A third of all references to Orthodox Jews occur without an Orthodox Jew present in the scene.
While the entertainment industry preaches diversity and cultural authenticity, Jewish characters on television are still being pushed to hide their identities.
According to a damning new study from USC Annenberg’s Norman Lear Center, only 18% of Jewish characters make any reference to their Judaism in mainstream television shows.
Female Jewish performers face even steeper barriers, being 21% less likely to be cast as Jewish characters than their male counterparts.
After observing 108 Jewish characters across 49 episodes from 15 popular series, including “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “The Goldbergs,” and “And Just Like That,” the study found a disturbing trend of Jewish characters actively distancing themselves from their heritage, with 31% embracing other cultures over their own.
This is particularly evident in holiday-themed programming where Jewish characters must adopt Christmas traditions to find acceptance.
When researchers excluded characters in explicitly Jewish occupations like rabbis and funeral directors, the number of Jews who acknowledge their cultural background plummeted to a mere 13%.
The study also confirmed the controversial practice of “Jewface” in casting, with only half of Jewish roles going to Jewish actors. Even more troubling is the persistence of centuries-old antisemitic tropes such as penny-pinching characters.
Orthodox Jews fare particularly poorly on screen, with half of such characters being depicted as having a “generally cold demeanor” and being “dissatisfied with their lives.”
Perhaps most telling, a third of all references to Orthodox Jews occur without an Orthodox Jew present in the scene.
Virtually no representation of Jews of color, Mizrahi Jews, or LGBTQ-identifying Jews is seen on TV, with shows overwhelmingly depicting Jews as white and Ashkenazi.
The study comes at a particularly sensitive time, as the Anti-Defamation League reports antisemitic hate crimes have surged 60% following the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel.