HALF-JEWISH MEDIA CHARACTERS
Dear Friends:
Do you know of any depictions of half-Jewish people in the media that you would like us to post links to? We would love to post links to continuing half-Jewish characters in comic strips, TV shows, novels, biographies, etc.
We look forward to your suggestions. Please send them to us at:
1. Our first discovery is a wonderful continuing gay male character named Breyer in the comic strip, "Kyle's Bed & Breakfast" by Greg Fox.
Breyer's Irish Catholic father and Jewish mother split up when Breyer was a child, and he had little contact with his mother after that. Breyer was sent to 12 years of Catholic schools (!!!), and identified as Catholic.
Currently, Breyer is the lover of Kyle, the owner of a bed and breakfast on Long Island, New York, which has a clientele of gay men ranging from athletes to car mechanics. The strip has recently been discussing Breyer's newly-found interest in Judaism. A Jewish friend invited him to a seder, despite Breyer's protests that he identified as Catholic, and Breyer has been reading "Judaism for Dummies."
Breyer, in the words of one enthusiastic fan named Bobby, is drawn "50% Jewish, 50% Christian, 100% hairy-chested hunk!"
We believe Breyer will be popular with both our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender members and our heterosexual members. In addition to being cute, he is very intelligent and kind.
2. Margaret Simon, the protagonist of Judy Blume's young adult novel, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, which came out originally in 1970 and was re-released in 2006.
Margaret is an 11 year-old with a Christian mother and a Jewish father whose family has just moved from New York City to New Jersey. She is very conflicted about religion and her identity, and this is one of the main themes of the novel.
Her maternal grandparents want her to be Christian. Her paternal grandmother sees her as Jewish and introduces her to synagogue services. Her parents largely raised her without a religion. When she moves to New Jersey, she discovers that this makes her an outcast, and so she starts attending both
church and synagogue services in an attempt to figure out where she belongs.
The book is better-known for its frank treatment of the issues surrounding female puberty, but many half-Jewish people would relate to Margaret's struggles with her identity, and it might particularly appeal to young half-Jewish girls.
(Thanks to Jessie for this item!)
3. Films:
The Longing is the winner of the 2009 Telly Award for Religion & Spirituality, Best Documentary at the Long Island Latino Film Festival, and Best Latino Film at the Santa Fe Film Festival (trailer: http://tinyurl.com/28xp6ut).
Set in Ecuador, The Longing tells the story of a small group of South Americans yearning to affirm their faith after their ancestors— European Jews—were forced to convert to Catholicism during the Spanish inquisition. They battle to reclaim their heritage regardless of the consequences.
For more information, please contact:
http://www.bohmproductions.com