“Nobody Wants”: rabbis give their opinion on the role of Jewish women in the series

Spoiler alert: The following text contains spoilers for the Netflix series “Ninguém Quer”

Although it is nothing new that the Netflix capture the essence of the moment with your original series, like in “Nobody Wants” — a series set in Los Angeles, in the United States — which is quite far from the darker plots of titles like “Round 6” and “Stranger Things” .

Public feedback on this hit series, which stars Adam Brody and Kristen Bell as a new couple dealing with friends, family and religion, was quick and intense. This is because many people shared their opinions about the representation of Jewish women conversion and “shiksas”.

For those who don’t know yet (the series is currently the most watched on the platform and has already been confirmed for a second season), Bell plays Joanne, a podcaster with no religious affiliation who falls in love with Noah, the “handsome rabbi” (words from the series ), played by Brody — an important figure in his progressive congregation and comes from a more traditional Jewish family.

THE undeniable chemistry between the couple soon generates conflicts between those close to them which include Joanne’s sarcastic sister Morgan (Justine Lupe); Noah’s brother Sasha (Timothy Simons); sister-in-law Esther (Jackie Tohn) — who is still friends with Noah’s ex, Rebecca; and Noah’s mother, Bina (Tovah Feldshuh).

In the episode, Joanne decides to visit Noah at his temple, where he is surrounded by congregants who bombard him with questions and attempts to introduce him to their daughters now that he is no longer with Rebecca.

At the end, several observers in the synagogue — including veteran Tovah Feldshuh — look on in surprise as Noah greets Joanne warmly. When Esther asks Bina who her son is talking to, she responds, “A shiksa” (a derogatory term for a non-Jewish woman, especially in a relationship with a Jewish partner), ending the episode.

This moment, among others, generated reactions about how certain Jewish themes and stereotypes were treated in the series . For the rabbi Amanda Greene from the reformist congregation Sinai, in Chicago, USA, some representations — even the most extreme ones — resonated authentically.

“There’s a word, ‘yenta,’ right?” Greene said, laughing, in a recent interview. “Is this the best we can be? Maybe not. But is it a reality of who some of us are? Perhaps”.

She also recalled that it is just a TV series made to entertain . “I imagine the same would apply if you interviewed people from the movie ‘Greek Wedding,’ right? That is an exaggeration of the characters.”


Adam Brody

While the non-denominational rabbi Adina Allen who founded the nonprofit Jewish Studio Project, acknowledged that some Jewish female characters in the comedy were portrayed as “manipulative, controlling, harsh and exclusive” she noted that non-Jewish women didn’t fare too well either.

“Honestly, non-Jewish women don’t have a good image either,” he said. “The series seems to portray them as superficial, inattentive, selfish and shallow. And at the same time, I liked all the women. For example, Esther, who is the stereotypical Jewish woman, is controlling and cruel, but also loyal and loving.”

Rabbi Greene also highlighted that not all depictions of Jewish women were immediately derogatory or caricatural .

“The camp rabbi… I think she’s great. It’s a good representation. She welcomes Joanne. She’s an interesting character,” he commented, referring to a hilarious episode in which Noah introduces Joanne to a fellow rabbi, played by Leslie Grossman .

“Maybe what’s so cool about the show is the amount of interesting characters,” Greene added, defending Esther’s character “because she’s made to be hated, but also, if your best friend was your ex-fiancée… She (Esther ) is human too!”

Other moments felt quite authentic to real-life female rabbis. “When I started at Sinai, a lot of people wanted to introduce me to someone,” Greene said. “There is a truth in that the congregation wants to know what is going on in the rabbi’s personal life,” he added.

Rabbi Allen commented that the series “depicts well how invasive this can be especially for a pulpit rabbi, and even more so for a young, single rabbi (based on my friends’ experiences),” adding: “In the synagogue scene, when all the women crowd around him to introduce their daughters, That was very real.”

Both Allen and Greene see Noah, played by Brody, as an easy-to-identify character on his spiritual journey, in contrast to the image of a hypocritical religious leader or any other preconceived stereotype about what a rabbi should be like.

“He was a person at a bar (or party) who maybe didn’t look like the rabbi that Joanne imagined a rabbi should look like,” Greene said.

“We are human, and I think sometimes people assume or expect a rabbi to look or behave a certain way: to only talk about Torah, to only keep Kashrut, to only wear a kippah everywhere, to only wear a tallit (prayer shawl), which only does what is ‘just that’. But we are human beings and I appreciated that level of representation from the rabbi.”

A scene later in the series, in which Noah celebrates Shabbat in a bar, is something Greene identified with, having had a similar experience. “When I moved to Chicago, I tried doing Shabbat at a bar for young professionals,” he recalled.

“Noah is cool,” Allen noted. “He lives in the world, goes to parties, is funny, has stylish clothes (except for the basketball gear), plays sports, has friends and a social life. All of this was great to see portrayed on TV.”

“As the first season progresses, Noah and Joanne begin to imagine a future together. It quickly becomes clear, as stated in the series, that if Noah became the head rabbi of his congregation, it would be problematic for him to have a non-Jewish partner,” he said.

He continued: “This reveals the issue of conversion for Joanne, something she struggles with until the end of the season. Noah, for his part, also grapples with the possibility of having to choose between advancing his rabbinic career or seeking a deeper commitment with Joanne, even if she is not willing to convert.”

Rabbi Greene had conflicting feelings about the ending and hopes that Noah’s simplified choice is just a setup for the story’s continuation next season.

“I loved the series, but I hated the ending . I think it’s a false dichotomy,” he said. “My hope is that season two plays out in a different way and that he doesn’t have to choose between his personal and professional life.”

“Of course, there are times when you have to choose, but I prefer both, so my prediction — and maybe it’s just a hope — is that in season two he’ll somehow manage to deal with both areas… Maybe that’s just a cliffhanger for next season.”

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This content was originally published in “Nobody Wants”: rabbis give their opinion on the role of Jewish women in the series on the CNN Brasil website.

Source: CNN Brasil

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