Character: Francesca Reed
Margolis
Show: "Sisters"
Network, night: NBC, Satur-
day
Actor: Julianne Philips,who is
not Jewish
Occupation: Former invest-
ment analyst, owner of 1950s-style
diner
Definitive Jewish episode: Character converted
to Judaism when married to her ex-husband, Mitch
Margolis, and faced isolation from her family when she
announced her decision. Her family later came around,
bearing mezuzot and menorahs as gifts for her Jewish
home.
Character study: Youngest of four sisters from a
Chicago suburb, raised in a well-to-do household.
Slightly scatter-brained and whiny.
Marital status: Divorced, single parent to Thomas
George Margolis, a toddler.
Character: Martin Tupper
Show: "Dream On"
Network, night: HBO,
Wednesday
Actor: Brian Benben, who is not
Jewish
Occupation: Book editor
Definitive Jewish episode: "I
Never Promised You Charoset,
Martin." Martin's only child, Jeremy, the product of a
mixed marriage, joins a Bible study group. Martin is
angered over his son's interest in Catholicism and
plans a Passover seder for his whole family. His ex-wife
plans Easter dinner at the same time and the two fami-
lies battle it out over a table laden with ham and gefilte
fish.
Character study: Aspiring writer from White
Plains, N.Y., now living in Manhattan, with a dead-end
publishing job, wanders in and out of meaningless rela-
tionships.
Marital status: Divorced
Character: Jeffrey Geiger
Show: "Chicago Hope"
Network, night: CBS, Monday
Actor: Mandy Patinkin, who is
Jewish
Occupation: Cardiac surgeon
Definitive Jewish episode:
None yet; the show is in its first
season.
Character study: Brilliant sur-
geon, given to hysterical outbursts. Caustic, abrasive
and highly unpopular with both patients and co-work-
ers.
Marital status: Married. Wife is in a mental institu-
tion following her drowning of their only child, a young
son.
Character: Aaron Shutt
Show: "Chicago Hope"
Network, night: CBS, Monday
Actor: Adam Arkin, whcp is
Jewish
Occupation: Neurosurgeon
Definitive Jewish episode:
None yet.
Character study: Even-tem-
pered, well-liked surgeon. Best friends with Dr. Geiger,
tries to keep him sane.
Marital status: Divorced from wife, Camille, a
nurse at Chicago Hope. Trying a reconciliation.
FAREWELL, FLEISCH MAN
promoted," Mr. Schneider said.
"We wanted Joel to have self-
realization. We wanted him to
achieve heaven." And heaven, to
the husband-and-wife produc-
ing team, is a non judgmental
universe where human beings
reach their potential.
To get there, Joel had to ex-
plore his faith, which had been
somewhat suppressed by his
love of urban amenities.
"We wanted to shadow that
narrowness, from his ethnic
background or New York back-
ground, and continue broaden-
ing him," Mr. Schneider said.
"Being Jewish added to the 'fish out
of water' theme. It helped to make him
more foreign."
In the universe of Alaska, a Jew is
definitely a stranger. But Cicely man-
aged to find nine Jews for Fleischman
when he needed a minyan to say Kad-
dish for a dead uncle in a memorable
episode last season that introduced
the American public to Jewish mourn-
ing rituals.
Joel, the cynical New Yorker, did
not believe some of the men, lumber-
jacks and rugged outdoorsmen, could
possibly be of his faith. Jewish men,
come more Jewish."
So, the story of Joel Fleischman
is the story of American Jews. Some
of us remain among our people and
continue the traditions of our an-
cestors. The rest leave our homes,
as Abraham did, to discover our spir-
itual selves among strangers.
E/\
Who knows
he insisted, wear suits and ties and go
to graduate school. He made them
recite prayers in Hebrew as a test;
they passed. Ultimately , though, Dr.
Fleischman decides the people of
Cicely are his community, not the
Jewish people.
"We took some flak for that from
rabbis," Mr. Schneider said. "But the
community of Cicely was the spirit
behind the minyan."
