So just who exactly is Jewish and who isn’t on the soon-to-be-over “Seinfeld” hit comedy? Jerry Seinfeld is obviously Jewish, but even if you’ve been watching for nine years, the answers might surprise you:
George Costanza, with Italian name and all, is Jewish. So says “Seinfeld” co- producer Gregg Kavet. George is Jewish because his mother, Estelle Costanza, was written as a Jewish character. Her husband, Frank (the real-life very Jewish Jerry Stiller) is not. Kavet did not say why Estelle’s Jewishness was never explicitly revealed on the show.
Elaine, who always seemed to be a member of the tribe, is not. She came out of the closet on a couple of episodes with a prominent cross around her neck. In fact, the actor who plays Elaine, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a descendant of Capt. Alfred Dreyfuss, the wrongfully accused French officer who was convicted as a traitor in one of the 19th century’s most infamous cases of anti-Semitism.
Kramer, despite his name, is not Jewish. Cosmo made that very clear in one episode in which he was cooking for a Jewish singles event. When asked by a surprised Seinfeld why he was involved in the event, Kramer told Seinfeld that he wasn’t Jewish, but was helping out a friend.
In an interview, Kavet said the decision to diversify the religiosity of the four characters (that in many minds seem Jewish whether it’s in the script or not) was an attempt to make the show “more interesting.”
Other Jewish trivia from Seinfeld:
The late Brandon Tartikoff was the only Jew of the three NBC executives to screen the original pilot for the show in 1989. He was also the most powerful, so his declaration that the show was too Jewish almost prevented the show from ever airing, according to Kavet.
“Seinfeld” is one of the most popular shows in Israel.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
