Ruth bat-Seraph, better known as Sabra, is a superhero that first appeared in the comic book Incredible Hulk. She is a mutant who was born in Jerusalem, raised on a Kibbutz, and was the first superhero to serve with the Mossad. Her name, Sabra, is a reference to the slang term for a person from Israel. Sabra is the fruit from a cactus: prickly on the outside, sweet on the inside.
Sabra is set to debut on the screen in the new Captain America movie. She will be played by the incredible Israeli actress Shira Haas.
When Sabra appears on screen though, she will be stripped of her Israeli identity. Instead she'll be a Russian spy.
Apparently it's too controversial for Marvel to have a fictional Israeli superhero.
So if you're keeping track, it appears it is perfectly acceptable for Sabra to be a Russian spy. The same Russia that invaded Ukraine and continues its assault on a sovereign state. The same Russia that famously violates human rights and is one of the prime adversaries of the United States. No problems there.
This is plain, clear antisemitism. Marvel should be embarrassed. As we learned at Gates of Prayer last year from author Roy Schwartz, Jews were integral to creating the fantastic world of superheros. From DC to Marvel, it is hard to find a comic that doesn't come from Jewish creativity.
Maybe Marvel will still celebrate Sabra's Jewish history. After all, superheros are often born from trauma. Maybe Sabra will be a survivor of one of the many Pograms in Russia. Maybe her Russian Jewish village was assaulted the same way Hamas acted on October 7th. Russia has been such an oppressive state for the Jewish people over the years, it won't be hard to find trauma.
In the Marvel Universe it's apparently perfectly okay to celebrate Russia, Egypt, or any other state in the world. Just not Israel. The singular Jewish state is just too controversial for Marvel. God forbid there be a proud Jewish hero from Israel.
Shame on Marvel. And I'm disappointed that Shira Haas is going along with this.
By the way...the Jew-haters who petitioned for this change will still protest the movie. They will do so because her name is still Sabra and she's still played by a Jew. Marvel tried to appease a hateful and misguided mob and in doing so, have shown their true colors.
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