History Main / ShiksaGoddess

The word "shiksa" comes from the Hebrew word for "abomination," as these gentile temptresses were feared to be stealing away all the {{Nice Jewish Boy}}s. Like most cultures, Jewish society traditionally looks down on members marrying outsiders, seeing it as a rejection of their heritage and community. Mixed couples won't necessarily perpetuate the traditions and beliefs that bind Jewish society together. In fact, children to a non-Jewish mother aren't Jewish themselves by religious law. It's a really insulting term, on par with "slut" or "whore." If one character is calling a woman a shiksa, you can bet they're not particularly fond of her.

* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': In "The Serenity Now", Elaine's "shiksappeal" attracts three Jewish men over the course of the episode. It starts with a 13-year-old boy who, immediately after being officially declared a man during his bar mitzvah, forcefully made out with her. When she rejects him because he's only 13 and therefore not "really" a man yet, he ''renounces Judaism'', calling the bar mitzvah a sham. Later on, the boy's father plants one on her as well, and when she tells him that he's only attracted her because of her shiksappeal, he ''also'' renounces Judaism in an effort to prove that he'd still be attracted to her if he wasn't Jewish. Finally, when she tries to talk to a rabbi about how to get rid of her shiksappeal, the rabbi tells her that shiksappeal is just a myth... and then immediately proceeds to hit on her. Even Jerry's attracted to her in this episode; after his girlfriend makes him get more in touch with his feelings, he actually proposes to Elaine.

* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': Elaine's "Shiksappeal" attracts three Jewish men in one episode; it starts with a boy who immediately prior became a man by Jewish tradition, then that boy's father, ''and then'' the rabbi she spoke to regarding the previous two. [[note]] Originally she was written as Jewish and that [[Creator/JuliaLouisDreyfus Julia Louis-Dreyfus]] is related to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis-Dreyfus one of the most notable Jewish families in France]], though not Jewish herself.[[/note]] Even Jerry's attracted to her in this episode; after his girlfriend makes him get more in touch with his feelings, he actually proposes to Elaine.

* The 1950s Hollywood film ''Young Lions'' has a young Jewish man called Noah falling for a {{WASP}} called Hope. She is indeed a beautiful blonde with blue eyes.

* ''Series/TalesFromTheCrypt: Bordello of Blood'', is an interesting example of this and MatzoFever in the romance between Katherine Verdoux and Rafe Guttman. For such a gleefully trashy film, it's got a very interesting subtext about interconfessional romance.

The word "shiksa" comes from the Hebrew word for "abomination," as these gentile temptresses were feared to be stealing away all the {{Nice Jewish Boy}}s. Like most cultures, Jewish society traditionally looks down on members marrying outsiders, seeing it as a rejection of their heritage and community. Mixed couples won't necessarily perpetuate the traditions and beliefs that bind Jewish society together. In fact, children to a non-Jewish mother aren't Jewish themselves by religious law. It should be noted that "shiksa" is not a nice term. If one character is calling some girl a shiksa, you can bet they're not particularly fond of her.

The word "shiksa" comes from the Hebrew word for "abomination," as these gentile temptresses were feared to be stealing away all the {{Nice Jewish Boy}}s. Like most cultures, Jewish society traditionally looks down on members marrying outsiders, seeing it as a rejection of their heritage and community. Mixed couples won't necessarily perpetuate the traditions and beliefs that bind Jewish society together. In fact, children to a non-Jewish mother aren't Jewish themselves by religious law.

** Inverted for two relationships, with Gentile men and Jewish women: Don Draper had an affair with the Jewish department-store owner Rachel Menken in Season 1, and a few years later ultra-WASP Roger Sterling divorced his wife to marry his Jewish secretary Jane Siegel.

* ''Series/MadMen'' featured some relationships involving Gentiles and Jewish people. The WASP-y Don and Roger to the Jewish Rachel and Jane for one. Blonde, blue-eyed, WASP-y Betty lampshades the trope when she talks about a NiceJewishBoy from high school and that in the following year, all the Jewish girls dyed their hair blonde. Then for a while, the RaisedCatholic, Irish and Norwegian American Peggy (with blue eyes) dated the culturally Jewish Abe. Hell, her colleague's AlterKocker father had a [[DirtyOldMan very interesting reaction when he saw her]].

* This was one of the principal tropes in ''Abie's Irish Rose''. Abie's father wouldn't stand for any NiceJewishBoy marrying a non-Jewish girl, so Abie has to trick his father into believing that Rose Mary Murphy is actually Rosie Murpheski. The father doesn't find out the ruse until the Jewish wedding ceremony is well underway. The play was a huge success in the 1920s, despite the fact that the critics universally agreed that it was ''absolutely terrible''.

