Question for Friends fans

sequoia

Thu, Oct 03 2013, 4:35 pm

How realistic do you think it was that Jack and Judy (Mr and Mrs Geller) had no problem with both their kids marrying non-Jews? In fact, Ross married THREE non-Jewish women, and the subject never even came up.

Do you think it's because, their tactlessness and preference for Ross aside, they're basically "good" characters (unlike Mike's snooty, wealthy parents who can't accept Phoebe), and therefore they can't show anything that would be perceived as prejudice by the average viewer?

IOW, would a real-life, secular, middle-aged Jewish couple from Long Island be okay with all their kids marrying non-Jews?

watergirl

Thu, Oct 03 2013, 4:58 pm

I think that this couple in particular raised their kids to do whatever they wanted to do. Remember, Monica also married out. They might have been a Long Island family, but other than their last name, there is nothing Jewish about them. I think that parents like them are so far removed from all Jewish things that they are just proud that their kids are good kids.

My aunt and uncle are like them, actually. Maybe not from LI, but from another heavely Jewish, white upper middle class suburb. Children of survivors, a son and daughter, just proud to have good kids whom they love and dote on. Both of their children married out too, btw.

Remember, Jack is kind or a perv. Judy is a dunce. There are so many couples like them, that's why they were created by the producers in the first place. They are easy for viewers to see their parents in. Also, Ross and MOnica always decorated for x-mas and I think that the only real time their Jewish heritage was referred to was then Ross all of a sudden decided he wanted to teach his son about his Jewishness by dressing up as a Hanukah armadillo. They view the holoday season as a secular time for all to get together and celebrate each other. They were raised like that.

IRL, I think a couple like them, from LI or another suburb similar, like my aunt and uncle, would be ok with marring out, embrace and love the new in law... but secretly hold out hope that the children would marry jews and make beautiful Jewish grandbabies.

sequoia

Thu, Oct 03 2013, 5:03 pm

Lol, remember the one with the bagpipes?

Monica: why is your family Scottish?
Chandler: why is your family Ross?

I actually disagree that Jack is a perv and Judy is a dunce. I think they're a loving couple and relatively good parents. Especially towards the end of the series Monica's relationship with her parents improves a lot.

thePrimaIma

Thu, Oct 03 2013, 5:36 pm

"would a real-life, secular, middle-aged Jewish couple from Long Island be okay with all their kids marrying non-Jews?"

Grew up with this crowd in LI. Many children married non-Jews. Parents might not have been pleased, but did not actively oppose.

sequoia

Thu, Oct 03 2013, 6:48 pm

amother wrote:

Was rachel green jewish?

No. Of the six friends characters, only Ross and Monica are.

You know what bothered me? That Janice, the stereotypical Jew (she's supposed to be a parody of Fran Drescher), was basically a cartoon villain and Chandler's worst nightmare, while the non-Jewish Jew Monica is a positive character and his soulmate.

In real life David Schwimmer (Ross) and Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe) are Jewish.

amother

Thu, Oct 03 2013, 7:05 pm

sequoia wrote:

You know what bothered me? That Janice, the stereotypical Jew (she's supposed to be a parody of Fran Drescher), was basically a cartoon villain and Chandler's worst nightmare, while the non-Jewish Jew Monica is a positive character and his soulmate.

In real life David Schwimmer (Ross) and Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe) are Jewish.

Once of my nightmares: our substitute yoga teacher has a voice like Janice's

ValleyMom

Thu, Oct 03 2013, 7:10 pm

I dated a nice reform Jeiwsh boy from Dix Hills Long Islaend and I grew up in CH.
HIS parents were mortified.
MY parents were horrified.

He was a Harvard graduate and his snooty parents felt like I was straight out of Fiddler On The Roof.

My parents were NOT happy he was not orthodox.

vintagebknyc

Thu, Oct 03 2013, 7:19 pm

ValleyMom wrote:

irony. I dated a very handsome non-jewish boy from dix hills. when I was invited for dinner the mother served pork chops. I was absolutely secular, but I knew what that meant.

MaBelleVie

Thu, Oct 03 2013, 8:14 pm

amother wrote:

sequoia wrote:

Once of my nightmares: our substitute yoga teacher has a voice like Janice's

Lol! I do that voice (and cackle) every once in a while to drive my family crazy Smile

To answer the OP, I think that the Gellers just didn't have much of a Jewish identity. Like so many other Jews, they knew they were Jewish but it held no significance. My guess is that this occurs mostly in families that have been assimilated for a few generations already. Judaism is meaningless to them.

fmt4

Thu, Oct 03 2013, 8:40 pm

Actually, if you google it, you'll see that the writers of the show say that they only intended for Ross and Monica's father to be jewish, not their mother. And they also say that Rachel green is jewish, actually on both sides. I'm not sure why that isn't as emphasized. If you remember, Rachel once referred to her grandmother as Bubby.

sequoia

Thu, Oct 03 2013, 8:55 pm

fmt4 wrote:

And they also say that Rachel green is jewish, actually on both sides. I'm not sure why that isn't as emphasized. If you remember, Rachel once referred to her grandmother as Bubby.

In that case, why does Rachel herself say she is not Jewish, in the one where Phoebe is writing a holiday song about everyone?

Phoebe: Rachel, spin your dreidel!
Rachel: Pheebs, I'm not Jewish.
Phoebe: So? Ross doesn't really hang his tree with floss, but he doesn't complain.

Peanut2

Thu, Oct 03 2013, 9:02 pm

There are a lot of inconsistencies on the show. I haven't seen it in a while but there are.

Everyone I know thought that Ross was Jewish and Monica wasn't even though they are brother and sister. She just wasn't a Jewish character.

Rachel Green is totally Jewish and is the JAP of television. Total daddy's girl.

The show didn't want to deal with anything about marrying out so it didn't. TV shows often don't like doing that. IF anything it will be about the non-Jewish family accepting the Jew.