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1[[quoteright:350:[[Film/AMuppetsChristmasLettersToSanta https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zoot_menorah.jpg]]]]
2[[caption-width-right:350: [[Series/TheMuppetShow ...It's time to light the lights.]]]]
3
4->'''Fox:''' I didn't know you were Jewish!
5->'''Stick:''' Really? I'm always wearing this! ''(Lifts his hair up to reveal a kippah underneath)''
6-->-- ''WesternAnimation/HomeAdventuresWithTipAndOh'', "Home for the Holidays"
7
8This character is Jewish. How do we know?
9
10Well, remember when the show did the ChristmasSpecial? And there was that {{Aesop}} about [[TokenMinority diversity]] and the other holidays in December? And she was shown with a menorah lighting candles? But then again, you never see her observing Passover or the High Holy Days.
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12Fine, but then there was that episode about pork and how she keeps Kosher? [[ArtisticLicenseReligion Despite the shrimp cocktail and bacon cheeseburger she had for dinner.]]
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14OK, what about her Bat Mitzvah? You know, the characters were confused by the whole thing, and how they learned about her traditions. Which never got mentioned before or since.[[note]] This happens in real life a lot, too.[[/note]]
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16And that's the problem. A character who practices Informed Judaism will perform acts that most people can recognize as being Jewish, in contrast to the non-Jewish characters, but they don't show any more subtle signs of Judaism, even for an assimilated Jew, even the cultural aspect. Their Judaism becomes an InformedAttribute. The characters listed on this page are Jewish because the writers ''tell'' us, they [[ShowDontTell don't show us]].
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18This is a trope that pops up in a number of WesternAnimation {{Christmas Episode}}s; due to the [[FleetingDemographicRule nature of the shows' audience]], the [[ExecutiveMeddling powers that be]] will want to place AnAesop 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, who really knows 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 (assuming the name is used at all) will not be depicted as having any religious significance, but rather just be a "Warm, Feel Good Time", thus making this revelation of a major character feel shoehorned in. This is also despite the fact that since the Jewish calendar is a lunar one, there is no guarantee that Hannukah and Christmas will in any way overlap: Hannukah could be completely over way before Christmas starts.
19
20Of course, there is a place between Informed Judaism and {{Anvilicious}}. A character doesn't need to shout "Oy, how meshuggenah, a golem! I'm ferklempt!" to be non-informed Jewish, and likewise, not every character who has a HanukkahEpisode is informed. It's more of a ''gestalt'' of the sense of the character. YiddishAsASecondLanguage, for example, can be a clue...though, of course, pushing any element too far lands you back here.
21
22This has an element of TruthInTelevision: Some Jews in countries where they've been able to assimilate increasingly practice their religion only on the most important holidays (Passover, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur), and only celebrate Chanukah to have a winter holiday. They don't keep Kosher or observe the Sabbath. A practitioner of Reform or Reconstructionist Judaism -- quite common in America -- is especially likely to disregard most forms of Jewish ritual, including the Kosher laws. "Passover and High Holy Days Jews" are the Jewish equivalents of "Christmas-and-Easter Christians." That said, even many of these still show the [[UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}} cultural aspects]] of Judaism, often missing from these characters.
23
24Generally, in modern secular usage, Jews include three groups: people who were born to a Jewish family regardless of whether or not they follow the religion, those who have some Jewish ancestral background or lineage (sometimes including those who do not have strictly matrilineal descent), and people without any Jewish ancestral background or lineage who have formally converted to Judaism and therefore are followers of the religion. Therefore, someone can be a Jew and no one else would know unless they asked. Many Jews do not do any religious rituals, and some even have Christmas trees ("Chanukkah bush").
25
26This has occasionally sparked controversy, in cases of religious figures in ''other religions'' who have explicitly claimed Jewishness via ancestry. A particularly well-known recent example is the late [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Marie_Lustiger French Cardinal Lustiger]] the former archbishop of Paris and a son of Polish Jews (his mother was killed during the Holocaust). He described himself as a "fulfilled Jew" all his life and maintained Jewish customs even as a Roman Catholic clergyman (he was known to recite Kaddish for his mother at a synagogue even after he became a cardinal, for example). Still, he was subject to much criticism by both Jewish and Christian groups.
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28FanFiction often subjects these characters to extreme {{Flanderization}}.
29
30It should be noted that speculating on whether or not someone is ''really'' a Jew (if they're patrilineal, a convert, or secular, for example) in RealLife is a big no-no, especially if the person doing the speculating is themselves not Jewish. There's a reason why this list has no real-life examples.
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32The [[InvertedTrope exact opposite]] of AmbiguouslyJewish, where a character displays stereotypically Jewish traits but is never referred to as such; halfway between these two is reality. Compare CulturallyReligious, which shares some characteristics with this trope. Often a case of SuddenlyEthnicity. Weirdly overlaps with EveryoneIsChristianAtChristmas, because as noted the Christmas season is when a Jewish character is most likely to inform us how they're an exception to the rule. Kin of sorts to AmbivalentAnglican, which is about Christians (or at least one branch of them) who can't be bothered much with the actual trappings of religion.
33----
34!!Examples:
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36[[foldercontrol]]
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38[[folder:Advertising]]
39* The young woman in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cChUa-RSoz0 this commercial]] for the Koolanoo Jewish social networking site is wearing a Star of David. (mildly {{NSFW}})
40[[/folder]]
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42[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
43* Benny of ''Manga/BlackLagoon'' is Jewish. It's first mentioned in the second volume, where the crew of the ''Black Lagoon'' encounter a Neo-Nazi boat. Other than that? We're talking about a sea pirate who drinks, smokes, and, more prominently, who works with and for criminals, local mafias, smugglers, and drug dealers on a daily basis.
44* The Rosenthal family of ''Manga/ACertainScientificAccelerator'', among them series deuteragonist Esther Rosenthal, are supposed to be Jewish. Unfortunately, while Esther's brand of magic ''is'', somewhat, inspired very loosely by some concepts from the Kabbalah and she does spew a few Hebrew phrases here and there, for the most part she behaves so generically "Western" and [[ArtisticLicenseReligion what little "Jewish" there is about her is so inaccurate]] you'd be hard-pressed to know until she mentions her ancestor's rabbis at one point (and the flashback shows them appearing as Catholic priests...).
45* ''Manga/CesareIlCreatoreCheHaDistrutto'' -- main character [[UsefulNotes/TheBorgias Cesare Borgia]] has a lot of Jewish friends, including his dearest friend and most loyal follower, Miguel da Corella (a real person who was probably not Jewish in real life). The Jewish students' religion is only brought up when someone, like BarbaricBully Henri, is discriminating against them. The conflict that there must have been between their beliefs and the Catholic Church doctrine they're studying in school is almost never mentioned, but the fact that the situation in Spain puts their lives in danger is discussed.
46[[/folder]]
47
48[[folder:Comic Books]]
49* ComicBook/HarleyQuinn being Jewish is mentioned once or twice. She loves Christmas though, and it's even brought up once by ComicBook/PoisonIvy in ''ComicBook/HarleyAndIvy'':
50-->'''Harley''': Here it is the holidays and we're hanging out in this dingy rat-trap! No presents, no fun, no nuthin'! Can't we at least get a Christmas tree?\
51'''Poison Ivy''': What?! And support the mad campaign of botanical genocide that grips this country every December? Absolutely not! And besides, aren't you Jewish?\
52'''Harley''': Yeah but they're [[ManChild so bright and colorful an' stuff.]]
53* Other informed Jews from DC Comics: ComicBook/TheAtom (Ray), and the [[ComicBook/SandmanMysteryTheatre Sandman]] (Wesley).
54* The {{Elseworld}} ''ComicBook/DCComicsBombshells'' has a surprising number of Jewish heroines: Batwoman, Harley Quinn, Zatanna, Raven, and Miri Marvel. Of them, only Miriam is in any way devout. Back home, Felicity Smoak is also Jewish.
55* Ben Grimm of the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' happened to mention that he's Jewish, and he is seen praying in Hebrew (which he admittedly stumbles through) when he thought a beloved store owner in his old neighborhood was dying. Since Ben was always a gentle self-caricature of Creator/JackKirby, who was Jewish, this makes sense, and the fans seem to be fine with it. But it still seemed to come out of nowhere after all these decades of never mentioning it.
56** The in-universe reason that Ben never brings it up is that he didn't want his appearance to be used as an excuse for anti-semitic propaganda.
