plants himself in the middle of the
apartment like a fern, and everyone
moves around him."
In May, Jerry and the gang's tri-
0
umphant TV run comes to an end.
Despite the shots he takes at the
show, Bergman is a fan. The hour-
long session turned into a character-
by-character review, and a look at reli-
gion in the show.
"There is ambiguity in terms of reli-
gion on the show," said Bergman, an
admitted member of the "pure TV
generation" (people from their mid-20s
to mid-30s). "Seinfeld has a
Jewish name, he's neurotic,
and his parents appear to
be Jewish, but he does
nothing to specifically
say that he's Jewish."
As for George
Costanza (played by
Jason Alexander),
the short and stout,
allegedly Italian
sidekick, his moth-
er's (Estelle Harris)

z..d

4

:44386V

0
0

0.

`Shaky The
Mohel'

Rabbi Aaron Bergman analyzes the
life and times of one of TV's
most popular shows.

LONNY GOLDSMITH
Staff Writer

0

ne of the more memorable
"Seinfeld" episodes in the
nine-year run of the NBC-
TV show is titled "The

Bris."
While many may find it funny,
some — including Beth Abraham
Hillel Moses Rabbi Aaron Bergman
— find it offensive.
Bergman, with script in hand,
began a long discussion last Monday
about the 1993 episode at a Latte and
Learning class of "Eilu v' Eilu" Adult
Learning Project.
In "The Bris," friends ask Jerry and
Elaine to be the godparents of their
newborn son. The first thing they're
told is they need to help with the bris.
Kramer is aghast at the ritual, Elaine
laments having to find the mohel, and
Jerry complains about holding the baby
during the procedure.
The mohel, after arriving late,
jumps at the sound of a pan hitting

the ground, saying: "Scared the hell
out of me. I almost had a heart
attack." When the baby begins to cry,
he asks, "Do you have any control of
your child, because this would be the
time to exercise it when the baby is
crying in that high-pitched, squealing
tone that can drive you insane."
The mohel also was unsure of the
meaning of the bris ("An ancient, sacred
covenant between God and-Abraham ...
or something"), and proceeds to cut
Jerry during the procedure, gaining the
nickname "Shaky the Mohel."
Bergman found the portrayal of the
mohel offensive, saying that no mohel
would act in that manner.
The crowd of about 40 at the cafe
inside Borders Books and Music in
Farmington Hills listened and corn-
mented on the state of Jerry Seinfeld,
both the actor and the comedian, and
the actors around him.
"He's talented enough to take one
joke and turn it into nine seasons,"
Bergman said to the crowd.
"Especially since he can't act. He

latkes are criticized on the show and
his father (Jerry Stiller) sold shmatas
(rags), but their religious affiliation is
never explicit.
Elaine (played by Julia Louis-
Dreyfus), according to Bergman, is the
only one who is clearly not Jewish,
based on the "Shiksa Appeal" episode:
Elaine points out that Jewish men pre-
fer non-Jewish women. The
Conservative rabbi on the show quick-
ly asks her out.
Cosmo Kramer, based on a Jewish
man in New York, is considered the
"wild card" by Bergman because of the

*J.

inability to determine his religion.
Kenny Kramer, the character's name-
sake, now capitalizes on this notoriety
by offering tours of well known
"Seinfeld" haunts, including the diner
and the "Soup Nazi" restaurant in
Manhattan.
"I watch it all the time, and wonder
if people would understand it if they
aren't Jewish," said Terri Stearn, who
attended Monday's class. "It's impor-
tant to remember that its only a tele-
vision show."
The eight-session class that
ended Monday was on "Images
of Jews in Popular Culture."
Eilu Eilu is a joint pro-
ject of Hillel Day
School, Congregations
Beth Shalom, B'nai
Moshe and Beth
Abraham Hillel
Moses and the
Women's League
for Conservative
Judaism - Michigan
branch.
Said Stearn's father-
in-law, Ron, "I think
some characters are
,offensive, but funny as
well."
Debbie Portney,
another "Seinfeld"
Above:
watcher, never took
Comedian
offense at the show's
Jerry Seinfeld. topics.
"I got the idea that
Above, left:
people think it's
Rabbi Aaron Jewish humor, but I
Bergman leads never thought of it as
the "Seinfeld" a Jewish show," she
discussion.
said. "I had thought
that only Seinfeld was
Left: Elaine
Jewish,
but in a very
Yaker takes
secular
way."
part in the
Said Eilu v' Eilu orga-
discussion.
nizer Nancy Kaplan,
"If people see things
on television, they'll
think it's real if they
don't know better. The vast majority
of viewers don't know from anything
Jewish."
Bergman used Seinfeld's apparent
absence of religion as a metaphor for
how the reign of Jewish comics is
coming to an end. The only Jewish
comic under age 40 that the crowd
could think of was Adam Sandler.
"I shutter to think that Sandler has
become the torch bearer," the rabbi said.
"Once `Seinfeld' goes off the air,
will there be anything else like it?"
Bergman asked. "Can we take another
nine years of something like it?" ❑

2/13
1998

9

