In our silly lil game, we sometimes see things pop in that we have no clue as to their Origin. They seem familiar, but we just can’t pinpoint from where. So that is why we decided to make a fun lil reminder out of it. To let you know just Where did THAT Come From?
In this post I will be going over the Origin of Rabbi Krustofsky and the Temple Beth Springfield. Why are they in our games? What does it have to do with this lil Event? Let’s dive into the Simpsons TV Series to find out more.
Rabbi Krustofsky and the Temple Beth Springfield were brought into our silly lil games during the Homer the Heretic Event as a Premium Buy Option. More info on that can be found below.
Should I Spend Donuts On Rabbi Krustofsky and Temple Beth Springfield?
Here as well is the Questline for the Rabbi.
Let’s take a closer look at when they appeared.
Season 3, Episode 6: Like Father, Like Clown
Krusty has once again cancelled his Dinner with his biggest fan, Bart. This crushed Bart. In response, Bart writes Krusty a pretty heartfelt and disappointed letter. His assistant can’t take it anymore. She takes the letter to Krusty and forces him to read it…. or attempt to. She tells him he BETTER go or else she will quit. Krusty gives in.
That night, Krusty accepts the offer to give prayer on dinner. The Simpsons are in shock when he does not give a prayer they were anticipating, but instead a Hebrew Prayer. The reminder of his heritage makes Krusty break down and start crying. Mainly remembering his Father. The family prompts him to reminisce his past and tell them about it all. He starts off by giving his actual name, Herschel Krustofsky. His Father was a Rabbi, same with his Father’s Father, and so on…
Here is where we first see a very young Krusty and his Father, walking along the Lower East Side streets. It is also the first time young Krusty asks his Father about being an entertainer, but he is met with disappointment as his Father tells him a Clown is not a respected member of the community.
The pull of comedy though was too strong for Krusty, he HAD to do it. He even went so far as making fun of his Father in class… which prompted a very similar Father and Son “loving hold” by Rabbi Krustofsky on lil Krusty’s neck.
Krusty got a big break at a Talmudic conference in the Castkills… until he realized his Father was in the audience bragging to others about how good of a lil Jewish boy he had… no knowing it was his son up on stage in the Clown makeup… that was until one of the rowdy Rabbi sprayed seltzer water at Krusty. The disguise was gone and Krusty’s Father was not happy. His Father was so ashamed, he told Krusty he never wanted to see him again. He hasn’t seen him since.
This all brings up some really hard memories for Krusty and he spirals into depression. Everything reminds him of his Father. Even a magazine on Jewish Fathers at the market. Krusty ends up calling his Father, who is a lot older now, but he can’t get the courage to say anything and he ends up just hanging up the call instead.
At his show, an episode of Itchy & Scratchy with their kids breaks Krusty down. He loses it on air and begs them to just cut to commercial. The Simpson kids see this all go down and feel they HAVE to do something. They go to Lovejoy to help them find a Rabbi. Lucky for them, Lovejoy does a radio call in show with him every Sunday Night. They head off to the Temple Beth Springfield to find him.
Sadly they are met with a not so happy response from Rabbi Krustofsky. Instead he yells at them, “I HAVE NO SON!” and slams the door in their faces.
That Sunday at KBBL, it’s the Sunday Talk Show, “Gabbin about God” with Rev. Timothy Lovejoy, Monsignor Kenneth Daley, and Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky. There is a caller for the Rabbi, but again only sad breathing. It’s Krusty, once again trying to reach out to his dad… but loses his nerve and hangs up. The next caller is Bart, impersonating someone named Dimitri, and uses Krusty and his Dad’s relationship (or lack there of) to bring the entire sad story to light. He asks if the son defies his father, chooses a career that makes millions of kids happy, shouldn’t the father forgive the son? Rev. Lovejoy and Monsignor Daley both say yes. Rabbi Krustofsky on the other hand says an adamant, “NO!”and goes off on the caller.