57** Interestingly, a short story from a Marvel ChristmasSpecial comic book a few years prior to this reveal had Ben Grimm discussing the difference between Christmas and Hanukkah with a little Jewish girl. [[RetCon This story seemed to imply that Ben is not Jewish himself]].
58* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': During his long run as writer on the series, Creator/PeterDavid decided that long-time supporting character Doc Samson is Jewish, although it had never been mentioned before. He may have been influenced by the fact that the name "Samson" is rarely used by anyone but Jews these days (even then pretty rarely), despite it being an InSeriesNickname.
59* Pizzazz mentions she's Jewish in the Christmas 2015 issue of ''ComicBook/JemAndTheHologramsIDW''.
60* ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' has Colossal Boy.
61* Other informed Jews from Creator/MarvelComics: Iceman, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Polaris, Justice (Vance), Legion, ComicBook/MoonKnight, Sasquatch, the Two-Gun Kid, Volcana, and Wiccan.
62** Averted with Kitty Pryde. While the generally atheist Wolverine was unable to drive Dracula off with a makeshift cross, Kitty's Star-of-David pendant burned Dracula's hand, because she possessed true faith. ([[FridgeBrilliance Unlike most stories where it's merely the cross that repels vampires, in the Marvel universe, it really is the religious faith, regardless of the symbol displayed, that actually does the trick.]]) A number of other stories also make use of her Jewish faith. Though she's fallen more into this trope in recent decades where the fact that she's Jewish might occasionally get mentioned but is largely irrelevant.
63** Averted for Magneto. The theme of being persecuted for ''two'' things tends to make it more-than-informed. Being a Holocaust survivor is one of the most fundamental parts of his character (though this is becoming problematic in another way: it means that he can't be easily subjected to ComicBookTime like the rest of the X-Men).
64* ''ComicBook/{{Robin|1993}}'': Ives being Jewish is mostly just hinted at, such as with his snide remark about only liking the old parts of the Bible in response to something Ariana said, but it eventually becomes a plot point when Tim runs into him at a Catholic church. It turns out Ives was there for a cancer support group meeting.
65* The ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' DC Comics story ''Diamond Dog'' has the gang visit Daphne's Jewish maternal uncle, Saul Slotnik, and since DC Comics are part of the official canon, it makes Daphne canonically Jewish. However, she doesn't practice Judaism and demonstrates no connection whatsoever to this part of her heritage - in contrast to Velma, who has no confirmed Jewish relatives but is AmbiguouslyJewish in many ways.
66* [[WordOfGod According to]] Creator/ElliotSMaggin, the pre-ComicBook/{{Crisis|on Infinite Earths}} ComicBook/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.
67* ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'': The Hartle Twins on two occasions they mention that they are Jewish. [[spoiler:In both cases, it was to avoid being mistreated by the Israeli troops of Alter Tse'elon.]] It does not work.
68[[/folder]]
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70[[folder:Film]]
71* Josh of ''Film/AlreadyTomorrowInHongKong'' is only identified as Jewish by his last name being Rosenberg and saying his grandmother disapproves of him not knowing any Yiddish.
72* In the first two ''Film/AmericanPie'' films, the only real sign that Jim is Jewish is his surname Levenstein (and a smattering of stereotypical traits displayed by him and his father, played by the Jewish Creator/EugeneLevy), but in the third film his family’s Judaism is explicitly referenced and becomes a significant plot point.
73* In-universe for Bobby Mason in ''Film/{{The Deal|2008}}'' who is implied to have converted for the sake of headlines, and doesn't really know much about the religion past the obvious bits.
74* In-universe of the film version of ''Literature/TheDevilsArithmetic''. Hannah is introduced as an ignorant teenager who barely acknowledges her faith (her EstablishingCharacterMoment is her trying to get a tattoo, which is traditionally forbidden in Judaism) and has to be dragged to a Passover celebration. The plot involves her being sent back in time to the Holocaust and going to a concentration camp - and her CharacterDevelopment is coming to appreciate her faith.
75* In ''Film/{{Dick}}'', toward the end Kirsten Dunst's character Betsy Jobs mentions being Jewish, to let President Nixon know why she's so appalled at his anti-Semitism, but beyond that brief bit of dialogue there's absolutely no indication of it anywhere else in the film, least of all from her very [=WASP=]-y surname.
76* ''Film/DirtyDancing'': Aside from their last name (Houseman) and the fact that they're vacationing at a BorschtBelt resort, there's nothing to indicate that the main family nor the other guests are Jewish.
77* While the Basterds themselves of ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'' are identified as being of Jewish descent, they don't appear to be practicing Jews, [[http://galusaustralis.com/2009/09/1770/inglourious-basterds-enthralling-but-lacking-in-jewish-content/ which has been criticized by some reviewers]]. Shoshanna meanwhile would be a justified example, as she's a Jew who narrowly escaped her family's slaughter at the hands of the Nazis, and is living under a false identity in German-occupied Paris, presumably pretending to be gentile.
78* ''Film/TheLittleHours'': Ginevra abruptly reveals she's Jewish to Massetto, and then the other characters learn it too. No other sign is given, but it's justified as she's a nun (at least technically-it's invalid given she was never baptized). Why she went into a convent is never revealed.
79* Gretchen from ''Film/MeanGirls'' mentions receiving Hanukkah gifts. This one may be justified in-universe, as that part of dialogue is about how she has to follow Regina's rules on what she is and isn't allowed to wear; suggesting that she's suppressing that side of herself to please Regina. This includes dancing in a SexySantaDress to a Christmas song with the other Plastics.
80* ''Film/{{Mermaids|1990}}'': Rachel Flax is Jewish, but does not keep Kosher or seem to follow any traditions. Her daughter Charlotte has converted to Christianity, which annoys Rachel to no end.
81* ''Film/MrAndMrsSmith2005'': After John and Jane drop the cover [=IDs=] they got married under, they start trading trivia about their real backgrounds. While driving away from a firefight, Jane says, "I'm Jewish," before a cutaway to the next scene.
82* Mac and Jimmy in ''[[Film/Neighbors2014 Neighbors]]''. At least Jimmy knows Hebrew enough to show off (with unfortunate results).
83* ''Film/{{Oppenheimer}}'': UsefulNotes/RobertOppenheimer's Jewish heritage isn't brought up until he meets the man who would become his friend, Isidor Isaac Rabi. The latter is much more in touch with Yiddish and those things than Oppenheimer is as he points it out. That being said, Oppenheimer keeps himself as much informed as he can of the terrible things happening in Nazi Germany, which went even more terrible than simply what he knows about the Nazis putting "his people" (as he calles them) in camps.
84* In ''Film/PineappleExpress'', James Franco plays a pot dealer named Saul Silver who's dealing in order to pay for care for his "bubbie" (Yiddish for grandma)--though, weirdly, there's one moment where a character is asked to describe Seth Rogen's character (who has the rather goyish-sounding name Dale Denton), and he says "I think he was a Jew." This can be explained by the fact that Rogen was originally cast as the pot dealer and Franco as the friend. While both actors are in fact Jewish, Rogen more often plays identifiably Jewish characters.
85* In the film adaptation of ''Literature/{{Puckoon}}'', the town's doctor (named Goldstein) is introduced by the narrator as being so Jewish that even at a party attended solely by Jews, people would still ask "who's that Jewish looking fellow over there?". Despite this, his only "Jewish" characteristics are complaints about somebody owing him money, and having to hide his identity as an Irish Nationalist, not because the British might see him as a terrorist, but because other Jews would frown on him collaborating with Catholics.
86* ''Film/SaveTheDate2012'': Sarah and Beth are Jewish, judging by the fact Beth's having her wedding in a synagogue, though it's never explicitly mentioned. Their first names both are also traditionally Jewish, though not exclusively so, and they're played by Jewish actresses as well.
87* ''{{Film/Snatch}}'': Inverted by Doug the Head.
88--> '''Turkish:''' He acts like he's Jewish. Talks like he's Jewish. Tells his family ''they're'' Jewish. But he is as Jewish as he is a fucking monkey. He reckons it's good for business. And in the diamond business, it ''is'' good for business.
89* An odd example in 1939 short film ''Film/SonsOfLiberty'', about Patriot financier Haym Salomon. Reference is made to Salomon fleeing from religious persecution. He is shown at a Sabbath service, made very obvious by the clothes everyone is wearing. It's even referred to as the [[UsefulNotes/JewishHolidays Day of Atonement]]. His name is "Haym Salomon". But the words "Jew" and "Jewish" are never said in the movie. This is likely because in the 1930s Hollywood had censored explicit references to Jews for release [[https://www.cracked.com/blog/4-unexpected-ways-hollywood-was-connected-to-nazis/ in Nazi Germany]].
