Jews in Popular Science Fiction: Marginalized in the Mainstream
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Overview
This book analyzes Jewish tropes in popular science fiction ranging from Star Trek and Marvel to other prominent franchises. Sometimes the representation is subtle and thought-provoking; other times, it is limited to cliché and oversimplification of characters. The chapters in this collection examine the representation of Jewish characters in films and franchises including Superman, Lord of the Rings, The Mandalorian, The Twilight Zone, and more to shed light on the broad range of representations of the Jewish experience in popular science fiction and fantasy.
Chapter 1. “Discovery Requires Experimentation”: Centering Nazi-Fighting Ideology Without Judaism in Genre Television
Erin Giannini
Chapter 2. Destroyer, Defender, AI, Lover: The Golem in Speculative Fiction Prose and Comics
Fraser Sherman
Chapter 3. “The Golem was Built to go to War”: The Golem in TV Fiction
Mara W. Cohen Ioannides
Chapter 4. The Origins of Superman: An Unlikely Window into the Jewish American Experience
Matthew Diamond
Chapter 5. Bats & Mitzvahs: Judaism in Modern Batman Comics
Jonathan Sexton
Chapter 6. Have Onscreen Superheroes Lost their Faith? Considering Marvel, Magneto, the Arrowverse, and Harley Quinn
Valerie Estelle Frankel
Chapter 7. Making a Jewish Case for Ferengi: Redeeming Star Trek’s Worst Archetypes
Miriam Eve Mora
Chapter 8. Who Brings The Messiah: Klingon Messianism and Anti-messianism in Star Trek: TNG
Ari Elias-Bachrach
Chapter 9. Across Galaxies: How Science Fiction Echoes the Jewish Experience Under Colonization
Sarah Katz
Chapter 10. Mandalorian Midrash: Space Jews and Ancient Exegetical Analysis in Star Wars’ The Mandalorian
Caleb Horowitz
Chapter 11. Zombies and Educating Jewish Brains
Rabbi Matthew Nover and Heather Nover
Chapter 12. The Quest for the Kosher Dragon: Who’s the Mensch in Middle-Earth?
Arthur S. Harrow
Chapter 13. Avatar: The Last Airbender and Judaism: Several Curious Connections
Ellen Levitt
Chapter 14. The Twilight Zone as Jewish Science Fiction
Judy Klass
Jews in Popular Science Fiction: Marginalized in the Mainstream offers a fascinating series of Jewish-tinted lenses through which to view some of our most widely known science fiction franchises. If you’ve ever wondered about topics such as whether the Ferengi are good for the Jews, or what rabbinic attitudes about zombies are (and where Mel Brooks’s son’s opinions fit into the discussion), then this is the book for you.
Jews in Popular Science Fiction is a pointed look at the Jewish roots of science fiction, historically and thematically, and why, unlike with Hollywood, stand-up, and comics, this contribution has largely gone unrecognized. A collection of voices and topics worthy of the Talmud, there’s something in here for everyone. Some chapters are provocative and some are lighthearted, but all ask worthwhile questions about the nature of identity, imagination, and how one is reflected in and shaped by the other.
- Title: Jews in Popular Science Fiction: Marginalized in the Mainstream
- Authors: Valerie Estelle Frankel, Mara W. Cohen Ioannides, Matthew Diamond, Ari Elias-Bachrach, Erin Giannini, Arthur S. Harrow, Caleb Horowitz, Sarah Katz, Judy Klass, Ellen Levitt, Miriam Eve Mora, Matthew Nover, Heather Nover, Jonathan Sexton, Fraser Sherman
- Series: Jewish Science Fiction and Fantasy
- Publisher: Lexington Books
- Print Publication Date: 2022
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Pages: 296
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666901467, 9781666901450, 1666901458, 1666901466
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666901467
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-21T23:18:02Z
Valerie Estelle Frankel teaches at Mission College and San Jose City College.