LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Just when it seemed Michael Richards was about to leave the most troubling incident of his career behind, his publicist is having to explain how the comic could consider himself to be Jewish. Todd Geiger of Watertown, MA, is left wondering, "Why would someone WANT to consider themselves Jewish in the first place?" Stating that raising Jewish children, "really sucks."
Last week, crisis-management expert Howard Rubenstein acknowledged that Richards had shouted anti-Semitic remarks in an April standup comedy routine - well before his appearance earlier this month in which he harangued hecklers with the n-word. But he defended Richards' language about Jews, saying that the comic "is Jewish. He's not anti-Semitic at all. He was role-playing." This came as a big disappointment to Geiger(22), after becoming such a fan of the racially charged comedian. "I was really let down by this... I thought that I had finally found a somewhat mainstream comedian with the guts to expose the Jews for what they are. Up until this point I was limited to searching the internet and through mail order outlets to find this type of comedy." Geiger is one of the few actual "subscribers" to the various Nazi Publications often found on front lawns across America. "Yeah, that's where I first became involved. To think that media like that was freely distributed by one of these great Nazi-American publishers."
As Rubenstein's assertion circulated, Jewish organizations and commentators pointed out that the man who played Cosmo Kramer on "Seinfeld" has not converted to Judaism and neither of his parents are Jewish.
Which makes him ...
"Technically, not having been born by blood as Jewish and not formally going into a conversion, it was purely his interpretation of having adopted Judaism as a religion," "I now know, that because of the Liberal Jew-Run Media, that Mr. Richards was clearly trying to salvage his burgeoning career by apologizing for his comments. It's a shame that a stand-up man like Michael Richards has to sully his reputation by sucking up to the Jew sympathizers.", said Geiger after hearing this information.
What do some Jews think? "Who cares?!", shouts Todd from another room."You can't feel Jewish. It's not a matter of feeling. You can convert to Judaism. You can't not convert to Judaism and then be Jewish," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles.
Hier defined being Jewish from two perspectives, if someone hasn't gone through the process of formal conversion.
"From the Orthodox point of view, if that person has a Jewish mother, he would be considered Jewish," Hier said. "In the Reform tradition, there's also a patrilineage. Under those categories, he would not fit."
Rabbi Mark S. Diamond of the 280-member Board of Rabbis of Southern California agreed.
"There are many people who appreciate Jewish customs, who may embrace aspects of Jewish culture and practice, but that does not make them Jewish," he said.
After his tirade came to light, Richards apologized on David Letterman's "Late Show" on CBS, saying his remarks were sparked by anger at being heckled, not bigotry. He also apologized to the Rev. Al Sharpton, and apologized Sunday on the Rev. Jesse Jackson's syndicated radio program.
Rubenstein said Richards wasn't available for an interview Tuesday.
"He wants to rest," the publicist said. "He's been talking to his psychiatrist."
NEW YORK (AP) -- Though he's lost many fans after being captured on video hurling racist epithets at a comedy club audience, Michael Richards has an ally: Mel Gibson. "I felt like sending Michael Richards a note," Gibson says in an interview in Entertainment Weekly's Dec. 8 issue.
"I feel really badly for the guy. He was obviously in a state of stress. You don't need to be inebriated to be bent out of shape. But my heart went out to the guy."
The 50-year-old actor-director added: "They'll probably torture him for a while and then let him go. I like him."
After his Nov. 17 tirade became known, Richards apologized on David Letterman's "Late Show" on CBS, saying his remarks were sparked by anger at being heckled, not bigotry. He also apologized to the Rev. Al Sharpton and on the Rev. Jesse Jackson's syndicated radio program.
Gibson, star of the "Lethal Weapon" movies and director of "The Passion of the Christ," was mired in a scandal of his own this summer for anti-Semitic comments he made to police in Malibu, Calif., during his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving. He publicly apologized.
Are people refusing to work with him?
"No, people aren't like that," Gibson tells the magazine. "Those are just the headlines: Mel ostracized by Hollywood! Hollywood is what you make it. There is no great pooh-bah up there saying, `Go! You are condemned!'"
His new movie, "Apocalypto," from The Walt Disney Co.'s Touchstone Pictures, opens Dec. 8. It is a Mayan-language epic filmed in Mexico chronicling the decline of the native civilization.
He's confident his past remarks will not hurt the movie at the box office.
"It's primarily entertainment," he says of his production. "An 18-year-old college guy, out with his buddies, he's going to get into the chase. The movie will stand on its own, regardless of any unfortunate experience I may have stumbled upon."
"I'm going to see it, so long as those damn Weinstein's aren't involved. I'm glad to see that someone (Mel) has the guts to take on these Jew Bastards by directing and producing his own projects. Screw you Spielberg!", adds Geiger in closing.
