Bewitched-a Jewish allegory

[PartyOfOne]

Does it occur to anybody else on this board, that this show was an allegory about Jewish-Christian marriage? It seems Samantha was supposed to be “the Jew” and Darrin was supposed to be “the Christian.” Endora and particularly Maurice are said to oppose “mixed marriages” much like Jews did (and still do). In the pilot, Samantha resorts to a simplistic stereotype of witches, much as many Jews might use stereotypes about Jews. There was a Halloween episode where Samantha and others complained about how witches “noses” are portrayed in comics. Jews are known for having stereotypically big noses. Also, wasn’t there an episode where Samantha was sent to a Concentration Camp?
(P.S., yes I am in fact Jewish)

[retrofan05]

I always viewed it more as a play on interracial marriage mainly because that's the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the term "mixed marriage." In general though, I think the overarching message of the show is that love is love and that despite our differences, we are all people and we all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

[MickeyMac]

Originally Posted by retrofan05

I always viewed it more as a play on interracial marriage mainly because that's the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the term "mixed marriage." In general though, I think the overarching message of the show is that love is love and that despite our differences, we are all people and we all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

I concur

[PartyOfOne]

Originally Posted by retrofan05

I always viewed it more as a play on interracial marriage mainly because that's the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the term "mixed marriage." In general though, I think the overarching message of the show is that love is love and that despite our differences, we are all people and we all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

Most interracial marriages are impossible to hide-a Jewish-Christian marriage often is not.

[Mark Glicker]

Originally Posted by PartyOfOne

Does it occur to anybody else on this board, that this show was an allegory about Jewish-Christian marriage? It seems Samantha was supposed to be “the Jew” and Darrin was supposed to be “the Christian.” Endora and particularly Maurice are said to oppose “mixed marriages” much like Jews did (and still do). In the pilot, Samantha resorts to a simplistic stereotype of witches, much as many Jews might use stereotypes about Jews. There was a Halloween episode where Samantha and others complained about how witches “noses” are portrayed in comics. Jews are known for having stereotypically big noses. Also, wasn’t there an episode where Samantha was sent to a Concentration Camp?
(P.S., yes I am in fact Jewish)

I think that you have read way too much into this show.

[Bonsai]

I think the basic point here is that ANY group can see comparisons to situations where mixing required patience, learning, and adaptation......whether that is racial, religious, political, or, in this case, supernatural.