Moses and Superman - Turning the Eye Upward

Moses and Superman Superman was created by two nice Jewish boys Siegel and Shuster in 1938. While not particularly religious, as sons of immigrant Jews, they were steeped in the stories and customs of traditional Judaism. It’s not uprising that Siegel and Shuster’s most famous creation, “The Superman,” has so many connections to the Jewish experience, particularly the immigrant experience. The early stories, before Superman had many of the otherworldly powers we associate with him today (x-ray vision), sound like Golem tales with the lead character in colorful tights. Superman’s Krypton family name (“Kal-El” and his father “Jor-El”) references the “of God” suffix found in names such as Samuel, Gabriel, and of course Israel. Most powerfully, Superman has the ultimate reverse immigrant experience. Superman, from another, now dead, planet, is the irreversible stranger in a strange land. Yet, instead of being an oppressed stranger who was looked down upon the majority class, Superman was the champion of the oppression looked up to (literally) by others. I’ve always found the most interesting parallels are to Ur Jewish hero – Moses. Born Moses: Born a son under Pharaoh’s decree to kill all the males first born Superman: Last son of dying planet Escape Moses: Placed in a tiny boat and set adrift in the river Nile. Superman: By the Kents, two homespun Midwestern farms, the ultimate symbol of America Raised Moses: No official history but lots of after the fact legends (burned lips with coal) Superman: No official history but lots of after the fact legends (Superboy and Krypto the super dog) Moral Emphasis Moses: Don’t oppress the orphan and widow because you were strangers. Superman: (from Action Comic No. 1) “he must turn his titanic strength into channels that would benefit mankind, and so was created 'Superman', champion of the oppressed.” Iconic Image Moses: Moses on the mountain Superman: “Look up in the sky…..” It might be easy to dismiss the Moses story as a myth – no more real than Superman. (In truth, there is almost no historical evidence of the Exodus story although it’s likely the story has some factual basis like the Trojan war). Myth or not, the stories speak to the power of visions that raise our line of sight above their daily lives.