Fantastic Four & Jewish "family values"

The Jewish Press published an op-ed piece titled The Fantastic Four's Jewish Family Values about the Jewish underpinnings of the Fantastic Four written by Rabbi Simcha Weinstein, author of Up Up and Oy Vey : How Jewish History Culture and Values Shaped the Comic Book Superhero.

While Judaism has its roots in the accomplishments of powerful patriarchs and matriarchs, a special emphasis is also placed upon the tribe: the synthesis of everyone’s talents for the greater good. The Hebrew word for tribes, shevatim, means “branches,” alluding to their separate yet united nature. In Lee and Kirby’s universe, not even superheroes live in a vacuum. Sometimes they have to rely on their fellow super-colleagues to assist them when the going gets tough.

In an age of terror we all – more than ever – need a return to family values, working together to combine our powers and talents for the greater good. Even a flashy Hollywood movie based on a popular comic book can be a way to convey this important message (in between onscreen explosions and corny jokes, of course).