Groundbreaking Norman Lear Center Study On Jewish Representation!

Ten years ago, I met with an investment banker I was hoping would donate to our organization. I explained how problematic Orthodox representation was. He didn’t disagree that there was a problem, but all we had was anecdotal evidence. The banker explained to me that he only invests in nonprofits where the problem can be measured and the impact of the work can be measured later. How would we measure this problem he asked? I had no idea..

Fast forward to 2021 and as we starting building JITC Hollywood Bureau, a lovely woman at the NAACP Hollywood Bureau told me that if we want to change the narrative in Hollywood for Jewish representation, we need data to show that there’s a problem.

She connected me with the team over at the Norman Lear Center at USC. It took almost three years from our earliest conversations, but we are thrilled to announce that after almost twenty years of beating the drum about how problematic Jewish representation is, we finally have some groundbreaking data from The Media Impact Project at the USC Norman Lear Center, one of the most prestigious academic entertainment organizations out there that we collaborated with. This recently released study “Jews On Screen” focuses on depictions of Jews in general and Orthodox Jews specifically in contemporary U.S. scripted television. Some of the most intriguing findings were that there is hidden Jewish identity on screen, Jews are associated with wealth and elitism. Orthodox Jews are frequently othered and depicted being dissatisfied with their lifestyle. Some of the recommendations are to showcase Jewish pride and joy, show Jews embracing their traditions, show diversity, specificity and depict Orthodox Jews as the people next door. Read the report.

The Visibility and Representation of Jewish Identity in Contemporary Scripted TV

Amid rising antisemitism, the need for nuanced and humanizing portrayals of American Jews in entertainment is critical. This study found that Orthodox Judaism is often “othered” – depicted as fundamentally different – in scripted TV, while the broader Jewish community is portrayed as lacking in diversity, with few references to Jewish identity. Our report recommends that the entertainment industry showcase Jewish characters with diverse backgrounds, be mindful of associating Jews with money or power, and give voice to the lived experiences of Orthodox Jews.

This study was independently conducted by the Media Impact Project with funding from the advocacy organization JITC (Jewish Institute for Television & Cinema) Hollywood Bureau. Researchers analyzed 108 Jewish characters across 49 episodes of 15 TV series (2021-2022), and 30 episodes that referenced Orthodox Judaism (2019-2022).

Read the report.

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