When was the last time you saw a practicing Jew presented romantically on screen for popular media? Personally, I can’t remember. Along with all the feel-good, slightly cheesy vibes that we’ve learned to expect from rom-coms, Netflix’s newest series, Nobody Wants This, explores relatable contemporary relationship conflicts while representing modern Judaism like we haven’t seen before.
Though the series does a less than perfect job of portraying the Ashkenazi American-Jewish (deriving from Central or Eastern Europe) culture and people, it undoubtedly succeeds in breaking barriers for whose love stories get told to large audiences and offers positive examples of Judaism to those with a lack of experience and knowledge.
Like many other young adults, I often turn to Netflix as a source of entertainment and relaxation when I have spare time to take a break from thinking. Without reading the blurb description, Nobody Wants This caught my attention due to its light-hearted appearance and recognizable cast of stars, especially Kristen Bell, who portrays the romantic female lead, Joanne. However, after watching just one episode of the show, I quickly came to realize that it was different from the rest.Â
As a young Jewish woman, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the romantic male lead of the show Noah, played by Adam Brody, portrayed a Rabbi at a Reform Ashkenazi synagogue. At first, Joanne does not realize that Noah is a Rabbi due to his informal attire and flirtatious banter, however, as the pair get to know more about one another, the significance of Judaism to Noah’s identity becomes clearer and clearer.Â
While I have watched and enjoyed other popular secular shows that depict Jewish characters, their Jewish identities are rarely a topic of conversation, barring a self-deprecating joke here and there. It was refreshing to see Judaism represented so prominently in a piece of popular media in a more uplifting and positive way.
Noah served as a beautiful conduit for Judaism. In each episode, along with Joanne, who does not identify with any particular religion, viewers learn more about Judaism through Noah and his observance, from traditional Jewish foods, symbols, and customs to the language, longstanding beliefs, and values. In the series’ pilot, Noah delivers a Friday night sermon in front of his congregation, highlighting the importance of embracing change and trusting God’s plan, a widely held belief in Judaism. Later, in the fifth episode, he welcomes Joanne into the Jewish world by bringing her to a campsite for a Shabbat weekend retreat where she learns about the significance and meaning behind Shabbat, lights Shabbat candles, and even engages in a Hebrew blessing.
Noah depicts many characteristics of a “mensch,” a righteous Jewish person. Throughout the season, he displays patience, maturity, kindness, and thoughtfulness, all while navigating a tumultuous personal circumstance as a result of his new relationship that conflicts with his Judaism. Nonetheless, Noah remains comfortable and confident in his religion and is non-judgemental of others. Definitely a good look for us Jews.
Unfortunately, the show’s positive representation of the Jewish people and Judaism ends with Noah and his practices, as the series presents a more disappointing image of Jewish women. Throughout the first season of the series, we are introduced to various Jewish women in different roles — wives, ex-girlfriends, and mothers — who all display the same negative traits of arrogance, condescension, and rudeness. Noah’s Jewish sister-in-law, Esther, depicts the negative stereotype of the nagging, controlling wife who hates her husband. Similarly, his Jewish ex-girlfriend plays the part of the sneaky, obsessive woman with no sense of boundaries or privacy.
While Noah’s Jewish mother appropriately represents an immigrant woman with a deep appreciation for tradition, rather than characterizing her as devoted, hardworking, and selfless, her over-the-top hostility toward Joanne overshadows any semblance of this more realistic and positive representation. These harmful portrayals of Jewish women offer a distorted view that could affect not only people’s perceptions of us but also our self-image. Hopefully, in season two, the Jewish women of the show will have their redemption arcs.
I’m happy to see that the Jewish culture is finally being embraced and celebrated in popular media, and I highly recommend watching this binge-worthy 10-episode series if you’re interested!
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