Superman year 0, part 2 – Jewish Superheroes
Jewish Superheroes – Superman’s extraterrestrial origins and Jewish connections. Discover the Interstellar Secrets of Krypton, Elohim, and Judaism.
“The problem of evil in the world. The problem of absolute virtue.The problem of you on top of everything else. You above all. Ah. ‘Cause that’s what God is. Horus. Apollo. Jehovah. Kal-El. Clark Joseph Kent” – Lex Luthor
Superheroes: Is Superman jewish?
Content in a Flash – Jewish Superheroes:
1. Superman, The Jew Factor: Almost all the superheroes from the Golden Age of comics were created by Jewish authors. Why?;
2. Jewish Superheroes: Superman’s origins echo ancient narratives of divine protection and destiny. Explore the archetype of the survivor;
3. Kal El: One Of The Elohim?;
4.. Beyond Krypton: The Interstellar roots of superman and Judaism;
1. Jewish Superheroes – Superman, The Jew factor
It is now widely recognized that there is an incredible number of connections between Jews and superheroes, primarily in the sense that – astonishingly – almost all the superheroes from the Golden Age of comics were created by Jewish authors, and that biblical elements can be found in their stories.
Jewish American author Michael Chabon wrote a book titled “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay: A Novel” for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001.
In it, he writes about the artists who created some of the main super heroes (Superman, Batman, Captain America) around 1940s and he draws parallelisms between these characters and Judaism.
In a podcast interview he commented:
“It became very apparent to me that most of them (writers) were Jewish guys mainly from New York and when I started to wonder if there was something about superheroes that had to do with Judaism very quickly the answer became yes, there were many Jewish elements to superheroes.”
And this is also exactly the very premise of the book “Up, up and oy vey” by Rabbi Simcha Weinstein, in which he explains how every single major figure that has created the all-American superhero was Jewish and the stories are full with biblical archetypes.
In fact “you can even say that every person’s surname that ends in “man” (Lindman, Feldman, Goldman) or every superhero (Superman, Batman, Spiderman) is Jewish”.
Now, that most of the superhero characters were created by Jews is undoubtedly a fascinating phenomenon that cannot be dismissed as a mere inconsequential detail. Such evidence cannot be attributed to mere chance or coincidence; there must be a deeper explanation. What’s behind it?
Why were Jews pioneers
in inventing superhero stories and supporting them over time? The answer is rooted in Jewish culture, particularly in its holy books.
The Superman adventures that we read and watch are not exclusively hardcore American, featuring the typical fast-paced, action-filled, happy-ending, highly explicit elements.
Beyond being a storyline that can be universally shared and appreciated, when we immerse ourselves in the Superman world, we also project ourselves into a setting that incorporates certain Jewish traditions and cultural elements, specifically in the realms of religion, literature, and mythology. We will explore them in this series.
Let’s start with Superman arrival on Earth.
2. Jewish Superheroes: The Archetype Of The Survivor.
Serie: Jewish Superheroes: Is Superman jewish?
As we all know, Superman was sent inside a small spaceship to Earth as a baby by his parents, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, just before Krypton was destroyed in a catastrophic explosion.
On Earth, he was adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent and raised as Clark Kent.
His discovery in a spacecraft notably echoes the way Moses was found in a basket. This theme, that of important figures being saved or hidden as infants, representing a common archetype of divine protection and extraordinary destiny, is a recurring motif in many sacred ancient stories.
The story of Moses being found in a basket on the river is one of the most well-known, but there are several similar stories in various religious cultures, traditions and mythologies.
For instance, in Greek mythology, there’s the story of Perseus, who was placed in a basket and set adrift at sea with his mother, Danae, to escape a feared fate. Even Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome, were abandoned in a basket on the Tiber River and were found and nurtured by a she-wolf.
3. Jewish Superheroes – Kal El: One Of The Elohim?
The original name of Superman as we all know is “Kal El” and these are 2 Jewish words.
‘Kal’ means “light, swift, fleet”. – Strong’s Concordance 7031 – qal (קַל)
“El” (or Eloha) means “the strong one,” “the mighty one,” and today means “God.” It’s worth noting that the interpretation of “God” for “El” emerged after Neoplatonism introduced the concept of monotheism in a way that was there to stay.
Before Neoplatonism and anyway going back to the origin of the word “El”, is more probable that it meant something like “the strong one” or “the mighty one,” or even as famously Sitchin said: “the one who from the stars to earth came”.
However, for now, let’s accept the meaning ‘God’ too.
Therefore Kal El means ‘The lightweight mighty one’ or ‘The lightweight mighty god’.
It appears evident that Superman’s two creators intended to link Superman, beginning with his very name, to the ancient biblical gods, the Elohim, precisely by naming him ‘El,’ Kal-El.
Fundamentally, ‘Kal-El,’ according to this interpretative lens, is considered by the authors as one of the Elohim. But who exactly are the Elohim?
The Elohim are the true protagonists of the Bible which, as we know, was written by the Jews.
As we have seen in the series “Elohim, those who from Heaven to the Earth came” the God described in the Bible we all know is in reality … a group of gods: the Elohim, a group of ancient aliens who in a remote time arrived on earth and ruled it.
They were not “God”. They were mistaken for gods.
Thus, surprisingly, the story of Superman arises from nothing less than biblical premises.
Just like the Elohim, he is an extraterrestrial, bears the exact same name as them (El), possesses extraordinary powers, and like the biblical Elohim, he is called upon to lead his people.
But that’s not all.
Serie: Jewish Superheroes: Is Superman jewish?
4. Beyond Krypton: The Interstellar roots of Superman and Judaism
Superman come from a hidden planet: Krypton (κρυπτός), which is Greek and means unknown, hidden.
What could have led Siegel and Shuster to pick this name? By delving deeper into the descriptions contained in the Hebrew Bible the connections seems increasingly stronger.
In fact we can speculate that the Elohim – the real protagonists of biblical stories – came from a “planet” or a “world” called “Olam” (עלם), which is a Hebrew word meaning “unknown or hidden” too.
We will soon cover this on the upcoming series: “Stargate in The Bible”.
Now, the notion that the Biblical text refers to ancient aliens is not as absurd as it may initially seem and in certain Jewish even academic circles, this idea is rather accepted and taken to its logical conclusion. In essence, – some say – if the Elohim were extraterrestrials, it follows that we Jews, since we descend from them, we are extraterrestrials as well.
Meet Rabbi Michael Laitman:
Doctor of Philosophy and Kabbalah, founder and President of Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute, author of over forty books on spirituality, society and globalization has no doubts, Jew are extraterrestrials who arrived on this planet from another galaxy.
“In fact, we are not coming from here. We came from there (points to outer space). This is Israel at their root …So from this entire planet, we are aliens coming from a different galaxy.” – Rabbi Michael Laitman
Serie: Jewish Superheroes: Is Superman jewish?
While Rabbi Laitman appears sincere in this assertion, it’s a unique perspective that might prompt further discussion. It’s worth noting that he’s not alone in contemplating this concept, as there are others who share a similar view. Exploring the connection between Judaism and exotheology promises to be an engaging journey in future articles.
But for now, let’s go back to Superman.
“Myths are stories of our search through the ages for truth, for meaning, for significance”. – Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
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