May 13, 1997, on Jay Leno's Tonite show: Jason Alexander shouted, "I'm a Jew! I'm a Jew!"
Guess this puts to rest at least some of the controversy. Some time ago I posted a synopsis of a scholarly article detailing the Jewish basis of the Seinfeld premise, which said that George, Jerry and Elaine were Jewish characters. Two down, one to go. I realize that Jason said he was a Jew, and not George, but.... Randy Cryonics: Gateway to the Future? http://members.wbs.net/homepages/c/r/y/cryofan1.html ***********************************
Jason is Jewish, George is Latvian Orthodox. They're different people, remember. Can I clear this up? Of the characters, Jerry is Jewish, George is Latvian Orthodox, and I think Elaine and Kramer are supposed to be Christian, although it's never been specifically mentioned. Of the real people, Jerry is Jewish, Jason is Jewish, Julia is Jewish, and I'm not sure about Michael - my guess is Christian. Except for Michael, Elaine and Kramer, I'm 100% sure about these. One thing is certain - Elaine and Kramer are NOT Jewish.
I've been lurking in this ng for a couple of months and one thing I can say for certain is how sick I am of Michael Alexander's know-it-all attitude on everything, Seinfeld related or not.
Yeah? Well, guess what. He's right most of the time. That's more than I can say for 80% of the ng denizens. If 2 conflicting posts show up, and one was from Michael, which one would I believe? Damn straight.
Where can I get a tape of that "Tonight Show" with Jason? I never heard about him being on there. Is there a # I can call to get a tape of an episode? Somewhere I can write?
Can I just mention something here, since nobody else has? Just because an actor is a given religion doesn't mean that his/her character is that religion also. Jason is in fact a Jew, but George is not. The Costanzas were purposely written without specification as to their religion or background. Estelle Harris, who plays Estelle Costanza, has said that it's better this way because people relate to her character as a woman and a mother and a wife, not as an Italian or a Jew or whatever.
In addition, does it really matter? They're people! Members of the human race, the only race that people haven't invented, so to speak. Please, let's just discuss the show itself and not things like religion. :)
But what? If you are Jewish in real-life, does that mean you are banned from playing non-Jewish roles? Everyone (or at least I thought) was pretty clear on whether Jason Alexander was Jewish; there was no need to quote from Leno.
As soon as he said the words (in reference to an anecdote) I thought "Here we go again!" #1. What difference does it make????????? #2. The only *scholarly* method of deducing information about a character on a tv show is watching and taking note of what occurs on the screen. *Real* people are not the characters they play - wake up and smell the coffee. #3. Since you seemed to have ignored that *and* the replies of others who have tried to show you the errors in your hypothesis - why don't you find something else more interesting to focus on? Sharon Ahearn "And haply of our old acquaintance tell."
That is not based on any concocted personal reasoning, simply a *fact* based on standard definitions and acceptance in society, *including* acceptance (explicit as well as implied) by numerous members of the Jewish community.
Anyway, unless you are Jewish, which I think you would have made clear by now to strengthen your comments, I would like you to know that _not a single_ Jewish person has commented to me, in person or through email, or even publicly posted, that there is any error or offense in suggesting that there is an element of being Jewish that is outside the religion, Judaism, one referring to heritage, ethnicity, whatever. One which, I might add, a Jewish person should feel proud of.
Catholicism is strictly a religion, and I have never heard it defined to include anything else.
I find amusing these endless discussions of which characters supposedly are Jewish. They remind me of a classic Saturday Night Live skit I saw many years ago. The premise of the skit was a game show called "Jew/Not a Jew", in which contestants were shown pictures of well-known personalities and had to guess whether or not they were Jewish (in real life). At one point, a picture of then-mayor of NYC Ed Koch is shown, and an obviously non-Jewish contestant becomes agitated and yells, "He's a Jew! He's a Jew!"
Randy appears to have assumed that Jason Alexander's proclamation, "I'm a Jew! I'm a Jew!" applies to the character he plays as well. By that standard, Captain Kirk and Spock are Jewish, as is that patriarch of the Ponderosa, the head of the clan on "Bonanza" (played by Lorne Greene).
Ironically, Jewish stereotypes in film and TV (and sometimes even on stage) often are played by people of Italian descent. Examples: Miles Silverberg (original "FYI" producer) on "Murphy Brown"; Fran's mother on "The Nanny"
And no, I don't think that George Costanza is Jewish, although I don't recall an episode that told us what his mother's religion is. And yes, Jason Alexander has made it apparent before that he's Jewish; in a celebrity Jeopardy tournament some time ago, he announced that he was playing for a Jewish charity.
