Weekly Kibbitz
Are the Goblins in ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ Antisemitic?
“Hogwarts Legacy,” which has become
the best-selling game on Steam,
the world’s most popular vendor for
computer games.

While there have been Harry Potter
games in the past, this is the fi rst major
studio video game from Avalanche
Software, a subsidiary of Warner Bros.

Games. It lands several years after the
depiction of goblins in Harry Potter
books and movies elicited criticism.

Comedian Pete Davidson criticized
author J.K. Rowling on “Saturday Night
Live” in 2020 for creating a world in
which “little giant-nosed Jew goblins”
control the banks.

And in a podcast episode in 2021,
comedian Jon Stewart said: “You can
ride dragons, and you’ve got a pet
owl, and who should run the banks?
Jews.” Those accusations have resurfaced.

Jack Doyle, a writer for The Mary Sue,
a publication that describes itself as
“the geek girl’s guide to the universe,”
wrote that the video game “revives the
antisemitic trope.”
He added that “the game seems to be
of the opinion that the ‘moral’ choice is
to crush the [goblin] rebellions, thereby
returning goblins to subjugation.”
Dobby at the Warner Bros. Studio
Tour London: “The Making of
Harry Potter”
‘A World Lots of People Love’
Following Stewart’s comments, the
U.K.’s Campaign Against Antisemitism
said in a statement that “the portrayal
of the goblins in the Harry Potter series
is of a piece with their portrayal in
Western literature as a whole” and
“is a testament more to centuries of
Christendom’s antisemitism than it is
to malice by contemporary artists. So
it is with JK Rowling, who has proven
herself over recent years to be a tireless
defender of the Jewish community.”
Travis Northup, who wrote a glowing
review of the game for IGN — a popular
video-game journalism website — said
he didn’t think that the game’s premise
echoed an antisemitic conspiracy theory.

“The story does not depict a cabal
of bank-controlling goblins trying to
take over the world,” he wrote in a
Twitter direct message. “It’s about
one particular goblin rebelling against
the Wizarding World’s insistence on
keeping magic out of the hands of their
kind.” Still, Northup said “I certainly won’t
deny that the Wizarding World’s depic-
tion of goblins in general has always
been a bit questionable, even before
this game.” ■
— Jacob Henry
FOREST HILLS / SHALOM
MEMORIAL PARK
Do You Have a Plan for the Future?
Why Pre-Plan Today ?
• Make sure your family knows your fi nal wishes
• R
eveile ruoy
devol seno
orf m
gnivah ot m eka
hguot decisions and from any unexpected fi nancial burdens
• Give real peace of mind for you and your family
NEW MASADA V MAUSOLEUM
Call us today to speak with a
Family Service Professional and receive your
FREE Personal Planning Guide.

Forest Hills Cemetery/Shalom Memorial Park
25 Byberry Road Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006
215-673-5800 NEW COLUMBARIUM & PRIVATE ESTATES
4 FEBRUARY 16, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
Samuel Domsky
General Manager
Brent Lanzi
Family Service Manager
Rob Young from United Kingdom via Wikimedia Commons
When people enter the world of
“Hogwarts Legacy,” the blockbuster
video game that was offi cially released
on Feb. 10, they will fi nd themselves
immersed in the fi ctional universe of
“Harry Potter” … and face-to-face with
an alleged antisemitic caricature.

The narrative of the game centers
on a goblin rebellion in the 1890s,
about a century before the fantasy
books take place. Some who have
had an early look at the game have
echoed longstanding concerns that
the creatures’ prominent hook noses
and their role in the “Harry Potter”
universe running the wizard bank,
Gringotts, teeter on the edge of an
antisemitic stereotype that Jews
control the world’s money supply.

Others have taken issue with “Harry
Potter” author J.K. Rowling’s views on
transgender people, which LGBTQ
rights groups have called transphobic.

The criticism does not appear to
have signifi cantly impeded sales of



local
Are Area Jews Returning to
Synagogues Post-COVID?
Jarrad Saff ren | Staff Writer
Photo by John Kellar Photography
I n Judaism, a community needs 10
people praying to make a minyan. But if
10 people meet on Zoom or livestream, it
does not count according to Jewish law,
argues Rabbi Isaac Leizerowski of the
Orthodox Congregation Beth Midrash
HaRav B’Nai Jacob in Philadelphia.

