The Golem and the Jewish Superhero
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- Опубліковано 28 бер 2021
- He could have left us his Golem; he should have. What did he fear? | The first 1000 people to use this link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/jacobgeller03211
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Many thanks to Alexander Shonert for allowing me to use his beautiful violin pieces: • Jewish violin played b...
Wall art by Carin Walsh: carinwalsha...
Sources:
Golem- David Wisniewski, 1996
The Golem- Elie Wiesel, 1983
The Golem Redux: From Prague to Post-Holocaust Fiction- Elizabeth Baer, 2012
Stories of Your Life and Others- Ted Chiang, 2002
El Golem- Jorge Luis Borges, 1964 (Translated by Frank Thomas Smith)
Der Golem: Wie er in die Welt kam- Paul Wegener, 1920
The X-Files, Season 4 Episode 15: Kaddish, 1997
Hans Poelzig: The Design of Mystical Film Architecture- Despina Maria Ilinca Iorga, 2014
Architectuul: Hans Poelzig- architectuul.com/architect/han...
The Role of the Golem in the Making of Frankenstein- Stephen Bertman, 2015
The Golem Legend: Byron Sherwin, 1985
Other Media Used: The Iron Giant, Inglorious Basterds, Minecraft, Dark Souls, The Complete Pokerap (Brian David Gilbert, Polygon), Frankenstein (1931), Final Fantasy X-2, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Shadow of the Colossus, Susano’s Training Theme (Okami), Premonition of Revival (Shadow of the Colossus)
Violin Pieces by Alexander Shonert include:
Rosinkalech Mit Mandlen
Klezmerka
Al Taster
Ravel’s Kaddish
Other Music Provided by Epidemic Sound- Artists used include Silver Maple, Mike Franklyn, Alexandra Woodward, Trabant 33, Ciaran Delany, Rupert Sachs, and Jon Algar
Thumbnail by: David Wisniewski and / hotcyder
Description from Elie Wiesel’s The Golem
I'll be doing a full director's commentary for this on my patreon, where folks can ask me questions and hear behind-the-scenes info. Come hang! www.patreon.com/JacobGeller
woah
Ha Ha, my precious, like gollum
this is a really cool story. I like how well selfaware the golem is. He knows imidiatly his existance could become a problem and he is sad about becoming well basically dead. i kinda wanna give him a name (maybe truth but idk if thats disrespctful) since he feels like a Person.
Your beard looks really stupid man
Thank you for another great video!
Fun fact: you can stop a golem by removing the first letter of the word "emeth" written on its forehead, so the word "meth" is left and the golem gets arrested by the DEA
Unethical life tips
Medieval problems call for modern solutions 🤣🤣🤣
if you hold a mirror to the Golem, they'll see ThEME written on their forehead. Just like Perseus and the Medusa.
J E S S E
@@RadonX9 *SOMEONE WROTE THE WORD METH ON MY FOREHEAD JESSE*
Shoutout to the incredible tonal whiplash between "Who will tell us what God felt, looking at his Rabbi in Prague?" and "The golem really goes sicko mode."
The Duality of man
Kal El might not have "Truth" written on his brow, but "Hope" is written on his chest
The S stands for sHope
funny thing is Superman's symbol started meaning hope only in 2003 and it was done not by a Jewish dude
Isn't Superman himself, commonly through the emblem on his chest, often seen by the people of Metropolis as a symbol of *truth* and justice?
For anyone unaware and curious you should check out the channel Nerdsync’s video “Captain America punching nazis: why comics are always political” it’s about an hour long and he discusses more obviously but he spends a fair amount of time explaining how captain America was created by Jews during ww2 and he has a large A on his brow which stands for “TRUTH justice and the American way” and i think you can see where I’m going with that but he explains much more in depth i think anyone who enjoyed this video and Jacob’s content in general would also enjoy Nerdsync’s content
that's actually really beautiful thank you
Theres a part that Jacob doesnt narrate in the story that really makes me tear up
at 10:06
"Please!" Golem cried. "Please let me live! I did all that you asked of me! Life is so... Precious... to me!" With that, he collapsed into clay.
I want to believe Rabbi Loew had to recite Kaddish, for he truly believed he had destroyed his own child...
Beautiful.
Dang, dude....
@@legion999hat is both profoundly beautiful and tragic. Yikes that’s definitely gonna leave a sore spot on my insides
Legit put a tear in my eye
I like to imagine that Geller couldn't get a take of reading that without choking up.
Imagine witnessing a pile of clay being bestowed life and the first conscious thought it has is “you sure, bro?”
That shows that it is working. Let's see if the A.I.s say that.
I appreciate that this came from a fallen london poster.
Lets find out is also a pretty stellar response
Imagine taking its rib and saying, "this is finna be yer lady"
😂😂😂😂😂
"Bad vibes are on the horizon for the Jews" sums up all of Jewish history.
@@ileutur6863 I'm glad you're interested. It is a very difficult subject to research, because any actual documentation is usually passed within Jewish communities, or is, like you said, some sort of racist conspiracy theory. The short and simple is: there's no real reason other than that they were there, and they were different, so it was easy to pin all the issues on them, especially during times where superstition was science.
@@ileutur6863 Probably because two of the major abrahamic religions actively condemns them, and they are not the majority in but one of the countries in the world and thus quite easy to pick on? And the way they wanted to persevere was kind of an exclusive covenant which makes it harder for them to actively sought solidarity from other groups?
@@kseriousr it is odd how christianity doesnt like them (unless they are political shills like Shaprio) even though christianity wouldn't exist without Judaism.
@@ileutur6863 If you want a one sentence explanation, it basically boils down to this: The Jews have been without a land of their own for the majority of history - a land where _they_ are the ruling class and the majority population at the same time. As such, they're always living _under_ - living as _The Other_ - and historical cultures love to hate and fear an Other.
@@Aging_Casually_Late_Gamer Probably have to do with how christians are taught that Jesus was rejected by them despite all the 'evidences',
. It's kind of funny that Muslims hate the christians claiming the same reason. Nothing divides us more than religious indoctrination.
