The joy over the star of the movie Superman being Jewish is misplaced. Halakhically, he really isn’t Jewish, unless he converts.
Let’s get this straight: According to Jewish law (Halakhah), you’re Jewish if your mother is Jewish or you’ve converted properly. Period. Feelings, father’s lineage, or cultural vibes don’t cut it. Lobster doesn’t become kosher just because you like it. Shabbat doesn’t move to Tuesday because it’s more convenient.
That’s why the hype around the new Superman movie is so misleading. Jewish organizations are celebrating actor David Corenswet as a “Jewish Superman.” Except—he’s not Jewish. His father was, but Halakhah says that’s not enough. His co-star Rachel Brosnahan? Also not Jewish.
Why does this matter? Because misinformation fuels assimilation. In America, intermarriage is soaring, and surveys inflate Jewish identity by counting anyone with a Jewish grandparent or father—even when Halakhah says otherwise.
I’ve seen it firsthand. Cousins marrying out, raising kids who think they’re Jewish, leading synagogues without ever halachically belonging to the faith. It’s chaos masquerading as continuity.
And Israel’s Law of Return makes it worse. The “grandfather clause” lets people in as citizens based on paternal lineage. That opens the floodgates to intermarriage inside the Jewish state itself.
Jewish identity has rules. Not suggestions. Not feelings. Not PR. If we don’t honor that, we lose the very thing we’re so proud of.
So no, Superman isn’t Jewish. And pretending he is doesn’t make us stronger. It makes us confused.