BTW, the name "Alexander" (assuming it's Jason Alexander's real last name) sometimes turns up as a first or last name in the Jewish community. It dates back to the time of the Macedonian conquerer Alexander the Great; his enlightened attitude toward Jews was so appreciated that some Jewish parents named their children after him. Due to the custom of naming children after elder family members, the name survives in the Jewish community to this day.
Isn't Fran's mother played by Renee Taylor? I thought she was Jewish and maaried to an Italian (Joseph Bologna). Lots of Jews are married to Italians - e.g., Mel Brooks and Ann Bancroft (nee Italiano), Mrs. John Gotti and John Gotti, Shelley Winters was married to Tony Franciosa, Jerry Ohrbach's parents, etc. So why can't George be the rpoduct of a Jewish-Italian marriage?
There was a syndicated article in my local paper on "George" Jason Alexander. His real name at birth was: Jay Scott Greenspan. So that should tell you something. BTW, Jason's most enduring love is: the musical theatre. That's probably why he did the Dick Van Dyke broadway-movie role in the re-make of "Bye, Bye, Birdie" a couple of years ago. He wasn't bad, but not as good as Dick Van Dyke, who is a superb comedy actor.
He wasn't bad, but not as good as Dick Van Dyke, who is a superb comedy actor.
** When he did the "Put on a happy face" number, he
acted as if he were embarrassed by the situation.
I wondered if he's forgotten how to play anyone
but George...
No, but it's worth noting that people with AIDS do not comrise a religious, ethnic, or racial group. Charities that help members of a particular religious or ethnic group within the U.S. tend to get the overwhelming majority of their funds from members of that group. For example, I doubt that many non-Jews contribute to B'nai B'rith. That was the sort of charity involved.
Maybe so, but some people on this newsgroup are wanting to know if he's Jewish. This is not proof, it's only speculation and I was merely pointing that out.
<sigh> Jason is Jewish and George is not. This is fact. All right?
George was most likely Christian (e.g. he bought Christmas gifts for his parents in "The Gum"), and converted to Latvian Orthodox. But guaranteed, the only Jewish character is Jerry.
Which brings to mind a hilarious event I saw televised. Some Chasidic Jews were having a telethon to raise money for something or other. They managed to arrange to have Jon Voight appear as a celebrity endorser of their cause. It was incredibly comic to see Voight dancing with a bunch of bearded, black-suited orthodox Jewish men to strains of Klezmer music. The Seinfeld writers couldn't have dreamed up a funnier scene.
It's not a difficult concept at all, and I have never said that "[a] person who denounces their affiliation with a given religion is no longer a member of that religion." Somebody else phrased the issue better:
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Now, this is what I was talking about. Since the person has embraced another religion and is still considered Jewish (not in the religion/Judaism sense), what aspect of being Jewish is being referred to, since Judaism is no longer a part of this person's life? Your point about them being a member of whatever religion they converted to, agnostic, atheist, whatever, was never contested; they are _obviously not Jewish anymore by religion_.
There is not, to my knowledge, any definition of Christianity or Islam that refers to anything other than religions. That's why the same standard is not applied. Why can somebody be Jewish at birth in the first place? You cannot be Muslim or Catholic by birth, can you? A baby cannot declare itself to be of any religion, so a baby is not Catholic or Muslim. However, a baby born to Jewish parents is considered Jewish, if the parents are considered to be descended from the ancient Jewish people. If this is not referring to ethnicity, than what is it referring to?
Sorry, I have never heard you say that. If what I am writing is so offensive to you and Missy as Jews, than why have no other Jews said such to me? Obviously it is offensive to you guys; I cannot question that, but I object to being termed offensive to Jews in general when I have received numerous comments from Jews that agreed with what I was saying.
As the "somebody else" whom "Huckleberry" quoted above, I feel obligated to correct him somewhat. A Jew who embraces ("converts to") another religion is still a Jew from a RELIGIOUS standpoint. He still is obligated to fulfill all Biblical commandments and to embrace the tenets of the religion. The concept of being an "ethnic" Jew, without the religious component, does not exist in Judaism.
I take it you are Jewish, right? In any case, the point still stands that a Jew (by religion) who converts to "another religion is still a Jew..." Whether from a religious standpoint or ethnic standpoint -- I never really was concerned with the specifics. I have been told by others, including Jews, that there is an ethnic component of _being Jewish_ that is outside the religion of Judaism; I never said that said component existed *inside* Judaism. Anyway, sorry, I think we had a little misunderstanding.
It was simply my point that someone who denies the faith of Judaism is still considered a Jew for *some* reason, and it is not racist, ignorant, or otherwise offensive to the general Jewish population to say this. As I take my conclusion from yours and other Jewish people's statements, is this not correct to say?