Picture this: I'm a Jewish writer and linguist, sitting at my desk wearing a Superman t-shirt. My friend sends me this video, and I start listening, thinking it'll be a nice, interesting podcast-esque thing to listen to while I send some emails. Thirty minutes later, I've sent no emails, and I'm crying at my desk. This video is everything I love most in the world, wrapped up into one beautiful package explaining why I love it so much. Thanks.
It's weird how he dislikes Superman but also likes the Golem myth like we should tell him Superman's Jewish right
@@anarchomando7707 Did you watch the whole video?
@@anarchomando7707 not even close. Try watching the video again
@@thomaspiskorski7324 I mixed up this guy and Josh geller I'm sorry.
very jewish comment
There's something so striking to me in the way the golem is naive and gentle, but also so profoundly aware of the weight its existence carries.
I love your profile picture. Oh my gaaawwwd!
gem
Was he my teacher I'd never miss a class. I'd be both seduced by his speech and mesmerized by his beard.
And I accidentally made Shakespearean like poetry lol
@@nothanks6549 Shout out for Mr Hoshaw. Every kid needs a Mr Hoshaw.
He also looks like a super villain
I had a few of those teachers, but none of them were as cool as this guy.
"The Jews in the story are just... Not having a good time"
This is one of ten lines I'd use to describe all of human history.
Me: they are the chosen people
My Jewish friend: Chosen for _what,_ though? Nothin good, I can tell you that!
They drew first blood though
You don’t mean that do you?
probably has something to do with the whole "we're God's chosen people and you aren't" thing
for some reason people react to that sorta talk with persecution, can't imagine why
No I mean the they drew first blood comment.
The beginning of the Golem story is making me imagine a noir-style detective story with the Golem at the center. A huge clay man in a sweeping trench coat and a fedora with a glowing golden "emet" written on it, solving mysteries and punching Nazis.
OH THATS SO COOL
I feel like The Thing probably has a comic run like this
Probably the origin for the Joe Golem comics lol
that's literally just hellboy
Michael Chabon would.
The golem pleading to stay alive with the "I've done everything you've asked of me" just hit so hard and the book just expects you to move on after that page like ????? So powerful and so abrupt
"Father, was this wise to do?"
Frankenstein's monster liked this.
Chepetto looks at Pinocchio: yes it was...
Can relate
Tbf, one of the two stories was probably based on the other (or at least strongly influenced). The original Frankenstein is a book with heavily religious overtones, and the main message is one of "man shouldn't play with creation because that is only for god".
@@Tacklepig *_Google AI has entered the chat_*
Heh, thought the same. :D
"Father will I remember this?" Holy hell dude, thanks for the existential crisis.
;_;
No, you will be clay
My heart....
Technically this will all happen to us, one day.
@@justalostlocal not even technically. Its just going to happen to every single one of us.
@@justalostlocal and I was like, "We know, but hey."
I’m Jewish. I grew up with the story of the golem, told to me by my dad, who has a tiny figurine of one hanging on a leather cord from a lamp, with a Jewish star on the other end. I remember playing Minecraft for the first time and getting so excited to see golems in the game, protecting people like they’re meant to. After watching this video, I showed it to my dad and ever time I see this video, I feel very strong emotions. This story means so much to me, ever since I was a little kid. Thank you so much for making this video.
May Lord Jesus bless you friend
@@wordywizard4786 You... you do realize that that person is Jewish, right? That Jesus is not the physical embodiment of God to Jewish people?
@@fishworshipper It's an expression of support.
@@esttrox5881 What might seem to be an expression of support in some contexts is absolutely not in others. This is "others".
Edit: A respectful way to express support would have been to replace "Jesus" with "God". Christianity has a substantial history of being extremely unkind to the Jews - to "express support" using Christian-specific terminology is, at best, proselytizing, not supporting.
@@wordywizard4786 😭
"The Golem goes around and kills a bunch of Nazis --- praxis!"
Beautiful.
the way you don't miss a beat when your cat jumps next to you is incredible
It's almost like that cat is a trained actor or something. 🤔
@@imveryangryitsnotbutter pretty sure I saw them in a Peaky Blinders themed reimagining of Fiddler in the Roof, now that you mention it.
Then there's my dog that saunters between the camera and the subject, sits down, and farts.
Based Razbuten?!?!??
Da f@ck you doing here? 🤣 Love your gaming for a non-gamer videos!
jacob: im going to read to you from a storybook
me, 22 year old college graduate: oh HELL yeah storytime
And I'm 29 years old, was excited like a kid!
NEVER too old for storytime.
35 and all I want is a cuddle and a story. Pizza too.
Think if I say I'm 39 (I am), that we'll eventually get just continually older people responding?
Also, so much love for the wholesomeness of this chat + the video.
22 y/o graduate student here reppin
I am LITERALLY 3 minutes into this but I feel a mighty need, as an art student who has done cut paper for some university assignments, to express how INSANE those illustrations are to me. Cut paper is HARD, even when you're working with relatively simplistic designs. The pieces shown here are complex illustrations full of little details, and they are beautifully done. I just really wanted to extend my appreciation here, since I can kind of imagine the painstaking hours that likely went into creating all of these.
Edit: Unrelated to anything I said before but man, of all the videos I've watched this was not the video I was expecting to suddenly hear my name in.
Soooo, South Park's style is actually very impressive, even if half of their jokes are okay and the rest are subpar and only funny because of the shock value?
@@cameronjadewallace Well, as someone who has never watched South Park, nor has an interest in watching it, and was not talking about it in this comment, I wouldn't know! Their animation style is clearly inspired by cut paper to some degree, but it's definitely done digitally. I was specifically talking about the book read in the video here, which also, iirc, never mentions South Park. I appreciate what you're getting at in this comment, but I think it would probably be more relevant elsewhere.
@@miriamelizabeth5548 good on ya. It's really not worth your time
Doesn't matter either way but I thought I'd throw it out there that South Park WAS cut paper in the beginning. However, it was overwhelmingly difficult keeping up with putting out a new episode every week using cut paperr, so they made the switch to digital. But yes, cut paper IS hard, super agree. I sort of stopped making art after getting a degree in it, but I used to love incorporating cut paper with gouache/watercolor illustrations and like... I feel that's a media that you can really only do on your own time and not professionally, with a time limit. I mean it's not obviously but I could never. I agree the illustrations are crazy impressive
“The Golem really goes sicko mode” now this is the kind of literature analysis that I can get behind
“The golem really goes sicko mode”
-Jacob Geller, 2021
The Doom music kicked in.