90* Arnold says Kaddish for his lover over his mother's objection in ''Film/TorchSongTrilogy''. Albeit, incorrectly, as it is a prayer that requires a minyan, and he recites it alone. As this is not addressed in dialogue, we don't know if it's a comment on his being abandoned by the Jewish community, his choice to hide from it, or just bad writing.
91[[/folder]]
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93[[folder:Literature]]
94* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' has both Jake and Rachel as this; their Judaism was rarely ever mentioned and wasn't really connected to anything else.
95** There are several smaller hints, particularly from Jake, if you notice the descriptions of his family dinners. In this case, it's more a function of the stories themselves because we never get any reference to holidays for any of the other characters, either, as the series is deliberately vague about the passage of time and it's not until the second-to-last book that it's established that three in-story years have passed since the beginning of the series. In fact, all we know about any of the other characters' faiths is that Cassie's family has a pastor and that Marco's mother sang in the church choir.
96** Rachel may not be Jewish herself. In ''Elfangor's Secret'', she only says that her father (through whom she is related to Jake) is.
97* In ''Literature/AreYouThereGodItsMeMargaret'':
98** Gretchen Potter goes to the Jewish Community Center and Hebrew School (it's why their secret club can't meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays), but doesn't really stand out as Jewish beyond that.
99** Classmate Alan Gordon refuses to sing any of the Christian songs for the holiday pageant; nothing else is mentioned about his Judaism.
100** Sylvia Simon, Margaret's paternal grandmother. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] as, even if she does attend services for Jewish holidays, Margaret only goes with her once for Rosh Hashanah.
101* Abby, in ''Literature/TheBabySittersClub'', is Jewish and does get a Bat Mitzvah, but apart from it being mentioned about her as a stated fact ("Abby is Jewish"), it gets little attention. Dawn also mentions in one book that one of their sitting charges, Nancy Dawes, is Jewish; it actually had relevance to the plot because it was the VerySpecialEpisode book about racism.
102* The unnamed narrator of ''Literature/BeautifulLosers''. F. discusses forming him into the "New Jew", but he's not given any other Jewish features.
103* ''Literature/CallMeByYourName:'' The Jewish characters are nonobservant and are, as one character puts it, "Jews of discretion." The reader knows that they are Jewish either from their wearing stars of David or simply from their say-so.
104* ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'': Mr. Krupp is apparently Jewish, as his wedding in book five is officiated by a rabbi. This was likely only done so the author could set up a {{pun}}.
105-->''[[Advertising/TrixRabbit "Silly Rabbi, tricks are for kids!"]]''
106* For a non-Jewish example, Sōsuke Sagara of ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'' is an informed Muslim. He was raised by Mujahedin in Afghanistan (or its CaptainErsatz in the anime), who instructed them in their faith, but he isn't seen praying towards Mecca and sees no problem with eating pork if that's what's available. He doesn't drink, but only because he doesn't want to impair himself with alcohol, [[spoiler:and later on because he ''can't'' have it after sustaining serious damage to his liver]], not for religious reasons.
107* In ''Literature/TheGoodSoldierSvejk'' Chaplain Otto Katz, a bumbling (Catholic!) military priest, was originally a son of a Jewish merchant, who was more or less completely atheist, and squandered the family business on wine and women, after which he joined the military to avoid his creditors. This required a conversion to Catholicism, which he, being an atheist, did without any second thought, and his ascension to priesthood after a couple of years as a cavalry officer, has been [[ItAmusedMe a drunken joke]].
108* ''Literature/GuardiansOfTheFlame'': Doria is Jewish, but it's only shown from being stated as such, and her last name (Perlstein).
109* Minor ''Literature/HarryPotter'' character Anthony Goldstein is a literal example since aside from his surname, we only have WordOfGod to confirm that he's Jewish. Though here it's [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by the fact that he's a RecurringExtra.
110* Fagin in ''Literature/OliverTwist'' could be included, since he is introduced as a “Jew”, but never does anything Jewish. (As opposed to the stage Jewish tropes in the musical.)
111* In ''Literature/PaperTowns'', Margo makes a casual reference to her bat mitzvah money, but that's about it.
112* ''Literature/PrettyLittleLiars'' has Hanna, who is revealed to be Jewish in ''Pretty Little Secrets''.
113* ''Literature/SomethingToTalkAbout'': Emma is revealed to be Jewish when Jo thoughtfully provides kosher-friendly treats (with beef rather than pork). She doesn't actually keep kosher, but appreciates the gesture. Emma doesn't attend synagogue very often apart from on the High Holy Days, but does celebrate Hannukah with her family.
114* ''Literature/TellMeHowYouReallyFeel'': Rachel is Jewish, though beyond simply being told this no sign of that was given. This is justified as she mentions she's only a "High Holy Days" Jew and doesn't attend synagogue except for then.
115* Action Dude of ''Literature/VelveteenVs'' is Jewish, but the Marketing department of Super Patriots, Inc decided that a Jewish superhero wouldn't go over well with the public, so they prohibited him from practicing openly.
116* An in-universe example in ''Literature/AWolfInTheSoul''. Greg's parents are Jewish, but as he slowly becomes religious over the course of the book he starts to see their lackadaisical attitude towards religion in this light.
117[[/folder]]
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119[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
120* Parodied in ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun.'' The Solomons, after attempting to decide their ethnicity, eventually just figure they should be Jewish because their landlady assumed they were, based on their last name (which they picked off [[LineOfSightName the side of a truck]]). Being aliens living undercover on Earth, they know nothing about the culture in the slightest and it only comes up again in minor instances (like Harry and Dick trying to HandWave Dick's attempted kidnapping with a large sack as a Jewish wedding tradition: The Sacking Of The Groom.)
121* ''Series/EighteenToLife'': The Bellows often reference orthodox Jewish traditions throughout the series. However, they rarely do anything specifically Jewish in the series such as following particular traditions.
122* In-Universe example: In ''Series/AllInTheFamily'', Archie had no idea his best friend and co-worker Stretch Cunningham was Jewish until he was handed a black ''yarmulke'' at Stretch's funeral.
123* On {{Series/Alphas}}, the only indication we get that Red Flag leader Anna Levy is Jewish is her last name [[spoiler:along with her headstone bearing a Star of David]].
124* Felicity on ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' only mentions that she's a Jew in a throwaway line during each of the first two seasons' Christmas episodes. It wasn't until season 3 when she started showing her faith at a non-Christmas time when she wishes Diggle and Lilah "Mazel tov!" after their daughter's birth, and in the next episode, she throws dirt on the grave at [[spoiler:Sara Lance's]] funeral, explaining it to be a Jewish custom.
125* Susan Ivanova in ''Series/BabylonFive'' is a subversion. She is explicitly Jewish and explicitly lapsed. She doesn't keep kosher and is seen happily eating bacon and not even thinking about whether alien food items are acceptable. However, as the series goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that in her mind, her religion is tied up with her very messy family background ([[spoiler:her mother was a telepath who later committed suicide due to side effects of the suppressor drugs she was forced by law to take, and her father withdrew emotionally almost completely after that]]), and she has abandoned the trappings of faith as a way to cut herself off from the trauma. A major part of her character arc in the first two seasons involves coming to terms with her family and reconnecting with her faith. She is seen sitting shiva, and lighting menorah in a meaningful scene wrapping up Season 2 (appropriately titled "Fall of Night," echoing the original Chanukah story in a way).
126* George in ''Series/{{Being Human|UK}}'' is really only shown as Jewish through the Star of David he wears and the few times he mentions it. He became unobservant after being bitten since he felt that Judaism frowned on being a werewolf. George's father is not Jewish, as we see a vicar giving his burial rites (it makes sense that his Dad (George Sr.) isn't Jewish, since it's against Jewish tradition to name someone after a living person).
127* The American remake of ''Series/{{Being Human|US}}'' has Josh the werewolf, who has about as little faith as his British counterpart.
128* ''Series/BetterThings'': Aside from occasional mentions of being Jewish, rare Hebrew expressions from Sam and her overall somewhat stereotypical demeanor, it's hard to notice the Foxes are a Jewish family (obviously culturally only, as they don't practice Judaism or any other religion). She and Frankie did attend a friend's bar mitzvah, but it's then a plot point too that Frankie's never had a bat mitzvah, while once it's mentioned she's past the age for the ceremony.
