicycle.
Although my training for the Princess Weekend was poor at best, it did lay a good base for future runs. I plan on going back-to-basics and let my body re-adapt to running. Although I am reverting back to 5 miles as my “long day.” My schedule is never etched in stone, and if it is not hard enough (or too difficult) I will adjust the mileage or elevation as necessary.
| Week | Date | Sa | Sn | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Notes |
| 2 | 2/4 | ||||||||
| 1 | 2/11 | ||||||||
| 0 | 2/18 | DISNEY RUN WEEKEND | |||||||
| 16 | 2/25 | Rest | Rest | WO (lt) Rtn A | TM (lt) 30 min | >>Routine A Begins | |||
| 15 | 3/4 | Rest | TM (lt) 45 min | Rest | TM (lt) 30 min | WO (lt) Rtn A | Rest | TM (lt) 45 min | Light Week |
| 14 | 3/11 | WO Rtn A | TM 5 miles | Rest | TM 45 min | WO Rtn A | SB 1 hour | TM 45 min |
My weekly long-day of running will increase each subsequent week so that I am ready for a trail run in June [I am registered] and will add inclines and declines into the exercise. I will also try to ensure that I am also ready for a possible Half Marathon at the end of April [on waiting list]. After the trail run I will start to transition my attention to cycling and I reverse the # of days I bicycle and run. As opposed to running where I prefer to train on the treadmill indoors, I would rather be on my bicycle outdoors than home on my stationary bicycle.
Is this a great training plan? Looking at the plans on the Internet by people that have run many thousands of miles more than me, definitely not. However, I know myself and this is what works for me, my body, and my schedule. For instance, four running days is the norm for most programs, but for me, four days of running each week would not work for me both physically or mentally [unless I ever decide to train to run 26.2 miles]. Most running plans I have seen do not devote two days to weightlifting; this is something I feel is needed for my overall health and a huge benefit to my runs and rides.
We are all different and need to listen to our bodies and what it wants and needs. Over the years I have tried different things that work for me and have come up with my own personalized schedule. However, the basic concept for my program and all others has a few concepts in common – start easy, work on your base, work your way up while continuing to improve that base for strength, speed, endurance, and overall health.
I stayed on a Disney property. Although a bit more expensive, there are a few benefits to doing so (especially if you do not have a car):
Notes:
Pre-Run Exercising. I try to take it easy three days before any event and do not schedule any type of exercising for myself except for stretching. I find that stretching helps to keep my muscles loose and limber. Sometimes (although not this time), I will perform isometrics two days prior to the run.
Clothing. Although what I wear for the 10k (or the 5k) does not matter much to me (as long as it semi-matches). I have a few different shorts I will run in, but for race day, it is usually one of three different shirts. Why these three? Besides all being different colors, they all have multiple pin holes from previous runs and I do not have to worry about placing holes in any other shirts. But note, I will wear the exact clothing I will be wearing during the Half Marathon during the long run two weeks prior (for me, it was the 8-miler). If something is too loose, too tight, the material irritates me, etc., I will know beforehand instead of suffering through it during the actual event.
My usual run wardrobe for a Half-Marathon length event is as follows:
As to what shirt to wear . . . The shirts Disney provides are great for running. However, I do not wear them to the event. First off, I once read that it is taboo to wear a shirt celebrating your completion of an event you had not yet completed (although I am not much on superstition, I have avoided them (unless I am volunteering) on the day of the event.). [See article] Secondly, and more importantly, you are going to need to stick pins into the shirt – I would rather no put holes into a shirt I am not going to try to “show off” at a later time. The shirts I wore for the 10k, and Half have multiple holes as memories to the many miles they have seen (for the 5k, I used an existing running shirt that made it’s first race debut at Disney – and now it has it has been christened with pin holes).
Depending on the weather you may want to bring throwaways. The temperature at the begging of the first two races this past weekend was about 67/68 and I did not need to take any extra clothing (although the bus was cold). The last day started out at 62 and since I did not want to get too cold on the bus I took one of the two throw-away hoodies I had purchased and wore it in the morning (it had a Minnesota Wild logo on it). The hoodie remained on for a little while ,even after getting to the staging area, but discarded it as soon as my corral began moving. I placed it on the fence (at the side of the corral). If you were wondering what happens to these items. . . .a cast member picks it up and places it in a bag which is then donated to a local charity. I purchased the throwaways at a second-hand store near my home where the $ goes to charity. For 2019 run the temperature started out at 22 degrees. I wrapped myself in a few throwaways, including: sweatpants, long-sleeve dry tech shirt, heavy sweatshirt/hoodie, hat, scarf, and gloves. The sweatpants were taken off while in the corral and the rest were all cast aside by the time I hit the 1 mile mark. I passed piles of clothing during the first mile or two from those fortunate enough to have started before me. [Tip: When you do take off your throw-aways, make sure you throw them as far to the side of the course as you can so that no one trips over them.] I did not throw out the gloves or hat, I put them into my pockets in case I needed them down the road (If I got hurt early and was not near a medic tent, I at least had something to keep me “warm.”)
HOWEVER . . . . . if I ever get the opportunity to enjoy another 5k or 10k runDisney event, I will most definitely be dressing up – so there will be additions and modifications to my wardrobe. I already have a few costume ideas in mind for myself and my DW.
Morning Pre-Race Fueling. Over the years I have toyed with different pre-exercise fueling and it has evolved to consuming the following items before any event (running (mud or dry) or cycling), especially in the morning (which they usually are): 1 cup milk, 1 slice of white bread (or half a plain bagel), apple sauce, a banana (just prior to the event) [I was able to purchase all of these items at the Disney resort] in addition to 1 Pepto Bismol tablet. This is what works for me and have used this fueling program as a pre-cursor for Half Marathons, 13+ mile mud runs, and half century (or longer) bike rides. What works for me may not work for you. For instance, many experts suggest granola/granola bars, which I tried at one time, but found them too rough on my stomach so early in the morning; but it is perfect for others (granola bars later in the run are okay with me). If you look at the Internet, the “experts” give you all types of suggestions. Talk to your doctor or nutritionist and do your own research to find what works best for you; you may need to keep experimenting. Fueling will be discussed later in this article.
Also think about what it will be like outside (temperature and weather) and length of the race. For instance, chaffing is real and you may need something for it (especially for longer runs). If it is going to be sunny outside, suntan lotion (even if applied in the morning in the dark will be of help to you later in the day.
Items I Take to the Race. – You never know what you may need while out on the course, so I do place a few things into my pockets. Some of the items, like the fuel, I will use, but others are “just in case.” Below are the items I carry with me during the run itself:
In Hand
In Pocket
I also want to mention that to save time on race morning I will get everything laid out the night before to ensure I have everything in addition to being able to find everything quickly. Putting on your bib the night before also shaves off at least 5 minutes in the AM.
Note that the Medic Tent will have a few items if you need it (or forgot it), such as petroleum jelly, salt tabs, ice, bandages, etc. The staff can also check your blood pressure, heart rate, and some (not sure about Disney) may have staff that can perform a quick blood analysis.
Liquid Refreshments. When training I will try to recreate some of the conditions of the race and the timing of refreshments is a big one. Most courses will provide liquid refreshments (water and many times an energy drink) approximately every 1.5 to 2 miles, which is the case for the runDisney Half Marathons. When I run on the treadmill, although I have drinks at arm’s length (both water and energy drink), I try to refrain from drinking until I hit the 1.5-mile mark (1.5, 3.0, 4.5, etc.). My usual MO is to alternate each drinking break between the water and the energy drink, and I also synchronize the energy gels/gummies with the water breaks.
Rest Rooms. Very, very important is the timing for the rest rooms (and porta potties). I’m going try to not make the following sound too disgusting, but having a pit stop plan is important (and more so as you get older), especially for the beginning of the race since you never know how long you will be waiting in the corrals and how long after the finish line you will see your first rest stop opportunity. My schedule for each of the three days’ runs at Disney is as follows (yes, this is TMI):
Rest. Travelling to Florida/Disney for the purpose of participating in a runDisney event is not restful. Between the travelling and other “detours,” rest can be hard to find. For instance:
The 5K
This was one of my most memorable races even though I did not run (or jog) because it was my first runDisney race with my favorite princess, my wife. The preparation for this race was for the most part the same for the 10K and the Half, although I did sleep better the evening before this race.
As became the due course of business, we were up at 2:33 AM to get dressed, head over to the shuttle at 3 AM, and begin our race.
My DW is not a runner, so we decided to walk the full 3.1-mile course. One of my good friends also joined us for the stroll that took us through Epcot. It was a nice morning with a temperature at about 67 degrees (with a touch of humidity) and stayed that way the entire time.
One tip to share when it comes to corrals (especially for the longer distances) is that you want to get to the front of the corral if possible. Although the 5K is not timed, at a certain point the cast members want to eventually get you out of the Park so they can open it for the day’s (paying) crowds. Getting to the front allows you the extra time if you need/want to stop or decide to take a casual walk. This is a good strategy for the timed races that followed.
We did not stop for any character photo ops, but did enjoy walking, talking, and seeing the sites as well as all the wonderfully costumed runners. I had never intended on running this since I wanted to reserve my energy for the Half Marathon. [Although, at least for the sake of others like my wife, it would have been nice for the walk to be through the Magic Kingdom.]
When we got back to the hotel we took showers, took it easy for a while, then headed over to Disney Springs for some lunch and shopping. We went to T-Rex, since I still have that childish wonder about dinosaurs – and the food is usually pretty decent. Since it was a late lunch we only had a quick take-out meal from the resort for dinner (I had a burger and fries). I went to sleep early, but had a restless night.
A quick running race tip: If you are walking or a very slow runner/jogger, as a matter of courtesy, stay to the right side of the course in order to give the faster runners a clear course. This goes for any race, at Disney or not. [I do wonder if that is the rule in countries that drive on the left side of the road???]
Note that the lines for the character photo ops were the longest during the 5k. I heard one cast member at the back of one line shouting that it was about “an hour” from that point at the end of the line.
The 10K
I signed up for the Princess Challenge, which is the completion of both the 10K and the Half Marathon. The 5k was an added bonus (and additional fee) so that I could experience a Disney race with my beautiful wife.
My intention for the 10K was to take it fairly easy. I would perform 3:1 (walk:run) intervals so that I would not burn myself out and be unable to run the following day. Although I did make a few stops (to look at characters and wait on a very, very long line for a pit stop (the first stop (porta potty) after the start line was 1.7 miles and it was extremely crowded). Even with all of the stops, I managed to average a 14:35 pace. Not eve close my best, but it left me with enough steam if I wanted to maintain a semi-decent time for the Half.
Note that I made my way to as far up in the corral as I could so I could begin as soon as possible (my stomach was a little off, and the sooner I started, the sooner I could use the rest room).
The course brought us through Epcot and parts of Hollywood Studios. The temperature was about what it was the day before, but I felt the humidity by the end of the race. Although a little warm, by body felt good without any aches or pains. The pace I maintained did not break any records, but it allowed me to walk, run and enjoy myself without any fear of injury or affect the next day’s run.
When I got back after the run I showered, changed, and was ready to meet the day. We met up with some friends, had a late breakfast at Disney Springs (Earl of Sandwich), walked around a bit, then headed back to the hotel to relax. I took a nap and made up for some of the sleep I did not get the night before. However, we had early dinner reservations, so could not nap for long. At the allotted time we drove to Winter Gardens with our friends and the 5 of us carb-loaded (even those that were not running) at a nice little Italian restaurant. It was another great day.
There are no specific tips for a Disney 10k vs. a 10k elsewhere. Just remember that there are lot of people, so if you are in a corral in the back it could be a while before you get to the starting line. Also study the course map if you are interested in where to find the medical tents, refreshment tables, and rest stops (FYI – there are a few “real” bathrooms in Epcot). Another tip is that the very first character (from Mulan) on the course had a very short line and in hindsight I should have jumped on it when I had the chance. The remainder of the lines ranged from medium wait times (15 minutes) to long (30+ minutes). Also, there were only three refreshment stops during the run (1.5 to 2 miles apart), and only water was provided – if you need your energy drink, you need to bring it with you. Also – if you stop to take a photo with a character, no need to chit chat with them and also walk quickly to take the picture, then walk quickly away afterwards.
Bib #24601 – I wanted to make a quick note about my bib. There are a few highly desirable bib numbers. 24601 happens to be one of them, and I lucked out with it. I had no idea until my buddy (which ran with us) told me. Do you know why this number is desired? I saw Les Miserables many years ago on Broadway (but never saw the movie) and did not remember that there was a song “Who Am I” which makes reference to the prisoner number of the main character Jean Valjean. His number? Yes, it was 24601. This was my Princess Challenge bib number which I wore to both the 10K and Half. On the run Disney run Facebook page, I was marked as a target. Although I posted a photo of what I was wearing during the Half no one “tagged” me. Interestingly, one of the characters (Snow White) did point at my bib # and mouth “nice.” [She was “in character” so I guess could not really say much more.]
