Prof. Uriya Shavit

Seinfeld was not a show about nothing. Neither did it stand out from other popular sitcoms just because of Larry David’s “no hugging, no learning” formula and the cynicism and anti-social behavior it displayed. Its best episodes, and there are dozens of them, have the psychological and philosophical depth of great literature, transforming depictions of daily routines into cultural canon. They hilariously and troublingly convey how the abundance of cultural references, the ease of duplication and imitation, and the breakdown of traditional institutions impose the Freudian unheimlich, the uncanniness generated by the familiar becoming unfamiliar, on urban souls. The carefree yet anxious, detached lives of the fabulous four reflected a zeitgeist without ever intending to, and, a moment before smartphones and social media took over, prophesied deepening crises.

I saw Jerry Seinfeld in real life just once, at a press conference in Tel Aviv in November 2007. He came to promote a now all-but-forgotten movie. Real-life John Cleese is as different from Basil Fawlty as any person can be. What struck me about Seinfeld was how much he was the exact same Seinfeld from the series. He was not acting on the set. He was himself.

The real Jerry Seinfeld grew up in Long Island, attended Hebrew school, had a Bar Mitzvah, and volunteered in Kibbutz Saar in northern Israel at the age of 16. Yet in his thirties, at the height of the series’ success, there wasn’t anything manifestly Jewish about him, and there wasn’t anything manifestly Jewish about his fictional self, other than that they liked telling jokes for a living, which for some reason is considered a Jewish trait. The Seinfeld persona was made of all-American and New York icons and traditions, from baseball to cornflakes to Superman. No Star of David, no lighting of the candles when others have Christmas trees, no Yiddish phrases, no Hebrew, no rallying for Israel, no comical gigs inspired by Archie Bunker 1970s style prejudice directed against him.

In the series, his best friend, George, is questionably Jewish on his mother’s side (search “was George Costanza…” and see how Google completes the sentence). There are plenty of Jewish characters throughout, from the distant relative who had a pony in Poland to the mohel with the shaking hands to the rabbi who cannot keep a secret to the dentist who converts so that he can tell jokes about Jews. They all comically pale compared to other supporting actors and are all very much external to the reality of fictional Jerry’s life (or real Jerry’s life), which at the time was devoid of Jewish symbols, sentiments, politics, or texts as a natural reflection of being bereft of any mature or serious commitments to anything but his comedy.

Being a Jew and an American was, in the 1990s, one and the same for the fictional Seinfeld, just as it was for the real one. Rather than the old deliberate distancing from one’s roots for social gain, Seinfeld’s casual approach to his roots was enabled by a social transformation: the emergence of secular Jews who felt fully accepted in American society.

True to its New York environment, the series was rich with ethnic characters, from Pakistanis (the unforgettable Babu Bhatt, played by the Jewish actor Brian George) to South Koreans to Puerto Ricans. Seinfeld and his gang often clashed with them because of cultural differences or because they were mean, but this was never a clash between a member of one minority group and a member of another. It was clear that the easy-going Jerry was master of the domain called New York, even when tricked or embarrassed by people with funny accents. There was no meaningful substance to Seinfeld’s Jewishness in the 1990s because society made it possible for him not to be concerned with identity issues.

To appreciate how anything but obvious this positioning of an American Jew was, consider one of the most influential books in the history of Migration Studies, Nathan Glazer’s and Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s Beyond the Melting Pot, published in 1963.

The term “melting pot” was popularized in the early 1900s through a play by the same name written by the British-Jewish author Israel Zangwil, the leader of Territorialist Zionism. It depicted the integration-drama of a Russian-Jewish survivor of a pogrom in the United States.

Beyond the Melting Pot explored five ethnic groups in New York through field studies: African Americans (that is not the name they used), Puerto Ricans, Italians, Irish, and Jews. The main argument was that assimilation is a far-fetched concept and that hyphenated identities in America are more endurable than what people tend to think. According to Moynihan and Glazer, fourth- and fifth-generation Americans with migratory backgrounds were still attached, for various reasons, to their origins and a community that represented those origins.

In the 1990s, Seinfeld – and Seinfeld – confidently suggested that secular, urban Jews have become the pot itself in which others may or may not melt; that Jews stand for what America is and what being American is. For Jews who grew up in the days when golf clubs shunned them and family names were changed so they didn’t ring Jewish, this was a revolution. For Jews who grew up in America of the 1970s, it seemed natural.

Israel is mentioned only twice in the series and only once directly by Seinfeld. The episode “The Cigar Store Indian” (74, aired December 1993, written by Tom Gammill and Max Pross) is one of the strongest and earliest warnings about the danger that political correctness would get out of hand. In one of the scenes, a mailman of Chinese extraction is upset with Jerry for asking him if there is a good Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood, precisely at the moment when Jerry tries to convince the Native American woman he wants to date that he is very much politically correct, very aware about identity issues.