129* On ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'': Andrea Zuckerman is identified as Jewish, though this attribute takes a backseat to her being JewishAndNerdy. It is occasionally brought up in [[VerySpecialEpisode very special episodes]], including the episode where her daughter Hannah receives a cross from her father Jesse's mother (Andrea's husband Jesse is a Catholic). Additionally, David Silver is mentioned to be Jewish, though this is almost never mentioned on-screen, except in a VerySpecialEpisode about anti-semitism ("Hate Is Just a Four Letter Word" in season 4), where he tries to learn more about his heritage, [[StatusQuoIsGod though this]] [[SnapBack is never mentioned again after the episode]]. In theory, this would also make his half-sister Erin Silver Jewish as well, though this is never mentioned in her case.
130* Nora Walker on ''Series/BrothersAndSisters''. Often shown cooking non-Kosher (e.g. scallops wrapped in bacon) and loves hosting all the festivities of Christmas. Partly justified in that she is not very religious and her husband was a Christian, so observing Jewish traditions was not a big part of her life. Her brother Saul is a milder version. He occasionally mentions his rabbi but never seems to question Nora's meal choices.
131* Willow Rosenberg from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. Jewish name, check. Talks about her very observant father (who won't even let her watch ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'') as she nails crosses to her wall,[[note]]not for religious reasons, just to keep out vampires[[/note]] check. Responds to "what are you doing for Christmas" with "Being Jewish. Duh." And...that's it. In seven seasons, she only ever does one thing that's a Jewish custom or practice - placing a stone on [[spoiler:Tara's]] grave. When we meet her mother, she doesn't seem to be into her faith much either, implying her father is the heavily Jewish parent. It's also worth noting that by Season 4, Willow identifies as [[UsefulNotes/{{Wicca}} Wiccan]] and seemingly no longer practices Judaism (but does make a joke about herself being Jewish in Season 5).
132* ''Series/{{Community}}'' has Annie, whose Judaism generally only comes up on Christmas episodes or when someone is being insensitive about it.[[note]] Annie's actress, Creator/AlisonBrie, is also Jewish.[[/note]]
133* ''Series/CurbYourEnthusiasm'', on many occasions. The only thing is that Larry doesn't seem to take his religion particularly seriously, whereas the other characters do. He was (for a time) married to a Christian woman and the differing religions had no effect on their relationship.
134* Powerful TV producer (and ''major'' prima donna) Alan Brady on ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow'' was implied to be Jewish here and there (and, interestingly, was portrayed by real-life Jew Carl Reiner, who also produced ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' itself). In one episode, Rob, Buddy, and Sally have him stay after work to discuss something with him, and he offhandedly complains that he's late for a bar mitzvah ceremony.
135* ''Series/EvenStevens'' had an obligatory Chanukah special, "Heck of a Hanukkah". It is mentioned that the mother is Jewish and they celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah.
136* ''Series/FearTheWalkingDead'': In Season 5, the beer-swilling, tough-talking, truck-driving [[TheLadette ladette]] Sarah reveals that she's Jewish when she asks a rabbi about making atonement during Yom Kippur. Her fellow survivors are all surprised, as nothing before had suggested that she's a Jew.
137* ''Series/AFrenchVillage'': We get no indication that Sarah Meyer or Judith Morhange is Jewish aside from being identified as such, though Sarah's last name is common among Ashkenazim and they both have traditional Jewish first names (though they're not uncommon for Christians too). We never seen any sign they practice Judaism (many European Jews were secular or even converted Christians at the time). The same goes for the Jewish family who flee and the Crémieuxes. Judith at least says she's not a believer, and thus Jewish in only the ethnic or cultural sense.
138* ''Series/{{Friends}}'': References to Monica and Ross being Jewish are rarely acknowledged, with occasional signs including the mezzuzah outside their parents' front door and Monica's wedding procession including both bride and groom being walked down the aisle by their parents. Monica wears a Star of David necklace and had a Bat Mitzvah. Ross once tried to teach his son about Chanukah and once mentions buying Monica Chanukah gifts. When Phoebe writes a holiday song for her friends, it starts with "Monica, Monica, have a happy Chanukah". Hints suggest Jack is Jewish but Judy is not, so their children grew up celebrating two traditions.
139--> '''Ross''': (''Checking out of a hotel'') You're not taking your Bible?\
140'''Chandler''': I don't think you're supposed to take that. Besides, it's New Testament. Why do you want it?\
141'''Ross''': To learn about... Jesus.
142** Rachel is always described by WordOfGod as a JewishPrincess but the only times it ''ever'' comes up in the series is when Phoebe's above mentioned Christmas song includes the line "Spin the dreidel, Rachel" (Rachel's only objection is that it doesn't rhyme) and a single instance of her referring to her grandmother as "bubbe".
143** It makes sense if you think that both the mothers of Ross and Monica, and of Rachel were gentiles, but Ross and Monica's mother converted, and Rachel's mother didn't. This would make Ross and Monica fully Jewish, but Rachel not Jewish at all, although part of a Jewish family. It would also explain the families connection-- why Monica & Rachel were such good friends in spite of being such different people. Their parents may have belonged to the same synagogue, and their fathers my even have been friends.
144* Paris from ''Series/GilmoreGirls'' makes occasional references to being Jewish. One of three dresses she owns is her bat mitzvah dress (which has Stars of David on it and thus isn't appropriate for a date), and her parents never let her have a Hanukkah bush.
145* ''Series/{{Glee}}'':
146** Rachel and Puck are both Jewish. For Rachel, it's completely informed (a few times, actually), but for Puck, he makes mention of his family's Simchat Torah tradition of Chinese food and ''Film/SchindlersList'' (they're shown eating pork, but then, not all Jews are kosher). Puck then proceeds to hook up with Rachel [[GentileJewChaser mostly because she's "a hot Jew"]]. Later, Puck mentions going to Temple with his grandmother as if it were an uncommon thing for him to do, which fits with his mostly bad-boy persona.
147** The pork eating is odd, seeing how else Quinn mentions Puck's mother doesn't let her eat bacon in the house.
148** Watching ''Film/SchindlersList'' on Simchat Torah--a holiday which literally has "joy" in its name--is pretty odd too.
149** Interesting, while Rachel's Judaism continues to be almost completely informed (wanting her hypothetical future children to be raised Jewish is presented as an instance of her 'controllist' tendencies rather than a genuine religious choice, and she both gives and accepts Christmas presents despite not celebrating Christmas with her fathers), Puck is implied to have a developing - if still somewhat shallow - involvement in his religious community as the series goes on, in tune with his redemption arc. By episode 2x18 he's going to temple often enough that he's spotted a pattern of girls turning up with new noses shortly after their sixteenth birthdays.
150** While justified when it comes to Puck's half brother, who was raised Christian by a Christian mother, the fact that they both got Star Of David tattoos to demonstrate their Jewish identity is somewhat ridiculous, seeing how tattoos are forbidden in the halakha (though not unheard of for less religiously observant Jews).
151* Max Blum on ''Series/HappyEndings'' never displays any knowledge of Judaism or follows Jewish customs. However given that Max is established as extremely lazy, simple-minded, and slothful (ruling out him going kosher), this is justified. The only thing that hints at is his more clearly Jewish parents, a minor nod to him celebrating Hannukah (or probably more accurately just wanting gifts), and his Hebrew tattoo (which is actually actor Adam Pally's, who is also Jewish), and once giving a ShoutOut to ''Theatre/FiddlerontheRoof''.
152* Max Bergman of ''Series/HawaiiFive0'' has never been referenced as Jewish on the show, and shows absolutely zero stereotypical Jewish traits; he does avoid shrimp, but that's due to an allergy, not keeping ''kashrut''. The only way you'd know it at all is if [[http://www.dfw.com/2010/10/18/351502_qa-masi-oka-of-hawaii-five-o.html you happened to see an interview with his actor.]]
153* John Munch in ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' and ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' has mentioned Judaism on occasion but insists that "the only thing Judaism and I have in common is we don't like to work Saturdays". He has, however, displayed knowledge of the Torah, the Kaddish and appears to hail from a conservative Jewish community. Both the actor who played him (Richard Belzer) and the real-life inspiration are Jewish as well.
154** In one episode, a more religiously Jewish witness complains and asks if he really has to spend hours going through pictures of suspects. Munch tells him, “It would be a mitzvah.” The witness nods and continues poring over the images.