The Half Marathon
As noted, months ago I had intended to run this under 2 hours and 30 minutes. At the time I flew down to Orlando, with my limited training and based on my 8-mile run, I figured I would finish somewhere between 3:15:00 and 3:30:00 (16-minute pace). I was going to try to maintain a 4:1 run/walk ratio for the entire 13.1 miles, with maybe a few pit-stops along the way, and glance at the sights as I passed by. The temperature was amazing. The temperature was 62 degrees without any humidity for most of the run and at points along the course it even became cooler in the fog. This ladies and gentlemen was perfect running weather! It was not until about mile 12 where I began to feel the heat and humidity when the fog and clouds started to burn away – and the sun seemed to come out of nowhere. But overall, amazing running conditions.
Although I was in corral D (the last corral was F), I was able to move up to almost the front of the corral, so I knew that I was at least an hour in front of the balloon ladies. The sweepers move at a 16-minute mile pace, which I knew I could easily outrun (or even outwalk). I felt absolutely no pressures and figured I would push my pace up a little bit the first 6 miles, then slow it down and maybe enjoy a character stop or two towards the backend of the course.
I did not expect what happened.
I stopped for a photo opportunity with one of the Disney characters within a mile of the start line. It was something I had regretted not doing during my first Disney half, so I wanted to get it out of the way since the line was only 8-10 minutes long. But I forgot to reset my Garmin (I paused it for the stop). But then I saw another character soon afterwards and I stopped again. Although I did re-start my watch that time, I made a pit stop and once again forgot to restart it.
When I came to the next character, I did the unthinkable (for a runner) and waited on yet another line. I then and there decided that I was going to enjoy this run and not heed any attention to the clock. I’ve done many races before and will do many races in the future – and the timing has been and will continue to be my focus, so why not just go against the grain and enjoy the Disney Magic. This run provided me with the perfect opportunity to do so. In total, I took pictures with 11 different characters as well as made other non-character photo stops along the way. Taking the photos, talking to the people on the line, and just enjoying the whole “thing” was just an amazing experience.
It is not easy for a runner to just not focus on their time (if you are a runner, you know what I mean). Maybe it is because I am used to mud runs, which are typically not timed (and instead of character photo ops, there were obstacles) that allowed me to turn a blind eye to my pace? I do not know what it was, but I had a great, great time even though I finished the course in about four hours (and I was still way ahead of the balloon ladies).
I will admit that my legs began to get fatigued, even with all the stopping, somewhere between miles 8 ad 9, which seemed to be an almost endless incline going up, up, and further upward. At that point I stopped my pacing app (that beeped every thirty seconds) and began to walk when I wanted and jog when I could. Seriously, it seemed they added more hills to the course this year compared to 2019.
I began stopping for almost every character. However, some lines were 30-minutes or longer and decided to skip those since most were not anyone I really wanted (except for Donald Duck). However, I did begin stopping for characters I did not have any idea who they were. Since my kids are older, I stopped watching Disney princess movies a while ago and have no clue about the newer characters. After a photo op (one of the cast members would take a photo with your cell phone), I would text the picture to my daughters so they could tell me who it was. Even that was part of the experience that I enjoyed – I was able to bring my family into the run with me (at least virtually).
I provided most of my tips for a Disney Half throughout this article. But to a few highlights include:
Hopefully the above information will be of help for what to do and also what you should not do. If you have any questions, please submit them in the comment box below and I will try to answer to the best of my ability. If you are wondering “what is next?” I am on a wait list for another Half Marathon in April and registered for a Half-Marathon length trail run in June. I have never done a trail run of that length, so that will be my second real “challenge” of the year. I have a few bicycle rides planned (some registered) for the second half of the year and will probably transition from running to riding after the June run. I am sure there will be other shorter runs in 2023, such as a Zombie run around Halloween and a possible 5k Turkey Trot in November.
At first, I was going to write about fueling in this section, but I am not a nutritionist, nor am I doctor. I’ll give a few details about what I do, followed by a list of links to articles written by experts. Just as for my information on training – I am not an elite runner and would not recommend what I do for others (especially my training for this run), I would not recommend how I fuel for others as well. I know my body after years of various physical activities and what it needs to thrive before, during, and after these activities. Take what I have to say with a grain of salt, then read what the experts say.
Fueling While Training
Fueling The Day Before a Long Run
Fueling the Morning of the Long Run
Fueling Just Prior to the Lon Run
Fueling During a Long Run (Half Marathon)
Fueling After a Long Run
Fueling in General
Fueling Before a Run
Fueling During a Run
Fueling After a Run
Miscellaneous Fueling Topics (Age and Sex)
When I discovered that this year was the 500th Anniversary of the completion of printing of the Bomberg Talmud, I knew I had to write about it. I am not sure why since this is a piece of Judaica I am not really familiar. However, because Rashi’s Birthday (a great commentator on the Torah) is in this month, I figured it was the ideal time to discuss this Jewish in addition to the history of this Jewish literature. I know, I know, not the most exciting topic, especially when following articles relating to Jewish history in connection to Comic Books and Television, but I hope to make it as interesting where we can all learn something new.
One town that Rashi had lived for a while was the town of Worms, Germany, which provides me to also delve into another piece of Medieval Jewish literature, the Worms Mahzor. Worms, itself, has a long Jewish history, so you get to learn a little bit about the town as well. But don’t worry, the food being highlighted in this article will not be a delectable dish of fried worms. Instead, I will be discussing the much more palatable Huevos Fritos con Miel (fried eggs and honey); yes, there is a connection between this dish and this article.
This article is dedicated to J, because sometimes a look at the past can illuminate the future.
It was not until 1488 that the Torah was published in its entirety. Before then, only portions were published (e.g., psalms), and all in Italy. [Fast Fact: The Guttenberg movable-type printing press had only been invented 48 years earlier.] In that year the entire Bible was printed for the first time in Soncino, Italy (with accents and punctuations, but no commentary. The second full-version was published in 1491-92 (Naples, Italy) and the third in 1494 (Brescia, Italy). Each of these versions were created by Jewish printers. The first full version published by non-Jews was the Complutensian Polyglot Bible, a six-volume tome (4 being the Hebrew Bible) with included Greek and Latin translations between 1514-17 (Madrid, Spain).
In the early 16th century, a Christian from Belgium named Daniel Bomberg had been sent to Italy by his father to help with the family business. While in Italy, Bomberg met and was allegedly swayed by Felix Pratensis, a former Jew that had converted and become an Augustinian Friar, to publish Hebrew books and create a full version of the Torah that not only included accents and vowels but would include commentaries and Aramaic translations (targums). [Fast Fact: Interestingly, Pratensis spent much of his life trying to proselytize Jews to Christianity, having contempt for his former religion [Future research: why did he have such a hate towards Judaism, and had gained the nickname “the Jew’s Scourge.”]
Daniel Bomberg and the Early Days of Talmudic Printing
In 1517 Bomberg began publishing the Bomberg Talmud, also known as the Mikraot Gdolt, which became the template for the format the Talmud is published for centuries. It was a four-volume set that included the five books of the Torah (Pentateuch) with commentaries such as Rashi, the Aramaic translation (targum), the Haftorot (selections from the Book of Prophets read along with specific parts of the Torah), and five Megillot (scrolls). In addition, the work also included Chapters and verse numbers, which was a first. [Fast Fact: A copy of the first edition of the Bomberg Talmud (there are only 14 complete sets known to still exist) was sold for $9.3 million in 2015. The previous record for piece of Judaica was a 1482 printing of the Torah in Bologna sold the previous year for $3.85 million.]
Although a major work in Jewish literature, it was criticized by many Jews of the time. There were numerous errors discovered in addition to the push-back on the printing because of the association with Pratensis, who was its principal editor. Some also did not like the fact that Bomberg had asked for a grant of rights (imprimatur) from the Pope (Leo X) before publishing it. [Fast Fact: The Pope’s original condition for giving his blessing was for the work to include a prelude by Pratensis, which discredited parts of the Talmud that were in opposition to Jesus and Christianity. In a following letter, the Pope cancelled the condition (probably persuaded by Bomberg, who knew his target market would not favor such an addition).]
A second edition was published in 1524 which corrected many of the mistakes in the first printing and was also edited by Jacob ben Hayyim ibn Adonijah (a Jewish scholar that later converted to Christianity, who had standardized the Masoretic text in this version).
“Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you”
Rashi
Over the years Bomberg printed a number of Jewish-related books including both the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds, the Mishna, various responsas, Karaite prayerbook, and many more books.
Although I plan on discussing the Babylonian vs. Jerusalem Talmud in a future article, that article is still a long-way to come, so figured I would discuss it briefly here (for those that are curious).
The Babylonian Talmud was written/compiled in modern day Iraq. The Jerusalem Talmud was written/compiled in northern Jerusalem between 350-450 ACE. [Fast Fact: Actually in Tiberias, about 100 miles north of Jerusalem]. The Babylonian Talmud published around 500 ACE. is considered (by most) to be the more authoritative of the two. Both versions consist of the Mishnah and the Gemorah. The Mishnah (collection of oral traditions) in both are mostly identical. The Gemorah (rabbinical analysis of the Mishnah), however, is very different between the two versions, with each focusing on the opinions of the rabbis/schools of their region. There is also differences in how the two are written in both format and style, and the discussions in the Babylonian Talmud are usually longer and more detailed.
Until I write my article, if you would like to know more, there is a wonderful on the differences in MyJewishLearning by Rabbi Jill Jacobs.
As mentioned above, the Bomberg Torah was formatted so that it could incorporate commentary along-side the religious passages. [An illustration can be seen in section A.2 above.] One of the most revered commentators of the Torah is Rashi.
His full name is Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac (which forms the acronym of Rashi), although was also know as Shlomo Yitzkaki in short. He was born in 1040 in Troyes, France. He studied in Germany (Worms and Mainz) then returned to Troyes in 1065, where he became a rabbi. He formed his own Yeshiva in 1070, in which he taught many students that became prominent rabbis and scholars in their own right.
When not teaching it is believed that he made wine (or worked in the vinyards) to make a living. However, there is conjecture that he may have actually been an egg salesman.
He is known for writing extensive commentary on the Babylonian Talmud in a clear and concise manner that made it easy for the “commoner” to read and funderstand (as long as they had some basic background on the subject). His commentary has been included in every printing of the Talmud since the time the Bomberg Talmud was published. He also wrote a number of responas (opinions/answers to questions of Jewish legal law and customs) as well as a selection of religious hymns (called piyyutim in Hebrew). [Fast Fact: The first book printed in Hebrew was Rashi’s commentary on the Torah printed in Reggio, Italy in 1475.]
Rashi is believed to have passed away in 1105 [11th of Tamuz in the Jewish calendar]. However, it is unknown where he died, nor where he was buried. The predominant theory is Troyes, however, some believe that his body lies in Prague (600 miles away).
“The fool who traveled is better off than the wise man who stayed home.”
Rashi
Rashi: A Light After the Dark
A young Rashi was sent down by his father from France to Germany to get an education. He spent a number of years being educated in Worms, Germany, so I thought I would take some time to discuss the (Jewish) history of the town.
The area of Worms has been settled upon since ancient times, possibly by the Celtics, and claims to be the oldest city in Germany (a claim also held by Trier and Cologne). The Celtics called the city Borbetomagus. It was then overthrown by the Vangiones, then by the Romans (14 BCE) where it was named Augusta Vangionum, and eventually named Worms. It was originally a small garrison town at the time but grew along with the years. This area was the site of an uprising from 411-413 by the Burgundians against the Romans, of which epic stories were written.
In 614 Worms became a bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire and became administered by the Bishops. It became a place of religious importance and the Synod of 868 was held there. It was also the center point for the reformation of the Holy Roman Empire after the Diet of Worms was signed in 1495 (a “diet” is a meeting of the top officials of a religious order; over 100 were held in Worms). One of the most historically important synod was the Edict of of Worms held in 1521, which declared Martin Luther a Heretic.
The Nine Years War (1688-1697) was hard on Worms and the surrounding towns due to damage by the French. Worms was the location of the signing of the Treaty of Worms which formed an alliance between Great Britain, Austria, and Sardinia. Worms was passed onto the French in the early 19th century, and became a major German outpost during World War II and was heavily damaged by British bombers.
Jews have a long history I in Worms. They began to settle in Worms around the year 1000 ad the first synagogue (Synagogue of Worms also known as the Judenhof) was built in 1034. Although the Jewish community thrived during most of the 11th century, it ended with a devastating pogrom in 1096 at the murderous hands of crusaders.