@@DoctorPsyduck lmao😂
Me: *weeping*
Jacob: "This video was sponsored by skillshare . . ."
Me tooo XDXD
Yep, same
same
definitely same
Honestly? I think this was the most compelling ad read I've ever experienced. Not in terms of wanting to subscribe to skillshare, but just because the video dug so deeply into my soul that when he told me to pick up some clay I almost went out to my garden to pull clay from the soil so I could sculpt a little dude.
“The Jews are straight up not having a good time” and “bad vibes on the horizon” was amazing, thank you
As a non-Jewish person, I absolutely love whenever you talk about your experiences as a Jew. It’s so refreshing to see someone so enthusiastic about anything, and willing to talk about it at length, because anybody can see that you really care! You really care about what you say and it is wonderful to hear.
Superman doesn't have truth written on his forehead, but he does have hope written on his chest.
Or an S, but that's up to interpretation
How do I stop crying
S for hope started with Mark Waid in 2004, and S in general being Kryptonian glyph instead of just an English letter started with Donner's Superman The Movie (because Marlon wanted to wear S symbol too, but also originally that was meant to be sign for entire planet in Puzo script)
@@PizzaaPandaa Birthright
Hope doesn’t start with an “S”...
"Ask 3 rabbis a question get 4 different answers" -- my jewish studies instructor
Late, but this quote is interesting to me. I believe it is supposed to reference how every rabbi, would have different insights to the point that one of them has a second opinion, but the other interpretation is that all the rabbis have the same underlying message, but express them differently.
@@diserna98 I read it as the 3 rabbis giving you an answer and then the last is the answer you make of what you hear so your own answer.
@@diserna98 the quote I’ve always heard was “2 Jews, 3 opinions”. That one has a message that the discussion between people changes their opinions into something new and hopefully better than what they had each come up with on their own. I like that meaning :)
You could say the same about Catholic Priests. I grew up Catholic and I never got the same answer about anything from anyone.
I live and work in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh. Its an Orthodox Jewish community.(yes....that Jewish community in Pittsburgh. It happened just a few blocks from where I sit right now) Alot of my regulars are Jewish ....so after watching this you've given me a great way to connect with a people I don't know too much about. What I do know is that they are all very nice and accepting people. The kosher deli employs many Islamic refugees and everyone gets along. Knowing their history a little better goes to show just how forgiving they are.... they've had it rough yet they still manage to be inclusive to every culture that's mixed in the neighborhood.
I am truly grateful that I live in such a great little town. I highly recommend you come here if you ever visit Pittsburgh!
Visit Pittsburgh for Anthrocon. The city goes all our for us. (Furries but probably also Jews, of which I am both.)
I love going to Squirrel Hill. The architecture is wonderful and the area looks beautiful in the fall. There are so many family owned businesses too.
The people are the people no matter where. Always have been. If you're not scared of your own shadow it's amazing how much we all have in common & what we can accomplish.
Problem is those sleazy politicians are forever inserting themselves.
Love my country and it's people.
Hate my Government and its sleazy politicians
The community that's been fostered within Pittsburgh, between various minority groups as well as non minorities, feels almost protective. Despite the hatred imbued within America, and what has inevitably bled into Pittsburgh, out community has really been a powerful source of acceptance and stability. It's flawed but I wouldn't ask for anywhere else.
@@sci7zo why do Jews believe
"Father was always happy, or at least he seemed to be. I really loved my father."
So much said in so few words. That broke me.
Edit: corrected quote.
The lines
“Father, was this wise to do?”
“We’ll find out!”
Remains immensely funny to me
My subconscious every time I make a decision...
"LOL" said the rabbi. "LMAO."
The original “Fuck around and find out”
@@darthplagueis13 My brain whenever I stay up late watching video essays
@@LuvzToLol21 “420 Blazin” said the rabbi “Yolo” said the golem
i'm a religious studies scholar and genuinely wrote down "post-holocaust golem theology" to look into yesterday and was so excited to see this on my feed! what a wonderful breakdown of the history of the golem and it's implications and interpretations today. thanks again jacob!
Wallahi I would have loved to read that study!
That sound so cool! Could you link to a pdf when you submit your study?
Religious studies sounds so cool do you recommend *anything* you’ve been reading or watching lately??
I realize this sounds weird but oh well
@@josephharold808 unfortunately I haven't written anything on the topic myself! If I ever do though I'll try to remember to let y'all know
@@brig.gen.georgiiisserson7226 unfortunately I haven't written anything on the topic myself! If I ever do though I'll try to remember to let y'all know
I love the idea of you popping out the womb, deadpan asking your dad if this was a good idea, and him nonchalantly throwing up his hands saying, "We'll find out."
I (am non-Jewish) only learned less than a week ago that the golem was a Jewish myth/creature because of the Minecraft mob vote, and I'm doing a small paper on Jewish and Anti-Semitic imagery in Minecraft. This video is a)so beautiful and b)so relevant to me right now, it's crazy
“Jewish and Anti-Semitic imagery in Minecraft” was something I never even thought of hearing about the game but here I am I guess
@@cosmicspacething3474 Notch is not a great guy 😅 but I'm not condemning the game because of his influences on it. Just fascinating
I'd love to read that paper if you still have it
@@sammiehopkins9408 I would like to see where you are pulling this bullshit from
@@SaladofStoneshave u seen the golems in that game lmao the comically large nose is all you need to know
I feel like every time we see Jacobs face his beard has grown up further on his cheeks. One day his beard and hair line will join and he will gain the strength of Samson.
First of all, you need to give no care to your beard for 3 years for that to have a chance of happening, second of all, you have to isolate yourself and practice a lot of prayer for you to be able to get the strength of Samson (or according to some any other singuler superhuman trait)
I love that beard. It looks so fake and all I want to know is if the texture is more like a fur coat or a coir doormat.
I guess his bread is trying to migrate further north on his face?