155* Wilson and Cuddy from ''Series/{{House}}''. Wilson mentions he is Jewish but nonobservant in the pilot, and has to be reminded that he is Jewish in a ChristmasEpisode. Cuddy's religion mostly comes up when House makes fun of her. In the case of Cuddy, this follows the actor; Robert Sean Leonard does not appear to have any Jewish background. Chris Taub, introduced in Season 4, is also Jewish (a frequent target for House’s jibes) - his wedding to Rachel appears to have been very Jewish, but in one episode he contrasts his secularism with the practices of Orthodox Jews, that he finds crazy by comparison.
156** It's actually {{lampshaded}} when House picks Cuddy apart for having a traditional Jewish naming ceremony for her daughter while not observing other Jewish customs. She has a menorah in her office, but Cuddy is explicitly not of matrilineal Jewish descent: her mother Arlene (played by professional WASP Candice Bergen) converted when she married. The surname “Cuddy” is Scottish, so it’s not clear if this was a name that was changed upon immigration or if Cuddy has even less Jewish ancestry than implied at the beginning of the series.
157** Wilson’s Jewishness is often referenced by House, usually in a teasing manner. Wilson, a Doctor, is the epitome of ANiceJewishBoy: his [[JewishAndNerdy love of musicals, theater, and classic movies]], [[JewsLoveToArgue his daily debates with House]], [[JewishComplaining his obsessiveness about cleanliness, his diet, his Always Be Prepared In Case of Any Disaster M.O.]], [[BorschtBelt his snarky sense of humor]], and especially being a classic JewishMother with his default emotional state of worrying and passive-aggressiveness. Wilson also LOVES Christmas, joining in the parties and celebrating it with House...with the traditional American Jewish customs of [[PekingDuckChristmas Chinese food and watching movies]]. He wears a yarmulke at Rachel Cuddy’s naming ceremony, but so do all the non-Jewish men. [[ShiksaGoddess There’s no evidence that any of his three wives were Jewish]]. When he briefly gets back together with his 1st ex-wife, the hyper-competitive Sam, Sam aggressively drives him off a go-kart track; this prompts Cuddy to ask what her problem is, and House responds, jokingly, “She hates Jews!” Cuddy lets loose a battle cry, “Never Again!” and tries to catch up with Sam (and fails). However, out of all of the main characters with the exception of failed-seminary boy Robert Chase, Wilson shows the most respect for and interest in religion. Where House, despite his encyclopedic knowledge of Judaism (possibly because the two most important people in his life, Cuddy and Wilson, are Jews) would use his knowledge to cut someone down for their faith, Wilson uses his knowledge about various religions to engage with people so they can come to the right conclusion while still listening to their conscience. Wilson also thinks there might be an afterlife, and is upset that House’s hardline atheism won’t tolerate this one thing Wilson holds on to that comforts him.
158* Subverted in the ''Series/{{JAG}}'' episode "The Promised Land" where Lieutenant Singer only pretends to be Jewish in order to badger a Marine deserter and convert who had joined the IDF. Her first chair Commander Turner calls the bluff by testing her knowledge of Judaism.
159* ''Series/JustShootMe'': Jack Gallo acts, talks, and looks just like a stereotypical New York Jew from the Bronx (this is because his actor, George Segal, ''was'' a New York Jew from the Bronx). To avoid UnfortunateImplications, he's revealed to have a JewishMother, but he wasn't raised religiously and it otherwise doesn't come up. Finch even lampshades this when Maya expresses surprise that he and his father don't talk much.
160--> I didn't come from that Italian-Jewish-Catholic background or whatever it is you've got going. I came from a nice [=WASPy=] family where the only emotional thing Dad said at dinner was "Pass the salt."
161* ''Series/TheLWord'': Jenny's established to be Jewish, though this doesn't come up that much or ever affect her character. It appears she's only culturally or ethnically Jewish, with Jenny not practicing Judaism that we see, though flashbacks from her past indicate her family may have been Orthodox. The most notable mention is the fact that her grandmother survived the Holocaust in Europe.
162* In ''Series/LawAndOrder'', this trope is part of a plot where a suspected murderer claims to be Jewish so he can seek asylum in Israel. To solve the matter, Assistant District Attorney Abbie Carmichael contests his Jewish status before a Rabbinical council for a ruling. Thanks in part to her charmingly earnest courtesy to the Rabbis, and the fact that the accused never took a ceremonial bath as part of an official conversion and has not been living what they considered to be a Jewish lifestyle, the council rules that the man is not Jewish.
163* On ''Series/TheLeague'', Ruxin mentions being Jewish in the first episode, describing himself as looking like a Nazi cartoon of a Jew. However he is not practicing, and in fact is married to a Catholic and Baby Geoffrey was baptized (he told his mother it was a ''really'' progressive synagogue). In one episode he celebrates Sukkot in order to get his son into a prestigious Jewish preschool. In another episode, Ruxin and his wife get in an argument over what religion to raise Baby Geoffrey in. Averted with Ruxin's sister, who is mentioned to be Orthodox. This trope is even more true with Ted, who is only known to be Jewish because a rabbi was at his funeral.
164* Gordo from ''Series/LizzieMcGuire.'' In the episode where this is most present, he up and decides to have his Bar Mitzvah.
165* In ''Series/LuckyLouie'', the priest asks Kim if she would like to make a confession, and she replies, "No, I'm Jewish."
166* Rhoda Morgenstern from ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'' and its spinoff, ''Series/{{Rhoda}}''. She's mentioned on a few occasions that she's Jewish, but doesn't appear to be practicing. She does confess to still enjoying Hanukkah though. In one episode, she's looking through personals ads and seeing how her name sounds with the last name of the men in the ads. She comes across one guy whose last name is Christian. She quickly rejects that one, stating that her mother would kill her.
167* All the members of the Fine family, from ''Series/TheNanny.''
168%%* Ziva on ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' is a former Israeli Mossad agent and wears a Star of David. She is more a subversion of the trope, although it's less evident in earlier seasons. She's shown in flashbacks to have been raised in an observant household, observes Jewish mourning rituals, makes references to celebrating Jewish holidays, and prays. It's not a perfect portrayal, but it's less topical than other examples here, and somewhat [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in that her job with Mossad was espionage and assassination, which would preclude strict adherence to ''any'' religion for practical reasons.
169* David on ''Series/TheNewNormal'' admits to being of a secular mindset and celebrates Christmas with his Catholic husband, up to and including how to baby-proof their Christmas tree.
170* The Eppes family in ''Series/{{NUMB3RS}}'' is this for most of the series (at least, once they [[AmbiguouslyJewish establish that the family actually is Jewish]]). Don begins practicing in Season 5, but Alan and Charlie remain this throughout the series.
171* Sandy Cohen from ''Series/TheOC'' is Jewish but other than having a stereotypical JewishMother, his Judaism is only infrequently mentioned. Curiously his son Seth, who is half-Jewish (his mother is Christian and he was reared with elements of both faiths) is ''far'' more vocal about identifying as Jewish and was delighted when his girlfriend mentioned she would be ConvertingForLove.
172* ''Series/PaperGirls'': KJ is established as Jewish when she mentions her mom buying a dress (that she dislikes) for her bat mitzvah. It's mentioned by KJ a couple times again, though never affects things really.
173* In the ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse'' Christmas Special, Mrs. Renée and the Dinosaur Family are revealed to be Jewish and celebrate Chanukah.
174* ''Series/PowerRangersSPD'': On receiving his new CoolBike, Jack declares it's like Christmas come early. Bridge (who also got a new bike) answers that, since he's Jewish, it's more like Chanukah came early. This is the only time Bridge mentions he's Jewish during the series -- and he impressively manages to tell us this information in the most ham-handed way possible.
175** This is how we learn ''everything'' about Bridge, such as his love of buttery toast. It would have been distinctly ''out of character'' for him to mention his religion in a context compatible with a kosher diet.
176* ''Series/PowerRangersZeo'' had a ChristmasEpisode where a special guest character celebrated Hanukkah. Being AnAesop, they were all hit with the "[[AlliterativeName bias blaster]]" and became ethnocentric. Tanya celebrated Kwanzaa, despite actually being from Africa.
177* ''Series/ThePractice'': Jamie is Jewish, but this was only established by her mentioning it. She feels guilty enough about not practicing Judaism to break up with her gentile boyfriend while noting how American Jews are fading as a distinct group.
178* Chuck from ''Series/PushingDaisies'' is mentioned a few times as being Jewish, yet she manages to make her way through two Christmas specials without even mentioning Chanukah. It is possible that the only reason she was defined as Jewish at all is to explain why she needed to be buried as soon as possible and wasn't embalmed.
