Post by Cary Friedman on Oct 28, 2007 19:41:01 GMT -5
New York Blueprint Magazine
Volume 8 Issue 1
Fall 2007
www.nyblueprint.com/Upload/Magazine/NYBMagazine_9_07.pdf
JEWPERHEROES!
Great Jews in Comics
There is a long history of Jewish involvement in the comic book industry, from the fledgling beginnings of superheroes in America until today.
But only in the last several decades have members of the tribe actually come to appear as superheroes. With the blockbuster success of “The Fantastic Four†in theaters this past summer, viewers may have been reminded that “The Thing,†a founding member of The Fantastic Four, was the most prominent comic book hero to reveal his Jewishness.
The life of a comic book hero is an apt metaphor for the Jewish condition. The Jewish people, like superheroes, are supposed to dedicate themselves to bring light into the world and throughout history, Jews have been persecuted and misunderstood, just like the quintessential comic book tale. Most importantly, both superheroes and the Jewish people possess a moment of recognition in which the true extent of their capabilities has been revealed. For the Jewish people, that moment of becoming a people with a purpose was historic in nature: the Exodus from Egypt culminating in the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. For superheroes, that moment was personal, and each hero claims a different moment at which they discovered their powers.
Below is an insider’s guide to the chronology of great Jewish heroes
...
2006
Cary Friedman, an Orthodox rabbi, publishes “Wisdom from the Batcave,†in which he outlines moral lessons to learn from the Batman storyline. Among other Jewish insights, he compares Bruce Wayne’s horror at witnessing his parent’s murder to his mother’s survival of the Holocaust and the atrocities that she and her peers witnessed. “There is a power that justice and goodness have,†Friedman writes, “Commit yourself to them fully, and you can tap into inestimable power.â€
Thank you, Avram Davis!
Volume 8 Issue 1
Fall 2007
www.nyblueprint.com/Upload/Magazine/NYBMagazine_9_07.pdf
JEWPERHEROES!
Great Jews in Comics
There is a long history of Jewish involvement in the comic book industry, from the fledgling beginnings of superheroes in America until today.
But only in the last several decades have members of the tribe actually come to appear as superheroes. With the blockbuster success of “The Fantastic Four†in theaters this past summer, viewers may have been reminded that “The Thing,†a founding member of The Fantastic Four, was the most prominent comic book hero to reveal his Jewishness.
The life of a comic book hero is an apt metaphor for the Jewish condition. The Jewish people, like superheroes, are supposed to dedicate themselves to bring light into the world and throughout history, Jews have been persecuted and misunderstood, just like the quintessential comic book tale. Most importantly, both superheroes and the Jewish people possess a moment of recognition in which the true extent of their capabilities has been revealed. For the Jewish people, that moment of becoming a people with a purpose was historic in nature: the Exodus from Egypt culminating in the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. For superheroes, that moment was personal, and each hero claims a different moment at which they discovered their powers.
Below is an insider’s guide to the chronology of great Jewish heroes
...
2006
Cary Friedman, an Orthodox rabbi, publishes “Wisdom from the Batcave,†in which he outlines moral lessons to learn from the Batman storyline. Among other Jewish insights, he compares Bruce Wayne’s horror at witnessing his parent’s murder to his mother’s survival of the Holocaust and the atrocities that she and her peers witnessed. “There is a power that justice and goodness have,†Friedman writes, “Commit yourself to them fully, and you can tap into inestimable power.â€
* * * * * * * * * *
Thank you, Avram Davis!