@@mozesmarcus6786 man shut up
Is this what going too far with hair transplantation gone too far looks like. Is it too much ghetto barbershop dye. What is it about it it looks so disturbing
The Iron Giant really becomes even more golem-like when you view Superman as a golem as well. A golem inspired by a golem inspired by *the* golem
Dude, the meta hit me hard after watching that Iron Giant scene again, I remembered when my father told me the ending of his favorite show as a kid, when Giant Robot (also the name of the show) sacrificed itself to destroy an asteroid to save the Earth, also like Superman does at the end of the All Star Superman comic (well, he flies away to fix the sun) to save us all.
Good stuff.
I’m a Jewish person who didn’t grow up religious and I’ve been trying to understand my culture more and this was really beautiful, your analysis and narration voice is wonderful
I come from a mixed family- pure aschkenazi on my dad's side. I know Judaism is maternal, and to be quite honest I've never felt drawn to the faith itself. But there is so much tragic, beautiful history in the art and culture of the Jewish people. I can't help but want to learn more and hold onto it, at least as a part of myself. It's a story worth clinging to, I think.
“Most people can’t bring clay to life”
Well..... yeah. Until the wizards at Aardman Animations tell us their secrets, of course.
Gromit is a golem
@@JacobGeller that is a hot take I was not prepared for but has immensely and immediately improved my quality of life
“Superheroes aren’t literally made out of clay”
*grumbles in Wonder Woman*
Also Ben Grimm has the award for least mute Golem of all time.
@@JacobGeller ‘gromit lad, it’s the wrong forehead symbol!’
The way the Hebrew came back to me so I could sing happy birthday after not having heard it for like half a decade made me feel like a little Jewish sleeper agent
lmao
@@sydssolanumsamsys imagine how media and banking CEOs feel when they insist that none of those companies are jewish.
@@Benyamean what?
@@sydssolanumsamsys lol i meant to reply to the other dude
@@Benyamean ok
That Wiesel line about his father would sound innocuous coming from anyone else, but having read Night and knowing about how he lost his father in the Holocaust, that line hits like a truck
Damn! this video brought me to tears. I’m not Jewish, but the desire to be free from oppression and suffering is one that may people can understand. What a powerful story. And a powerful myth. And the part about our art acting as our protector, it’s making me cry just typing this! Sometimes as a trans woman making art feels like the only thing I can do to be protected. Thank you for this video! This is the second time I’ve had tears running down my face after one of ur essays 😂. The first being “to translate a forest”.
Nice to see another trans woman in these comments! I'm in the same boat, crying included lol.
"Kills a bunch of nazis - praxis - "has to be my favorite line I've ever heard on this channel
What does that mean?
@@ToriKo_ Praxis is to put theory in to practice, in this case performing leftist action opposed to just reading theory. So instead of reading Marx, killing nazis.
@@10midgits74 killing nazis is not exclusively leftist.
@@postindustrial76 it inevitably ends being
@@abacate4492 ends being what?
Theres something extremely surreal about the scene of the golem waking up, turning towards the rabi and immediately saying "father, was this wise to do?". I'm not sure why that hit me so hard, but it definitely did.
That was the most impacting scene for me.
tbh every single time someone decides to wake ME up, I greet them with something similar. except I guess a bit more sleep-slurred and along the lines of 'whwhatttefucccwhyd'youwakemeuppppp'
As a jew living in America, I often feel isolated and scared these days. While it always brings tears to my eyes and a deep sorrow to my heart, this video also makes me smile and feels safe. Thank you for that and for all of your beautiful videos.
it is horrible because most don't understand Jews are constantly the most persecuted people throughout the world. but Mashiach ישוע is coming. he alone brings everlasting shalom. he came to unite the nations and Israel and he died for our sins to break the barrier between us and Adonai. he has been patient waiting for all to come to him who are his And giving time for all to repent for he doesn't wish that any would be lost but he is coming and this is what brings true shalom.
You’re not alone. Look for help and you’ll likely find it somewhere. Even if that somewhere is very far away
This an embarrassing comment, if you don't live in a gang infested ghetto then fucking headlines about a tiki torch rally that happened 7 years ago or whatever isn't gonna hurt you
@@yeshuaislord3058dude comments like this are what animate anti Semites, 99% of humanity is as you read this more persecuted than Jewish people, get real
Ironic you bring up Eli Wiesel; my grandmother actually grew up next to him and they even dated at a certain point.
Sadly she too was forced into Auschwitz with her family, but thankfully (or my family and I wouldn’t exist) she was able to escape out of the gas chamber through some lose bricks in a wall. There’s a book written abt it, her name is Klara Wizel (very similar to Eli Wiesel’s surname, once again perhaps ironically) and thank G-d she’s actually still alive despite reaching her late 90’s.
Ps. I actually visited the Rabbi’s temple you mentioned in the story, The Maharal of Prague, on a trip after Yeahiva in Israel my roommate and I took through Europe. It has now been converted into a museum in Prague memorializing The Maharal’s legacy, life, and mythical status in Jewish culture. He’s actually laid to rest in the cemetery at that same museum that was previously the great tzaddik’s shul. It even has a beautiful underground mikveh one floor underground iirc
Let’s hope Jacob sees this
I can't help noticing that in English, removing a letter from 'Life' become 'Lie' - the opposite of how 'Truth' becomes 'Death' in Hebrew
I have no conclusion but this is a thing that happens
language is fun
multilingual kabbalah lol
This actually happens in the knock-off story of the Goylem.
hebrew works a little differently, every word has a 3 letter "root" which doesnt change in other versions of the word... for example in life you have live lived alive but the hebrew truth you have the root אמת which is contained in אמיתי אימות for example,
hebrew also uses letters for a lot of things, there are hebrew numbering systems using the letters like roman numerals (slightly differently) and not ALL words have a 3 letter root, like "מת" specifically but also a lot of newer words have 4 letter or longer roots, especially words borrowed from other languages like for computers or things that didnt exist in the bible :)
english structure is just as interesting but the word play works differently because english encodes other languages into its spelling, like how you can tell some words come from french and some from spanish originally just by seeing them.
@@JudgeHoldem HELPHELPHELP “GOYLEM” IS THE FUNNIEST THING IVE HEARD ALL DAYYYY
"Pokemon has a Golem, I don't really think that one counts"
This is Golurk erasure and I won't stand for it
Golurk and the Regis
I will not let this disrespect of my favorite giant stone robots slide.
I'm glad someone said it.