The Jewish community rebuilt and became stronger socially and economically during the 13th and 14th centuries during an era when they were afforded religious freedom by the rules of the time as well as given permission to freely trade by Emperor Henry IV. Worms became known as the Imperial Free City of Worms and known as Varmaza or Vermaysa in Hebrew (ורמיזא, ורמישא). The religious community (SchUM) became a known place to discuss and settle matters of Jewish thought and law. However, this came to an end in 1349 with another pogrom and their freedom became more restricted under the town council (during the Black Plague locals accused the Jews of poisoning the wells; many Jews were murdered). [Fast Fact: The cities of Worms, Mainz, and Speyer became so prominent in the Jewish world that the area became known as Jerusalem on the Rhine.]
Although many German towns and cities had expelled their Jewish citizens during the 15th century, Worms still maintained a population of around 250 people by the year 1500. A Jewish presence had continued to remain even though laws and taxation increased over the years, including another pogrom in 1615. The first mayor in Germany was elected in Worms; Ferdinand Eberstadt, in 1848. However, with the rise of Naziism and antisemitism in the late 1930s, the Jews were forced to leave, murdered outright, or sent to concentration camps for almost certain death.
The Worms Synagogue was destroyed during Kristallnacht (yes, a fourth pogrom) in 1938, but was painstakingly rebuilt in 1961, which included rebuilding the yeshiva building behind it known as the Rashi Chapel (named after the commentator; built in 1175). The building was firebombed in 2010, but luckily no one was injured and minimal damage to the architecture. Besides Rashi, many other prominent Rabbis had studied there. Jewish Rabbis had also held synods in Worms. [Fast Fact: One of the oldest mikvas (a ritual cleansing bath) in Europe is located near the synagogue (12th century), as well as one of Europe’s the oldest preserved Jewish cemeteries (11th century), which includes over 2000 Jewish graves, including the grave of famed Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg (a famed Talmudic authority who observed the ritual burning of 12,000 copies of the Talmud in Paris by the French in 1242, then died while prisoner of the Archbishop of Mainz a few years later).]
Due to immigration from Russia beginning in the 1990s, a Jewish community in Worms and Mainz has returned (to at least a small extent), and the ancient synagogue is once again the home of prayers and hope.
“Naked a man comes into the world and naked he leaves it, after all is said and done he leaves nothing except the good deeds he leaves behind.”
Rashi
[Editor’s Note: Although I focused on Worms, the Jewish communities in the other cities of the Jerusalem on the Rhine experienced similar ups and horrible downs and I plan on writing about the Jewish histories of Mainz and Speyer in later articles.]
Count Emicho of Leiningen gathered his army to fight for Pope Urban II for the removal of the Muslims from the Holy Land. However, he also had his own alleged intentions of removing the Jews from Germany and Europe. On May 18, 1096, he and his forces murdered 800 Jews in Worms. At the time there was fervent antisemitism by Catholics blaming the crucifixion of Jesus on the Jews; it was what he believed was his “holy mission” and was told to do so by holy visions. This was only one of numerous murderous pogroms that he and his force of 10,000 men, women, and children brought upon the cities and towns he passed on his way South, called the “Rhineland Massacres.” In fact, he even stormed the castle of the Archbishop in Mainze who tried to protect the Jews within his walls [Fast Fact: People sympathetic to Emicho opened the doors of the walls, which allowed the Count and his forces to storm the fortification].
A portion of the force included those that believe a goose was infused by the Holy Spirit. One of Emicho’s visions was that he would march into Constantinople and usurp the Byzantine Emperor and declare himself Emperor. Emicho never made it to the Holy Land. He ran out of money and supplies in Hungary, and when he started to pillage the local areas, the Hungarians began to fight back, causing heavy losses. The count turned around with his tail between his legs, facing humiliation for never making it to the Holy Land upon his return home.
I thought it would be fitting to include a little something about the Worms Mahzor (or Mahzor of Worms) in this article. On it’s face, it is not more than a centuries old prayer book, produced in 1272 (one of the oldest known for Ashkenazim). It is a Mahzor, which contains the prayers for religious holidays and festivals (mahzor is translated to “cycle” in English). This book was used by cantors at the Worms Synagogue for over 650 years (until it was saved and preserved by an archivist (Frederich Maria Illert) and hidden in the Worms Cathedral (Dom St. Peter) after the destruction of the temple during Kristallnacht in 1938).
One noted feature of the book is its beautiful illuminations from the Middle Ages, which was not common for such Jewish prayer books of the period. It was created by the scribe Simcha ben Yehuda.
A second noted feature is that the Worms Mahzor includes the oldest known example of Yiddish writing. This is an important element for linguists and provides some information on the origins of Jewish literature in Germany.
The Worms Mahzor now resides in the National Library of Israel. Note that the first half is original and the second half was replaced by a similarly formatted manuscript.
As I sometimes do in these articles, I veer off from the main topic into realms of topics that are merely tangentially relevant, and this subsection is one of those times. So, below are a few facts about worms . . .
The history of eggs (domesticated chickens) was discussed a few years ago, so I am not going to go into it today in much detail. Note that chickens were first domesticated about 7000 years ago in Southeast Asia and did not make their way to the Middle East or Europe until around 800 BCE. As to fried eggs, there is evidence that ancient Egyptians had fried ostrich eggs. The Romans ate fried eggs with honey as a dessert. It is widely known that Albert Einstein’s favorite breakfast was fried eggs with honey. It is noteworthy to also mention in connection to this article that Rashi’s disciple, Shemaya had written that one of Rashi’s favorite breakfasts was also eggs with honey, which is also mentioned by Rashi himself in one of his own responsas (Responsa Rashi, 310-11 #270).
Fried eggs and honey is also a traditional dish on the island of San Andres (Columbia), which can be eaten while looking out at a sea of seven shades. The dish on the island is called Huevos Fritos con Miel.
This is one dish I make quite often (probably once a week). Most recipes will include two eggs, but I have to admit that I usually have it with three. However, I am using a recipe for only two eggs (up the amounts by 50% for three).
Step 1: Heat butter in medium pan/skillet over medium heat
Step 2: Add eggs to hot pan.
Step 3: Drizzle honey over the eggs.
Step 4: Add salt
Step 5: Cook until the whites of the eggs are firm (about 2-3 minutes)
Alternative – what I sometimes will do if I have fresh onions is fry up the onions in the butter and add the honey at this point so that the onions become caramelized by the sugars in the honey, then gently stir in the eggs and then let them set.
Other alternatives – I have experimented through the years by adding other spices such as basil, oregano, etc. The only spice I have found acceptable (to my tastes) is cracked black pepper. Although I usually have dish as described above, I will occasionally add hot sauce which provides a contradiction of flavors between the hot and the sweet. I usually have it with some type of bread on the side – a toasted roll or rye toast goes well or maintain the meal’s Columbian theme with a side of arepa (which I will write about in a future article, but not for a while). Of course, what is breakfast without coffee and of course a Columbian coffee choice would pair well.
“14 Rashi Facts You Should Know” (Menachem Posner: Chabad.org) @ https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/5628071/jewish/14-Rashi-Facts-You-Should-Know.htm
“16th-Century Babyulonian Talmud Auctioned Off for Record $9.3 Million” (Haaretz.com: 2015) @ https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2015-12-23/ty-article/16th-century-talmud-sold-for-record-9-3-million/0000017f-f756-d887-a7ff-fff6fd000000
“Breakfast of Champions: Albert Einstein’s Fried Eggs in Honey” (Rebecca Seal: The Guardian: 2015) @ https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/apr/25/breakfast-of-champions-albert-einstein-fried-eggs-in-honey
“Constantly Rebuilt: The Worms Synagogue, a Space of Belief, Trauma and Resilience” (Dr. Susan Urban: Future of Religious Heritage: 2021) @ https://www.frh-europe.org/constantly-rebuilt-the-worms-synagogue-a-space-of-belief-trauma-and-resilience/
“Daniel Bomberg” (Wikipedia.org) @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Bomberg
“Edible Earthworms in a Food Safety Perspective: Preliminary Data” (Conti, Castrica, Balzaretti, and Tedesco: National Library of Medicine: 2019) @ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6562254/#:~:text=Earthworms%20are%20eaten%20in%20some,Technology%20(IFIS%2C%202009).
“Felix Pratenis” (Jewish Encyclopedia) @ https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6070-felix-pratensis
“From Ethiopia to Israel: A Journey” (Chef Lon: Food History: Religion: 2017) @ https://foodhistoryreligion.wordpress.com/2017/02/09/from-ethiopia-to-israel-a-journey-2/
“Fun Facts & Books About Worms to Keep You Wiggling” (Ithaca Children’s Garden) @ https://www.ithacachildrensgarden.org/wormfacts/#:~:text=Worms%20do%20not%20have%20eyes,off%20it%20will%20grow%20back.
“The History of Scrambled Eggs” (The Food We Know) @ https://thefoodweknow.com/history-of-scrambled-eggs/
“How Did Rashi Make a Living?” (Mayer I Gruber: The Seforim Blog: 2007) @ https://seforimblog.com/2007/08/mayer-i-gruber-how-did-rashi-make/
“Huevos Fritos Con Miel (Fried Eggs With Honey)” (Erica Dinho: My Columbian Recipes: 2012; Revised 2021) @ https://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/huevos-fritos-con-miel-fried-eggs-with-honey/
“May 18, 1096: Crusaders Massacre 800 Jews in Worms, Germany (First Crusade)” (Major Dan: HistoryandHeadlines: 2018; updated 2020) @ https://www.historyandheadlines.com/may-18-1096-crusaders-massacre-800-jews-in-worms-germany-first-crusade/
“The Qumran Texts and Other Scrolls” (Bitannica.com) @ https://www.britannica.com/topic/biblical-literature/The-Qumran-texts-and-other-scrolls#ref597375
“Tale of Two Talmuds: Jerusalem and Babylonian” (Rabbi Jill Jacobs: My Jewish Learning) @ https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/tale-of-two-talmuds/
“That Time the Pope Approved the Talmud” (Chen Malul: NLI.org: 2018) @ https://blog.nli.org.il/en/popetalmud/
“What Are Worms?” (Australian Museum) @ https://australian.museum/learn/species-identification/ask-an-expert/what-are-worms/
“Who Was Rashi?” (Hila Ratzabi: My Jewish Learning) @ https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/who-was-rashi/
“Worms” (Gotthard Deutsch, Abraham Lewinsky, Joseph Jacobs, Schulim Ochser: Jewish Encyclopedia) @ https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/15013-worms
“Worms” (JGuideEurope) @ https://jguideeurope.org/en/region/germany/the-rhineland-and-bavaria/worms/
“Worms, Germany” (Wikipedia.org) @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worms,_Germany
“Worms, Germany: Centuries of Jewish History Distilled” (Alan Eisner: Huffpost.com: 2011; updated 2012) @ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/a-visit-to-worms-in-germa_b_1081562
“Worms and its Jews” (Worms.de) @ https://www.worms.de/en/web/luther/Worms_1521/Worms_1521/Worms_Juden.php#:~:text=Records%20show%20that%20Jews%20had,of%201096%20inflicted%20terrible%20damage.
“Worms Mahzor” (Fascimile Finder) @ https://www.facsimilefinder.com/facsimiles/worms-mahzor-facsimile
“Worms Mahzor” (Scalar.USC.edu) @ https://scalar.usc.edu/works/a-nostalgic-filter/worms-mahzor
“Worms Synagogue” (Wikipedia.org) @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worms_Synagogue
A. An Early History of Television
This month marks the 95th Anniversary of the first television station broadcast (W2XB; currently WRGB) from Schenectady, NY on January 13, 1928. [Fast Fact: Technically, the first broadcast was a few months earlier, on September 7, 1927, during a straight-line test; however, the January 1928 date was widely publicized with news reports invited to watch the event unfold.] However, there were only a few dozen television sets (most being in laboratories) so it was not seen by many, and the screens “were no larger than a postage stamp.”
The first full-length TV series was “The Queen’s Messenger” (by J. Harley Manners) and was first broadcast on September 11, 1928. A clip from the show can be seen below:
It took some time for television to become accepted (and affordable) by the general public. For instance, in 1939 NBC still only had 15 hours of regular programming (not 24 hours as we are used to today). By the late 1940s (after WW II) it became a popular medium of entertainment in many households. [Fast Fact: The first viable color TV was invented in the late 1940s, however the first color broadcast (by CBS) did not occur until June of 1950 to five east coast stations, but at the time most of the 10.5 million people that TV sets were black and white.]
Because television was a brand new medium and it’s culture was evolving, it did not have the same systematic bigotry of long-existing industries. In other words, Jews were not excluded from being part of the evolution for the mere fact that they were Jewish. This opened up many opportunities for Jews both behind and in front of the camera and as I discuss below, they took advantage of this good fortune, especially during its early years.