Reflecting on this encounter hours later, Jerry laments to George that everyone is becoming too sensitive, adding, “somebody asks me which way is Israel, I don’t fly off the handle.” Israel is on his mind as something that belongs to him, but only as a distant abstraction, a jesting reference. Political correctness is strange to him because he feels secure in the place his ethnicity acquired in American society in a way the Chinese mailman or the Native American are still not.

In the one-before-final episode in the series, the Puerto Ricans march, and Seinfeld and his gang end up stuck in traffic jams on their way home. Seinfeld does not march in the series with his people on Israel’s Independence Day. He does not feel he needs to.

***

There is no better demonstration of Seinfeld’s and Seinfeld’s confident and carefree detachment from the burdens of the Jewish hyphen and Jewish memory during the 1990s than the treatment of the Holocaust and antisemitism in the series. That treatment offers astute observations about totalitarianism, neo-Nazism, and Holocaust education. Yet, in line with Seinfeld’s general alienation at the time from rootedness of any sort, let alone one that calls for political commitment, it also testifies to how convinced Seinfeld was, at the time, that the past is no particular concern of his, how unburdened he was.

“The Soup Nazi,” one of the most celebrated Seinfeld episodes (116, aired November 1995, written by Spike Feresten), is a shrewd comment about how easily people resign to submissive, herd behavior and how one free spirit can destroy an entire tyrannical order. The conformist Jerry follows the bizarre and condescending procedures imposed by the eccentric and masterful owner of a soup stand, just like his nemesis Newman does. Kramer, the outcast and conspiracy theories fan, not only submits, but also identifies with the dictator. George is more than willing to submit after his chutzpah fails him at first and is satisfied that giving up his pride for a brief culinary delight is worth it. In contrast, Elaine stands alone, just, in insisting there are bigger things in life than soup, such as dignity and freedom of expression. When a rare act of kindness by the authoritarian soup maker inadvertently lands her his secret recipes, his entire regime collapses and he flees to another country.

One of the things that made this episode iconic within weeks of its airing was that it was based on a real soup stand and a real-life character, the Persian-American Ali Yeganeh, who was furious with the cast rather than happy with the glory that befell him and its potential rewards. Whether or not he was actually so rude has become a matter of controversy.

Funny as the “Soup Nazi” may be, there is a caveat. Seinfeld was not the first great comedian to make a joke of Nazism. Yet whereas in Mel Brook’s The Producers the comical usage of Nazism was essential for the movie’s sub-textual comments about the concealed fascist essence of musicals and popular culture at large and about the thin line between being a joke and making a joke, and whereas in Fawlty Towers’ episode “The Germans” the usage of Nazism was essential to make the point about Britain’s desperate hanging to its past, the “Soup Nazi’s” take on despotism and submissiveness would have worked well also without the vendor’s depiction as a Nazi.

Seinfeld did not introduce the use of “Nazi” as a joking pejorative term for everyday life situations involving rude, meticulous, and imposing personalities. Still, the unfortunate cultural impact of the episode was that it legitimized the comical, casual usage of the term in popular culture. This could not have happened unless for Seinfeld, at that time, the term was just another taboo to break. That mainstream television, and a Jew, were so comfortable with such a usage meant everyone might legitimately feel the same.

“The Limo” (19, aired February 1992, story by Marc Jaffe and teleplay by Larry Charles) has George pretending to be the never-seen-in-public-before Donald O’Brien, the leader of the Aryan Union and author of the antisemitic manifesto “The Big Game.” The childish trick is played so that he and Jerry can enjoy a free ride in a limousine from the airport.

This was the first Seinfeld episode with a sophisticated, dark plot, an urban-legend bent, and an unheimlich scent, as George turns out to be comfortable as an impostor of a neo-Nazi leader, and the four friends display how little they actually know about the other and how little trust they have in each other. As the “The Soup Nazi,” the episode is a sharp social commentary, exposing the intellectual laziness and fetishism of American white supremacists. The scene where Eva, a member of the party, passionately flirts with George is one of the best in the series, and so is the one where George receives the draft of the anti-Jewish speech he is supposed to deliver shortly.

One thing missing, however, is a direct reference to Jerry’s Jewishness in all of this. He finds the neo-Nazis in the limo funny at first and then, when things get out of hand, is terrified by them. But he is not terrified as Jerry the Jew. It is remarkable that in an episode that almost begs that reference, Seinfeld’s Judaism is only in the background.

