Having received numerous questions about the Coen brothers' most recent film, a contemporary commentary on the Book of Job, called A Serious Man, I am going to respond even though I have not yet seen the movie. How can I do that? I can do so because the comments have had little to do with the actual movie. They are really about the amazing level of insecurity which Jews feel about how we are portrayed in popular culture.
Most of the comments have focused on how the rabbis come off in the film. People are concerned that the apparently poor showing they make as counselors to the suffering Jew who turns to them in his time of need. Will, those who write me ask, audiences come to think poorly of Jews because of this?
For Starters, the questions assumes that most people think that all Jews are like rabbis, and that alone is a big presumption - one which gives rabbis far more status than is either real or appropriate. But the larger issue has to do with our fears about how we are seen, even as we live with greater acceptance in America than we have in any country other than Israel, ever in Jewish history.
One woman wrote: I have to admit that I was also becoming very concerned about how non-Jews would perceive this film, and whether this would encourage Anti-Semitic stereotypes. My 88 year old Yiddish speaking mother went to see the film with her 93 year old friend, and they were completely horrified and disgusted!!
My response:
Dear ____,
I can only comment on the specifics of the film once I have seen it, which I have not been able to find the time to do despite wanting to very much. Until then, I would only remind you that it makes perfect sense for your Yiddish speaking mom and her friend to have concerns which are appropriate to the experiences of their generation, yet may not be of such significance for those who are younger.
While anti-Semitism still exists, the difference between the time when your mom was the Coen's age and now is that that back then it was a hatred which helped to define the country's social elite. Now, anti-Semitism is seen as the mark of small-minded bigots. They exist and must be dealt with, but we have more room to laugh at ourselves and I think that it's fine when we do. Not to mention that compared to priests, rabbis have great public images. Personally, I cannot wait to see the movie.
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Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of 
Hi! I really liked this movie and most Coen Brother movies.
Replicating the era of the 1960's was superb. Casting was perfect.
This movie is about entertainment and it succeeded at that.
The rabbis were characters. They were interesting. They expressed the writer's view.
It is an interesting story that happens to have rabbis in the plot.
So......
Have you seen a recent episode of "In Plain Sight" on the USA Network? The main characters are Witness Protection agents, and their latest "customer" is a Jewish man. (See the episode to get all the details about why and how he's "in the program.") The important part of the plot is a mysterious man (a rabbi) who finds the young man and his very spiritual, almost Kabbalistic, approach to the man's dilemma. The rabbi's wise and patient dealings with the federal agents as well as the man and his family, I found to be very educational, sympathetic - even reverent - toward Jews, and very moving.
I agree that Jews are often portrayed in negative, stereotyped characters, as are Blacks, Asians, East Indians, Catholics, Muslims, Arabs, etc. Sometimes they make us squirm because we are hyper-sensitive to the portrayals of our identify and our customs, but they're often based in some truth. Are there not a large percentage of lawyers who are Jewish? Are Jews exempt from criminal activities? I think we need to step back and not be so paranoid. If we look more closely at the way Jews are perceived in film and tv, I think we'll find there is a balance.
(By the way I LOVED "A Serious Man"! I thought it was hysterical and felt sorry for the people in the audience who didn't get all of the inside jokes. And I teach Hebrew school! Besides, isn't Jewish Humor inherently the art of making fun of ourselves?)
Further to my comments on portrayal of Jews on TV: Have you seen NCIS? There is a female agent named Ziva David, a former Israeli Mossad agent. She is strong, intelligent, admired for her capabilities in her work, beautiful, flawed, vulnerable, sensitive and complex. She represents many positive attributes of Jews, women, and Israelis (though her family members in Israel show some of the darker side).
Again - balance and truth.
When I was a young man, my mother brought me to the beach and pointed to a sign that read, "No Pets, No Jews,"
At that tender age, such a statement had a profound effect on me. You might say it greatly heightened my sensitivities to negative stereotyping in the media and in off-color ethnic "jokes."
I have not seen "A Serious Man" so therefore I cannot comment on its portrayl of Jews: whether it is the disgusting bile of self-styled anti-Semites who wish lay all the world's problems at the feet of "the Joos" - or whether it is light-hearted social satire not meant to dismean, attack or disparage a particular religion or ethnic group.
What can be said with certainy is that if 6,000 year of history can teach you anything, it's that you can never be too vigilant.
Check out my blog on the film...
http://www.goodgodforus.com/2009/10/16/its-a-serious-job-but-some-coens-got-to-do-it/
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