‘Nobody Wants This’—And Now Neither Do I

Hollywood doesn’t usually cast rabbis as romantic leads. So when Netflix introduced Nobody Wants This, featuring Adam Brody as the charming Rabbi Noah, I was intrigued.

The show quickly won me over. My wife, Judy, and I thoroughly enjoyed the first two seasons. After all, a romantic comedy featuring a rabbi, Jewish traditions, complicated family dynamics, and a Jewish mother who could give lessons in Jewish guilt? What’s not to love?

We eagerly awaited Season 3.

Then Brody decided to deliver a sermon of his own. I couldn’t bring myself to say “Amen.”

Just before the premiere of Season 3, Brody joined the chorus of Hollywood celebrities weighing in on Israel’s war in Gaza, declaring in a GQ interview:

“Put me down as thinking it’s a genocide. Put me down as wanting a free Palestine.”

Well, “Rabbi” Brody, put me down as profoundly disappointed.

Of course, Brody is entitled to his opinions. But playing a rabbi on television doesn’t make him an expert on Israel, Hamas, or the tragic war that followed the October 7 massacre. And while the suffering of innocent Palestinians deserves our compassion, labeling Israel’s military response “genocide” is, in my view, a reckless misuse of the term.

Since October 7, Hollywood’s latest fashion accessory isn’t a designer handbag—it’s a foreign-policy statement. From Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo to Hannah Einbinder, celebrities have repeatedly accused Israel of genocide.

Now Brody has added his voice to the choir.

But not everyone associated with Nobody Wants This agrees with Brody.

Erin Foster, the show’s creator, and Tovah Feldshuh, who portrays Noah’s delightfully opinionated Jewish mother, both took issue with Brody’s comments.

Foster explained: “While I love Adam, I also disagree with him — and that’s OK.” She reaffirmed that Nobody Wants This remains a “love letter to Judaism.”

But Feldshuh didn’t mince words:

“To accuse the Jewish people of genocide is wild. It’s right out of Hitler’s playbook. You take the victim and you make the victim the perpetrator.”

Bravo, Tovah! A Jewish mother defending her people. Now that’s a performance worthy of an Emmy!

A rabbinic colleague recently asked in The Times of Israel whether Season 3 of Nobody Wants This was still “kosher to watch” after Brody’s comments. She ultimately decided to watch it and was glad she did.

I respect her decision. After all, Jewish tradition has always made room for disagreement. Two rabbis can look at the same question and arrive at very different conclusions.

And therein lies my dilemma. I genuinely appreciate what Erin Foster has created. At a time when Jews are confronting rising antisemitism, Nobody Wants This has introduced Jewish traditions, humor, family life, and romance into millions of living rooms.

That deserves a standing ovation.

Most of us turn to movies and television to be entertained, perhaps even to escape the stresses of everyday life. Of course, actors have every right to express their political opinions. But when they use their celebrity to make sweeping pronouncements about complicated international conflicts, they risk bringing those controversies into our living rooms. Suddenly, it’s harder to separate the character we enjoy from the actor whose views we may find objectionable.

I understand that Adam Brody is not Rabbi Noah and that his political opinions don’t necessarily represent the views of the other talented people behind Nobody Wants This. But that distinction doesn’t erase my profound disillusionment with Brody himself.

I can still appreciate what the show has brought to television without giving its star, whose accusation of genocide I find indefensible, another season of my attention.

Which brings me back to Judy.

Despite my decision to sit this season out, she couldn’t resist. She watched every episode of Season 3. And afterward, she enthusiastically encouraged me to watch it, too.

I love my wife. I respect my rabbinic colleague. And I certainly don’t begrudge anyone the pleasure of a good romantic comedy. But sometimes, even when the reviews are glowing and your own wife is urging you to watch, a rabbi has to stand on principle.

“Put me down” as NOT watching the new season.