Bart even tries to disguise himself as a Rabbi and approaches Rabbi Krustofsky in the park to tell him to forgive, still… he just yells about how Krusty broke his heart. Bart just can’t win. Time to pull a really good gag and make them both believe they are having lunch with someone of importance to them. For the Rabbi, Saul Bellow… Nobel Prize winning Jewish novelist. For Krusty, the French Government wanting to give him The Legion of Honor. The plot is set for Izzy’s Deli. It backfires when the Rabbi is reading through the list of sandwiches offered and gets to one called “Krusty the Clown”. It upsets him and he leaves, missing seeing Krusty who arrives shortly after. (Funny side note: Izzy’s Deli has a sandwich called the Jackie Mason. Jackie Mason was the guy who first voiced the Rabbi for the Simpsons TV Series. It was an inside joke as Jackie was a son of a Rabbi himself. He broke with tradition and became an entertainer rather than be a Rabbi.)
Lisa decides the best approach is knowledge. She goes to the Library to hit him with everything Jewish she can find and quote to make this right. She sends Bart back to the Temple Beth to confront the Rabbi again. The Rabbi tries to slam the door shut again on Bart, but Bart won’t let him. He starts reading the quotes Lisa wrote down. It almost works, but the Rabbi quotes him back and slams the door. Back to the Library to try again. This time he hits up the Rabbi in the Sauna with some quotes, and again shut down. Third time a charm? This time Bart approaches him at a circumcision or bris if you will. No good.
One last try, this time at a game of chess in the park. Bart spills the last and final quote Lisa offers, “The Jews are a swinging bunch people. I mean, I’ve heard of persecution, but what they went through is ridiculous! But the great thing is after thousands of years of waiting and holding on and fighting, they finally made it.” Who was this amazing person that finally spoke to Rabbi Krustofsky? None other than the Candy Man himself, Sammy Davis Jr. An Entertainer… just like his son, Krusty. This is what finally broke the Rabbi down. All those years lost because of his stubborn ways. The Rabbi breaks down into tears.
Back at the Krusty Show, Krusty is really showing his depression. Not even making an effort to start the show at all. Instead just yells for them to roll Itchy & Scratchy so he can go have a smoke. Unbeknownst to him, his Father has shown up to the studio with Bart and Lisa. They share a loving embrace. Krusty proudly goes back on stage to introduce his Father to the world. They serenade the audience with a rendition of “Oh Mine, Papa.” (Eddie Fisher’s song, who happens to have came from Russian-born Jewish Immigrants.) They say they love one another and end with the Rabbi smashing a pie in Krusty’s face. Krusty couldn’t be happier.
The Rabbi does make more appearances throughout the Simpsons TV Series. Here are a few more of note I wanted to cover.
Season 15, Episode 6: Today, I am a Clown
Santa’s Lil Helper knocked up Hibbert’s prized Poodle. Bart & Lisa go around attempting to find homes for the “muts”. They end up giving one to Krusty. Krusty takes the lil pup for a walk around the Jewish District where he realizes he does not have a star on the Jewish Walk of Fame. He is not happy and goes to the Jewish Walk of Fame Main office where. He provides his name, Herschel Pinchas Yoracham Krustofsky. He then is asked for his Bar Mitzvah date, now he realizes the reason he can’t have a Star is because he is not considered Jewish. All because he never got to have his Bar Mitzvah.
So he goes back to his father to get one. The Rabbi explains he was never given one because he was a putz. The Rabbi felt Krusty would just mock it and make fun of it. (Which Krusty proves right as he mocks the Rabbi while he is explaining.) The Rabbi however agrees to help Krusty and to teach him the Jewish ways.
Krusty hands over his show on Saturday (the Sabbath) to Homer, someone he thinks won’t be better at it than him, so he can sit in his Mansion with his Father and learn all he can about being a Jewish man. What he doesn’t realize is Homer does so well, they cancel Krusty’s show for Homer’s fresh faced new version. He turns to the FOX Network (based out in the middle of nowhere in a trailor) to broadcast his Bar Mitzvah so he can have a show somewhere.