“The Raincoats,” a double-episode (82, 83, aired in April 1994, written by Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Larry David, and Jerry Seinfeld), centers on Aaron, a close-talker dating Elaine, who is exceptionally selfless and kind-hearted. Jerry’s Jewish parents are staying over, making it impossible for him to make out with his Jewish girlfriend. He finally manages to fool around with her in the darkness of a movie theater while watching Schindler’s List, which they go to only because his parents insist it’s a must-watch. His shame is exposed by his nemesis, Newman. (In that news conference in Tel Aviv I attended, asking Seinfeld questions about Seinfeld was strictly forbidden. One journalist nevertheless asked whether the Jerry Seinfeld who just visited Yad Vashem was the same Jerry Seinfeld who made out during Schindler’s List. The crack was too good for Seinfeld not to appreciate).

As in the “Soup Nazi” and “The Limo,” in “The Raincoats,” too, there is more sophistication than first meets the eye. The episode can be interpreted as a well-deserved criticism of the transformation of the memory of the Holocaust into symbolic capital. “The must-watch movie” about the Holocaust, which does not really represent its horrors, is the currency through which “the must-be-earned prize” is awarded, the six million are thanked and parents and educators are satisfied that they took care of heritage-education for their children, even though they did not.

The fictional Seinfeld appears so sincere in his lack of interest in Schindler’s List. The reason does not seem to be that he is fed up with learning about the Holocaust or because it is too painful for him to learn about it at all. Fictional Seinfeld doesn’t care about Holocaust movies because he doesn’t care about anything; because that is the core of his personality. The episode and the real Seinfeld were more than content with telling the world that indifference to the memory of the Holocaust is no different than not caring about anything that rings serious in general.

The scriptwriters could not resist drawing a comical comparison between Aaron, the selfless close-talker, and Oscar Schindler, the righteous among the nations. The joke is not funny not only because it is too blunt and artificial, but also because there is a fine line between sticking a pin in the balloon of virtue signaling and the memory of the Holocaust itself. That fine line could not have been blurred if the Jerry Seinfeld of the mid-1990s, that is, the real Jerry Seinfeld, was not the American comedian who just happened to be Jewish.

***

After Seinfeld ended in 1998, Seinfeld got married and seemed content with the realization that he would never achieve anything bigger in life. One would think that the time had come for him to leave behind the persona of the adolescent and use his fame and money for good causes – for example, as Christopher Reeve did. While it was not his favorite superhero who said so, it is still true: with great power comes great responsibility.

That did not happen. Throughout the first two decades of the new millennium, Seinfeld the husband, the father, the celebrity, said almost nothing meaningful about any global or local cause, including Middle Eastern affairs and the state of Israel. He could not bring himself even to say something about the Trump phenomenon (good, bad, mixed, something). He supported a post his Jewish wife, the author of several cookbooks, Jessica, published against antisemitism on Instagram in 2022, but did so in the most unemotional, cautious way, celebrating its lack of aggressiveness. “I am just a comedian” was his unofficial slogan. It seemed helpless; Seinfeld and Seinfeld would always remain on the bench.

All of that makes what happened with Seinfeld after October 7 all the more remarkable.

Discussing the abundance of antisemitic attacks in America following the Gaza War and their impact on Jewish families, Franklin Foer wrote in The Atlantic that “the golden age of American Jews is ending.” For several generations, he argued, Jews in America enjoyed safety, prosperity, and political influence without having to relinquish their identity. “But that era is drawing to a close” in the face of growing extremism and mob behavior from both left and right, raising alarm about the future of Jews in America – and the future of America itself.[1]

Witnessing the comeback of antisemitism and feeling under threat, some American Jews have begun to engage more profoundly with their roots and identity and have vowed to take action. Bret Stephens of the New York Times wrote about “The Year American Jews Woke Up.” For years, he argued, American Jews knew that antisemitism and prejudice against them still existed, but only “after October 7, it became personal,” transforming them into “October 8 Jews” who are forced to reckon with the prevalence of hate against them.[2]

This depiction fits Seinfeld well.

On October 10, 2023, Seinfeld released the following post on Instagram: “I lived and worked on a Kibbutz in Israel when I was 16 and I have loved our Jewish homeland ever since. My heart is breaking from these attacks and atrocities. But we are also a very strong people in our hearts and minds. We believe in justice, freedom and equality. We survive and flourish no matter what. I will always stand with Israel and the Jewish people.” Attached was a poster of a girl covered with the Israeli flag and the banner “I stand with Israel.”[3]

Seinfeld also joined in the immediate aftermath of the attack some 700 people from the Hollywood entertainment industry in signing a strong-worded open letter condemning Hamas and calling for the immediate release of the hostages held in Gaza. It asked the entertainment community to speak out forcefully against the Islamist terror organization, to support Israel, and to refrain from sharing misinformation about the war. There were some big names there, but none was as big as Seinfeld’s.[4]

