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Jon Stewart needs to bring back Leibowitz

[additional-authors]
July 27, 2009

Leibowitz was not Jon Stewart‘s sidekick in the early episodes of “The Daily Show.” It was Jon Stuart Leibowitz’s given name. And, writing an open letter to Stewart (neé Leibowitz), Ron Rosenbaum of Slate says “The Daily Show” host needs to get more Jewy:

At this point, it wouldn’t hurt you. It would only help you: Most of your fans would see it as a touching gesture. And you’d no doubt get lots of comedic mileage out of it. I’m sure that you could milk the buildup and get a good-natured laugh out of the audience every time you used Leibowitz or pretended to get confused.

And, on a more serious note, it would represent the end of a shabby, antiquated era, pronouncing that aspect of anti-Semitism now (hopefully) dead and gone. It might even make it easier for young comedians, actors, and rock stars to resist the temptation to try to “pass.” (Although, frankly, I hope that Gene Simmons of Kiss keeps his origins hidden from those who don’t know about them.) It could be an important cultural moment.

Don’t you think it’s about time for Jews to reject the rejection of their ancestry and the WASP-ification of their names? Not just you, but all Jews in show business, indeed all Jews in business business. The practice might once have served a purpose, back in the ‘20s and ‘30s, when it was insisted upon by powerful but fearful Hollywood movie moguls who wanted Jewish talent but were afraid of Jewish names seeming un-American to the mass of the populace who, it’s probably true at that time, suffered from a low-grade case of anti-Semitism.

Indeed, times have changed.

As this post indicates, Stewart is not afraid to crack Jew jokes. And, unlike Tim Whatley—see the above video—he can do that. The Rev. Jim Wallis even likened Stewart to a Hebrew Prophet. And Stewart must mention his Jewishness at least every episode, so often so that others reference it.

The Leibowitz movement is already gaining ground.

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