In the end, he gets his Bar Mitzvah, almost humor free. It is more a crazy FOX-esque sideshow. Krusty the Klown’s Wet N Wild Bar Mitzvah!! … nah, Krusty can see his Father’s disappointment. He decides he wants a REAL Bar Mitzvah… in a Temple… so Back to the Temple Beth they go to complete the Bar Mitzvah…
with his father, Rabbi Krustofsky by his side.
Season 23, Episode 9: Holidays of Future Passed
The Rabbi made the Opening bit on the infamous Billboard in this Episode. “Bah Humbug & Happy Hanukkah. Christmas Ignorers United.”
Season 26, Episode 1: Clown in the Dumps
I went into a lot of detail and depth on this episode in my Episode Recap shortly after it was shown for the first time during Season 26. Feel free to read more about the Death of Rabbi Krustofsky in that post (also to make it so this post isn’t that much longer to read).
A few things of note in this Episode…
We see a bigger and more singular building being the Temple Beth of Springfield (not a lil storefront type smashed in between others as in past Episodes).
We also see the Rabbi’s Wife’s Name, Rachel Krustofsky, when Krusty and his Father are standing over her grave as Krusty is going through an old Photo Album of his life after his Father died.
Season 26, Episode 9: I Won’t Be Home For Christmas
Much like other Characters in the Simpsons Series, those that have passed in the TV Series (and some in real life) make their way into the Opening Sequence of the Simpsons. This episode we see the Rabbi making his appearance as a Ghost Image hovering over Krusty… Krusty is eating his Chinese Food Holiday Meal.
Season 28, Episode 2: Friends and Family
Here is where we see the Tombstone of Rabbi Krustofsky make its appearance into the TV Series. It is during the Funeral of Dr. Nussbaum, Mr Burns Jewish Psychiatrist (He also helped the Simpsons “communicate”. Maggie talked during the session, no one heard it of course. “Maggie Talk. No one listen. Maggie never talk again.”)
They are in what appears as a Jewish part of the Springfield Cemetery. Many Tombstones are all around.
- Rich Jewish Texan
- Very Old Jewish Man
- Oy
- At Least I’m Off My Feet
- Dr. Nussbaums covered in a White Cloth
- Hyman Krustofsky
- Oy (again)
- You Call These Flowers
One of Dr. Nussbaum’s Family Members even grabs a rock off of it to throw at Mr. Burns for insulting Dr. Nussbaum with such a sickening Tombstone.
In fact, as many people as possible grab the rocks off Rabbi Krustofsky’s Tombstone and chuck them at Mr. Burns.
There are several other times we catch glimpses or small parts of the Rabbi’s reappearance. Here are some of those Episodes.
Season 4, Episode 11: Homers Triple Bypass
Season 14, Episode 18: Dude, Where’s My Ranch
Season 16, Episode 11: On a Clear Day I Can’t See My Sister
Season 17, Episode 9: Simpsons Christmas Stories
Season 18, Episode 4: Treehouse of Horror XVII
Season 21, Episode 10: Once Upon a Time in Springfield
Season 22, Episode 6: The Fool Monty
Season 23, Episode 3: Treehouse of Horror XXII
Season 26, Episode 13: Walking Big & Tall
Season 28, Episode 10: The Nightmare After Krustmus
There you have it, recaps of some of many Simpsons Episodes Rabbi Krustofsky and the Temple Beth Springfield made an appearance, which led to now 2 more new items in our games.
Did you splurge on the combo? If so, thoughts on them? What do you REALLY think Krusty’s Dad was trying to say as he died? Remember many of these episodes? Let us know.
~Bunny
Ahhh, finally able to read your post😊 Great recap Bunny😊 I did snag everything there was, great to have the Rabbi in the game😀 Great to see you Bunny, I miss you & pray for your health & happiness 😘