This article provides a brief overview of the history of Jews in the television industry as well as a brief look at some of its stars. In later articles I will focus on many of the individuals and even the show. This article is just to give you a sense of the role that Jews (and was portrayed) throughout the history of the medium of television. The food highlighted this month is directly correlated to the topic . . . TV Dinners.
This, being an article about the moving picture, I have included a number of videos for you to enjoy.
B. The Jewish TV Actors
There were a number of Jewish actors in Television, beginning from the early days of the media. Although there was a presence of Jewish on TV throughout its history, thew were in the minority, and mostly relegated to the background as writers or producers, or relegated to the area of comedy. Some of the Jewish TV acting pioneers included:
A very short list of the many other Jewish actors and actresses that came afterward includes:
Note: Throughout television history there have been many non-Jews that play Jewish characters. Although this has been rectified in recent years for many minorities, in the past producers and executives wanted to stay with non-Jews to soften the ethnicity of the character.
C. Jews Behind the Scenes in Television
Besides being employed as actors, there were a number of Jews that were involved in the background such as producing and writing for the TV-shows, or even involved in enhancing the viewing experience better. These include:
D. TV Shows and Jewish TV Characters
1. Jewish TV Characters of the 1930’s and 1940’s
The first “TV show” was broadcast on in September 1927 to only a few tv sets and by the end of the decade there were only a few dozen TV sets in the entire world. In 1939 the first commercially viable TV sets began to be sold and there were only 6000 TV sets owned in 1946. However, this number skyrocketed during WWII, with people wanted to get up-to-the-moment coverage. By the end of 1948 there were 350,000 TV sold in the US alone.
2. Jewish TV Characters of the 1950s and 1960s
One of the most popular shows of the early 1950s was the Goldbergs. The main character was a Jewish woman named Molly Goldberg. The principal writer and actress was Gertrude Berg, a Jewish woman that brought her Judaism to the small screen. The character was outwardly Jewish, spoke with a slight European accent, and even used Yiddish words in her dialogue. However, by the end of the series, the characters moved (from the Bronx) to a more gentrified suburban area and began losing most of its Jewish content. [Note: An article specifically on the Goldbergs is already on my schedule for the “near” future (July 2024).]
However, after it was cancelled in 1956, prominent Jewish characters ceased to be shown on television for a number of years. For example, the executives of the Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966) told its creator (Carl Reiner) and writers (many of whom were Jewish) to make one of its Jewish characters (Buddy, played by Jewish comedian Morey Amsterdam) “less ethnic.” There are even some allegations that Carl Reiner was not given the job as the main character because they wanted someone “Less Jewish.”
The 1950s, however, were full of variety and game shows, many of which were hosted by Jewish actors and comedians.
The cancellation of the Goldbergs, or even such variety shows as Texaco Star Theater (hosted by Milton Berle) was part of the changing demographics of the television audience. Mr. Television (Berle) was reaching 75% of the television viewers during the show’s first three seasons (1948-1951), which were mostly in urban areas. But by 1956, the audience began shifting towards the suburban viewers, which did not enjoy the Vaudeville-like humor and style, as well as any emphasis on people, cultures, or religions that were different than the midwestern idealism and heartland values. Except for a few exceptions, like Ricky Ricardo on I Love Lucy, ethnic characters could not find a place on television for a number of years. [Fast Fact: During the entirety of the 1960s only 700 characters in total, were Jewish; many appearing only one-time.] Also keep in mind that even if an executive or producer was Jewish, it was the advertising revenue that counted most, and if advertisers did not want ethnic characters, they were not going to see them on TV.
3. Jewish TV Characters of the 1970s & 1980s
It was not until the 1970s that TV producers began to allow programming that headlined minorities such as African Americans (i.e., Jeffersons) and Jews. One of the popular TV shows in the early 1970s was Rhoda, a sitcom about a Jewish woman that openly expressed her Jewish heritage (the positives as well as the negative stereotypes) and was a top-10 rated show from 1974-1976). The character is a spin-off from another popular sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but the character was modified to be less Jewish in the spinoff. [Fast Fact: The actress that played Rhoda, Valerie Harper, was not Jewish, but her husband/ex-husband Joe Gerard was played by a Jewish actor (David Groh).
The comedy Welcome Back Kotter also included two Jewish main characters. Juan Epstein (Puerto-Rican Jew) and Gabe Kotter (which was only once mentioned by his on-screen wife). However, their Jewish heritage was not explored during the series. The Show Barney Miller also had three Jews leading the show – Fish, Levitt and Captain Barney Miller himself, however, their Jewishness was never really brought up during the entirety of the series (1975-1982).
One of the most popular TV shows of the 1970s and 1980s, All in The Family, touched on many Jewish themes during it’s run and its spin-off Archie Bunker’s Place. During the final season of the original series (1979), a new character was introduced, the nine-year old daughter of Edith’s cousin, who they raise themselves. The new character, Stephanie is Jewish, and appears throughout the Spin-off as one of the series’ main characters. Also note that All in the Family produced several spinoffs, including on based on his strong-willed liberal female neighbors, Maude. Although the titular character in Maude was played by Bea Arthur (born Bernice Frankel), who was Jewish, her character was not.
In 1978 NBC produced a min-series entitled the Holocaust, which provided a look at the horrors of the Shoah for the first time to many people.
Most of the 1980s, however, was devoid of any main characters that identified as Jewish in most TV shows.
4. Jewish TV Characters of the 1990s
The 1990s brought an end to a drought of leading Jewish characters on television, beginning with Seinfeld, a comedy based on the observational comedy of it’s lead comic (and comedian) Jerry Seinfeld. Another popular comedy of the decade was The Nanny, loosely based on the life of the lead actress, Fran Drescher. However, these and other TV shows (especially sitcoms) dealing with Jews and Judaism, did not always portray Jews in a positive light – many times emphasizing stereotypes.
A quick shoutout to the animated children’s TV show, Rugrats, whose main characters are Jewish. Although most of the episodes do not discuss Judaism, some do, such as their Hanukah episode.
5. Jewish TV Characters of the 2000’s thru Today
The turn of the century brought about more series with Jewish characters (Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Sarah Silverman Program, Entourage, The Daily Show with John Stewart, and others). In 2013 a new series only slightly reminiscent of its namesake, the Goldbergs was released, featuring a Jewish family living the 1980s.
Today, especially with Hulu or other services, there are plenty of series on Cable that are about Jewish characters, such as: Shtisel, The Baker and the Beauty, Broad City, Fauda, and The Marvelous Mrs. Masel, to name a few.
E. History of TV Dinners
The food being highlighted this month has a direct relationship to the rest of the article . . . . TV dinners. Growing up I lived in an apartment building, and we only owned one air conditioner. During the evenings (or even very hot days when we were not outside) we would all stay in my parents cooled room. Although many of those nights we would have sandwiches or other quick to make foods, every so often my mom would throw in a few TV dinners, set up the snack tables in front of my parent’s bed, and we would enjoy (usually) Turkey or Fried Chicken in the cool room while watching TV on the big 24-inch screen (and in my early youth, I remember it being black and white). Sleeping bags were thrown on the floor, which is where I was spent those summer evenings. Watching TV with adults had major drawbacks. First, many televisions did not have remote controls (ours didn’t), which meant that it was up to the children to act as the remote and get up to change the channels. Secondly, sometimes the antennas did not pick up the broadcast channels great, which meant someone (the youth) had to get up and move the antenna so that the picture can be seen with the least number of lines and amount of snow.
In 1925 Clarence Birdseye created a machine that would be able to freeze and store food so that it can be re-heated and re-used. Twenty years later Maxson Foods used this “technology” to feed airbound passengers and was selling the fozen dinners (called “Strato-Plates”) to the Navy by 1944. The first frozen dinners sold commercially occurred in 1949 by Frozen Dinners Inc. (by Albert and Meyer Bernstein [??Jewish?? – I will try to perform some research into this question.]
But it was not until 1953 when TV dinners made their real impact on the food industry, due to the resolution of a 520,00 pound problem. Swanson had 260 tons of frozen turkey left over after Thanksgiving and had nowhere for it to go. It was one of their salesmen (Gerry Thomas) that came up with the idea of using them for frozen meals (along with cornbread stuffing and sweet potatoes in a metal container with compartments for each item) to the general public. He said that he got the idea when eating an airplane’s frozen dinner while on a business trip. The concept was tackled by Betty Cronin (the company’s bacteriologist), and the idea came to life. [Fact Fact: The company history is slightly different and states that the sons of the company’s founders conceived of the idea.]
Regardless of who thought of it, Swanson sold 10 million TV dinners in 1954. The time was ripe for this idea. Women began to go into the workforce in the 1950s in droves (so had little time for preparing and cooking a meal since the husbands seemingly could not do so themselves – at least from what I see on all the TV shows of the ear) and were able to serve a warm meal in less than a half hour (with no prep). In addition, by 1955 67% of US households had a television (up from 9 percent in 1950), which created an ideal situation to eat a ready-made meal while enjoying the spectacle of television. [Fact Facts: (1) It was also 1954 when the first frozen bagels were sold commercially (by Jewish bakers Harry Lender and his sons); (2) Some of you may remember the tin plates when you were younger. Those began to phase out with the introduction of the microwavable dinners in 1986 (by Campbell Soup Company).]
Sources
“6 Little-Known Facts About the Dick Van Dyke Show” (Kara Kovalchik: Mental Floss: 2008) @ https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/18584/6-little-known-facts-about-dick-van-dyke-show
“A Brief History of the TV Dinner” (Kovie Biakolo: Smithsonian Magazine: 2020) @ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/brief-history-tv-dinner-180976039/
“Early Television Stations” (Early Television) @ https://www.earlytelevision.org/w2xb.html
“The History of Color Television” (Mary Bellis: ThoughtCo.com: 2019) @ https://www.thoughtco.com/color-television-history-4070934
“The History of Television” (Cornell University) @ https://www.cs.cornell.edu/~pjs54/Teaching/AutomaticLifestyle-S02/Projects/Vlku/history.html#:~:text=The%20first%20%22television%22%20system%20broadcast,a%20few%20major%20nationwide%20papers
“Jaw Ward’s First Adventure in Cartoonland . . . . Crusader Rabbit” (Eyes of a Generation) @ https://eyesofageneration.com/jay-wards-first-adventure-in-cartoonland-crusader-rabbitcrusader-rabbit-is/
“Jewish Pioneers in Television” (Walter Podrazik and Harry Castleman: YouTube) [Video] @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAR2sHot6GI
“Jews in Television: Looking at Judaism on the Small Screen” (My Jewish Learning) @ https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jews-in-television/
“Jews in Television: 1950s & 1960s” (Joyce Antler: My Jewish Learning) @ https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jews-in-television-1950s-1960s/
“Norman Lear” (NormanLear.com) @ https://www.normanlear.com/
“Sir Isaac Shoenberg: Television Pioneer” (Alexandra Palace: Google Arts and Culture) @ https://artsandculture.google.com/story/sir-isaac-shoenberg-television-pioneer-alexandra-palace/SgXRPKoOHLbzJQ?hl=en
“The Strange History of Frozen Food” (Eater.com: 2014) @ https://www.eater.com/2014/8/21/6214423/the-strange-history-of-frozen-food-from-clarence-birdseye-to-the
“Television in the United States” (Jeffrey Shandler, updated by Vincent Brooks/JWA.org/Last updated 2021) @ https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/television-in-united-states
“The Television Remote Control: A Brief History” (Mary Bellis: ThoughtCo.com: 2019) @ https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-television-remote-control-1992384
“The Untold Truth of the Dick Van Dyke Show” (Laura Kelly: Grunge.com: Last Updated 2022) @ https://www.grunge.com/372863/the-untold-truth-of-the-dick-van-dyke-show/
“What Was the First Television Show (& More Questions About TV History, Answered)” (Allison McClain Merrill: Screen Rant: Updated 2022) @ https://screenrant.com/first-ever-television-show-tv-history-questions-answered/
“Who Invented the TV Dinner?” (Aaron Radle: History.com: 2021) @ https://www.history.com/news/tv-dinner-history-inventor
“William Asher, Director of Classic TV Comedies, Dies at 90” (Denise Grady: NY Times: 2012) @ https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/arts/television/william-asher-director-of-i-love-lucy-dies-at-90.html
[Revised March 2023]
I have always enjoyed reading, even as a young kid. My mom would share with me the books she was reading, especially the Sci-Fi, adventure, and horror books. I am not exactly sure when the exact moment occurred (maybe in the shoe store when I received free copies of the comics from the salesman) or when I would go around the corner to pick up a few things for my parents and allowed to keep the change (which I immediately spent on comic books and baseball cards). Today, a pack of cards or a comic book cost more than the loaf of bread of quart of milk I used to pick up. [The discussion of Sy Berger and the creation of baseball cards is a topic for another day.]
