It's Up, Up and Oy Vey for 'Kosher Crusader'

(Aug. 2) -- Batman is known as the Caped Crusader, but a retired hairdresser from Philadelphia is praying that the world will one day recognize a hero known as "the Kosher Crusader."

The hero in question is called Shaloman, and he may be the only superhero who is an openly observant Jew.

The man behind the Hebrew hero is Al Wiesner, who has single-handedly written and drawn the comic book since 1988 after a lifetime of religious reflection.

"In 1938, when Superman came out, there were no T-shirts with insignias. Now, every shirt has one," Wiesner kvetched to AOL News.

"Anyway, we used to draw the insignias on the shirts themselves. I was looking for something of a Jewish superhero that I could put on my shirt, but except for the letter 'S' for Superman, I couldn't find anything."

It bothered Wiesner so much, especially after learning many of his favorite comic characters were created by Jews.

"I knew that the names of Superman's creators, [Jerry] Siegel and [Joe] Shuster, had obvious Jewish connotations," he said. "Then there was Robert Kahn, who changed his name to Bob Kane and created Batman. Then I found out [Spider-Man creator] Stan Lee's real name was Stanley Lieber and that Jack Kirby, who created Captain America and a lot of the other superheroes, was Jacob Kurtzberg."

Wiesner grew up, served in the Air Force before settling down and raising a family, but he never forgot his dream of creating a superhero who also observed the tenets of Judaism.

"They've tried to say that The Thing is Jewish, but I don't know what, other than Stan Lee being Jewish, would be specifically be considered Jewish [about the character]," he said. "Not only does he not do anything that is characteristically considered Jewish, but he doesn't outwardly do anything that shows he's observant. For example, he doesn't wear a yarmulke.

"They don't have to caricature his nose, but he could be wearing what we call 'tzitzit,' which are the tassels of the prayer shawl worn under the shirt or a 'kippah,' which is another word for 'yarmulke.' So, other than saying he's Jewish, he doesn't do anything that is actually Jewish."

Wiesner, 80, waited 45 years for a major comics publisher to create a hero who was also an observant Jew. Finally, he decided to take matters into his own hands, and around 1983 he created "Shaloman."

The first issue came out in 1988 and, to his amazement, he has done 41 issues since then. "I never figured I'd have that many," he said.

Like other superheroes, Shaloman has superstrength, impenetrability and X-ray vision. Unlike the others, though, Shaloman also wears a yarmulke and is knowledgeable about all the Jewish holidays, even though he is exempt from them by a technicality known as "artistic license."

"An observant Jewish person has to have a family because the law is to go forth and multiply and go to three different services a day and observe the holidays," Wiesner explained. "I felt that Shaloman couldn't be human so I had three wise men create him out of a rock. Since he came out of the rock, he's available even on Yom Kippur if someone is in trouble."

In addition, Shaloman strikes into action whenever he hears someone say, "Oy vey!" which Wiesner described as "the Jewish version of 'Shazam!' "

But just as Superman's weakness is kryptonite, so, too, does Shaloman have a fatal flaw. "When he was created out of the rock, bits and pieces flew all over the world," Wiesner said. "If he gets too close, it temporarily saps his strength. Also, his X-ray vision doesn't work with 14-karat gold."

Since Shaloman is made of stone, he is exempt from Jewish laws, such as no work on the Sabbath or on Yom Kippur. However, Wiesner is very careful to follow other tenets of Judaism.

"I have no physical contact between men and women in the books, which is against the Chabad," a Hasidic movement in Orthodox Judaism, he said.

"It's not necessary to put sex in a story to make it interesting, He could save a woman if he needed to, but then he steps back. He doesn't need a hug or a kiss. All of the books I've drawn, I do not have men and women physically connecting."

Previous issues have covered everything from the history of Hanukkah to dealing with potential terrorist attacks, and while Shaloman doesn't have the sales numbers of Batman, the Hulk or the X-Men, he is connecting with faithful readers. The books sell steadily at places like Barnes & Noble and there has been talk of a cartoon or a movie.

Still, regardless of what happens, Wiesner is happy that he has been able to fulfill a lifelong dream.

"I think the popularity is partially because of the rise of Israel and that the Jewish person is no longer just a brilliant mind and a clever person, but also a strong person who will stand up for what he thinks is right and what should be God's way," he said.