* ''Series/DowntonAbbey''[='=]s Lady Rose becomes a near ''perfect'' example (blonde, blue-blooded and British)[[note]]Daughter of a Scottish marquess, to be exact[[/note]] when she hooks up with the Jewish Atticus Aldridge in Series 5.
** Hell, the Countess Cora Crawley has an Episcopalian Mother and a late Jewish Father. She tells off a guest at her niece's wedding for implying that it must be "embarrassing" for a girl from the family to marry a Jewish man.
* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': Elaine's "Shiksappeal" attracts three Jewish men in one episode; it starts with a boy who immediately prior became a man by Jewish tradition, then that boy's father, ''and then'' the rabbi she spoke to regarding the previous two. [[note]] Originally she was written as Jewish and that [[Creator/JuliaLouisDreyfus Julia Louis-Dreyfus]] is also Jewish. Indeed she's a member of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis-Dreyfus one of the most notable Jewish families in France]], and she's distantly related to one of the most famous French Jews in history, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Dreyfus Alfred Dreyfus]]). [[/note]]
** Even Jerry's attracted to her in this episode; after his girlfriend makes him get more in touch with his feelings, he actually proposes to Elaine.

* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': Elaine's "Shiksappeal" attracts three Jewish men (aside from Jerry) in one episode; it starts with a boy who immediately prior became a man by Jewish tradition, then that boy's father, ''and then'' the rabbi she spoke to regarding the previous two. [[note]] Originally she was written as Jewish and that [[Creator/JuliaLouisDreyfus Julia Louis-Dreyfus]] is also Jewish. Indeed she's a member of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis-Dreyfus one of the most notable Jewish families in France]], and she's distantly related to one of the most famous French Jews in history, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Dreyfus Alfred Dreyfus]]). [[/note]]

* In ''ComicBook/AContractWithGod'', Frimme Hersh, who has lived an extremely devout life, abandons his faith after a CataclysmCatalyst and immediately takes up a shiksa mistress, in addition to other questionable life choices. It's not clear whether he's doing this because he thinks gentile women are beautiful, or because he just wants to stick it to God and the religious community as much as possible.

* The Bible has Jezebel, a Phoenician Baal-worshiping princess, marrying the Israelite King Ahab. It's a false conversion due to her intentions to wipe out the original Hebrew religion and replace it with her Canaanite religion of worshiping the idols Ba'al and Asherah. This is why "Jezebel" is often used to mean a temptress or slut.

* ''Film/TheHeartbreakKid'' might be the TropeCodifier. A self-centered young Jewish man leaves his NiceJewishGirl new bride for a blonde goddess that he sees on the beach. While he's on his honeymoon.

* Creator/RobertRedford was the male version for Music/BarbraStreisand in ''TheWayWeWere''.

* The fake trailer for "Cleopatra Schwartz" in ''Film/TheKentuckyFriedMovie'' paired a Hasidic Jew with a {{Blaxploitation}} heroine. For the extra spoof - Schwartz in Yiddish means black.

* Elaine's "Shiksappeal", from ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}''. Somewhat ironically the character was originally intended to be Jewish (after all, [[Creator/JuliaLouisDreyfus Julia Louis-Dreyfus]] is, indeed being a member of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis-Dreyfus one of the most notable Jewish families in France]], and she's distantly related to one of the most famous French Jews in history, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Dreyfus Alfred Dreyfus]]).

* The fake trailer for "Cleopatra Schwartz" in ''Film/TheKentuckyFriedMovie'' paired a Hasidic Jew with a {{Blaxploitation}} heroine.

* ''Series/MadMen'' featured some relationships involving Gentiles and Jewish people. The WASP-y Don and Roger to the Jewish Rachel and Jane for one. Blonde, blue-eyed, WASP-y Betty lampshades the trope when she talks about a NiceJewishBoy from high school and that in the following year, all the Jewish girls dyed their hair blonde. Then for a while, the RaisedCatholic, Irish and Norwegian American Peggy (with blue eyes) dated the culturally Jewish Abe.

* The author JudithKrantz likes to put them in almost every book. Possibly the most memorable fetishing character is BlueBlood [[MyGirlIsASlut Jessica]] in ''Scruples'', who only boffs Jewish guys because they run in different social circles, so her reputation among the other BlueBlood types is safe. She also rates men on a scale of 1-10 and boinks Jewish nines. When asked what will happen if she ever meets a Jewish ten, she answers, "Run like a thief, I hope." Nope, when it happens she marries him.

* The mistress of a Hasidic rebbe in an episode of Series/BlueBloods is referred to as such.
* MadMen featured some relationships involving Gentiles and Jewish people. The WASP-y Don and Roger to the Jewish Rachel and Jane for one. Blonde, blue-eyed, WASP-y Betty lampshades the trope when she talks about a NiceJewishBoy from high school and that in the following year, all the Jewish girls dyed their hair blonde. Then for a while, the RaisedCatholic, Irish and Norwegian American Peggy (with blue eyes) dated the culturally Jewish Abe.

* The Bible has Jezebel, a Phoenician Baal-worshipping princess, marrying the Israelite King Ahab. It's a false conversion due to her intentions to wipe out the original Hebrew religion and replace it with her Canaanite religion of worshiping the idols Ba'al and Asherah. This is why "Jezebel" is often used to mean a temptress or slut.

* The fake trailer for "Cleopatra Schwartz" in ''Film/KentuckyFriedMovie'' paired a Hasidic Jew with a {{Blaxploitation}} heroine.
* The wedding in ''Film/AmericanPie III'' is all about this, which is mildly ironic, as the Gentile bride is played by the Half-Irish/Half-Jewish Creator/AlysonHannigan and the Jewish groom is played by the Roman Catholic, Italian-American Jason Biggs, who is often mistaken for a Jew.