It was during this time that I fell I love with comic books. From Archie to Fantastic Four to Superman. Although I grew up in a Jewish home, I never considered if any of the characters (Super and not-so-super heroes were Jewish). I never even thought a moment about whether Jews had any influence on the comics or the industry – I am sure that I found out during my High School years that Stan Lee was Jewish, but even then never made any connection between my religion and pulps I would purchase every month. Every comic book character always seemed to be celebrating Christmas at the end of each year, I just assumed that no-one was Jewish, especially the writers.
It was during my college years, after amassing a large collection, and learning about the characters on the page and their creators/artists that I began to see some type of connection, subtle as it is. All three of the above comics I mentioned above were created (or co-created) by Jews. Archie (John Goldwater), Fantastic Four (Stanley Lieber and Jacob Kurtzberg; i.e., Stan Lee and Jack Kirby), and Superman (Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster). After college I worked for a few months at a national retailer of Gold and Silver Age comics, where I really learned firsthand about this industry and artform (thanks Steve F!).
This month’s article will look at how Jews helped shape the comic industry beginning in its early days through today, especially in regard to the superhero genre. Although the main discussion will be on the Comic Book Industry over the past century, I will also delve into a little bit of Biblical crossover and discuss superheroes in the Torah as well as how Judaism views the use of supernatural powers. The food being highlighted this month will also have a superhero connection. I will be providing a recipe for Spiderman Wheat Cakes with a discussion on the origin and history of one of the most important foods in world’s history . . . . wheat.
Although I may have sold off most of my comic book collection long ago, my love of this literary genre still remains with me today. [Yes, I do consider comics a literary genre.] This article is dedicated to all of those out there that received many hours of enjoyment reading about superpowers, far off worlds, or whether Archie will be dating Veronica or Betty.
[Please Note: In this article I am not trying to diminish the contributions of non-Jews to the comic book industry. They are significant, and I have noted many of them in my article. However, the focus of the article are its Jewish contributors and do not intend to be disrespectful to all the other men and women that have contributed to the world of comics.]
I dedicate this article to the memory of Stan Lee for what would have been his 100th birthday on December 28th.
From an anthropological point of view the first comic strips appeared on the walls of caves, when primitive man told a story through images. Much later, but still a long time ago many ancient civilizations continued to tell stories through imagery – for instance, the Egyptians were skilled at graphical story telling using pictures and hieroglyphs. In the early 1700s printers would publish colorful prints lampooning political events of the era. This style was used in America when Benjamin Franklin created and published the first editorial cartoon in 1754.
The Glasgow Looking Glass was the first mass produced magazine (not comic) to tell stories using only illustrations, when it first published over 100 years ago in June of 1825. It was part of a popular genre of the time called graphical journalism. In 1827, a Swiss writer and illustrator (Rudolph Topffer) created the first multi-panel “comic” and a decade years later published the first illustrated book entitled “The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck.”
While a few cartoon characters were published prior to 1895, the credit for the first comic strip goes to Richard Outcault, who published the strip “The Yellow Kid” in New York World. It was the first strip to be broken into panels and use speech bubbles to provide the narrative.
Although Jews were not as prolific in the early history of the comic strip, there were a few Jewish cartoonists that have made waves in this medium over the years such as the following:
1. Max Gaines and the Modern Comic Book
The first modern comic book was published in 1933. It was a compilation of copies of comic strips printed in a pamphlet format in four colors. It was titled Famous Funnies, and was created by Maxwell Gaines (born Max Ginzberg), a Jewish man from New York. Ginzberg/Gaines along with Harry Wildenberg (a Jewish friend that worked at Eastern Color Printing (ECP)). These first comics were published by ECP. Then, after Gaines made money for the company, they fired him. Not to be undone, he decided to go solo, making a deal with the McClure Newspaper Syndicate. He proposed to them that if he could use their printers, he would split his profits 50-50. They agreed, and Popular Comics was born in 1934 reprinting many of the Sunday comic strips from newspapers, but also included some new material such as Sheldon Mayer’s Scribbly.
In 1938 Gaines changed the name to All-American Publications and began focusing on new material. All American published such titles as: Atom, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Johnny Thunder, and Wonder Woman among other titles. [Fast Fact: There were 35,000 copies of Famous Funnies shipped out to department stores. Although it was a hit, they did not make a profit until issue #8, when they earned a little over $2600 dollars.]
2. The Merger
There was another large comic publisher called National Allied Publications (which took on the moniker of Detective Comics, after its top-selling comic book). When National Allied began having financial issues, they went to the owner of their printer Harry Donefeld (who is Jewish) to help them out. The company went into bankruptcy, and 1935 Donefeld wound up buying up all the pieces to become sole owner (along with minority partner Jack Liebowitz, also Jewish). [Fast Fact: National Allied was created by Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1934, and introduced Detective Comics, which introduced Batman in issue #27.] There is a darker side to this story. Allegedly, Donefeld and Liebowitz set up Wheeler-Nicholson, sending him and his wife on a Cuban cruise, while suing him for nonpayment, which wound up in court. The judge was allegedly a good friend of Donenfeld, and allowed the bankruptcy to occur so that Donefeld could take over the business while the Major was still on vacation. [see]
In 1939 these two comic companies merged to become National Allied Publishing. What happened was that Gaines wanted to get away from superheroes and sold his shares to Liebowitz, who then merged with Donefeld. However, he stayed in the industry and formed Educational Comics. [Fast Fact: Officially, the publishing company’s retained the name National Allied Publishing, later National Periodical Publication, and did not change its name until 1977, when it became Detective Comics.]
3. Why Were So Many Jews in the Comic Industry?
A number of Jewish writers and artists got their start in this fledgling industry. It was not because they were looking for Jewish employees, it is because most publishers and advertising companies had anti-semitic quotas. The comic industry was also considered the bottom of the barrel in publishing, which is why Jews and minorities were able to get a start – it was not until years later when the business became lucrative. Here was the opportunity for comic publishers that needed artists and writers to hire artists and writers that were shut out elsewhere.
Because many of the early comic publishers were owned by Jews, they did not have any discriminatory quotas. It is due to antisemitism that you will see many Jews I will discuss below as the creators for some of the iconic superheroes that we revere today. [Fast Fact: It should be noted that many of those hired were young (teenagers) and inexperienced and many of the early illustrations were very crude.]
1. Superman
a. The Creators: Shuster and Siegel
As mentioned above, the honor of the first superhero goes to a Lee Falk’s Comic Strip hero, the Phantom. However, the honor of the first comic book superhero goes to Kal-El, also known as the Man of Steel or Superman. He first appeared in Action Comics #1 in June of 1938.
The comic was almost never published. The creators, two Jewish teenagers Jerry Siegel (writer) and Joe Shuster (artist) created the character and a comic strip and submitted it to a number of newspapers. They all rejected the strip. Sheldon Mayer (yes, the creator of Scribbly), happened to be in the offices of National Allied (Detective Comics) and saw the strip in the rejection pile. He picked it up, began reading it and fell in love. He brought it to the attention of Gaines, who then showed it to Donefeld, and the group took the strips, pasted them together into a comic book format and the first comic book superhero was born.
A month before the comic was published Seigel and Shuster made what they consider the biggest mistake of their lives. They sold all of the rights to their creation for $130 dollars (about $2,500 today). Although they were decently paid for continuing as writer and artist, they were not compensated for their creation. In the 1940s, when DC published Superboy (also their creation, but never gave DC the copyright), they also tried to sue for Superman. They eventually sold the rights to both for $94,000 (which came out to about $30,00 each after court fees and expenses). In later years Seigel fell onto hard times. In 1977, when Warner Brothers was promoting the new Superman movie (released 1978), Siegel showed up at one of the press conferences and announced that he was the co-creator of Superman. The president of the National Cartoon Society heard the press conference. This person was non-other than Jerry Robinson (co-creator of Robin and Joker), who was a huge supporter of author’s rights. Due to his pressure and influence, Shuster and Siegel received a $20,000 a year stipend, which was raised to $30,000 for their agreement to never contest the ownership again. In addition, whenever Superman (or Superboy) appear in any form, it is to be credited to them as “based on the characters created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegal.”
b. Is Superman Jewish?
There are entire books written on this subject. Yes, books are written about the possible religion of fictional character in a comic book. Although it may be a good read, I am not going to go into so much detail. Below are a few Jewish “facts” about Superman:
2. Batman: The Caped Crusader
a. Dynamic Jewish Trio: Kane, Finger, and Robinson
With the success of Superman, DC wanted another superhero comic to be published. They tapped a young Jewish employee named Bob Kane. Kane came up with a rough idea about a ruthless vigilante in a bright red costume with bat ears. Kane then asked Bill Finger (also Jewish) to take a look at his crude sketches. Finger then took the rough draft and re-imagined him into the character we visualize today.
The new superhero named Batman, who did not have any superpowers, debuted in Detective #27 in March 1939 and was another smash hit with readers. The original storyline, as mentioned, had Batman as a ruthless individual who would kill and maim in his crusade for justice. By April of the following year, the editor (Whitney Ellsworth) put an end to indiscriminate killing by the caped crusader. As the character continued to develop, he became less crude with more of an upstanding and law-abiding Boy-Scout type image. That image stood for decades, until the Dark Knight Returns miniseries in 1986 by Frank Miller.
Bob Kane sold his rights to the Batman character a month before it was published. However, in his agreement, he stipulated that he received credit for its creation. Every Batman comic until the mid-1960s has “Bob Kane” printed upon it. After the re-establishment of Shuster and Seigel as creators of Superman in the late 1980s, DC began to provide “created by” credits for all Batman products (including the movies).
Bill Finger had not made any such deal with Detective Comics, and his notoriety as co-creator of Batman (and a number of other characters in the series) had begun to fade. Finger was brought in as a ghostwriter (probably as a freelancer through the Eisner – Iger agency). Although it took many years, he began receiving credit for his co-creation of Batman in 2015 and other related characters, such as the Riddler.
Finger suggested adding a Watson-type character that Batman could solve mysteries and Jerry Robinson was brought in to form a Jewish trio of writers and artists for Batman. Robinson is credited to having co-created Robin to be Batman’s Watson. Robinson is also known for co-creating another famous protagonist of Batman, the Joker.
b. Is Batman Jewish?
Yes . . . . .No. . . . . Yes. The answer is complicated. Let me explain . . . .
Yes. The creators of Batman, Kane and Finger were Jewish. Of course, there had to be some Jewish influence in the character’s development, especially when a third Jewish team member (Robinson) was added to the mix. But there is nothing to be seen in plain sight.
No. This Jewish Trio, developed Batman, but did not include much about his religious background, except that his father (Thomas Wayne) was Episcopalian, and he was raised as such. However, he was not a superhero that had Christmas specials or did religion enter his crime-solving adventures. In the decades after his origination, he never really expressed his religious beliefs nor did the writers ever probe into it.
Yes. Batwoman (to be discussed later) was introduced in July 1956 (in Detective Comics #233) as Batman’s lover. However, she had a make-over and was reintroduced in the 2000’s as Kate Kane, Bruce Wayne’s cousin. [Fact Fact: her last name is a nod to memory of Bob Kane.] Kate Kane is a practicing Jew, as were her parents. Her aunt is Martha Wayne (Bruce’s mom), her dad’s (Jacob Kane) sister. Martha and Jacob’s mother (Kate and Bruce’s grandmother) was Elizabeth Kane, who was Jewish. Under Jewish law it is the mother that determines the religion of the child. Since Martha Wayne (ne Kane) was Jewish, even though she married an Episcopalian man, her children (Bruce) would be Jewish under Jewish law. I also hate to put it this way, but if the Wayne’s were in Nazi Germany, Bruce would be classified as a Jew
However, do not expect DC or any of its writers to acknowledge the above, at least not anytime soon. In my opinion, America is not ready for a major long-time iconic superhero to be Jewish. Even if this background is introduced and acknowledged, based on the make-up of Bruce Wayne’s character, I do not believe he would not care, since he does not believe in any G-d or religion.
3. Who Created Batman?
I am not going to go into depth about the speculation as to who originally created Batman, the character or the story. But as mentioned above, much of the credit to the hero’s creation should go to Bill Finger. However, did Bill Finger or Bob Kane steal the idea themselves? It has been noted that Batman might have been more than just borrowed from others.
3. Timely Comics
a. Human Torch
Jewish businessman Martin Goodman owned Goodman Publishing and decided to expand his business to include pulps, such as comic books. These would be published under a division named Timely Comics. Timely Comics would eventually become Marvel Comics in 1961.
