“But Not Too Jewish” An Evaluation of Jewish Holidays in Television Comedies from 2000-2023 Open Access

Abstract

Holidays are central to the Jewish faith, as they emphasize religious observance, community, and tradition. This thesis explores the portrayal of Jewish holidays in 30 episodes of American television shows, aiming to fill a gap in Jewish studies and Film and Media Studies by examining how these holidays are depicted within comedic contexts. Specifically focusing on Hanukkah, Passover, Shabbat, and Yom Kippur, this study analyzes 30 episodes between the four holidays, coding for six common themes. These themes include: is the holiday the main theme of the episode, is this the only “Jewish” episode in the series, is the episode educational, is the holiday used for comedic purposes, is the Jewish humor clear and explainable, and is there a depiction of an interfaith relationship or character. This thesis concludes that Jewish holidays are often depicted for comedic purposes by using Jewish customs or Jewish stereotypes. This thesis also finds that there is typically a portrayal of an interfaith couple or character in the holiday episode. This thesis also determines that the majority of the episodes are not the only “Jewish” episode in the series. Many of the episodes also use Jewish humor, which may not be universally understood by all audiences. Finally, this thesis claims that there will be less Jewish sitcoms in the coming years with the end of famous Jewish television shows, including The Goldbergs, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. 

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

A Note: Written in December 2023 ....................................................................................................1

Chapter 1: Introduction........................................................................................................................4

Why Holidays: .......................................................................................................................................... 12

Literature Review:................................................................................................................................... 15

Purpose: ..................................................................................................................................................... 19

Methodology: ............................................................................................................................................ 19

Coding Process: ........................................................................................................................................ 20

What Comes Next: ................................................................................................................................... 22

Chapter 2: The Jewish Sitcom..........................................................................................................23

Chapter 3: Hanukkah ........................................................................................................................ 32

Chapter 4: Passover............................................................................................................................49

Chapter 5: Shabbat and Yom Kippur: ............................................................................................ 66

Chapter 6: Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 84

Limitations: ............................................................................................................................................... 87

References: ........................................................................................................................................... 88

Episodes Watched and Discussed:...................................................................................................98 Appendix:........................................................................................................................................... 101 

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Religion
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Fine Arts Jewish Studies
Keyword	American Television Hollywood Jewish Holidays Sitcoms
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Don Seeman , Emory University
Committee Members	​Matthew Bernstein, Emory University Katherine Rosenblatt , Emory University

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