(Jewish Group) What do we expect Jews to look like on TV?

(THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP! RESPECT!!)

On three consecutive nights from Dec. 9 to 11, the CW network aired “Elseworlds,” a crossover event that involved three CW shows: “The Flash,” “Arrow” and “Supergirl,” all based on DC Comics. One of the highlights included the Flash and Arrow switching superpowers.

In addition, “Elseworlds” marked the first on-screen appearance of Batwoman, who, in the most recent comics, is portrayed as a lesbian of Jewish descent. When actress Ruby Rose (“Orange Is the New Black”) was cast as Batwoman, it provoked some Twitter outrage. Some called Rose, who came out when she was 12 and identifies as genderfluid, “not gay enough” for the role; others called the casting inappropriate because Rose isn’t Jewish. Reporting on the Twitter hate, the Advocate, which covers LGBT news, noted that “physically, [Rose] is the opposite of the image of a latke-lover!”

So what should a “latke-lover” — or if you prefer, a Jew — look like on your TV screen? Especially as the optics of our community change and there’s more than just one way to “look Jewish”?

At a recent conference where I was presenting, an audience member felt very strongly that only Jewish actors should play Jewish characters. Actors are actors, I said. The cast of “Law & Order” isn’t stacked with ex-cops and lawyers. “Grey’s Anatomy” actors don’t have medical training. Likewise, an actor doesn’t have to be Jewish to play a Jewish character.

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