As the rabbi explained: “Zoom is not
considered a physical presence. And
you need a physical presence. That was
considered an electronic picture and,
therefore, was not considered an actual
presence.” For that reason, Leizerowski’s
congregation did not meet electronically
during the pandemic. But it still had to
follow city restrictions on crowd sizes.

The rabbi estimated that groups were
50% smaller during COVID than they
were before.

But when the restrictions were lifted,
Leizerowski said, “We’re open.”
“The next day, they’re all back,” he
said of his congregants.

A similar scene is playing out across the
Philadelphia area right now. Synagogues
are reopening; members are coming
back to buildings for services and activ-
ities; and the Zooms and livestreams of
the COVID era are now only a tool for
those who cannot make it, like certain
elderly or disabled members or people
who live out of town.

“It’s been a congregational benefi t,”
said Bruce Toben of the Conservative
Congregation Tifereth Israel in
Bensalem, referring to virtual gatherings.

“But we shouldn’t rely on that.”
Almost any rabbi will tell you that
a Jewish community should meet in
person. But it’s not just a principle of
Jewish law. It is also a practical action
that congregants prefer because it
makes them feel better.

Joel Horwitz, a member of
Congregation Beth Hamedrosh in
Wynnewood, described a virtual gather-
ing as “a very limited interaction.” Lately,
he’s been sticking around after services
on Shabbos morning to “kibbitz with
people and catch up on the week.”
And he has noticed that an in-person
event gives people time to talk, make
eye contact and see each other’s body
language. Rachel Fox, a congregant at Beth
Tikvah-B’nai Jeshurun in Glenside, is
back in the shul now as often as she can
be, even for board meetings. As Fox put
it, “everything’s better in person.” You
can hug people, focus on services and
fi nd a deeper sense of belonging.

“Community,” she said.

But not all congregants in the region
are ready to fi nd community in and
around the building again. Many
synagogues are not yet back to the
same crowd and group sizes for services
and activities that they saw pre-COVID.

Some are not even close.

Toben said Tifereth Israel’s crowd
size during the High Holidays in the
fall was 85% of what it was in 2019.

At Congregation Mikveh Israel in
Philadelphia, crowds and groups are
about 10% smaller than they were before
2020, according to Rabbi Albert Gabbai.

But at both places, momentum seems to
be moving in the right direction. Tifereth
Israel saw almost 50 people show up
for a young family Shabbat service in
January. And Mikveh Israel is getting
60-70 members every week for Shabbat.

“They are coming. Some are still
hesitant. Not too many,” Gabbai said.

Congregation Kol Ami in Elkins Park
is not so lucky. Before the pandemic,
it attracted 40-60 people to special
Shabbat occasions, according to Rabbi
Leah Berkowitz. Post-COVID, maybe 30
are coming in person, with 20 partic-
ipating online. Beth El Synagogue in
Margate, New Jersey, is in a similar situa-
tion. Only about 50% of congregants
who attended services before 2020 are
returning to the building in 2023, accord-
ing to Rabbi Aaron Krauss.

“Most of the people just got into the
habit of doing it on Zoom, and they still
keep the habit,” Krauss said.

Berkowitz is hesitant to take away
the Zoom option because it’s conve-
nient for several groups, including
homebound seniors, people with
disabilities and young families with
kids on tight schedules. It also makes
services accessible for congre-
gants who retire into the city, winter
elsewhere or move away. At the
Rachel Fox and her family at her
same time, Berkowitz knows she
daughter’s Bat Mitzvah in Beth
probably needs to limit it.

Tikvah-B’nai Jeshurun in Glenside
Some synagogues, like Tifereth
Israel, have made their livestreams
“We established the Zoom partic-
one-way, meaning congregants can only ipation as an emergency during the
watch from home, not participate. They pandemic. I can’t justify it anymore since
have to come back in to participate. Beth the building is open,” said Rabbi Jeff
Hamedrosh only uses Zoom to make Schnitzer of Tifereth Israel. “I can’t fi nd
gatherings like board meetings easier. an excuse within all of Jewish law to
Gabbai said Zoom is good for congre- allow this to continue.” ■
gants who live outside the city in Cherry
Hill to use for weeknight activities.

jsaff ren@midatlanticmedia.com
Are You Fast-Paced &
“ON THE GO”?
Don’t have time for
print magazines?
DON’T MISS OUT!
Over 4,000 users are enjoying the ease,
simplicity and pleasure of our digital magazine.

It’s EASY to get your digital magazine every week.

SIMPLY subscribe with your email address.

Sign up today at:
jewishexponent.com/econfirmation/ JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
5