Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

#1

Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 11:43am

So today I was listening to "RENT" for the first time in a while and suddenly I started hearing all these references to Mark being Jewish. Then in "La Vie Boheme" he makes very direct Christian references. I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on this? Maybe this is stupid, but I thought it was interesting.

#2

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 11:44am

If you're talking about the whole Bethlehem (sp?) thing, he's just joking.

#3

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 11:48am

yes, i know that obviously.

#4

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 11:52am

He's Jewish in Tango Maureen when Joanne askes him where he learned to Tango he says

"With Nanette Himmelfarb. The Rabbi's daughter at the
Scarsdale Jewish Community Center."

#5

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 11:52am

If you also notice that in one of the voicemails Marks mother says "even your father says Mazletof (sp)" That implies that Marks mother is jewish and his father is not..Also Mark learned to tango at the Jewish communitee center.. But at the top of the show Marks mother says "we'll miss you tomorrow" Definately a mixed religion family..

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"All work and no smut makes Cammy lose her edge." ~DG

"Someday I'm going to have a baby and I'm gonna name her L'il Mimi Marquez and I and will sing to her every day and when she's a toddler I will say "L'il Mimi Marquez, clad only in a bubble diaper, will perform her famous play pen handcuff dance to the sounds of breast milk being pumped!" ~Kringas

#6

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 12:11pm

exactly camera... that's what i was talking about. i know all these references to his being jewish, but that's why i don't understand the conflicting stuff like what you just said.

#7

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 12:26pm

She just explained it fairly clearly. Father Christian mother Jewish. Which, by Jewish law, makes him Jewish but that's a totally different story.

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"I am ready to disclaim my opinion, even of yesterday, even of 10 minutes ago, because all opinions are relative. One lives in a field of influences, one is influenced by everyone one meets, everything is an exchange of influences, all opinions are derivative. Once you deal a new deck of cards, you've got a new deck of cards." — Peter Brook

#8

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 12:29pm

Well, I never took the whole "Even your father says Mazel Tov" thing in the way that it was implying that Mark's father was Christian. I always just thought of it as Mark and his father never getting along, and his father's finally proud of him.

But that's just me.


heart.
mel

#9

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 12:30pm

But Cohen is a traditionally Jewish name, which (if he really is supposed to be half-Jewish) would make the father Jewish.

And I don't think that the line "even your father says mazel tov" means the father is not Jewish. It means that even though they've had their differences, he's congratulating him for the riot footage making the news.

Edit: Almostxfamous beat me to it!

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"How do you like THAT 'misanthropic panache,' Mr. Goldstone?" - PalJoey

Updated On: 6/27/05 at 12:30 PM

#10

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 12:32pm

I agree with Kringas. I'm not sure where there is any reason to believe that he is not completely Jewish?

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"For me, THEATRE is an anticipation, an artistic rush, an emotional banquet, a jubilant appreciation, and an exit hopeful of clearer thought and better worlds." ~ an anonymous traveler with Robert Burns

#11

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 12:38pm

Also, he sings (in La Vie Boheme), "On this night when we celebrate the birth...," because it's Christmas Eve.

It's not unheard of for Jewish people to have some sort of celebration on Christmas. To some (including gentiles) it's a much more secular holiday than it is religious.

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"How do you like THAT 'misanthropic panache,' Mr. Goldstone?" - PalJoey

#12

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 1:19pm

He sings "we" because he's in a room full of gentiles. I'm Jewish, but if everyone is singing Christmas carols, I sing along, rather than seeming like an outsider.

#13

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 1:38pm

I guess I just figured that since "we'll miss you tomorrow" refering to christmas just meant that it was a mixed religion family. I could be wrong though

---

"All work and no smut makes Cammy lose her edge." ~DG

"Someday I'm going to have a baby and I'm gonna name her L'il Mimi Marquez and I and will sing to her every day and when she's a toddler I will say "L'il Mimi Marquez, clad only in a bubble diaper, will perform her famous play pen handcuff dance to the sounds of breast milk being pumped!" ~Kringas

#14

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 1:58pm

Mark is definitely Jewish, for all the reasons they say above.

And in the "we'll miss you tomorrow..." don't be too surprised. My family is Jewish and we still get together on December 25, because it's one day almost all of us have the day off from work or school. :)

#15

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 2:29pm

I think Mark comes from a fairly traditional, but not nessecarily religeous or observant family. He associates with judaism as a culture, but not as a religeon. hah...It's a role that I have wanted for some time, so I have had many character anazlysis discussions with friends.

Akiva

#16

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 2:42pm

His family is getting together on christmas probably because they can. This is an old debate, everyone has their own interpretations. I personally love how all the goys know the mourners kaddish during LVB lol.

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"Without Jews, fags, and gypsies, there is no theatre!" ~Mel Brooks, To be or not to be

#17

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 3:06pm

good discussion guys.. i just meant for it to be a discussion about character analysis like akiva said.

#18

re: Mark Cohen's Jewish Identity

Posted: 6/27/05 at 5:12pm

if anybody noticed, under Marks bethlehem speech, the group chants, among other things, the Jewish kaddish.