Six Problems with the Idea that Superman is Jewish—plus the First Openly Jewish Comic Book Heroes and the 1939 superhero who almost certainly was Jewish
There’s an argument that Superman is Jewish. Its supporters make these points: Superman’s creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, were Jewish. Superman’s Kryptonian name is Kal-El, which sounds something like “Kol-El”, which would mean “Voice of God” in Hebrew. Kal-El’s parents sent him away as a baby in a small rocket in the hope he would be raised by strangers. Moses’ mother sent him away as a baby in a basket in the hope he would be raised by strangers. Kal-El was sent away from the destruction of his planet. In the mid-1930s when Superman was created, some Jews were sending their children out of Nazi Germany. Kal-El passes as an American by taking on a new name, Clark Kent. Some Jews changed their names when they came to the America. But there are problems with every point: First, Siegel and Shuster were not religious. Even if they had been, a basic principle applies: the art is not the artist . Fu Manchu and Shang-Chi were created by Christians, but that doesn’t mak...