'Entertaining
witg
el nce.
Loving Susie Essman?
Brooklyn
Woody Allen's character
plays up the difference
n Jan. 25, CBS
between his first two wives,
aired the TV
both Jewish, and his new
movie Loving
uber-WASP girlfriend Diane
Leah. This pleasant if forget-
Keaton, who "looks like the
table Hallmark Hall of Fame
wife of an astronaut."
production told the roman-
In Keeping the Faith
tic tale of a secular Jewish
(2000), Ben Stiller plays
doctor (what else?) who
Rabbi Schram, who is cau t
Simcha
marries his Chabad-chasid-
in a very unlikely romantic
Weinstein
ic sister-in-law, Leah, after
rivalry with his best child-
Special
the death of his brother, the
hood friend, a Catholic
Commentary
rabbi (but, of course!)
priest, over the affections of
Actress Susie Essman,
an Irish Catholic girl. (P.S.:
who portrayed Leah's over-
the rabbi gets the girl. And
bearing bubbie, appeared on the talk
that's not a spoiler. It's not as if there
show the View the week after to pro-
could be any other finale under the
mote the new movie. However, Essman circumstances, is there?) Before the
spent much of her time berating the
curtain falls, however, Rabbi Schram
real-life chasidic women she'd met
is introduced to a number of eligible
during filming.
Jewish girls. Unfortunately, these Jewish
View co-host Joy Behar asked
women are portrayed as desperate and
Essman, "So what did you learn about
unattractive.
the chasidic religion?"
Ben Stiller returned as Reuben Feffer
Essman replied, "They're not very
in Along Came Polly (2004), playing an
good dressers ... Have you seen what
uptight, obsessive, nebbish Jew who
these women look like half the time?"
marries a not-very-attractive Jewish
I was shocked for two reasons.
girl. But before you can say mazel tov,
First, I was personally offended by
his new bride cheats while on their
Susie Essman's catty comments. My
honeymoon. Stiller eventually finds
wife happens to be a Chabad-chasidic
new love with the spontaneous, pretty,
woman. She is proud of it — and so
non-Jewish Polly (Jennifer Aniston).
am I. In fact, my wig-wearing, mod-
All these cruel depictions and many
estly clad babe of a wife could easily
others fly in the face of reality, not
teach Essman a few things about fash- to mention our spiritual inheritance.
ion and beauty.
The very first mention of humor in
Secondly, I found it ironic to hear
the Bible concerns a strong, beloved
Susie Essman stereotyping Jewish
Jewish woman. Matriarch Sarah, you'll
women. After all, she's made a lucra-
recall, is told that God will finally bless
tive career portraying a shallow,
her with her very first child — at the
status conscious Jewish wife. If that
ripe old age of 99.
isn't a cruel stereotype, then what
Sarah laughs, and who can blame
is? Essman plays the foul-mouthed
her? But God is not amused: "Why did
Susie Greene on the HBO series Curb
Sarah laugh? Is there something God
Your Enthusiasm. As the wife of Larry
cannot do?" (Genesis 18: 13-14).
David's agent and best friend, Essman
When the child is born, Abraham
is a two-dimensional caricature: a
and Sarah name the boy Isaac; the
sharp-tongued scold who always looks Hebrew Yitzchak comes from the root
frumpy in spite of (or, more accu-
word tzchok, meaning "laughter." Why?
rately, because of) her garish designer Because, as Sarah explains, "God has
ensembles.
caused laughter to me." (Genesis 21: 6).
Meanwhile, Larry's wife, Cheryl, is
Given laughter's distinguished,
the non-Jewish trophy wife par-excel-
even holy, pedigree, surely the time
lence: beautiful, blond, chic and sup-
has come to stop laughing at Jewish
portive. It's a familiar trope in Jewish
women, like Susie Essman did, and
comedy, in which Jewish girls are often start laughing with them. ❑
portrayed as consolation prizes next to
the characters' gentile trophy wives.
Simcha Weinstein is an award-winning
I should know: I wrote all about it
author, whose latest book is Shtick
in my new book, Shtick Shift: Jewish
Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st cen-
Humor in the 21st Century.
tury (Barricade Books: 2008). He can be
For instance, in Annie Hall (1977)
reached at www.rabbisimcha.com.
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Mon-Tue-Wed-Fri-Sat 10-6 Thur 10-9 Sun 12-5
American
Techn io
Society
.
THE AMERICAN ECHNION SOCIETY
invites you to meet
MAJOR GENERAL AMOS HOREV
President of the Israel Technion. Society
Deputy Chair of Technion International Board of Governors
JCC, West Bloomfield
Tuesday, February 24, 7:30 p.m.
RSVP by Friday Feb. 20
Barb Zeevi 248.737.1990
or Barb@ats.org
No Solicitation
Scott Leemaster
President
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February 19 • 2009
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