RASHI, RAMBAM and RAMALAMADINGDONG
A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts & Fun
A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts & Fun
Paul Reubens, better known as Pee-wee Herman, died last week at the age of 70. Reubens’s career began in improv as a member of the Groundlings. In 1981 he created the character of Pee-wee Herman, a “man-boy” who starred in movies, tv shows, Broadway theater, and late night television. His children’s program Pee-wee’s Playhouse, an Emmy award winning series, had him living in a vast fantasy world of talking chairs, robots, a disembodied genie’s head, clay animation, and a cast of characters played by Phil Hartman and Laurence Fishburne among others. He was loved for his fantastical quotes, including his response to being insulted by another: “I know you are, but what am I?” While personal scandal marred his career, Reubens, as Pee-wee Herman and in other roles, was considered to be a unique and multi-talented performer whom Jimmy Kimmel called “a brilliant and original comedian who made kids and their parents laugh at the same time.” Reubens was Jewish, but rarely referenced his Jewish background in his work or public life. What was a specific Jewish connection in his life?
Pee-Wee Herman (1988) by Alan Light is licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A. Reuben’s father Milton Rubenfeld was an American rabbi in Sarasota, Florida. Reubens noted in an interview that one of the inspirations for his Pee-wee Herman character was his father, who used to visit his synagogue’s nursery school every Friday for a Shabbat program where he would sit on the floor with the children and play games, using funny voices and silly hats to engage the children.
B. Reuben’s father Milton Rubenfeld was a pilot for the British Royal Air Force as well as the United States Army who later was a founding member of the Israeli Air Force. When his plane was shot down during the 1948 War for Independence, he bailed out and landed in the Mediterranean Sea near the Israeli coast. As he swam to shore, Israelis began to fire at him believing he was an Arab pilot. Not knowing Hebrew, he saved himself by yelling “Shabbos, gefilte fish!”
C. Reubens’s first acting experience was at the Jacobs Camp, a sleepaway camp in Florida under the Reform movement’s auspices. Reubens was cast as Motel Kamzoil in a production of Fiddler on the Roof.
D. Paul Reubens noted in a radio interview that the inspiration for his Pee-wee Herman look was a picture of himself at his bar mitzvah, where he had slicked back hair and was wearing a red bow tie.
E. Among the running gags of Pee-wee’s Playhouse was the line “If you love ‘X’ so much, why don't you marry it?” This led to an episode where Pee-wee Herman married a salad. Originally the producers planned to have him marry an Italian salad, which included non-kosher pepperoncini. But Pee-wee told the producer that as a Jew he didn’t want to intermarry so he insisted that the wedding be performed with a fruit salad instead.
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