History Main / InformedJudaism

**** No Jews are kosher, unless you can figure out some way to rewrite the Torah to allow for cannibalism, including a proper target to hit on the neck.

***** It's generally accepted, from what I've been told, that you can break the rules if its neccesary for your health. And fighting off an alien invasion probably qualifies. Plus, they could be observant, but use electronics and such on Saturday- there are many Conservative Jews that do that.

** She also at one point makes an offhand comment that the aquarium fish that Angel/Angelus killed were a Chanukah present, explaining why she had not had time to get attached to them yet. The statement gets no particular attention.

All these things can be FanWank -ed by saying that only her father was Jewish, and thus she is not Jewish herself, because Jewish religion is passed by the mother.

--> ''Ross:''' "So I can learn about... Jesus."

*** However, when Ross and Monica visit their parents, and we see the outside of the Gellers' front door, they have a mezzuzah, which is something Jews affix to the doorposts of their homes, and also something few non-Jews would recognize. There is a Christmas episode where Ross and Monica discuss the "Friends" doing a group gift things, where they draw names from a hat, and each person buys just one gift, and each person receives just one, rather than each person buying 5 gifts, and this will be the "Christmas" gift. Ross then adds that he and Monica already got each other Hanukkah gifts. Throughout the show, it is strongly implied, although it is never stated, that Ross and Monica's father is Jewish, but their mother is not, and they grew up in a home where holidays from two different traditions were observed.

This is often a trope that pops up in a number of {{Western Animation}} {{Christmas Episode}}s; due to the [[AnimationAgeGhetto nature of the shows' audience]], the [[ExecutiveMeddling powers that be]] will want to place {{an Aesop}} in to show that the characters keep a [[TokenMinority diverse]] set of friends or peers. As a result, a character?s Judaism is mentioned at some point in the episode, or perhaps a menorah will just be shown in the background, in order to keep up that diverse appearance. After all, [[ViewersAreMorons who really knows]] [[DidNotDotheResearch what other religiously affiliated holidays]] [[SmallReferencePools are celebrated by a large enough group of people]] in the mid to late period of December. This will in fact be the only mention of religion throughout the episode (if not the series) , as Christmas itself ([[YouMeanXMas assuming the name is used at all]] ) will not be depicted as having any religious significance, but rather just be a "[[DoTheyKnowItsChristmasTime Warm, Feel Good Time]]", thus making this revelation of a major character feel shoehorned in.

* ''PowerRangersZeo'' had a HolidaySpecial where a special guest character celebrated Hanukkah. Being AnAesop, they were all hit with the [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal bias blaster]] and became ethnocentric. Tanya of course celebrated Kwanzaa, despite actually being from Africa.

* Ziva on ''{{NCIS}}'' is an Israeli Mossad agent and wears a Star of David.

* [[WordOfGod According to]] Elliott S. Maggin, the PreCrisis LexLuthor is ''ethnically'' Jewish, although certainly non-practicing. Maggin himself is Jewish, and always had a slightly more tragic/sympathetic take on Luthor than other writers of the period.

* [[WordOfGod According to]] ElliottSMaggin, the PreCrisis LexLuthor is ''ethnically'' Jewish, although certainly non-practicing. Maggin himself is Jewish, and always had a slightly more tragic/sympathetic take on Luthor than other writers of the period.

* According to Elliott S. Maggin, the PreCrisis LexLuthor is ''ethnically'' Jewish, although certainly non-practicing. Maggin himself is Jewish, and always had a slightly more tragic/sympathetic take on Luthor than other writers of the period.

* A few years ago, Ben Grimm of the FantasticFour happened to mention that he's Jewish. Since Ben was always a gentle self-caricature of JackKirby, who was Jewish, this makes sense, and the fans seem to be fine with it. But it still seemed to kind of come out of nowhere after all these decades of never having mentioned it.

* According to Elliott S. Maggin, the PreCrisis [[{{Superman}} Lex Luthor]] is ''ethnically'' Jewish, although certainly non-practicing. Maggin himself is Jewish, and always had a slightly more tragic/sympathetic take on Luthor than other writers of the period.