"He is a landmark character in the
way he explored his Jewishness," said
Sun critic Mr. Zurawik. "He found he
belonged to the tribe of people of
Cicely. To assimilate, he had to be-
what will happen to Fleischman,
now that he's out of the Cicely pic-
ture. Actor Rob Morrow, who turned
in a critically acclaimed film per-
formance in Robert Bedford's "Quiz
Show," is pursuing a movie career,
and he's hot stuff.
CBS, perhaps sensing a plunge in
the show's popularity once Fleischman
and O'Connell no longer bicker, moved
"Northern Exposure" from its prized
Monday-night-at-10 slot to Wednes-
day nights, to make room for "Chicago
Hope," a new hit medical drama that
includes two Jewish doctors in its
ensemble.
Joel Fleischman is gone, and so will
the most fascinating Jewish charac-
ter on TV.
It's enough to make you sick. ❑
A Talk With Editor Of 'Soap Opera Digest
Think of soap opera super couples —Bo and Hope, Luke and Laura, Frisco and Felicia -- and a Jewish couple
certainly doesn't come to mind. But does anyone remember the Siegels on "One Life. To Live" in the late 1960s?
The Jewish News spoke about the representation of Jews on daytime serials with Jason Bonderoff, a managing
editor at Soap Opera Digest, the Bible of that medium.
J.N. — Historically, have there been any major Jewish
characters on popular soap operas?
Jason Bonderoff — Jews have mainly been back-burner
characters on soap operas. There's been a lot of the
cliched-Jewish-man-with-Irish-Catholic woman story-
lines.
Why do you think there have been so many interfaith rela-
tionships on the soaps?
There's more dramatic tension when the couple has
religious differences. Soap operas have a longstanding
history ofJewish/non-Jewish relationships.
Are there currently any major Jewish characters on the
soaps?
Hillary B. Smith just won a Daytime Emmy for best
actress on a daytime drama for her work as Nora Gan-
non, a Jewish attorney who is divorced from an African-
American man and is currently dating one of the leading
male characters. She is a front-burner character and
occasionally her Judaism does come up.
Why do you think Jewish characters are not more
abundant on the soaps?
The writers tend to homogenize everyone. You don't
see specifically Lutheran or Mormon storylines either.
But the reality is, it's a Christian world in daytime
drama. They've mainstreamed Jews, which is both good
and bad. We've been accepted and aren't seen as differ-
ent. But to a large extent, we've been relegated to the
back-burner or simply ignored. It hasn't been a priority
on anybody's agenda and not a priority for Jews.
What about storylines like the current "Desecrater" on
"Days of Our Lives," which has centered on destruction of
church property and possession by Satan?
I can identify with that as a Jew. It's not an obsession
with the Christian religion. It's about the destruction of
PHOTO BY ANN LIMONGELLO/ABC
Character: Jerry Seinfeld
Show: "Seinfeld"
Network, night: NBC, Thursday
Actor: Jerry Seinfeld, who is Jew-
ish
Occupation: Stand-up comic
Definitive Jewish episode:
While his parents were visiting from
Florida, Jerry and the Jewish girl he
was dating had little time alone. The two missed all of
Schindler's List, because they were kissing and hug-
ging during the movie. The girl's father forbid her to
continue dating Jerry after he learned what they did.
Character study: Self-absorbed, meticulously neat
Jewish New Yorker who makes a living noticing and
commenting about little things, like dry-clean-only
labels and parking-space etiquette.
Marital status: Single, dates outside his religion.
Has commented that he likes Oriental women.
Actress Hillary S. Smith (left): Won Daytime Emmy for portraying
Jewish attorney on "One Life To Live."
religious items and possession by the devil. Jews have
dybbuks in their history and could relate to a story about
an evil being.
Is it unusual for a soap opera to have a storyline
focusing on religion?
Yes. Usually most characters on the soaps only go
to church for weddings or funerals. Or they go to hospi-
tal chapels when someone is sick. A lot of the praying
they do is non-denominational and generic. It's not
religious storylines. It's mainstreamed, middle-class,
middle America.
What would you like to see in terms of Jewish portrayal
on the soaps?
I would like to see a whole Jewish family dealing with
ongoing middle-class Jewish life.
– Melinda Greenberg
N