And Claydol
Golurk even has the Ground/Ghost typing, which in hindsight is kinda tragic
For those interested in a more modern fantasy take on the golem, may I humbly offer "The Golem and the Jinni." It's a really great story about Chava the golem (incidentally, Golems are by default masculine, so it's interesting to see a female one) and Ahmad the jinni living in the jewish and syrian immigrant communities respectively. Also, the kabbalah magic system isn't just occult bs, so that's nice.
This book is one of the few romances i actually like!! A sequel came out last year (?), i'm really excited to read it!
Sounds super interesting, thanks for the rec!
Chavaleh.
Another good Golem analogy in superhero media - Steve Rogers is a weedy little guy (the clay), given a super serum ('Emet'), and becoming Captain America, protector of the people, with his first comic literally showing him punching Hitler in the face. And yup, created by two Jews, Kirby and Simon. I can definitely see the Golem influence in that story!
“The golem goes around killing a bunch of nazis, *praxis*.” That killed me
I didn't understand that bit... Can you (or any1) please explain
@@8lec_R praxis is used politically to distinguish action from theory, it’s the rubber meeting the road, direct action and practical application.
Golem was ‘bout that life.
@@8lec_R a lot of leftists use the term “praxis” , especially today in regards to the most agreeable acts or deeds.
Based actions that further the cause with great success and satisfaction.
@@topcatmatt thx for the explanation. I now understand the term and the joke too :>)
@@8lec_R ever so welcome 🙏
I'm not Jewish but the line "I miss my father" killed me with context
This story isn't about being jewish it's about to souls and a good heart.
I myself am Jewish I only recently started to learn more about this topic, and it broke my heart aswell
Thank you. Thank you for your patience, your kindness, your willingness to share your own childhood and our culture.
Growing up I was one of the few Jewish kids in class and on a presentation day where I talked about Jewish culture fellow peers even asked me if I mixed blood in rituals- the fact that I have witnessed this libel even a decade ago with people my age is devastating. The story of the Golem, this open community from your channel on this topic, was needed and will be cherished.
As an American Jew raised by a Israeli mother who left the homeland because she hated the overwhelming Jewish culture, thank you for teaching a young Jew about the culture that I never learned, it helps me feel connected to my people.
That’s pretty cool, if the golem is supposed to be a metaphor for literature and the written word, then it acting as a detective, debunking false ideas and then being able to be used to cause violence is really thematically sophisticated and is in my opinion really cool.
I'm not sure all incarnations are a metaphor for literature/art but certainly many do work well like that.
And if it's rooted in kabbalah, then language is the mid point between material reality and God (at least as far as I understand it)
“Sure Superman doesn’t have truth written on his head, but he might as well” And he practically has it on his chest
...Truth doesn’t start with an “S.”
@@kgpspyguy The symbol on his chest is not an "S" but Kryptonian for truth
@@Machinegundon64 I think It's a joke from Pete Holm's Badman shorts that are basically Batman but as dumb and crass as a spoiled rich kid would be. In one Superman wants to team up but all Batman does is make fun of him and insult him.
"This coming from the guy who has to write his initial on his shirt."
"It's not my initial, it stands for hope"
"Hope doesn't start with an S idiot"
My favorite line being.
"So which Newsie did you base Clark Kent on? I'm getting a strong Crutchie vibe."
@@Machinegundon64 The "S" is sometimes defined as Kryptonian for hope or the sigil of the House of El (El being defined as "Star"). I've never seen it defined as truth...but I also haven't read every Superman comic.
@@joncarroll2040 i think that's almost more pertinent. the golem of the story has "truth" written on his head because that was his purpose, to find the truth of who was murdering people to protect his community. Superman's S means "hope" and designates *his* purpose, something he can provide to protect. something i'm sure can seem in low supply to modern Jewish folks
A historical fragment of a child's Hebrew homework contains a doodle of what is almost certainly a Golem, which I love.
I'm not jewish, but this story hits really close to home. The themes of blood lies and community defense are incredibly relevant in the queer community today, and it just serves as a reminder that while we're not always in the same boat, we are weathering the same storm.
Those things seem similar because they are. Bigots use some variation of "X is killing/corrupting the kids" as a core argument for marginalizing or eradicating the groups they hate. People naturally want to keep their kids safe, so representing a group as destructive towards them is a cheap and easy way to turn people against them, even though these claims never really have any legitimate backing to them.
This is how i feel too!!!@
It would seem bigots and fascists are the same no matter the era.
@@HorseDe-luxe instinctual protectiveness of children only comes when the queer community comes up. They never care about children's safety before or afterwards. Look at Republican bills that advocate for child marriage. Look at all the children that have been raped or murdered by non queers. It's a kind of strange hive mind that doesn't make sense, even to those who believe in it. Speaking from experience from when I myself did not like or trust that community, it feels like the confusion and upset you feel at something like the dark. You don't like it but you don't know why; you only know that you don't like it.
@@HorseDe-luxe its not very kind to call the LGBTQ fascists and bigots. although there Is a group of them pushing it on kids and society but that isn't all of them.most are just people trying to get by but who have been horribly decieved by culture and brainwashed And need prayer and love and grace to overcome the sin that they have made their identity. usually people call people bigots and fascists to justify doing evil against who they perceive as their enemy and they use those titles to seem morally superior while having no moral foundation. it is a form of emotional manipulation by people who have no actual way of discussing issues and usually they themselves are more fascistic and far more bigoted against those who disagree with them without any capacity to understand why someone would disagree with them and have no ability to even hear paying veiws. hence calling people fascists and bigots. all human history is full of humans doing evil to one another. it is the result of humans fulfilling their own desires and rejecting what YHWH the creator of all desires us to do. but a fascist is sometimewho wants to force their way on others by extreme physical force and propaganda. much like that small group of LGBTQ people who do not represent the vast majority of those who they claim to represent. and a bigot is someone who hates someonewithout empathy and has no actually understanding of those whom they hate much like antifa or the leftists of today. however the yehudim" Jews" have been the constant victims of bigotry especially messianic Jews who know Yeshua is Mashiach. and to compare the genocide of millions of yehudim to anything going on today is not at all similar.
i cried for the golem story. "father, will i remember this?". heart wrenching
They did golem dirty
"That concludes our storytime. Now, I think we have some birthdays today? Ari, Miriam-" SORRY YOU JUST SHOT MY BUTT BACK INTO HEBREW SCHOOL SO FAST I HAVE WHIPLASH FROM THE TALITOT HITTING MY FACEEEE
I’m not Jewish, but I’m Indian, and that was some fucking reverse aging holy shit.