Two months later, Seinfeld, accompanied by his wife, visited Israel in a show of solidarity. He traveled to Kibbutz Beeri on the Gaza border and met with family members of hostages. He expressed his horror and reiterated his commitment to the people of Israel and to spreading the truth about what happened around the world. He mainly listened and talked little, as American guests tend to do in formal visits, often to the surprise of their Israeli hosts. There was no hugging, it seemed, but there was some learning.[5]

Then came what was probably the most overflowing public display of emotion in his life, when Seinfeld was on the verge of tearing up while reflecting on his visit to Israel in an interview on Bari Weiss’ Honestly podcast series. He described the tour as “the most powerful experience of my life.” Unable to explain the experience in words, his broken voice and struggle to control himself spoke instead.[6]

The reaction to his unequivocal pro-Israel position could only be expected. The heckling, the booing, the allegations that he supports genocide. For some, it wasn’t just his fame that made his involvement so outrageous, but his decision to finally take a side in a public debate regarding a conflict they believed was nuanced. Seinfeld did not back down or offer any yes-but rhetoric intended to make everyone happy.

You’d expect the Jerry of the 1990s, the fictitious and the real, would have. In an interview with GQ, he said that while he was aware antisemitism existed before October 7, it never crossed his mind, just as it never crossed the minds of other Jews from his generation, that people would ever treat him based on his Judaism and in antisemitic language. He made clear he did not regret speaking his mind and that his feelings were very strong.[7]

But he also made clear that he was not the champion of a cause, and pretended – or did he? – that he was surprised people aim at him, as if the words of a comedian like him carry any importance. I watched the commencement address he gave in May 2024 at Duke University. He was noticeably apolitical and avoided controversy. He did not make up his mind whether he wanted to be funny or inspirational, and ended up being neither, with sentences like “Don’t think about having, think about becoming.”[8] A few students, who probably could not tell the river from the sea, left in protest when he was invited to speak, booing. Seinfeld seemed nervous, but it appeared to be not because of the faint pro-Hamas demonstration, but because of the posh setting (what is it about professors with funny hats that makes people tremble? Roger Federer, another usually cool guy, gave a commencement speech at Dartmouth in June 2024, and also seemed a nervous wreck).

People do not change in old age. Seinfeld celebrated his 70th birthday in April 2024, half a year before the October 7 attack. His transformation owed to the gravity of the circumstances. He could not remain a cynical observer when the foundations of what allowed that position in the first place – the confidence in the place Jews acquired in American society, the confidence that Israel will always be there for them, just in case – were shattered. Thus, the discarding, even if hesitant, of the identity of the all-American comedian who just happened to be Jewish and the reemergence as a Jewish-American comedian, a proud Jewish-American comedian, who stands with his people and explains his doing so by the phrase, “I’m Jewish.”

There is a troubling aspect to all of this. The circumstances in which Seinfeld became manifestly and publicly Jewish reinforce the old question of whether secular American Jewishness can exist and thrive as a meaningful identity without antisemitism or Israel as rallying causes. Is there anything else? It’s got to be about something.

[1] Franklin Foer, “The Golden Age of American Jews Is Ending,” The Atlantic, April 2024, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/04/us-anti-semitism-jewish-american-safety/677469/.

[2] Bret Stephens, “The Year American Jews Woke Up,” The New York Times, October 4, 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/04/opinion/israel-jews-antisemitism.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Pk4.Ldpe.2hbtssa9cDRW&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare.

[3] Jerry Seinfeld (@jerryseinfeld), “I lived and worked…,” Instagram, October 10, 2023, https://www.instagram.com/p/CyMsO2drCgH/.

[4] Elizabeth Wagmeister, “Gal Gadot, Chris Pine and 700 Hollywood Figures Condemn Hamas, Demand Return of Hostages: ‘This Is Terrorism. This Is Evil,’” Variety, October 12, 2023, https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/hollywood-open-letter-israel-support-hamas-war-1235753904/.

[5] Uri Sela, “Seinfeld Visited Beeri: Devastated from What I Saw, but Uplifted from the Sturdiness of the Inhabitants [Hebrew],” Walla, December 19, 2023, https://e.walla.co.il/item/3629923.

[6] The Free Press, “Jerry Seinfeld on the Rules of Comedy – and Life | Honestly with Bari Weiss,” YouTube, May 28, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXAvkqXD-Fc.

[7] Brett Martin, “Jerry Seinfeld Says Movies Are Over. Here’s Why He Made One Anyway,” GQ, April 22, 2024, https://www.gq.com/story/jerry-seinfeld-gq-hyp.

[8] Duke University, “Jerry Seinfeld | Duke’s 2024 Commencement Address,” YouTube, May 12, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76QV2SrSqg.