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This isn't going to be a frummy question. When I've watched Star Trek, Star Wars, and their ilk, I've always been surprised that although the crews are diverse, I can't recall any characters being Jewish. I once wrote to the Star Trek people and suggested that it would be interesting if the Voyager crew discovered a Jewish colony in a distant solar system. Given that there are Jews all over this planet, and certainly a Chabad on almost every continent, why not? I've seen Jewish themes, e.g. Battlestar Galactica (with Lorne Green playing a future day Moses), but no Jews. Given that so many Sci Fi writers are Jewish, there must be someone out there, and I can't say I really know the genre. So please, where are the Jews in science fiction literature?

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Not sure if this is on-topic. In any case, I've heard (though not read myself) that there's a far-future version of the Jews in the Dune series. Also not read yet but presumably relevant to your question: amazon.com/People-Book-Science-Fiction-Fantasy/dp/1607012383 – Isaac Moses Feb 19 at 15:55
While "what (genre) authors are Jewish" would be off-topic, I'm not sure a question about depictions of Judaism in fiction is. (But on the other hand, I realized after answering, it could be a list question...) – Monica Cellio Feb 19 at 16:18
There's a difference between suggesting that one of their crew members be a Jew and suggesting that they discover a planet of Jews. Are you asking for examples of the genre that normalise Judaism, or that treat it as a plot device? – Shimon bM Feb 19 at 16:21
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While it isn't true sci-fi, and it doesn't take place in the future, The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon is a novel that is centered in a Jewish colony in Alaska in 2007 as it faces expulsion from its colony, which had been granted as a 60-year loan by the U.S. Government to Jewish refugees who had been driven out of the failed State of Israel, in an alternate reality history of the post-war 20th Century. – Seth J Feb 19 at 18:15
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closed as off topic by Isaac Moses, Dave, Shmuel Brin, msh210 Feb 19 at 18:22

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2 Answers

Here is one from Babylon 5. The character's name is Ivanova.

http://voices.yahoo.com/babylon-5-jews-space-713273.html?cat=40

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There's also an episode that has (among many other religious leaders, by way of showing Earth's diverse religious outlooks compared to other worlds') a rabbi with beard and payos. It's only for a moment, though. Hardly a theme. – yoel Feb 19 at 18:50

Wandering Stars is a classic collection of Jewish-themed SF short stories. Authors include Isaac Asimov, Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, and others. (There is a sequel to this collection.) From the Amazon description:

William Tenn's futuristic story "On Venus, Have We Got A Rabbi" takes on the volatile issue of "Who is a Jew?"--a question certainly as timely in 1998 as he imagines it will be in 2533. Asimov's "Unto the Fourth Generation" takes on the issue of Jews as endangered species in America, a theme that is even more apparent today than it was in 1974. Davidson's "The Golem" humorously plants the Frankenstein monster of Jewish folklore right in the middle-class bungalow culture of contemporary Hollywood, California.

In addition, Jewish SF authors sometimes find ways to incorporate Judaism into their work. For example, Michael Burnstein's story collection I Remember the Future includes what may be his most-well-known story, "Kaddish for the Last Survivor", set in the near future and focusing on a character who sets out to be a living reminder of the Shoah after (IIRC) her grandmother, the last survivor, dies.

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In what way did these authors bring in Jewish themes? – Bruce James Feb 19 at 17:20
I've updated with more info. (For more beyond that I'll need to check the books at home later.) – Monica Cellio Feb 19 at 18:15

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