RIGHT I HAD A VISCERAL REACTION
@@miriambloom2923 lol. having the same name as the fictional character is always jarring
Jacob, for me, as a jew who fell out of practice due to abuse suffered at my synagogue, this video scratches a cathartic, nostalgic itch I didn't even know I needed scratching. I can't help but to keep coming back every now and again to rewatch this video
As a Jew I increasingly find myself avoiding media that talks about the Holocaust, because day to day life is so heavy that I don't know if I have the bandwidth to re-experience the emotions I felt first learning about it, or the emotions I felt when my grandmother forced us to visit the Holocaust museum while we were on vacation. This video is not only wonderfully written and very interesting, but is the first piece of media in a good many years that I have willingly watched where another Jewish person talks about the Holocaust. Art is so important. Also, the impression of a Jewish Sunday school teacher was so good and so unexpected that I actually laughed out loud when you walked onscreen, I have not heard the Hebrew birthday song in YEARS, 1000/10. I love being Jewish.
I cried at the end of this. Our small family was the only group of our extended family to survive Auschwitz, and we had to hide our Judaism to survive. It's so disconnected now, just a vague hand-me-down memory of a lost culture. Thank you for helping me connect with it
Same! Our great grandmother converted, and reclaiming everything the last few years has been very difficult. There's some really good reading lists online to get started!
Wow, that must be hard.
Sending you lots of love. I hope you can reconnect with what was taken from you.
I’m in the same boat as you, friend. Jacob’s content has been very helpful when it comes to analyzing certain concepts.
I figured out, about 3 years ago, that my mom's side of the family are Greek Jewish.
"'Father, was this wise to do?' which were incidentally my first words" HAHAHA
Just a small bit: It's more likely that Mary Shelly was referencing the myth of Prometheus with that description of "unliving clay." Frankenstein's alternate title was "The Modern Prometheus," the creature was brought to life as a work of sheer human arrogance rather than out of need for a protector, and it's more the story of the absolute horror of being abandoned, rejected, and hated by both a creator and world that have no place or purpose for you. And while oppressed minorities could possibly relate to that feeling of not-belonging on some level, it's almost certainly not a story about resilience in the face of oppression. That absolute rejection broke the creature so badly that he quietly went off to die in the north rather than persist.
you can get a lot of themes from the story of the Golem, but "You have absolutely no place in this world, all attempts to make things better will be futile, just kill yourself after you kill your maker" really doesn't seem right.
Yeah sounds more of a rejected Adam sort of story.
I've also seen it presented as the story of a deadbeat dad, creating life for his own gratification and then refusing to take responsibility for his actions.
Frankenstein is more like, "What if instead of being created by God, Adam had been created by an irresponsible self-centered college kid who had no clue what he was doing?"
since you mentioned someone should write a detective golem, shoutout to Mike Mignola's Joe Golem: Occult Detective, which is exactly that
Superman may not have “Truth” written across his head, but he does have “Hope” written across his chest. I don’t know if that means anything but I found it interesting.
Damn that's actually awesome
his story is supposedly based off of moses floating down the river nile if u wanna make more jewish? connections
The fact that he's a Jewish creation makes all the Jesus allegory with him nowadays even weirder
@@James11111 Wasn't Jesus Jewish? At least, as an ethnicity (of course correct me if I'm wrong). Jesus wasn't against Jews, He was against the greed of the people that they had at the time, it could have been Greeks or Egyptians and it wouldn't have been any different, wether you believe Jesus is the Messiah or not both Moses and Jesus have a lot in common in their story while their motives and things like that are obviously different. Of course this is my opinion I'm not hating on anyone for having a different opinion.
@@impyyyy See you're right, but you're just missing the point and overthinking things.
I'm merely noticing the irony in giving Jesus symbolism (most notable in recent DCCU movies) to a character made by jews. That's all.
My father actually prayed in the Maharal's synagogue. He never did see the Golem (shocker, I know), but the attic indeed was off limits.
That's kinda smart, from a cultural perspective. You and your people are affected by rumors of witchcraft and murder? Spread a rumor that you have a giant murderer made out of witchcraft hiding in your religious space. Think they'll come seek it out? Spread a rumor that, actually, they already tried that and it didn't work. Generations later, the basic gist gets turned into a story with bits and pieces added for dramatic flair gradually til the original purpose was lost. Not an antisemitic creep or anything, just thinking out loud
@@donkoplays5734 "Not an antisemitic creep or anything, just thinking out loud" Nah, I didn't think so. I get the interest in the cultural analyzation.
that’s a lovely story! there’s also a local tale that a Nazi soldier attempted to enter the attic during the German purges, and died in the attempt, which was why the synagogue survived the war.
@@calebduarte5255 I've heard the story, though a slight variation where an officer sends several men up and they never come back down.
David Wisniewski's take on Golem is an absolute masterpiece. To bad Mr. Wisniewski is no longer with us. I love his paper-cut illustration style.
Hi Mr. Jacob Geller!! I hoped to send you an email but could not find one so i will type here! I am a high school senior who is taking a civics class and has been asked to write about an issue important to me. i have chosen antisemitism. i talk a lot about the phenomenon of the jewish superhero in this essay, about the torah and the golem and fear. i frequently rewatch this essay, its a big comfort for me- i even showed it to my rabbi (she loved it)!!! rest assured, this video will be on my works cited page. thank you for your inspiration!!!!
"There's one in Pokemon but that one probably doesn't count."
- Anyone want to tell this man about Golurk? It's a ghost/ground type fashioned out of clay. "When the seal on its chest is removed it rages indiscriminately, turning the whole town around it into a mountain of rubble."
glad I ctrl+f'd to make sure someone had brought this up!
There's also the Regi's. Fashioned from natural materials with writing on it. They were likely also inspired by the Golem.
Claydol is also sort of a Golem reference
I love how he’s literally telling us a bedtime story
if been using him as a bedtime story teller for a while now so this is great
Something about this man's story telling exudes calm yet warm, welcoming intelligence even when dealing with heavy subjects. Perfect for winding down.