* A few years ago, Ben Grimm of the FantasticFour happened to mention that he's Jewish. Since Ben was always a gentle self-caricature of JackKirby, who was Jewish, this makes sense, and the fans seem to be fine with it. But it still seemed to kind of come out of nowhere after all these decades of never having mentioned it.
* Similarly, during his long run as writer on the Hulk, PeterDavid decided that Doc Samson is Jewish, although it had never been mentioned before.

* A few years ago, Ben Grimm of the FantasticFour happened to mention that he's Jewish. Since Ben was always a bit of a gentle self-caricature of JackKirby, who was Jewish, this makes sense, and the fans seem to be fine with it. But it still seemed to kind of come out of nowhere after all these decades of never having mentioned it.

* A few years ago, Ben Grimm of the FantasticFour happened to mention that he's Jewish. Since Ben was always a bit of a self-caricature of JackKirby, who was Jewish, this makes sense, and the fans seem to be fine with it. But it still seemed to kind of come out of nowhere after all these decades of never having mentioned it.

* Wilson and Cuddy from ''{{House}}''. Wilson mentions he is Jewish but nonobservant in the pilot, and even has to be reminded that he is Jewish in a ChristmasEpisode. Cuddy's religion mostly comes up when House makes fun of her.

* Susan Ivanova's Judaism comes up only a few times in ''{{Babylon 5}}'', though she's established early on as not very observant (which is very true of many if not most Russian Jews--[[SarcasmMode thank you]] Soviet Union!). A visiting rabbi is aghast that she simply doesn't care whether [[FantasticReligiousWeirdness alien food is kosher]].
** Of course, he then takes a bite, figuring that if God had intended to forbid it, he would have mentioned some rule about it in the Torah.
** Relieving the informedness somewhat are the following:
*** The custom used to firmly establish her Jewishness is ''Shiva'', the seven-day period of morning Jews are supposed to take after losing a close family member (in this case, her estranged father). This is hardly a well-known custom to non-Jews. Ivanova, ever TheWorkoholic, refuses, saying that spending seven days in mourning would be [[MarriedToTheJob tantamount to dereliction of duty in her own mind]]. The aforementioned rabbi eventually convinces her, and she finds the ceremony [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming incredibly]] [[TearJerker moving]].
*** Her constant comments to the effect "that's very Russian" whenever someone else engages in [[BlackComedy black humor]] could very easily changed to "that's very Jewish;" although Russian and Jewish humor have somewhat different roots (for the Jews, it's TheTalmud and their incredibly depressing history; for the Russians, it's MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong), they come to similar (i.e. dark) conclusions.
*** While she isn't observant, she most definitely believes in God (usually), and her attitude towards Him is recognizably Jewish: He is kind of playful, occasionally wrathful, but ''always'' works in mysterious ways.

*** The custom used to firmly establish her Jewishness is ''Shiva'', the seven-day period of morning Jews are supposed to take after losing a close family member (in this case, her estranged father). Ivanova, ever TheWorkoholic, refuses, saying that spending seven days in mourning would be [[MarriedToTheJob tantamount to dereliction of duty in her own mind]]. The aforementioned rabbi eventually convinces her, and she finds the ceremony [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming incredibly]] [[TearJerker moving]].

* Ivanova's Judaism comes up only a few times in ''{{Babylon 5}}'', though she's established early on as not very observant. A visiting rabbi is aghast that she simply doesn't care whether [[FantasticReligiousWeirdness alien food is kosher]].

* In a ''TheMightyB'' episode where Bessie and Penny keeps sneaking into Bat Mitzvah parties, we learn that Portia Gibbons is (probably) Jewish when Bessie sneaks into the Bat Mitzvah party of Portia's cousin.

* Jude on ''[[{{Sixteen}} 6teen]]'' showed no signs of being Jewish until one of the [[ChristmasEpisode Christmas Episodes]] where he said he had to get home because of Hanukkah.