Indiana Jones

Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr., more famously known as Indiana Jones, is the quintessential American hero of adventure cinema. From the dusty classrooms of Marshall College to the snake-infested tombs of Egypt, Indy’s career has been nothing short of spectacular, consistently thwarting nefarious plots and acquiring priceless historical treasures. His academic rigor, however, often takes a backseat to his penchant for globe-trotting fisticuffs and escaping booby traps by the skin of his teeth.

While his quests frequently involve biblical artifacts like the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Grail, Indy himself rarely, if ever, displays any personal religious conviction, let alone specifically Jewish identity or practice. He’s more interested in the historical and monetary value of these items than their spiritual significance. His moral compass points firmly towards doing good, but it’s a secular good, driven by academic ethics and a general disdain for evil empires.

Ethnically, Indiana Jones is portrayed as a WASP from the American Midwest, born to a Scottish professor and an American suffragette. There’s no hint of Jewish ancestry in his lineage, despite his frequent tangles with figures and objects from Jewish history. In fact, he’s spent a significant portion of his cinematic life battling Nazis, which, while commendable, doesn't exactly make him Jewish by association.

However, the man did spend his fictional career kicking the snot out of Nazis, often single-handedly preventing them from acquiring artifacts that could lead to global domination. That, my friends, is kvell-worthy behavior for anyone with a pulse and a moral fiber, Jewish or not. The sheer volume of evil-doers thwarted certainly brings nachas to anyone who appreciates historical preservation and villainous comeuppance.