Jacob Geller The Story Teller. It was meant to be.
My favorite bedtime story, Big dirt man protects minorities from false accusations.
No matter what age we are, we all need a bedtime story.
this is the first youtube video to move me to tears, and i'm not even jewish. this is a beautifully written loveletter to your culture and i'm so glad it exists
I remember, a long time ago, Stan Lee was being interviewed on NPR and talking about the Fantastic Four at one point and he said something like, "I wanted a stretchy guy, an invisible girl, a fire guy, and a rock guy." The host then said, "And speaking of The Thing one cannot help but be reminded of Jewish myth of the legendary Golem, an obvious influence on you." And Lee responded, "I wanted a stretchy guy, an invisible girl, a fire guy, and a rock guy."
"Father, will I remember this?"
*dramatic violins swell*
me: tears welling out of the corners of my eyes
I'm ten minutes in, and that children's rendition of the Golem story was hauntingly beautiful.
"The Golem's agency is not usually so highlighted."
It _hurts_ to watch the Rabbi kill him here.
I agree.
I paused on that page to see the dialogue and I started tearing up, not gonna lie
@@endgameExecutor I also paused to read. It is quite heartbreaking. He still wanted to live. T_T
Theres actually two golem pokemon. One simply named Golem, which has nothing to do with the tale of the golem, but there’s another called Golurk, a ground/ghost type, powered by a mystical ancient energy and sworn to protect. It reminds me of this story a lot, although it probably is just based on the fantasy trope of ancient advanced civilizations making golems.
I'm not sure if it was night or my brother's keeper, but ellie weisel came to speak at my middle school many years ago. To hear this man speak. To look into his face and read what he wrote on paper...he's a brilliant writer, an excellent orator and one hell of a survivor
Am I really going to watch a 40-minute documentary on a folktale from a religion that I'm not even a part of? Hell yeah, baby. It's a new Jacob Geller video.
I can’t be bothered to watch any 40 minute UA-cam video **unless** it’s Jacob Geller.
This was my introduction to Geller and I can't wait to binge everything on this channel. This wasn't even in my feed, I just saw the responses to his comment on a Big Joel video and was curious.
@@carolyntalbot947 I highly recommend "The Last Great Secret" and "Fear of Depths."
@@realkingofantarctica my personal favorites are the ones on architecture, and the haunted house
Learning about religion is always good! It's an important part of humanity and really, really interesting.
I don't know if this was intentional with the art style or if I'm just seeing things, but the smoke from the torches of the mob really resemble the lightning that animated the golem. Almost like pointing out people's hatred has animated something sinister inside of them.
I was thinking along similar lines when he mentioned the Golem growing larger as the mob approached. I thought there was a message coming about the Golem being the product of bitterness and anger, and thus fueled by that, though the Rabbi may not have been fully conscious of that while creating him.
problemecium Part of me presumed that the Golem was created from fear and thus grew in proportion to how much fear their creator felt.
@@UltimateKyuubiFox all of these sound like super valid and cool interpretations. :)
The amount of joy I felt when you used a clip of David Bryan Gilbert for the Pokémon Golem was immense :)
*Brian David Gilbert
I rewatch this video something like every four months since it came out. "And we miss him. The Golem. More than ever we need his presence"
"Please!" Golem cried. "Please let me live! I did all that you asked of me! Life is so . . . precious . . . to me!"
Why yes, I am actually crying. As someone who has struggled with wanting to be unalive, just reading the line 'life is so precious to me' really struck a nerve. Thank you for telling and filming and uploading this story!
I feel you. T_T
same tbh ...
that was rough. Hope you're doing well.
I can't find the story now, I think the actual article was about something like solar power in Hawaii. The aside was about how the subject was a swimmer struck by a boat, and the propeller did some predictably horrific damage. But he got to shore and survived. The relevant quote is something like "I was overcome by how beautiful the world was, and how much I loved it and everyone in it."
AW YEAH SON, found the article. longreads.com/2017/08/08/hard-lessons-in-living-off-the-grid/
Here's the quote: “I wasn’t scared to die,” he wrote a month later from his hospital bed, “but I was sad to die. I realized how much I love our beautiful world and everyone that is a part of it … and I was sad that I’d only just noticed.”
This was amazing Jacob, thank you so much for this video.
I'm a guide at the Holocaust Museum in Curitiba (in Brazil), and a grandson of a Holocaust survivor. We focus a lot on telling personal and intimate stories of Holocaust victims and the last part of the video stroke a really important chord for me. It's been hard living in Brazil during Bolsonaro's government, and last week there were two instances of antisemitism from some important figures of his mandate, one of them being blood libel insinuations.
Anyway, I guess your video was really well timed and it's alway good to remember the power of our words and stories.
Chag Pesach Sameach to you!
Peraí, tem um museu do holocausto aqui no brazil? Legal.
Eu nunca entendi por que os crentes odeiam vcs judeus. Se bem que eu tambem nunca entendi por que eles odeiam gente como eu, que guarda as tradições Yorubá de meus ancestrais.
Não que eu seja melhor que eles. O ódio é algo que até eu sinto.
Brabo demais seu comentário, cara.
Força pra gente.
Don't forget the nazi dogwhistles, a few days ago an important figure did a supremacist hand gesture on camera for everyone to see
@@victor_silva6142 O Museu do Holocausto de Curitiba existe em homenagem às vítimas do Holocausto que encontraram um lar no Paraná e no Brasil. Muitos judeus vieram pra cá antes, durante e após a segunda guerra mundial pra encontrar refugio.
E a história doa antissemitismo é meio longa e complexa haha, mas muito de mitos antissemitas vem de ideias do cristianismo antigo, que foram só sendo repassados.
Se você tiver interesse em descobrir mais sobre o museu, a instituição tá em todas as redes sociais (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, UA-cam e TikTok), vale a pena dar uma olhada, só pesquisar "Museu do Holocausto de Curitiba".
@@nicholasperes4355 Do you happen to know where, or maybe more accurately, how anti-semitism formed before Christianity? I've tried researching it and I end up to Greeks not liking that Jews didn't worship their Gods or something.