179* Both Sarah and Laura Silverman on ''Series/TheSarahSilvermanProgram'' are mentioned as being Jewish several times. [[NWordPrivileges "You know who else is a kike? Me, and Laura, and Albert Einstein."]]
180* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'':
181** The show does this on occasion but always subverts it. A conversation about circumcision indicates it never happened to Jerry. They are friends with a rabbi because he lives in their building. They are never seen doing anything religious. Elaine is explicitly mentioned not to be Jewish. The implication is that they're descended from Jews and live in a Jewish neighborhood but don't follow the religion themselves.
182** Kramer is seen eating bacon which he's cooked in and is eating out of Jerry's frying pan, and given Kramer's propensity to steal food from Jerry, it's implied that neither of them cares about whether something is kosher or not. He says he's not Jewish in the same episode Elaine did. But his friend Lomez is ("Orthodox, Jerry. Old school!").
183** Despite not keeping kosher, Kramer is respectful of those who do to the point of preventing Jerry's Orthodox girlfriend from secretly trying lobster, fearing that she'll regret it if she does, which she later thanks him for.
184** It is known that Jerry is Jewish, he's just non-practicing, but he comments in one episode after a faux-pas asking a Chinese-American postman where the nearest Chinese Restaurant was that "If someone asks me which way's Israel, I don't fly off the handle!" And while Frank Costanza is a first-generation Italian-American, Estelle is [[JewishMother heavily implied]] to be Jewish as well, though George says he's not Jewish (which might indicate she's not or simply isn't considered as such due to not practicing Judaism).
185* Blair Sandburg in ''Series/TheSentinel''. Mentions that his Swiss Army Knife was a Bar Mitzvah present, and when a guest in the apartment he and Jim share asks if there are any pork chops he says, "Yeah, right next to the whale meat!" But he doesn't seem to observe any other Jewish customs; he was raised by a [[HippieParents flower child mother]] and is a cultural anthropologist by training. . .
186* Charlotte on ''Series/SexAndTheCity'' is a Protestant of English descent, but later converts to Judaism when she becomes engaged to Harry later in the series. Played with in the movies when she demonstrates knowledge of a few Hebrew terms.
187* ''Series/SingleDrunkFemale'': Sam mentions she was the only Jewish girl in her school growing up, and that her dad had a shiva (a Jewish period of mourning), though other than these few mentions her Jewishness doesn't come up at all, with no sign of her or Sam's mom practicing Judaism otherwise — although Samantha mentions once that, as a kid, she hated that her family did not acknowledge Christmas as a holiday in any way. In Season 2, it's revealed both Sam and her mom are atheistic Jews; they don't keep kosher or do Jewish rituals most of the time.
188* ''Series/SquarePegs'' Muffy Tepperman, and Marshall Blechtman both mentioned being Jewish and having a Bat and Bar Mitzvah respectively.
189* Matt Albie on ''Series/Studio60OnTheSunsetStrip''. Made funnier (and {{lampshaded}}) in The Christmas Show, where he is the one pushing doing a Christmas show while others are lukewarm at best to the idea.
190* Parodied in ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'' when London reveals she celebrates Hanukkah. She refers to herself as a 'shiksa', a word for a non-Jewish woman, but does occasionally throw Yiddish slang terms out in conversation. The whole line is "Miss out on eight days of presents? Not this shiksa," after Maddie asks her why she celebrates Hanukkah, so it's more a joke about her being greedy/spoiled.
191* Invoked and toyed with in ''Series/Warehouse13''. Arthur Nielson, played by Saul Rubinek, is heavily suggested to be culturally (though not religiously) Jewish throughout the show's run. It's revealed quite early on that he was born Artie Weisfelt, and one episode hinges around him selling secrets to the Soviets during the Cold War in order to save his family. It's unclear whether they're family or ''family'' (there ''are'' a lot of names involved), but he does make reference to the persecution of Soviet Jews, as well as several of his cousins being refuseniks.
192** Then we get the season 2 Christmas special, which wastes no time whatsoever prominently placing a dreidel beside his photo in the Christmas-themed opening credits. Later on in the episode, he's reunited with his father, a stereotypical AlterKocker, and they proceed to have a very Jewish reunion, replete with constant bickering, tales of cousins ''finally'' getting married and much YiddishAsASecondLanguage.
193** However, they still never openly state they're Jewish. The closest they come is at the very end of the episode, when Artie's father refers to Claudia (a fellow worker at the warehouse) as "that annoying gentile" before she recites Sheva Brachot (a completely unrelated wedding blessing).
194** Episode 3 of Season 4 it's made explicit when Artie and Leena have to a golf course to retrieve an artifact.
195* Josh on ''Series/TheWestWing'' is Jewish, but aside from saying "Mazel Tov" and [[ItsPersonal getting prickly]] about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it doesn't come up much. Practicing Jew Toby even pokes fun at Josh for being inadequately Jewish:
196-->'''Toby:''' There's an ancient Hebrew word for Jews from Westport; it's pronounced "Presbyterian."
197** [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in one episode when the President asks Toby and Josh about a particular Yom Kippur tradition. Interestingly, it's ''Toby'' who draws a blank (he knows what the President is talking about, but he can't remember the exact word for it). He looks to Josh for help, and Josh supplies the word (but slightly mispronounces it).
198** A plot point in "Take This Sabbath Day" is that Toby is spending his Saturday morning at temple, and later returns to consult with the Rabbi. Josh, by contrast, is spending that same morning hungover in his office after a StagParty and has a meeting scheduled making it clear he wasn't going to temple.
199* ''Series/WhyWomenKill'': Aside from Eli mentioning it, there's no real sign that he's Jewish (aside from this being a common Jewish male first name). [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] as he seems to be a cultural/secular Jew.
200* In ''Series/TheWire'', assistant state's attorney Rhonda Pearlman is never even hinted to be Jewish, but WordOfGod says she is. The only clue in the show, other than her name, is that Detective [=McNulty=] uses the phrase "your twisted little tribe" to refer to her and defense attorney Maurice Levy, who is explicitly Jewish. In context, it's not even clear that he meant to imply anything about their culture or religion; he was really complaining that they're both lawyers, so at least on the surface the "tribe" is the [[AmoralAttorney Maryland State Bar Association]].
201* Grace Adler of ''Series/WillAndGrace'' is Jewish but not religiously observant. She frequently uses YiddishAsASecondLanguage, struggles to deal with her JewishMother's constant criticism, and is often bewildered by Will's [[WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant WASP-y]] family who prefer to ignore their problems and avoid [[JewsLovetoArgue arguments]].
202-->'''Grace:''' I'm like a Jewish Jane Goodall and you're ''[[Film/GorillasInTheMist Goyim in the Mist]]''.
203* Paul, Kevin's best friend in ''Series/TheWonderYears'', has a Bar Mitzvah in one episode, in which we also meet his grandfather who [[NostalgiaFilter reminisces sentimentally about life in the "Old Country"]] and gives him a [[MementoMacGuffin family heirloom]] prayerbook. In a Christmas episode, we briefly hear him and Kevin argue over whether Christmas or Hannukah brings in the most presents. Otherwise, Paul's religion is never mentioned.
204[[/folder]]
205
206[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
207* ComicStrip/DickTracy's sidekick Sam Catchem is Jewish, and always has been, but since it rarely has much bearing on the cases they investigate, it doesn't get mentioned much. The creative team of Mike Curtis and Joe Staton has changed things up a little by having Sam invite the Tracys over for Chanukah.
208[[/folder]]
209
210[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
211* Wrestling/PaulHeyman is well-known to be Jewish to wrestling buffs, but one of the only times that came up in {{Kayfabe}} was when he tried to claim that video footage showing him conspiring with Wrestling/TheShield (an offense that almost got him fired) was actually of an impostor. "I have a thick New York Jewish accent!" Heyman shouted (as did the "impostor" in the video, but that's neither here nor there). Heyman's Jewishness isn't brought up at other times - which is a little strange, given how universally despised Heyman is and that he could easily use this as a WoundedGazelleGambit. ("You just don't like me because you're an anti-Semite!")
212** It came up in Paul's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BUj2_jvfgA "rapping" promo]] before Summerslam 2014:
213-->"No, we're not from West Newbury,\
214no we can't 'hip-hop' like you,\
215My client is the conqueror,\
216I'm just Brock's advocating Jew!"
217[[/folder]]
218
219[[folder:Puppet Shows ]]
220* This trope appears in Franchise/TheMuppets 2008 ChristmasSpecial, ''Film/AMuppetsChristmasLettersToSanta''. Zoot, saxophonist for the Electric Mayhem, shows up for the Christmas Eve celebration toting a menorah and greets the hostess with a calm "Shalom." Dr. Teeth observes the menorah and remarks that he'd never been aware that Zoot was Jewish.
