Jews on Screen 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).