The first comic to be published was Marvel Comics #1 in October 1939. One of the featured stories featured a Superhero named the Human Torch, created by Jewish writer and artist Carl Burgos (born Max Finkelstein). The original Human Torch was a lab-created android, and was re-invented years later by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1961 as Johnny Storm, a member of the Fantastic Four. [Fast Fact: The Submariner was also introduced in this issue, written by Bill Everett. Everett created Namor as a water-centric an anti-parallel to the fire-wielding Human Torch.]
b. Captain America
Timely’s third main superhero during the 1940s was Captain America and first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941). This iconic American patriot and superhero was created by to Jewish men by the names of Hymie Simon and Jacob Kurtzberg, known as Joe Simon and Jack Kirby respectively. Although the character Steve Rogers (a weak asthmatic from New York City) was created by Jews, Rogers is not Jewish. [Fast Fact: In addition to his work on Captain America, Joe Simon was influential in the comic industry throughout his life, having been part of creating seminal characters, a pioneer in horror comics (Black Magic), and even as a satirist in the Sick, a parody magazine he created and published.]
c. Is Captain America Jewish?
Although Simon or Kirby ever stated anything about Cap’s Jewishness, being Jews in 1941 reading stories about Hitler and his anti-Jewish and anti-American views invading other countries, it is very easy to imagine that they had created the character to fight to protect the world against fascism and antisemitism.
There is a theory that Captain America is similar to the Golem of Jewish folklore and Steve Rogers is the clay that Simon and Kirby used to create their hero. First off, Rogers becomes a super soldier by being injected by a serum created by a Jewish doctor named Joseph Reinstein (alias of Abraham Erskine). But there is nothing conclusive about that, so let me try to explain the theory.
The Golem in the original story is as follows . . . a Rabbi needs to find a way to protect the Jews of Prague. He takes a piece of clay and with prayers, the Golem becomes the protector of the Jews of Prague. Importantly to the theory is that the rabbi writes the word amet (אמת) on the clay Golem (usually described as written on its forehead), which translates to “truth” in English. The Golem could only be defeated by erasing the “א” (aleph) inscribed on the Golem. The aleph is the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and has a sound similar to the first letter in the English language “A.” If the aleph is removed from the Hebrew word, it becomes “מת” which translates in English as “death.” The theory compares the “A” on Captain America’s head to the aleph of the Golem.
I would be remiss to not mention the controversy due to a storyline in a 10-issue miniseries entitled “Secret Empire” published in 2017 which reveals that Steve Rogers (All-American patriot and presumably based on Jewish lore created by two Jews) was working with an organization known as Hydra, which has its origin in Naziism. Magneto (a Holocaust survivor) was also shown on a cover variation with Hydra agents alleging some type of allegiance. Many people were not happy.
4. Wonder Woman
The character of Wonder Woman, her origin, nor her creators were Jewish. Wonder Woman came to being as a positive role model for children by psychologist William Moulton Marston with influences by his wife Elizabeth and Life Partner (Olive Byrne), who were two strong women in his life. Wonder Woman’s signature bracelets were modelled after Byrne’s bracelets. [Fast Facts: (1) Maston had two children with each woman (they continued to live together after Maston passed). (2) He also helped invent the mechanism to measure blood pressure, which uses as a component of a polygraph test. (3) In addition, he was instrumental in developing the DISC theory. (4) Olive Byrne’s mother (Ethel Byrne) helped to open up the first “birth control” clinic (the “Brownsville Clinic”) with her sister Margaret Sanger and a Jewish theater artist named Fania Mindell in Brooklyn in 1916; Sanger also established other organizations that evolved into Planned Parenthood.]
Wonder Woman does have a Jewish connection to this article. It was Max Gaines that read an interview Marston by Olive Byrne in Family Circle entitled “Don’t Laugh at the Comics” (October 1940) in which he commented that comics have a great educational potential and that the current comics were male-dominated. This prompted Marston to be hired and create a female superhero that girls could relate to.
There is also another more recent connection to Wonder Woman and Judaism. The 2004 Miss Israel, who is a Jewish actress, model, and served in the the IDF, was hired to be Wonder Woman in the movies, beginning with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016, and subsequent related movies. When the movie Wonder Woman was released in 2017 it was banned in Lebanon because the lead actress is Israeli.
5. The Spirit
One cannot discuss comic books in the 1940s and not include a little something about Quality Comics, its owner “Busy” Arnold, The Sprit, and the legendary Will Eisner. Most comic book readers, and the average person never heard of Eisner, but he was instrumental to the development of the comic industry.
Although some of the titles Quality printed over the years included Feature Funnies/Feature Comics, Blackhawk, GI Combat (1950s), and its main superhero Plastic Man, it is best known for its insert in the Sunday newspaper, The Spirit. With the popularity of the new comic book boom, the newspaper industry wanted something to compete against it. Everitt “Busy” Arnold, a printer talked to the newspaper publisher syndicate and they decided to include a comic-book insert into the Sunday papers. He called upon Jewish cartoonist Will Eisner to create an insert that would get people to buy the newspapers.
Eisner grew up poor in the Bronx, New York, but was good at art and creating comic strips. At DeWitt Clinton High School, his friend Bob Kane (yes, the co-creator of Batman) suggested trying to sell some of his work to Wow Magazine, which mostly reprinted strips, but sometimes included new material. Wow’s Jewish editor, Jerry Iger liked the submission and began to publish Eisner’s work. [Fast Fact: The first strip published was titled “Captain Scott Dalton.” Wow only lasted four issues, but Iger and Eisner formed a solid relationship. They began creating and selling original comic strips, but also began to create a network of comic book writers and artists, so when a publisher needed the talents of someone to create a comic strip, they would call upon Iger and Eisner, who would supply the personnel; they were like a comic-book temp staffing agency. They referred to their staffing as “packaging” where the publisher would get the full package of a writer and artists.
For Arnold’s request, Eisner took the role upon himself to create the supplement, although sold his share of the repackaging business to Iger for $20,000. He went to work and created a new comic masked crime fighter named The Spirit. The Sprit was originally an 8-page insert that was included in a syndicate of newspapers around the country. In Eisner’s agreement with Arnold, he retained all copyright to the characters he created. Fortunately for Eisner, he was a lot more financially stable than Seigel, Shuster, and Kane and did not need the few hundred dollars to give away ownership.
Eisner used this new comic book to experiment with different styles of comic book storytelling, and visualizations, which the rest of the industry took notice of and began to follow. For instance, in the storyline “Gerhard Shnobble,” he inserted his own personal point of view into the comic. He also instilled real life into the comics, reproducing in comic forms the poor living conditions and violence o the streets that he grew up with. He also experimented with adding comedy into the drama plotlines. He also added song lyrics into some of his stories, and tried to include a host of varied characters of different personality types and backgrounds.
Eisner was drafted during World War II, and the Army put him to work writing comics in such publications as Stars and Stripes in order to entertain the troops. In the 1950s Eisner founded the American Visuals Corporation, that published comics and illustrations for educational and commercial purposes.
6. Other Golden Age superheroes created (or co-created) by Jewish writers and artists:
Although I have mentioned most of the biggest Superheroes of the Golden Age of comics, there were other less notable, but still important comic heroes and characters that were also created during the 1940s and early 1950s, including:
Although not a comic character, I wanted to also acknowledge the artwork of Lou Fine who was an influential Jewish comic artist during the Golden Age and worked on numerous projects, including many titles at Quality Comics. He has lent his talents to multiple works over his lifetime.
D. Comic Book Authority
1. Decline of Superheroes
With the end of World War II and the end of anti-American villains to fight, superhero comics lost favor and sales began to decline greatly during the 1950s. Other comic genres began to appear, such as romance, police/crime dramas, science fiction, and horror. Some of these comics began to test the boundaries of sex, violence, and the 1950s sense of morality.
Many new comic books in these genres were created, including some amazing stories of horror, many written an published by Jewish writers and artists. [Editor’s Note: I am going to stay brief in my discussion of non-superhero comic books, which discussed in a past article on Jewish authors/writers of horror.]
There were also straight-line comic books, such as the Bible Story comics published by Max Gaine’s new publishing company Educational Comics (EC) or another comic publisher MLJ magazines that was formed by three men: Maurice Coyne, Louis Silberkleit, and John L. Goldwater. Of the three, Silberkleit and Goldwater were Jewish. Their most well-known comic character was Archie, which was created by a collaboration of publisher John Goldwater, artist Bob Montana, and Jewish writer Vic Bloom, which debuted in Pep Comics #22 (December 1941). Due to the character’s popularity MLJ eventually changed its name to Archie Comics. [Fast Fact: There is controversy as to actually created the characters – Goldwater or Montana. Goldwater claimed that it was his idea and Montana visualized it, while Montana claims that the only input Goldwater gave him was that he was to create a comic about teenagers and he created and developed the characters.]
2. Self-Regulation of the Comic Book Industry
In 1953 a Jewish psychologist named Frederick Wertham published a 7-year study on how comic books effect children’s behavior, which becomes very well read. The study concluded that reading comic books had very negative consequences upon a child’s well being. In his study he suggested that the superheroes were negative roll models and even called out some by name. For instance, besides promoting violence, he believed that Batman and Robin were in a homosexual relationship and Wonder Woman was not only a lesbian, but fostered S&M. [Editor’s note: No, I am not making this stuff up.]
Since none of the publishers want to be known as immoral, a group led by MLJ’s Goldwater met in 1954 and formed the Comic’s Magazine Association of America (CMAA), where he became the President. [Fast Fact: Goldwater also held the position of the National Commissioner of the Anti-Defamation League.] They also created a sub-group to conduct the day-today activities call the Comics Code Authority. They established the Comics Code which was to remove all offensive materials from comic books, including images, ideas, and words. The CMAA and the Comics Code Authority were funded by the publishers.
Although the study was written by a Jewish psychologist, and the charge was led by a Jewish publisher, there was also a push to rid the world of some of these comic books for alternative anti-semetic reasons. A Hartford Courant editorial, for instance, referred to comics as “the filthy stream that flows from the gold-plated sewers of New York”–a code phrase for “Jewish businesses.”
3. Satire and Parody
a. MAD Magazine
By the time the Comic Code was created Bill Gaines had taken over the business operations of EC and moved away from his father’s wholesome approach. Some of his best sellers were horror comics, such as Tales from the Crypt, Haunt of Fear, and Vault of Horror. Although the stories dealt in morbid subject matter, authors such as Al Feldstein (who is Jewish) created the stories with moral themes. When the Code was published, like all other comic publishers, he acquiesced and cancelled production of all of the titles that violated he code (and even the titles themselves were in violation). For Gaines, that meant all but one of his publications would be cancelled. Joe Simon – also early influence on Horror Comics (Black Magic) – after WWII waning of superheroes
The one title that remained was a satire comic-type publication titled MAD, which had recently began publication (October/November 1952) Although one may think that it escaped the guidelines because it was a satire, that would not be true. It was allowed to continue because Gaines and Jewish editor Harvey Kurtzman enlarged the size of the publication and called it a “magazine,” so it would not fall under the Comic Code. Besides Kurtzman, MAD enlisted many Jewish artists, writers, and editors over the years including: Al Jaffe, Will Elder, Mort Drucker, Dave Berg, Al Feldstein, etc.
In addition to MAD, Gaines also published a second satire magazine titled Panic beginning in 1954. Although also not under the purview of the Comic Code, almost immediately its content caused controversy and legal troubles. One of the parodies in the first issue was a satire entitled “The Night Before Christmas,” for which Gaines was arrested for “desecrating Christmas” and creating a panic. The publication only lasted 12 issues due to legal issues and disagreements with Kurtzman, who did not like a competing publication from his own publisher.
MAD magazine was very successful, and besides Panic, other publishing companies began to create their own satire and parody magazines. Joe Simon of Captain American notoriety, and who was an influential writer of horror comics created his own satire magazine Sick. The biggest competition to MAD, however, was the brainchild of Jewish publisher Sol Brodsky’s Cracked (1958) which very closely imitated its rival. Cracked published its final issue in 2007, and the world said goodbye to Alfred E. Neuman (the magazine’s mascot) and MAD in 2018.
By the 1970s, the Comic Code began losing its authority, such as when Stan Lee published Amazing Spider-man (Issues #96-98) without the Authorities’ approval (they denied it due to its theme of drug use, even though the message was anti-drug). By 2001 Marvel opted out of the Comic Code Authority and within a decade all other publishers pulled out and without funding, it stopped functioning in 2011.
E. Silver Age Superheroes
1. The Flash (Barry Allen)
Superhero comics continued to decline in sales throughout the 1950s, and the Comic Code did not help matters. Detective Comics wanted to try to turn around the situation and gave the challenge to its Jewish editor Julius “Julie” Schwartz and his talented team of writers and artists.
