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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][b]My husband is Jewish and he rolled his eyes at the tremendous diversity in the Hebrew school scenes. While we understand and support representation in movies, it wasn’t realistic and to a certain extent co-opts what is a singular Jewish experience[/b]. (I’m Catholic so I don’t have a dog in this fight.)

He also pointed out that Jewish mothers spend a year+ planning the event (while the movie made it seem like they are thrown together, including shopping for the dress at the last minute).

I would have loved to see Sara Silverman or Seinfeld or another Jewish comedian make a cameo. Missed opportunity. [/quote]

I was very distracted by this. [/quote]
It's so sad that diversity throws off some posters. I love to see it in movies and it makes more people feel included.
We've watched it twice with groups of middle schoolers who could not get enough. Watching it the second time I caught more cute details that really cement this one as a quotable classic. I think it will be one they all watch several times.[/quote]

Diversity isn’t throwing off viewers.

Rather, actual Jewish people thought it was odd to see so much diversity at Hebrew school. The film centers around scenes at Hebrew school, which is a unique rite of passage for Jewish people.

Beyond being unrealistic—which is expected to a large degree with Hollywood films—it simply isn’t representative of *Jewish people* and their experience.

That’s legit criticism.

A few (adopted) Asian kids would have made sense. But black kids at Hebrew school? Latinos? Not a chance…especially in NJ.

[/quote]

From a reform synagogue on the west coast and the Hebrew school is pretty diverse. There are Asian, black and hispanic looking kids, mostly through intermarriage. So I don’t see it out of the norm. [/quote]

In fact thinking about it there’s a teaching assistant in one of the Hebrew classes that is black and the another that has Hispanic heritage. [b]Not every Jewish experience is white focused[/b]. 
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But about 98% of Jews are white.  And we all know the reason for the multicultural cast wasn’t to provide a realistic representation of today’s Jewish population.  It was done for the same reason as every other movie shows diversity in roles where it doesn’t make sense, so as not to receive scathing criticism from the diversity police. [/quote]

But it doesn’t have to represent all Jewish people everywhere. It’s set in one diverse school in a diverse area. Other settings would look different. 
[/quote]

+1 I am from NY and I definitely see non-White Jews. I'm not saying it's common, but it's also not shocking.

It was definitely pumped up in the movie, and I think that's a good thing. Through intermarriage and conversion- yes, the Jewish people can and will see more diversity. It's not the same thing as filming Africans in Roots.

I remember when Schitt's Creek came to a close, they did that documentary where they explained, "what if we just had a world where there is no such thing as homophobia? the world as it should be."

I think this is similar. I don't have an agenda to remove European bloodlines from Judaism, and neither do the creators of this move. But if they want to show a world where a Jewish American community has a lot of diversity and is proud of it, good for them.[/quote]
Conversion is not encouraged, mixed marriages are frowned upon 
Blood lines matter in Judaism. That might not fit the narrative of Hollywood but it is what it is 
Most Jewish communities are proud of being Jewish, not diversity [/quote]

That’s your version of Judaism. As as this movie reflects the reality of Judaism in America is much different. And many Jewish communities consider these converts and mixed marriages Jewish. [/quote]

Maybe some reformed temples do, but most do not.

Signed,

Catholic woman married to a Jew by a priest and Jewish cantor at a neutral site who was straight up told my kids wouldn’t be Jewish since I wasn’t and the faith follows the mother’s bloodline [/quote]

I am sorry someone told you that and as with the previous poster you will find many attitudes like that. I have myself encountered attitudes like that, which I ignore.

But Reform Judaism which is the largest stream of Judaism here has for decades held that children of Jewish fathers are also Jewish. I am clear eyed about the opposition to it but there are plenty of synagogues out there who have accepted that. I don’t pretend to know what NJ Hebrew schools are like but that’s not the reality at least in california. [/quote]

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