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Homer and Bart at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
The Simpsons are very popular in Israel. During my first visit in the early 1990s, I saw the whole mishpacha on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem. Much to my surprise, the giant cartoon mascots were promoting frozen TV dinners.
My husband also has a small collection of Hebrew Simpsons gum and candy bar wrappers.
But this Sunday will be the first time that Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie will be flying El Al on the small screen.
I can only assume they’ll be traveling on Israel’s national airline, but only a few details have leaked out about the Jerusalem-themed episode — including comedian Sacha Baron Cohen (not to be confused with Sasha Cohen) being Bart and Homer’s tour guide.
As you may have noticed from my blog’s occasional silly diversions, I believe that American pop culture can often provide Jewish teaching moments in the classroom. Of course, with the Simpsons, the level of irreverence will determine how age appropriate the lessons can be.
According to the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz, the episode will be called “The Greatest Story Ever D’ohed,” and will have Homer come down with a case of “Jerusalem Syndrome,” the psychological state where one believes he or she is a Biblical personality or prophet.
Simpsons producer Al Jean warns that “people from all three religions will be equally offended.”
I’m honestly not a huge fan of the show, but my radar will be up and running when it airs the day before Pesach.
I wonder if Bart and Homer will see any flying chairs.
The Simpsons’ Israel episode airs at 8 p.m. Sunday, March 28 on FOX. Please let me know what you think of the show!
I thought throwing chairs at people was an activity confined to tabloid TV talk shows and extreme cage fighting. I was wrong.
Check out this outrageous video of plastic chairs being thrown at the Women of the Wall, a multi-denominational group of women who gather to read Torah at the Kotel on the first day of every Hebrew month.
Unfortunately, harassment of women worshipers in Jerusalem is quite common — some haredi men have even thrown trash on the women’s side of the Kotel. Fortunately, the Israeli police come out in force when these incidents happen. About 40 officers formed a human wall of security around the WoW.
Most remarkable in the chair-throwing video is how calm and dignified the Women of the Wall are while under attack. One woman jokes that their Jewish attackers were doing them a service because she “actually wanted to sit down!”
If you’d like to support the Women of the Wall and the right of women everywhere to pray as they see fit, click here to learn ways to express solidarity.
Support the Women of the Wall