Schwarz and his team decided to take a look at what characters they had and how they may be able to change them to meet the wants of the modern comic reader while still adhering to the Comics Code. Their first effort was to take the 1940’s Flash and update him for the modern world. Jewish writer Robert Kangher teamed with Carmine Infantino to create the new Flash. Besides a new costume and background, the character was also given a new name (Barry Allen). To test the waters they did not want to begin a new comic title, so they made Flash the central story in Showcase #4 (October 1956). The story and character were a success. [Fast Fact: Although Barry Allen is not Jewish, in the 2017 Film Justice League, the character is played by Ezra Miller, whose father is Jewish (and identifies as Jewish).]
2. Green Lantern (Hal Gordon)
With the success of the new Flash, DC decided to expand this idea. The next 1940’s superhero on the line was Green Lantern. This time it went to the Jewish duo of John Broome (writer) and Gil Kane (artist). This character was also given a new background, origin, costume, name (Hal Jordan) and possibly religion. The new character was introduced in Showcase #22 (1959).
In later issues his background evolved and although his religious identity has not been explored in much detail, it was noted that although he was raised Catholic. However, his mother was Jewish, and according to Jewish law, that makes him Jewish.
Some other “Jewish” facts about the Hal Jordan Green Lantern include:
Note that Green Lantern has undergone several evolutions since, including African American and female Green Lantern characters.
3. Other DC Superhero Makeovers
There were several other superheroes (and teams) that had a makeover, such as:
4. Goodman Publishing Company – Pulp Division known as Timely Comics
In early 1961, Stan Lee a Jewish comic writer and executive told his wife that he was frustrated with the way his company (Goodman Publishing Company) was handling their comic division (Timely Comics) as well as feeling underappreciated. The company’s owner, Martin Goldman, called Lee into his office and asked him to create something different for their comic division to compete with Justice League of America and was given almost free reign to do as he wanted. Instead of quitting, Lee took up the challenge and began to work with long-time comic artist Jack Kirby (who was also Jewish).
In November 1961, the first issue of Fantastic Four hit the stands. The new superhero team made up of new characters Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards), Invisible Woman (Susan Storm), The Thing (Ben Grimm), and a re-imagining of an old hero from the 1940s, the Human Torch (Johnny Storm). As they developed the background of Ben Grimm, they took their time in revealing his Jewish heritage (40 years later, I 2002 where he has a Bar Mitzvah), and years later (2019) when he got married, it was under a kuppa (a Jewish wedding canopy) and he was wearing a yarmukah (skull cap). Although he was Jewish, he was created to represent the outsider and symbolize not only Jews, but all minorities.
Lee, Kirby and a host of other artists and writers then went to work to create the Marvel Universe of superheroes. A few of the highlights included:
These new superhero and teams proved to be very successful for the publishing company, which changed its name to Marvel in 1963.
5. Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby, who had a long and distinguished career in comic books from the Original Captain America thru the early 1960s slew of Marvel superheroes felt unappreciated by Marvel. He quit and went over to work at DC.
He was responsible for creating three titles that all intertwined in what is known as the Fourth World, which included New G-ds, Forever People, and Mister Miracle. These comics had some groundbreaking elements and influenced the imagery and possible stories for future books and movies, including Star Wars and the Matrix.
F. 1970s Underground Movement & Graphic Novels
The 1970s provided continued improvement to the superhero comics in their storylines, details, character development, and visualizations. However, there were two new elements that were added to the industry – Graphic Novels and underground comics and comic strips.
1. Underground movement
A number of small independent newspapers and comic developers began to pop up (especially in New York and California) and began producing their own comics. Of course, Jews were a part of this new wave within the industry, and included such artists and writers as Diane Noomin (Twisted Sisters), Trina Robbins (who also became the first woman to draw Wonder Woman), and Sam Gross (single-panel specialist, became cartoon editor for National Lampoon).
2. Graphic Novels
Thirty years after he began in the comic industry Will Eisner is still not only going strong in the 1970s, but he is still revolutionizing the world of comic books. The book, entitled “A Contract with G-d” (1978)includes four stand-alone stories and all have faith as a common theme. The book is designed differently than the average comic with large frames, dramatic perspective, detailed facial expressions, and irregular frames (or none at all), and was longer than the average comic and also meant to break the low-brow opinion of the industry. Eisner’s experiment was a huge success, and began a whole new genre within the comic industry, something which he termed as “graphic novels.” Much of the content was influenced as a poor Jewish kid of immigrant parents. The stories are not happy, all have some meaning, and are all intertwined. The title story, for instance, is about a poor Jewish man that lost his young daughter.
Will Eisner’s creation has spurred many other graphic novels over the years. Due to Eisner’s continuing influence and innovations in the Comic Book Industry. In fact, one of the most prestigious awards in the industry given to comic book innovators each year is named after him, the Will Eisner Award, and there is also a Will Eisner Hall of Fame for those that have made an impact on the industry.
Two other graphic novels of mention created by Jews includes:
Another genre of comic books was created in Japan called Manga. The G-d of Manga, Osama Tezka wrote many comics. One of his most famous dealt with Judaism in A Message to Adolf that followed the relationship between two men named Adolf (one Jewish, one German) living in Japan during World War II through the Mideast conflict of more recent times.
G. Jewish Superheroes and Comic Characters
In 1933 a Jewish man created the first modern comic book. The comic industry was flooded with Jewish artists and writers over the next few decades writing dozens, if not hundreds of titles and new characters. However, it took thirty years until a character that would be readily identifiable as Jewish to appear. That distinction would go to Private Izzy Cohen, a member of Sgt. Fury’s platoon in Sgt. Fury and the Howling Commandoes #1 in May of 1963. The comic was created by Stan Lee and Nick Fury. This comic was created to compete with DC’s Sgt. Rock which was created by another Jewish writer, Joe Kubert.
It was another fourteen years until the first explicitly Jewish superhero would appear. In Super Friends #7 (Oct 1977), Superman visits Israel and meets up with Seraph. Seraph is a Jewish-Israeli hero that receives his powers from the Cloak of Elijah, Ring of Solomon, and Staff of Moses (he also has long hair like Samson, which is how he got his moniker). Over the years other Israeli-born superheroes would be introduced into the comics. This includes:
There are many other Jewish superheroes and characters in the world of comics, and since I do not have time to list or discuss them all, below is a list with some quick information about each. Note that although I may note the date and issue of their first appearance, in some cases it was many years until their Jewish identities were revealed.
There are many other comic characters that have Jewish backgrounds in addition to other individuals in the industry (artists, writers, executives, etc.) that are not mentioned in this article, but this article should have provided a good summary of Jews that helped in the creation and evolution of the comic industry. If interested, Wikipedia does provide a decent list of all Jewish comic characters at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_comic_book_characters.
H. Conclusion
A Few Notes
I finish leave this discussion without mentioning one of my favorite books, that also deals with the comic industry, its creators, and the Golem. Of course, I am talking about Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay. Although I enjoyed the first half more than the second, it was a great read and would recommend it to anyone that has even a modest interest in comic books (and if you have read this article through here, I am guessing you do), or just want to read a good book.
I do mention superhero movies a few times in this article, but you may be interested to know that I am not a huge fan of superhero movies. Although they have all the special effects and are based on the stories I had enjoyed in the pulp, I have never found them to be well acted or well scripted. Also as a (former) avid comic reader the scenes, places, characters, and worlds being shown, even with todays effects and CGI’s are nothing like how I imagine them in my mind while reading the comic itself. To me, the big screen has not really made the comics come alive – at least for me. But then again, I also feel the same way about books that are made into movies or TV shows – just not the same thing.
I would also like to mention my small part in the comic industry. A very, very small part. I became friendly with a Jewish entrepreneur, personality, talk-show host, wrestler, and publisher named Brimstone. Through one of my websites I helped promote Brimstone and his comic books. His main title was Brimstone and the Borderhounds that was based on his wrestling persona. Although an excellent comic, it was tough as a small publisher to survive. However, Brimstone got right back on his feet and has the #1 talk radio show in Long Island with Grindhouse Radio.
My Ramblings
My interest in comics have gone in cycles over the years, with the late 70s and 1980s being the height of my interest. To tell you the truth, the religion of the artist, writer, or executive or even the character never really mattered much to me during that time. Except for a few exceptions, such as Maus or Sandman, it had really no bearing on my enjoyment or understanding of the comic’s contents. However, in recent years I have not only become more aware of anti-semetic sentiments, which have also increased, and especially hearing what have the Jews done for me or the world. Therefore, I think it is important to highlight what Jews have done. To some comic books are meaningless, as are the characters that have been created. On the other hand, there must be something to the multi-million dollar superhero universe which are mostly based on characters that had their origins from Jewish creators and co-creators. A Jew hater may say they do not eat kosher foods, but will readily eat fruit (all fruit is kosher), just as another hater may say they will not watch Wonder Woman because it is being portrayed by a Jew (although the character was not created by Jews), but will pay money to see an Avengers movie on screen, although most of the characters were devised in some ways by the minds of Jews.
A few articles on Jews in comics have finished their articles with a quote from Stan Lee on Judaism in comic books. Although I hate conformity, because his statement is so fitting, I will be no different . . . .
“To me you can wrap all of Judaism up in one sentence, and that is, ‘Do unto others.’ All I tried to do in my stories was show that there’s some innate goodness in the human condition. And there’s always going to be evil; we should always be fighting evil.”
Even before there were comic books there were tales of people with supernatural powers, from the Greeks and Romans to the Hebrews. Although one can say that these characters in the Bible really do not have superhero powers, but were given these abilities by G-d to use as his shepherds, the stories do sometimes read as though telling the tales of superheroes in the days of old. For instance:
The Prophet Ezekiel Raises an Army of the Undead
If one can chose a favorite Prophet, mine would be Ezekiel. The stories involving him tend to be a bit dramatic and the visions he has are extreme, even in the context of the bible. Ezekiel 37 is one of those stories. It tells of G-d transporting him to a dry desert valley (the text does not say whether it was physical or via vision), and upon G-ds request, Ezekiel is to talk to the dry bones/skeletons, which would come together in an undead fashion.
Moses, Aaron, and the Magic Staff
Many comic book superheroes wield magical weapons. Thor has his hammer, Wonder Woman her lasso, Captain America his shield, and the list goes on and on. In Biblical times it is the Staffs of Moses and Aaron that had such power. Aaron was able to turn it into a serpent (then it ate the staff-turned-to-serpents of the pharaohs priests. It turned water to wine and it caused water to flow from a rock. In the same vein – the Israelites tore down the walls of Jericho by blowing horns.
Strength of Samson
A biblical character that also appeared in the comics and even had his own comic series (Samson (1940) Mighty Samson (1964)). There was also Doc Samson in 1971 (Jewish, Yeshiva bocher, became psychiatrist, exposed to radiation, gained strength, nicknamed by wife because of his long hair; note that neither writer or artist were Jewish). The character in the Torah has supernatural strength, like many of the comic characters today. Samson was able to crush a lion with his own bare hands and tear down an entire building.
Superhero Abraham
Last month, the parsha of Lech Lecha was recited (Genesis 12:1 – 17:27). It tells of how Abraham is given strength and with only 318 men overcomes a huge army to save his nephew Lot from his imprisonment.
Foretelling
There are many characters that can see into the future, although many times via dreams. Jacob’s ladder is the story that comes foremost to mind, but there are many such as Abilmelech’s warning, Josheph’s Dream and fortelling to Pharaoh, Daniel’s dream of four beasts, among others. Foretelling is a staple element in tales throughout history, and comic books are no exception.
Talking to G-d and Angels
This is not a rare occurrence in the Bible. I am not sure if it is a power, exactly, but it can be seen as a supernatural. From Abraham to Moses to many others, they have been gifted with the chance to speak to G-d or his agents, the angels.
Immortality / Long Lives
Although no-living person in the Torah has immortality, many lived unfathomably long lives. Methuselah (grandfather of Noah) was the oldest person in the bible living to a ripe old age of 969. Jared (descendant of Noah) was 962, and Noah himself lived to 950 years of age. There were a number of other people mentioned that lived for hundreds of years, which today would seem a superpower.
The above list does not cover all of the “superheroes “ in the Torah. There are many other heroes in the bible such as little David defeating the giant Goliath, and all the feats of Moses, like parting the Red Sea. Faithful see all these as having occurred through the power of G-d, others see them as good stories, such as are written on the pages of the monthly comic.
One the one hand, the Torah is pretty straight-forward when it comes to the use of supernatural abilities, as provided in Deuteronomy 18:10-13:
[10] There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, [11] or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost or a familiar spirit, or a necromancer. [12] For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the LORD; and because of these abominations the LORD thy God is driving them out from before thee.
Leviticus 19:26 follows up on this sentiment by stating:
Ye shall not eat with the blood; neither shall ye practice divination nor soothsaying.
