THE SIMPSON
&
WORLD RELIGIONS
By Aisha ALSalmi
JEWISH
In Springfield, there is an Orthodox synagogue with quite an unlikely name of Temple Beth, located very close to the church of Springfield headed by Reverend Lovejoy. These two houses of religion are so close to each other such that the church in one of the episodes decidedly put up a non-ecumenical message: “No Synagogue Parking.”
Otherwise, there are cordial relations between the reverend and Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky.
The most prominent character associated with the Jewish religion is Krusty the crown. In the episode “like father like son”, Krusty stops by the Simpsons to thank Bart for saving him from jail. During this visit, he finally admits that his real name is Herschel Krustofsky, an estranged son of a rabbi, who disowned him for becoming a crown instead of a rabbi.
Krusty comes from a long family line of rabbis and his father obviously expected him to follow the tradition. Krusty’s Jewishness is therefore associated with his ethnic and familial identity. He was born into the Jewish community.
Krusty’s Jewish background is reinforced in the Jewish community setting of the “lower east side” in Springfield. This neighborhood is visually presented as that of an ethnic neighborhood in a larger town. In this neighborhood, men are wearing dark clothing, and hats which is reminiscent of the Hasidic style. Men have long beards and sidelocks while boys are wearing yarmulkes in the streets. The women are modest with scarves over their heads. Without stating it loud, these visuals highlight the orthodox Jewish community.
For Rabbi Krustosfsky, one cannot be a Jew and a clown at the same time. Although Krusty does not deny being a Jew, he does not practice any Jewish rituals in the episode.
The main highlight of the episode is when the Simpsons children engage the rabbi in a philosophical debate in an attempt to mend Krusty’s relationship with his father. They attempt to change the views of Rabbi Krustofsky by highlighting that he and not Krusty is out of touch with the reality of life.
After Krusty’s revelation as a Jew in this episode, he becomes a household representation of Jewishness in the series. In “Homer the Heretic”, as Homer explores different aspects of spirituality, Krusty comes to his door wearing a Yarmulke asking for money for the brotherhood of the Jewish clowns. Upon being asked by Homer if it’s a religious thing, he responds that “it’s a religious clown thing”. Krusty’s identity as a clown and a Jew has been cemented in his mind. The writers of Simpsons then use Krusty in exploring and using Jewish rite, rituals and other aspects in their storytelling.