221* Zigzagged in ''Series/ThePuzzlePlace'' with Jody. In general, her Jewishness is rarely discussed and rarely the main focus of the episode plots that focus on her. But it does get several [[ADayInTheLimelight days in the limelight]] too: not only does she teach her friends (and non-Jewish viewers) about Hanukkah, but also Passover, bar and bat mitzvahs, and sitting shiva, and in the picnic episode she brings sour cream pickled herring as her contribution.
222* Mr. Hooper of ''Series/SesameStreet'' was Jewish. The only reason the audience ever knew this is because in the late 70s, a ChristmasSpecial was filmed called "Series/ChristmasEveOnSesameStreet," and Bob wished Mr. Hooper a happy Hanukkah. He was also shown as able to read Yiddish in another episode.
223** Also, Moishe the Oofnik, the grouch on the Israeli version of the show, ''Shalom Sesame'', is explicitly said to be Oscar's cousin, which potentially makes Oscar at least part Jewish too.
224** In later years, the Bear family has taken up the Hanukkah ball, with Baby Bear showing Telly how to spin a dreidel in ''Elmo's World: Happy Holidays''. Although weirdly, the later book ''Rosita's Easter on Sesame Street'' has Baby Bear buying "Easter braided bread", which at the very least suggests they don't observe Passover. (Braided bread [challah] is part of many Jewish holidays, but very specifically not that one.)
225* One episode of ''Series/UnderTheUmbrellaTree'' (which was set in an apartment in some unnamed city in Canada), had a shopkeeper (who had never been seen before) introduce Gloria, Iggy, and Jacob to Chanukah and eventually perform a Chanukah-themed magic act at Holly's holiday talent show. He even explained how Chanukah got started, which included a rare non-blasphemous use of the word "God" in Western secular media.
226[[/folder]]
227
228[[folder:Radio]]
229* ''Radio/TheHowardSternShow'' While playing the [[StripPoker Strip Homeless Game]] Cindy Margolis mentions that she's Jewish in [[http://ancensored.com/clip/The-Howard-Stern-Radio-Show/Cindy-Margolis/5d89696f697a851bb340b5d3 this clip]].
230[[/folder]]
231
232[[folder:Theater]]
233* In ''Theatre/AvenueQ'', Brian and Christmas Eve have a Jewish wedding.
234* Shylock from ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'' might count if the play was written today; though he constantly is called "Jew" and gives his famous "Hath not a Jew eyes?" soliloquy, we rarely see any evidence of his religion--to modern eyes, at any rate. In Elizabethan England, [[ValuesDissonance greed, usurious banking, and refusal to betroth his daughter to a well-bred Christian suitor were practically the definition of "Jew."]]
235** This can be continued in modern adaptations or subverted; the 2004 version featured more aspects of Jewish culture and religion, which fit a more sympathetic treatment of Al Pacino's Shylock.
236[[/folder]]
237
238[[folder:Video Games]]
239* Johnny Kleibitz in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIVTheLostAndDamned'' is Jewish, but doesn't really practice it. He still gets antisemitic slurs thrown his way by [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Billy]].
240* Stelsa Sezyat in ''VisualNovel/HiveswapFriendsim'' is described as "troll Jewish" in the trollcall, but there's very little evidence in her actual story.
241* Joel from ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' is Jewish however it's not implied in the game itself. Creator/NaughtyDog has a postcard-esque official art showing several characters dressed in Christmas gear, with Joel wearing a sweater with a Menorah.
242** In ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'', when Ellie and Dina explore a synagogue in Downtown Seattle, Dina reveals to Ellie that she's Jewish, and that survival has always been a thing in her family (persecutions from TheMiddleAges all the way to UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust and, since 2013, the fungal plague apocalypse).
243* The Messian religion from ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' for the most part looks like a form of anime Christianity. But to inform the viewer that it is actually a post-Christian religion born from syncretism, some of the outfits have other religious symbols tucked away in various places, such as a Jewish star.
244* In ''[[VideoGame/ASuperMarioThing A Super Mario Bros X Thing]]'', the second half of the level [[https://youtu.be/GQb5djAlgxg&t=9m Demo Dance Mix]] portrays (female) main character Demo's bar mitzvah, [[BiglippedAlligatorMoment apropos of nothing]].
245-->'''LetsPlay/{{raocow}}''' I'm not Jewish, but I have to assume that the [[{{Malaproper}} ceremenolial]] dodging of bullets is just one of those parts they, y'know, keep out of gentiles' eyes.
246[[/folder]]
247
248[[folder:Web Animation]]
249* In ''WebAnimation/BarbieVlog'' episode about December holiday traditions, Barbie mentions that her friend Renee's family makes jelly donuts on Hannukah. Renee is [[TwoferTokenMinority also Asian]].
250* From ''WebAnimation/PimpLando'': Darboe being Jewish becomes a RunningGag in later episodes, despite not doing anything differently. Well, OK, he sings "Hava Nagila" once.
251* In the first episode of season 2 of ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', one of the graves for Church and Tex is marked with the Star of David. WordOfGod refuses to comment on whose grave it is.
252[[/folder]]
253
254[[folder:Web Comics]]
255* Gordon Frohman of ''WebComic/{{Concerned}}''. The full extent of his possible religious beliefs we're made aware of is that he [[http://www.screencuisine.net/hlcomic/index.php?date=2006-02-03 once claims]] to be "more of a synagogue type of guy". For all we're shown, this might not even be an admission of being Jewish, but rather him trying to make up any excuse he can to avoid a church after the trouble Father Grigori put him through trying to meet him at the church in Ravenholm, where said Father decided something like where that church actually ''is'' wasn't necessary information.
256* It's mostly {{Fanon}} since it never comes up in the comic and is based on a joke by the author, but fans of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' have taken Terezi to be [[CallARabbitASmeerp Jewgish]] due to a conversation where she admits to not knowing about "Jegus" (referring to a ''Webcomic/SweetBroAndHellaJeff'' misspelling). ItMakesSenseInContext.
257** Hilariously, it was revealed later on that there was an actual [[CrystalDragonJesus Jesus-analogue]] in the history of Terezi's world. Terezi's ancestor was one of the followers of an underground cult he inspired after his death. In other words, Terezi is the descendent of an alien Christian.
258* Parodied in ''Webcomic/KidRadd'', when Kobayashi reveals in a holiday {{Omake}} comic that he's part of a [[McNinja Jewish order of Ninja]].
259* Riff from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' only mentions his Jewishness when Chanukah rolls around (though he ''does'' bring a Star of David with him when he goes vampire hunting). In the first ''Torg Potter'' arc he openly admits that he's been shooting down and cooking all the messenger owls that have been sent to Torg for years, even though owls aren't kosher.
260* Choo-Choo Bear of ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive'' is Jewish. We've seen comics that featured pictures of him at his Bar Mitzvah, and one where he and his cousin Twitchy-Hug explained Passover to the audience. Only thing is... Choo-Choo is a ''cat''. A boneless, hairless, gelatinous cat.
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263[[folder:Web Original]]
264* ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'':
265** Chichi mentions in ''Broly The Legendary Super Saiyan Abridged'' that her mother was Jewish, though it's unknown if she was telling the truth or simply trying to raise Gohan's chances of getting accepted into college.
266** Tien and Chaozu are also revealed to be Jewish in ''The Christmas Tree of Might''.
267* Fractious, in the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse''. Known to swear in Yiddish. When she goes with school friends from [[SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy]] for Christmas, Loophole's mother tries to make ''latkes'' for her. They don't turn out well.
268* In ''WebAnimation/XRayAndVav'', Rusty Bonjour reveals in the Holiday Special that he's Jewish. There was ''nothing'' to hint that he was like this at all and when he reveals it, he's in a tattered Santa suit scamming people out of money via a Salvation Army-like booth.
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271[[folder:Western Animation]]
272* Jude on ''[[WesternAnimation/{{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. There is some irony that Jude was the name of one of Jesus' friends/apostles (and no, he's not the same as Judas). Jude is also German for Jew.
273** This actually adds to UnfortunateImplications when Jude becomes goth, and adopts the name "Judas."
274* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', the Frensky family's Jewishness didn't come out until ''its'' holiday episode. They made up for it since; there's been an episode in which Francine vacillates between a relative's Bar Mitzvah and a bowling match, and another in which she mentions playing on her temple's sports team. Plus, she's attempted a Yom Kippur fast.
275** Francine's family explicitly doesn't follow a Kosher diet so that adds to the fuel. A ''Postcards From Buster'' episode with a devout Jewish family has one scene where Francine points out that [[TruthInTelevision not all Jewish people]] follow kosher laws to the letter. However, in the holiday episode, clueless Mr. Crosswire gifts the Frensky family with a ham, which Mr. Frensky confusingly accepts.
276** This may be a form of RaceLift. In the source books, Francine shows no sign of being Jewish and celebrated Christmas (as she apparently did in early episodes).
277* Mipsy in ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'' mentions transferring funds from a Bat Mitzvah fund in one episode. She's also drawn to look like a stereotypical JewishAmericanPrincess.
278** The ChristmasEpisode actually explores this a bit, as Ginger finds out that her grandfather was Jewish and begins exploring Judaism as a result.
279* Tammy from ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers''. Aside from having a Bat Mitzvah episode, she otherwise has some elements of a JewishAmericanPrincess, albeit downplayed.
280* Sam from ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' -- her religious identity is only ever mentioned in the ChristmasEpisode. It's even worse with her parents who fill the mold of stuck-up [[WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant WASPs]]. Though this can be considered a case of RealityIsUnrealistic in that there are many Jewish people who act like [=WASPs=] (hence the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish-American_princess_stereotype Jewish-American Princess]] stereotype).
281* ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'': The Jew Producer. Other than the name, there's no real indication of his Jewishness until the film.
282* In ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'', [[KindheartedSimpleton Launchpad McQuack]] is shown to practice Judaism as he wears a blue sweater with the menorah in front. But he does participate in the [=McDuck=] family's Christmas party.
283* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Foodfight}}'', the protagonist Dex Dogtective is revealed to be Jewish at the very end of the movie after the credits have started to roll. The only reason for this seems to be to set up the pun of "S'oy vey!".
284** Apparently, all mascots of kosher foods (like Dex's raisins) are Jewish, meaning a lot of the characters also fit under this trope.
285* Moishe from ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' seems to have been rolled in just to fulfill this trope.
286* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' never really addresses religion except when it affects [[AllMythsAreTrue its varied magical setting]], but when [[http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=3350 asked]] about the human characters' religions, WordOfGod says that [[ConspiracyTheorist Matt Bluestone]] is Jewish.
287** {{Downplayed}} in the episode "Golem," where the characters are clearly Jewish, but the script seems to go out of its way to avoid using the word.
288* In ''WesternAnimation/GoAwayUnicorn'' "Make Like a Tree, Unicorn", one of the past holiday displays is a Hanukkah menorah with ornamental stars of David and dreidels designed by Pixie's mom.
289* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': after much argument among the fandom, sometimes reaching near violence, Alex Hirsch has finally confirmed in a tweet that the Pines family are ''ethnically'' Jewish, but do not practice Judaism as a religion.
290* Billy wishes the audience a happy Chanukah at the last possible minute in ''[[WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresofBillyandMandy Billy and Mandy Save Christmas]]'' claiming that's what they celebrate at his house and rubs in the fact that he gets more presents. This is especially JustForFun/{{egregious}} (even to the point of {{Parody}}?) since he had been obsessed with SantaClaus and Christmas throughout the rest of the episode.
291* Harold from ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' In one episode, he is lectured by his rabbi for stealing a ham, with more emphasis on breaking Jewish dietary restrictions than the theft itself.
292-->'''Rabbi Goldberg''': But secondly, and most important, you stole a ham. Ham is not kosher - not kosher at all. We don't ''eat'' ham. We haven't for 5000 years, and we don't need to
293** In another, he has a Bar Mitzvah (yes, he's in fourth grade, but he was [[HeldBackInSchool held back]]). And once, he uses the Yiddish word "kibbitzer" (meaning "person who butts in"). The Bar Mitzvah episode was the first episode anything connecting Harold to Judaism was explicitly mentioned; in fact, in one of the original claymation shorts, he is seen attending church with Arnold and Helga.
294* Ron Stoppable from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': His Bar Mitzvah is the focus of an early episode, which gets a ContinuityNod during a ChristmasEpisode. He obviously doesn't keep kosher.
295* Jody, from ''WesternAnimation/TheLifeAndTimesOfJuniperLee'', whose sister had a Bat Mitzvah in season two episode ''There's No Mitzvah Like Snow Mitzvah''.
296* Arnold from ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicSchoolBus''. Once again, a Chanukah mention during the Christmas episode, and his last name being revealed as “Perlstein” in one episode, are our only clues.
297* In a ''WesternAnimation/TheMightyB'' episode where Bessie and Penny keep 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.
298* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': Nathaniel Kurtzberg is Jewish according to WordOfGod. The most this gets referenced in the show is through his surname and his conspicuous absence from the Christmas special.
299* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': There is no indication that Connie is Jewish until "Tooey's Hole-i-Day Sweater", where we see her lighting a menorah for Hanukkah.
300* ''WesternAnimation/PepperAnn'', as well as her mother, sister, and aunt. Besides her [[AlterKocker obviously Jewish grandmother]], the only other indication of her Judaism is in the ChristmasEpisode. In the MusicalEpisode her mother sings about cooking pork products for dinner, but it could be that they just don't practice Kosher, and it was AllJustADream anyway.
301* Isabella Garcia-Shapiro from ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' only makes slight references to her religion in certain episodes. In one episode, the Star of David can be seen in her bedroom. And in a ChristmasSpecial when the kids are worried about the holiday being cancelled, she doesn't show much sorrow since she celebrates Hanukah and received presents beforehand.
302-->'''Isabella (realizing that her enthusiasm isn't helping the situation):''' I mean, I'm with you guys. [[BadBadActing Boo, no Christmas...]]
303* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' episode "Yes, Mikey, Santa Does Shave" TJ portrays "Harvey Hanukah" in the school Christmas paegant, implying that he's Jewish.
304* ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'': "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Christmas Special]]". While not confirmed in any of the dialogue, Muscleman wears a sweater with a picture of a Dreidel on it.
305* Played straight in ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' early on. Didi is Jewish but doesn't appear to be heavy into her faith. They do eventually feature episodes based around Passover and Hanukkah. And in ''WesternAnimation/AllGrownUp'', Tommy attends classes at a synagogue and tries to win a girl's attraction with 'nice Jewish boy' tactics.
306* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Shauna Chalmers, Dolph Starbeam, Duffman (or one of them at least, given that there are multiple similar-looking actors), and Artie Ziff have been identified as being Jewish.
307** Krusty was the first one to be identified as such, and had an episode revolving around it (where the whole concept of "bar mitzvah" is once again [[ArtisticLicenseReligion done wrong]]).
308* ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'': Arthur and his family are revealed to be Jewish in the episode where his sister gets married, despite him previously having been shown celebrating [[SantaClausmas Christmas]] and eating [=BLTs=].
309* In the ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' episode, "[[Recap/TinyToonAdventuresS3E20ItsAWonderfulTinyToonsChristmasSpecial It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special]]", a menorah can be seen in the window of Hamton's house, implying that his family is Jewish. Most likely, this is meant to be a joke, as they do not keep kosher, as Hamton once tried to cook a lobster, and indeed, they aren't even kosher themselves, being pork. However, in the [[WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventuresSpringBreakSpecial Spring Break special]], Hamton visits his Bubbe and Zeyde in Fort Lauderdale, who both speak with Yiddish accents.
310* Dr Mrs the Monarch from ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' was said to be Sephardic Jewish, according to one of the creators. Although, it could be that she no longer practices Judaism since she celebrated Christmas in one episode and sang Christmas songs with Monarch.
311* Tish from ''WesternAnimation/TheWeekenders''. Implied by her having Eastern European parents, getting a type of Bat Mitzvah at 12 and 1/2, which is the usual age for girls in reform and many conservative temples. Stated in the holiday special where it is revealed that she celebrates Chanukah. It should be pointed out that one early episode has her celebrate Lent, and the fans seem to have a BrokenBase on whether she is Catholic or Jewish though she's generally considered Jewish with the Lent reference being EarlyInstallmentWeirdness. Tino is also a non-Jewish example. He's apparently Pagan - or at least his mother is - but this is only referenced a few times such as how they celebrate Winter Solstice.
312* Kitty from ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution''. The only evidence that she's Jewish is a scene of her lighting the menorah in her home in the ChristmasEpisode... and being very definitely Jewish in the comic the show was based on.
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