In fact, the act of performing magic is so terrible that the Torah commands it’s readers to “not suffer a witch to live.” [Exodus 22:17]
However, the Torah is full of stories of people performing supernatural abilities, and they seem to be tolerated, if not fully accepted. In a discussion of the Parshot Vaera to the Congregation Adam Reyim, Dr. Maurice M. Mizrahi lists a number of supernatural feats that have occurred in the Torah, including: necromancy, the Evil Eye (Ayin hara), Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP), faith healing, demons (shedim), Abraham’s dubious gifts, astrology, superstition, and foretelling the future.
I will try to write a full article on this topic at a later date, but in the mean-time, I would suggest the above mentioned discussion as well as an article by Rabbi Gil Student [read article].
Wheat is the largest staple food in the world. Wheat is grown over a larger portion of land around the earth than any other vegetation or food source. There were over 761 tonnes of wheat harvested in 2020 (1.7 trillion tons). Obviously, wheat is very important to the survival of humankind. Humans began consuming (wild) wheat over 17000 years ago – they would rub off the husks and eat them raw, or cook them (by parching or simmering).
Scientists believe that wheat was first harvested around 9600 BCE somewhere around the Western Mediterranean / southern Levant. More specifically in the Karacadag Mountains of Southern Turkey and possibly Abu Hureyra in Syria. By 6000 BCE wheat had spread to the near east and southern Europe, and continued to spread throughout the world. Wheat came to the Americas with the first English colonists and quickly became a cash crop for the middle-colonies which were nicknamed the “bread colonies.” Today, 42 states grow wheat (1 acre of land = 40 bushels of wheat which is enough to feed ~9000 people for one day), but only half is used domestically.
[Fast Fact: The Dead Sea Scrolls mentions a holiday that deals with wheat called the Festival of Wheat or the Wheat Offering Festival.]
What would be a more appropriate recipe than one right out of the comic books themselves, in fact, as told in Amazing Fantasy #15 where we are first introduced to Peter Parker and Spider-man, we are also told that his favorite breakfast is wheatcakes [see original panel]. A panel in an issue from Untold Tales of Spider-Man Annual #1996 even provides the recipe in a 1-page layout titled “Recipe for Aunt May’s Wheatcakes” [see].
The recipe for Aunt May Parker’s Wheatcakes, also known as Spider-Man Wheat Cakes provided in the above comic is as follows:
1) Mix together:
2) In a separate bowl, mix:
3) Add to the flour mix:
4) Whip 2 egg whites until stiff (but not dry!), then fold them into the batter gently until blended. Don’t overmix!
5) Cook on a greased hot griddle or frying pan, until small bubbles appear on top. Then turn pancakes over, and cook until bottom is lightly browned. Serve hot, with butter and maple syrup.
Note: I have not actually made this recipe myself before (It’s in my queue for this year), but I am biased towards my own recipe that I had published in an earlier article “A Stack of Pancakes / A Mountain of Faith.”
Sources:
“5 Superheroes from the Bible that put Marvel and DC to Shame” (Levi Ritchie: Cracked.com: 2008) @ https://www.cracked.com/article_16429_5-superpowers-from-bible-that-put-marvel-dc-to-shame.html
“10 Jewish Things You Didn’t Know About Superman” (Roy Schwarz: Forward.com: 2022) @ https://forward.com/culture/504342/superman-10-jewish-things-siegel-shuster-samson-moses-golem/
“A Biography of William Marston, Creator of Wonder Woman (Web Exclusive, Extended Version” (Marin Theater Company) @ https://www.marintheatre.org/productions/lasso/lasso-of-truth-marston-bio
“Abbie the Agent” (NewspaperComicStripsBlog: 2016) @ https://newspapercomicstripsblog.wordpress.com/2016/01/08/abie-the-agent/
“A Brief History of Pop Culture Dumping on Aquaman” (Laura Bradley: Vanity Fair: 2018) @ https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/12/aquaman-jokes-family-guy-big-bang-theory-south-park
“All American Publications” (Wikipedia.org) @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-American_Publications
“All You Need to Know About Wheat” (TradeFinanceGlobal.com) @ https://www.tradefinanceglobal.com/grains/wheat/
“Ancient Jewish Holidays and Festivals No Longer Celebrated / Observed” (Chef Lon: FoodHistoryReligion: 2020) @ https://foodhistoryreligion.wordpress.com/2020/07/01/ancient-jewish-holidays-and-festivals-no-longer-celebrated-observed/
“Archie Comics The Jewish Connection” (Gene Eisen: OnlineDigEdition) @ http://onlinedigeditions.com/publication/?i=107526&article_id=1031004&view=articleBrowser
“Batman’s Creators Admitted His First Appearance Was Plagiarism” (Austin Mace: ScreenRant.com: 2022) @ https://screenrant.com/batman-first-appearance-shadow-plagiarism-finger-kane/
“Batwoman and Four other Female Jewish Superheroes You Should Know” (Cali Halperin: JWeekly.com: 2019) @ https://jweekly.com/2019/10/23/batwoman-and-four-other-female-jewish-superheroes-you-should-know/
“The Black Bat – The Original Batman Left Fogotten!” (Kol Skywalker: AminoApps.com: 2016) @ https://aminoapps.com/c/comics/page/blog/the-black-bat-the-original-batman-left-forgotten/dDib_u1ezV48WGax6w18qgPlzgzp1l
“Captain America is a Jewish Golem – Theory Explained” (Joshua Isaak: ScreenRant.com: 2021) @ https://screenrant.com/captain-america-jewish-golem-jack-kirby-joe-simon/
“The Colorful History of Comic Books and Newspaper Cartoon Strips” (Mary Bellis: ThoughCo.com: 2019) @ https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-comic-books-1991480
“DC Accidentally Made Batman Jewish (But Doesn’t Talk About It)” (Ari Szporn: CBR.com: 2020) @ https://www.cbr.com/dc-accidentally-made-batman-jewish/
“DC Confirms Batman is an Atheist” (Trevor Norkey: MovieWeb: 2018) @ https://movieweb.com/batman-atheist-dc-comics/
“The Deep Jewish Legacy of Comic Books and the Superhero Genre” (Arie Kaplan: ReformJudaism.org) @ https://reformjudaism.org/reform-jewish-life/arts-culture-travel/deep-jewish-legacy-comic-books-and-superhero-genre
“The First Dark Knight? The Curious Case of the Lost Batman of 1932” (13thDimension.com) @ https://13thdimension.com/the-first-dark-knight-the-curious-case-of-the-lost-batman-of-1932/
“From Comic Strips to Comic Books: The History of Comic Art in America” (An Barry Bui: People.VCU.edu) @ http://www.people.vcu.edu/~djbromle/cartoon04/projects/barry/barry_comic-strips.htm
“Glasgow / Northern Looking Glass” (Glasgow University Library: 2005) @ https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/library/files/special/exhibns/month/june2005.html
“The G-d of Manga’s Jewish Masterpieces” (Raz Greenberg: Tablet: 2016) @ https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/mangas-jewish-masterpieces
“Green Lantern’s Jewish Heritage Should be More Prominent in DC Comics” (Joshua Isaak: ScreenRant: 2022) @ https://screenrant.com/green-lantern-secret-jewish-heritage-hal-jordan-dc/#:~:text=Hal%20Jordan%2C%20the%20most%20famous,Green%20Lantern%20as%20a%20superhero
“Harry Hershfield” (Lambiek.net: Last updated 2022) @ https://www.lambiek.net/artists/h/hershfield_harry.htm
“How the Jews Created the Comic Book Industry Part I: The Golden Age (1933-1955)” (Ari Kaplan: Reform Judaism) @ https://reformjudaism.org/reform-jewish-life/arts-culture-travel/how-jews-created-comic-book-industry-part-i-golden-age-1933-1955
“How the Jews Created the Comic Book Industry Part II: The Silver Age (1956-1978)” (Ari Kaplan: Reform Judaism) @ https://reformjudaism.org/reform-jewish-life/arts-culture-travel/how-jews-transformed-comic-book-industry-part-ii-silver-age-1956-1978
“How the Jews Created the Comic Book Industry Part III: The Bronze Age (1978-)” (Ari Kaplan: Reform Judaism) @ https://reformjudaism.org/reform-jewish-life/arts-culture-travel/how-jews-transformed-comic-book-industry-part-iii-bronze-age-1979
“How Superman Would End the War” (Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster: Archive.org: 1940) @ https://archive.org/details/HowSupermanWouldEndTheWar/page/n1/mode/2up
“Infographic: Every dream in the Bible (and what they mean)” (Jeffrey Kranz: OverviewBible.com: 2018) @ https://overviewbible.com/infographic-dreams-bible/
“Is Batman Jewish or Christian in the DC Comics Canon?” (Thomas Bacon: ScreenRant.com: 2019) @ https://screenrant.com/batman-jewish-christian/
“It’s A Bird . . . It’s a Plane . . . It’s Superheroes in Jewish Thought and Law” (Rabbi Gil Student: OU.org: 2015) @ https://www.ou.org/life/inspiration/its-a-bird-its-a-plane-its-superheroes-in-jewish-thought-and-law/
“Jerry Siegel” (Wikipedia.org) @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Siegel
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“John L. Goldwater, Creator of Archie and Pals, Dies at 82” (Ralph Blumenthal: New York Times: 1999) @ https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/02/arts/john-l-goldwater-creator-of-archie-and-pals-dies-at-83.html
“John L. Goldwater, The Comics Code, and Archie” (R.C. Harvey: The Comics Journal: 2011) @ https://www.tcj.com/john-goldwater-the-comics-code-authority-and-archie/2/
“Judaism and the Supernatural” (Dr. Maurice M. Mizrahi: Shulcloud.com: 2017) @ https://images.shulcloud.com/618/uploads/PDFs%2F170128-Judaism-and-the-Supernatural-Vaera.pdf
“The Merger that Rocked the Comic Industry (Seven Decades Ago)” (Chris Arrant: CBR.com: 2013) @ https://www.cbr.com/the-merger-that-rocked-the-comic-industry-seven-decades-ago/
“Milt Gross” (Wikipedia.org) @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milt_Gross
“Netflix’s ‘The Punisher’ is a Reminder that unlike Jewish creators, Jewish Superheroes Remain a Tough Sell in Hollywood” (Noah Berlatsky: NBC News: 2019) @ https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/netflix-s-punisher-reminder-unlike-jewish-creators-jewish-superheroes-remain-ncna961491
“Our History” (Planned Parenthood) [official website] @ https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are/our-history
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“The Rise and Fall of the Comics Code” (Ariel Lazo: Go Collect: 2020) @ https://blog.gocollect.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-comics-code/
“The Story Behind Rube Goldberg’s Complicated Cotraptions” (Emily Wilson: SmithsonianMag.com: 2018) @ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/story-behind-rube-goldbergs-complicated-contraptions-180968928/
“Superhero Timeline” (Kids-Guinness World Records) @ fhttp://kids.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/superlatives/superhero-timeline#:~:text=Created%20by%20Lee%20Falk%20(USA,%E2%80%9Cthe%20ghost%20who%20walks%E2%80%9D.
“Superman’s Secret Identity: The Jewish Origin of our Comic-Book Superheroes” (Rabbi Joe Kane: Oakland.edu: 2016) [Lecture] @ https://www.oakland.edu/Assets/Oakland/religiousstudies/files-and-documents/faculty-research/Klein,%20Rabbi%20Joe%20-%20Superheroes%20Lecture%20March%208,%202016.pdf
“What if Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson Hadn’t Hired Donny Press?” (MBC1955: 2021) @ https://mbc1955.wordpress.com/2021/09/03/what-if-major-malcolm-wheeler-nicholson-hadnt-hired-donny-press/
“What is the Origin of the Idea that Lex Luthor is Jewish?” (Stack Exchange: Various) @ https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/25094/what-is-the-origin-of-the-idea-that-lex-luthor-is-jewish
“Wheat” (Wikipedia.org) @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat
“Wheat Facts” (National Association of Wheat Growers) @ https://wheatworld.org/wheat-101/wheat-facts/
“Will Eisner” (Comic-Con.org) @ https://www.comic-con.org/awards/will-eisner
“Will Eisner: Comic Creator, Illustrator and Innovator” (Jewish Museum of Florida) @ https://jmof.fiu.edu/exhibitions-events/exhibitions/will-eisner-comic-creator,-illustrator-and-innovator/
“Wonder Woman Banned in Lebanon Because Lead Actress is Israeli” (Zahraa Alkhalisi: CNN Money: 2017) https://money.cnn.com/2017/06/01/media/wonder-woman-banned-lebanon/index.html
Reserved [Article for October]
I will hopefully get to write this over the next few weeks
foodhistoryreligion 