Anti-Semitism and "Mad Men"

Anti-Semitism is alive and well at Sterling Cooper Draper Price. The hit show "Mad Man" was created by Matthew Weiner, a Jew from a wealthy and prominent family. He wanted to show how discrimination against Jews and other minorities was an accepted practice in the business world during the late 1950s and early 1960s. 

I think the exception is Don Draper (Jon Hamm), who has a gift for engaging with characters who are on the periphery of society. In Season 1, Don Draper had an affair with a department store heiress named Rachel Menken (Maggie Siff). Rachel hires Sterling Cooper wants to expand business beyond the concentrated crowd of affluent Jews. Don tells her intimate details of his life that he hasn't shared with his wife. He suggests that they run away to Los Angeles together, but Rachel things that he is running way from his life and they break up. Don encounters Rachel once during season 2, but she is now Mrs. Katz. Don identifies with Rachel because he too is an outsider. He comes from a poor, humble background in contrast with all the wealthy WASP "suits" of the agency. His colleagues are all self-centered and oblivious to the world around them. No wonder Megan (the current Mrs. Draper) left.

Jane Siegel (Peyton List) is Don's secretary during season 2 and begins an affair with Roger Sterling (John Slattery), who is probably the most prejudiced person (save for Pete Cambell) in the entire firm. By season 3, they are married. Jane is much younger than Roger and just two years older than his daughter, Margaret. After their ill-fated LSD trip during season 5, they realize their marriage is stagnant and mutually agree to get divorced.

Now the show has entered the mid-1960s and the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. This season, SCDP hired Michael Ginsberg (Ben Feldman), their first Jewish copywriter. I should also note here that the agency hired its first African-American employee, a secretary named Dawn. Michael lives with his adoptive father Morris, who told him that he was born in a concentration camp. Morris found Michael in a Swedish orphanage and legally adopted him.  In Sunday's episode of the show, Bert Cooper (Robert Morse) asks Roger to pitch a campaign for Monarch Wines (which specializes in Kosher wine) because he still thinks that Roger is married to Jane.. Roger takes it because he really needs a win right now. He enlists Ginsberg to create copy for Monarch Wines. Roger then confides to Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) that he picked Ginsberg only because he is a Jew. Also, he asks Jane to pose as his wife in order to win over the client.  She agrees, only on the condition that he buy her a new apartment. Roger, of course, drops a few anti-Semitic jokes into the mix:

Roger to Cooper: "How Jewish are they? You know, "Fiddler on the Roof," audience or cast?"


Roger to Ginsberg: "They used to make wine for Jews and now they want to make wine for normal people." Roger, Roger, Roger, when will you ever learn? 


Jane gets her comeuppance against Roger: "You suddenly don't have a problem telling them I'm Jewish?"

BTW, Kosher wine is awful. Avoid drinking it at all costs! 


And Ben Feldman is a hottie who has earned his spot on "Mad Men"!