Romance vs. Keeping the Faith

"Keeping the Faith" is a funny movie. And so long as it is treated as pure fantasy, I would dismiss it as harmless fun. However, I have been working among young people too long to believe that there will not be many idealistic men and women, especially 20- and 30-something Jews, who will applaud its message and swoon to its tear jerking portrayal of the triumph of love.

The movie revolves around Jake, a young rabbi, whom the movie publicists advertise as Orthodox, who falls in love with a non-Jewish woman who had previously been his platonic best friend, in a theme reminiscent of "When Harry Met Sally." The portrayal of the rabbi as a maverick who seeks to impassion his community but betrays his core values is further compounded by his eagerness to sleep with his girlfriend repeatedly, while staunchly rebuffing her desire to commit to her. Essentially, he uses her for sex and a casual yet passionate fling, because as a rabbi he realizes he cannot marry outside the faith.

Of course, in the movie's fairy-tale ending, even his Jewish mother, who has cut off Jake's elder brother for marrying a Catholic girl, suddenly "comes around' and encourages Jake to follow his heart. The film ends with Jake and his girlfriend reunited at an interfaith karaoke dance club, which Jake has set up with his best friend, a young Catholic Priest. The couple are united, love has triumphed, the rigid tradition has been cast aside, and there isn't a dry eye in the house. Bravo!

Jews can be a strange breed. As the credits roll across the opening screens, it is clear that the majority of people behind this movie are Jewish. They can be forgiven for the shallow, ignorant, and empty stereotypes of Jews rampant in the film. We are given endless examples of pushy and dimwitted Jewish mothers, and their equally empty-headed Jewish princess daughters. We can similarly overlook the objectionable portrayal of the rabbi as someone who abrogates Jewish tradition with impunity, eating out constantly at non-kosher restaurants and bringing Christian gospel choirs to sing at his synagogue.

But what borders on the unforgivable is their portrayal of Judaism as something so alarmingly restrictive that only the power of love can redeem it.

There is a tendency in films to herald the great theme of "love conquers all." It is a sentimental theme that plays well to the masses. To be sure, this is a noble theme when portrayed in the form of racism and genocide being shattered by the bonds of love and humanity displayed by an Oscar Schindler. It is an uplifting theme in plays like "Romeo and Juliet," when the innocence of youth surmounts the accumulated prejudices of generations. But is "love conquers all" noble in every portrayal? Is it really noble when a man discards his faith, tradition, and religious commitments, all in the name of love?

What would we say about a husband who runs off with his mistress because he loves her more than his wife? Would we look upon such a man as noble? Why didn't the directors of "Fatal Attraction" portray Michael Douglas as a hero when he had an affair with Glenn Close? Why wasn't it cool to show the beautiful couple of Demi Moore and Robert Redford living together happily ever after in "Indecent Proposal"?

The reason, of course, is that even in this age of nearly total sexual license, adultery still isn't cool. Betrayal in marriage is something that irks us to our very core. We look at a man who betrays his marital vows as weak, unprincipled, and ungrateful. Far from being a hero who has wielded the sword of love against the cumbersome institution of marriage, the man is seen as a jerk. No matter how much we admire Bill Clinton for being an able leader of the free world, we will still always look askance at him because of Monica Lewinsky.

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