What Irked Me About the Simpsons in Israel

April 9, 2010 - 4:27 PM by · 7 Comments
Filed under: Israeliness, Pop Culture, tv 

The Simpsons came to Israel last week. Not the actors themselves or large foam rubber versions of the popular yellow characters dancing on ice; rather the show itself, which after over 20 years as the longest running sitcom on television, finally had an Israel-themed episode. I enjoyed most of it but there was an ongoing theme that got under my skin.

YouTube Preview Image

In the episode, entitled ‘The Greatest Story Ever Dohed,” Ned Flanders is down to his last straw in terms of helping Homer see the light and become a good Christian. He offers the Simpson family a trip to the Holy Land.

The episode was typical Simpsons, which is to say, mostly amusing and not too deep. There were no serious jabs at the political situation and only a few mild caricatures of Israelis (the writers clearly didn’t want to make many waves).

Sacha Baron Cohen, of Borat, Bruno and Ali G. fame, voiced the part of Jacob, the abrupt Israeli tour guide who kept telling his flock to “shut your face.” While a bit over the top, who hasn’t met a gruff Israeli like that at some point during an extended visit to Israel? Maybe not on the tour circuit but perhaps at a government office?

There was also Yossi’s pint-sized cousin Dorit (voiced by singer Yael Naim) who employed the Israeli martial art of krav maga to subdue Bart – again, a little stereotyped but nothing to get up about.

So what irked me? The portrayal of Israel as a kind of Middle Eastern version of Fiddler on the Roof. There was the matza ball truck, followed by the Chosen People moving van (set to a klezmer music background), and the tour group stayed at the Wailing Waldorf (with, yes, a fiddler cleaning the gutters). Many of the Israelis depicted wore tallitot around their necks and black hats on their heads.

In a nod to “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan,” Homer marveled over local soft drinks with Eastern European names like “Lemon Lime Oy” and “Diet Briskit” (although the “Chickpea Fizz” was at least relevant to the local milieu).

Perhaps the funniest bit of the show is when Homer tries to order falafel over the phone “with pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese.” After a pause, he responds, “yes, I know what a falafel is.” I also chuckled when Krusty the Clown patronized the “Gaza Strip Club.”

Of course I exaggerate. I’m glad, after 20 years, the Simpson took the opportunity to make fun of our eminently parody-able state. Homer even tried to make peace. While suffering from Jerusalem Syndrome and proclaiming himself the messiah, he ascended the Temple Mount and declared that one thing Jews, Muslims and Christians have in is an abiding love for chicken.

Too bad most of the real players in the region seem to be devout vegetarians.

Tags: ,

The people in your neighborhood

March 20, 2009 - 8:16 AM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: coexistence, General, Immigrant Moments, Israeliness, Life 

baka-jerusalemThe longer I live in Israel, and in Jerusalem — 14 years and counting, this June — the more I’m certain that much of my life here is about the people, and certainly not the political, social or religious situation that exists here. Perhaps that’s because there is such an assortment of people in these parts, particularly in Jerusalem, which can be such an ingathering of exiles, and I don’t necessarily mean that in a positive light.

At the same time, living in one of the world’s holiest cities — even though that’s not why I live here — means that you live among a simply astounding assortment of people. I mean, hey, they don’t call it the Jerusalem Syndrome for nothing. Unusual people are clearly drawn to this place. But seriously. Living here has meant that I’ve met and become friends and acquaintances with all kinds of folk, and what I love is how we intersect in one another’s lives.

Consider Danny, my framer. He recently added an annex to his framing shop, which, mind you, is little more than a shack on Caspi Street, considered one of the ‘better’ streets in the city and lined with villas, overlooking the Old City and Mount of Olives. When I was last there, he had installed his framing colleague, Dudi, who used to be my framer, back when he had a shop on Bethlehem Road. Anyway, Danny and I were discussing my five-month-old twins, and this hippy, white-crocheted-kippah-wearing Israeli who used to be secular told me that I really need to have a pidyon haben for Ziv, my older twin. “Talk about it with your rabbi,” Danny tells me, “but hey, it’s a siba l’misiba.” (A great Israeli phrase which means a reason for a party.) So now we’re thinking about it.

Or Yossi, our newly installed gardener. As we chatted about the weedy post-winter state of my garden, and what succulents could be planted which wouldn’t need water, we connected on where he lives — the suburban/moshav enclave of Beit Zayit, which I’d written about recently. We then moved on to the issue of orla and whether we can yet eat the fruit from our lime or nectarine trees. He didn’t want to commit to whether I could or couldn’t according to Jewish law, but I like the fact that I can chat about it with my gardener, and that we both have a sense of what we’re talking about.

There’s also Sarah, who works at the dry cleaners and lives in Abu Gosh; Yossi, who owns the local lighting store and pickles lemons in the back, and Tali, who owns another nearby gift store with her sister, and also has twins. There are days when I spend more time talking to them than to closer friends and family, and you know what? Not a bad thing at all.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

 

© 2012 ISRAELITY | Site by illuminea | Sitemap