Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Clark Kent is a Jew

I grew up reading comics and devoured every one I could fine. Even today though the frequency has diminished a lot and I am more discerning about what I read, I still occasionally buy comics. So this post by Stephen Dubner (yes of the Freakonomics fame) was a joyous blast to the past for me :)

Read the article. Teasing excerpt below.

Superman, the first and greatest of the superheroes, was also the most Jewish. He was born into the House of El (“House of God” in Hebrew) on the planet Krypton, which was run by a male council of elders much like the Sanhedrin of ancient Israel. When Krypton was destroyed, Superman mourned its loss much like the Jews mourned the loss of Jerusalem, vowing to keep alive its rituals and language. In time, he learned that a small remnant of Krypton had survived, called Kandor (“here is the generation” in Hebrew). Superman was famous for his red boots, but they were a last-minute change; originally he wore lace-up sandals modeled after Samson’s.

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