The Chosen Image Television's Portrayal of Jewish Themes and Characters

By the time he had concluded twelve years on prime-time television, Archie Bunker had raised a Jewish child in his home, befriended a black Jew, gone into business with a Jewish partner, enrolled as a member of Temple Beth Shalom, eulogized his close friend at a Jewish funeral, hosted a Friday evening Sabbath dinner, participated in a bar mitzvah ceremony, and joined a group to fight synagogue vandalism. While the famed style of All in the Family was unique, its inclusions of Jews and Jewish issues was far from unusual. On the whole, Jewish issues have been portrayed with respect and relative depth during five decades of television programming. This work documents and examines the portrayal of Jewish themes in popular prime time television, from 1948 through the 1996-1997 television season, focusing on how such topics as anti-Semitism, intermarriage, Jewish lore and traditions, Israel, the Holocaust, and questions of Jewish identity have been featured in numerous television genres. How real-life attitudes about Jews and Jewish issues are reflected in television portrayals is also explored.