The world is full of bad things right now. I just discovered your videos and found them not only very well done, but also cozy, comfortable. They're a place to be safe, to shelter myself from the horrors of the world; but its not numbing. Its not just white noise, its educational. It keeps my brain doing gymnastics and keeping it curious. Thank you so much for this.
That Wiesel reading made me incredibly emotional
"Neither would I be a Jew if I were not afraid."
I personally refrain from using strong language but as an outsider looking in, that hits fucking hard.
So they're all just scaredy cats?
@@unsureprobablymaybe3527 try living in persecution for centuries. Maybe you'd understand
@@tedstudt8550 maybe they should actually fight in wars instead of making America do its dirty work tbh
@@unsureprobablymaybe3527 how much can you benchpress
@@abdulla10955 probably more than a certain group of scaredy cats can
I really like the golems in Terry Pratchett's Discworld. They are themselves persecuted, and create a meta-golem to protect them. They're also linked to language in interesting ways, animated by laws placed in their heads.
Another interesting note is that their Golem is essentially driven mad by the needs placed upon him, by the words upon words placed into his head that he could never fulfill.
I loved them as characters too. Especially Dorfl’s absolute morality when he “owns” himself, and their Golem Trust to buy their own people free.
@@UATU. “*WORDS IN THE HEART CANNOT BE TAKEN*”
I think it's also wonderful that golems that own themselves gain the power to speak, trapped mute beforehand. An example of Terry Pratchett's uncanny ability to literalise societal metaphor: An enslaved person is not free to speak.
Pokemon?
The Golem is so much more than a man of clay and I'm glad you did a video on them. The Golem is very much the spirit of the Jewish people, he grows because he is bigger than all of us. He is our spirit, at what feels like our lowest we always make it out. We survive, and we come back out on top again. The golem is everything about us, I don't view him as our protector. I view him as a personification of our will. Will to persist, survive, thrive. He's all of us as a whole.
I just watched this after coming back from watching "Wakanda Forever". Once he started talking about people needing a hero and that hero being gone I just...man this hits different.
I did actually go home and tell the story of the golem. My son is into Minecraft and he loves summoning golems. It's pretty cool they protect the villagers. Thanks for making this Jacob. It was quite beautoful to watch.
@Cornerdisc5504 maybe? Not sure
@Cornerdisc5504 Probably not specifically a reference to the original Jewish golem, as this has been in different cultures across the world for quite a long time. I remember there's a "chinese goddess of nature that make little clay humans who dies protecting them and became the forests we live in" that's also been around for long. Giants or golems that exist for were created for the sole reason for protection is a premise that seems to reoccur over and over again, though usually "we" are meant to overcome them to "get to the treasure" or something like that. But it's cool to see the possible origins and learning about other cultural significant figures. :D
I would really, really love to see you cover more Jewish folklore.
Agreed! Its a personable and accesible way to connect to my jewish family and their history in a way i struggle to since papa passed.
Ta! Yes!
yes! i’m a quarter jewish but i wasn’t raised in the faith, nor am i pursuing it now, but i love the culture aspect of it and i’d love to learn more.
@@kieran163 haha, hi Kieran! I'm also a quarter Jew and I agree!
Yeah he should read parts of the Talmud that talk about breaking the spines of gentile babies. I'm half Jewish btw.
Fuck me that was heavy. But beautifully done, and I admit to being tearful by the end. Thank you for this.
"Who will tell us the things that God felt when looking at his rabbi in Prague?" is such a raw line.
Jacob Geller continues to be one of my favorite creators, not only on UA-cam, but at large. Wonderful video. ❤️
same just dude he must read my mental favoiret stuff list
Jacob, this could be one of your most personal essays so far and it is undeniably beautiful. That will be my first proper introduction to Jewish folklore and I am grateful for that. I also realized how transcultural the notion of Golem is. Starting as a Jewish folk story, it blended into modern and postmodern narratives. Take for instance, Golem city from Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. I never realized the parallels, but it is falling into place now: marginalized people in the ghetto, animated (augmented) matter made alive, a tall protector figure (Marchenko). The story, among other things, is mostly set in Prague
Ditto this 👏👏👏
Wow, props to your observations about Mankind Divided. Going to play this soon and I'm glad I now have this perspective...
Wow, that's deep. The whole game feels like it was written by a 12-year old. The writers were like "We'll name the ghetto Golem City, because it's set in Prague, that's so clever. And we'll put R.U.R. book in the game, because it is about augmented people, wow, we're so smart. Everyone will see we have done our research." I'm surprised there isn't a bug somewhere referencing to Kafka. There probably is and I just forgot about it.
I remember a different version of this story, where the golem was made by the Rabbi because his wife died and he never had a kid.
One day the Rabbi went to the market and the golem got nervous. He went out of the house to search for the Rabbi, but it started to rain and he "melted" before he could get back inside. There was a description of how he felt himself not being able to move that was pretty haunting to me as a kid.
The last line was something about god punishing the rabbi for defying life or going against his word.
This story always left me with a weird feeling, I guess it was sadness.
In my time studying Jewish religion and culture to some extent, I’ve noticed how rule driven and name and word was so revered, I’m glad you put some emphasis on this
As a broke college boy, I'm so grateful for everyone who supports Jacob on patreon. I know money isn't everything, but I'm so glad he can make these beautiful essays without worrying about income or job security.
Never in my life have I sat through a 40 minute video from a creator I've never heard of before and been absolutely unable to tear myself away from the screen. This was captivating.
I'd recommend this man's entire channel. It's all this good.
That's just How Jacob Is. You watch one video, and then suddenly you're rummaging through the whole channel for more
All of it is this good. PLEASE watch Fear of Depths, the haunted house one, Infinity, and the one on Ape Out
@@XerxesTexasToast
My favorites are honestly between Artificial Loneliness, and The Meaning of Ugly Games.
Jacob Geller has created some of my favorite videos on all of UA-cam. I highly recommend checking out some of his other stuff
I'm also a big fan of the creation that's capable of incredible violence but chooses to be gentle. That's like a top 3 archetype in fiction for me right there. I never knew that archetype had an origin and a name, nor did I know it was originally Jewish. It's kind of interesting, the more I learn about Judaism the more I realize how far-reaching it is in modern popular culture. This was a lovely and informative video, great work.
“I am not a gun…”