Is 'Kramer' Joking About Being Jewish?

Former “Seinfeld” actor Michael Richards has barely finished trying to convince the public--as well as the entertainment community--that the racial slurs he uttered at a nightclub do not mean he is racist. But now he is facing new allegetions regarding anti-Semitic remarks he made several months ago.

Richards newly-hired crisis expert, Howard Rubenstein, has admitted that Richards shouted anti-Semitic comments during a performance last April. But he blames Richards' tirade not on his obvious anger management issues, but rather on the fact that he was only "role playing" while on stage.

And while Jewish leaders may not be expressing the same outrage over Richards’ remarks as they did over Mel Gibson’s road rage a few months ago, they are taking Richards to task over something else: Richards claims that he can’t be anti-Semitic because he is Jewish. Jewish organizations have refuted Richards ties to Judaism by pointing out that his family is not Jewish (Richards was actually raised Catholic), and that Richards has not formally converted to the religion.

Rubenstein, however, has continued to defend Richards claim to be a Jew by saying that Richards has had two significant Jewish mentors in his life and agrees with the beliefs and customs of Judaism. Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, responded by saying "You can't feel Jewish. It's not a matter of feeling."

Seems to me like no one--from Jesse Jackson to the Anti-Defamation League--is feeling the love for someone who was once one of the most beloved sitocm stars of the '90s.