# What is the 'Happy Orthodox Jewish Man' For? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 3, 2003, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-happy-orthodox-jewish-man-for/199285 "2003-09-03T06:26:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-happy-orthodox-jewish-man-for/199285/1 "2003-09-03T06:26:52Z")
To some this may seem like a silly question, but I have wondered it for the longest time now. On the SDMB, there is a happy orthodox Jewish man as a smiley option: ;j What is the meant for? I mean, there isn’t a Buddhist happy figure or a happy Pope. So is this meant to accomodate Orthodox Jews, or is it just a joke? And if it is a joke, I don’t get it. What’s the joke? I have also wondered for some time if anyone has every used ;j . If anyone has a link to a thread where it is used, feel free to post it here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-happy-orthodox-jewish-man-for/199285/2 "2003-09-03T06:40:59Z")
Well you know, it doesn’t _have_ to be a Happy Orthodox Jewish Man. I mean, what if you want to say, “I sure am glad I got this barbecued jellyfish hat”? ;j So you see, it has many uses. ---
**Author:** ![j.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@j.c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j.c)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-happy-orthodox-jewish-man-for/199285/3 "2003-09-03T07:29:14Z")
barbecued jellyfish hat? You mean he’s Vietnamese. Oy. Now, when I look at the happy orthodox jewish man, I’ll be hungry for jellyfish salad. I’ve been trying to tell myself he was attacked by a spider, but just as it jumped on his head, someone killed with a well-aimed death ray. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-happy-orthodox-jewish-man-for/199285/4 "2003-09-03T12:02:49Z")
We actually had someone ask for it and one of our community made it and we’ve used it ever since. I admit, it’s a limited use sort of thing, but isn’t he cute? your humble TubaDiva Administrator Zay gezunt! ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-happy-orthodox-jewish-man-for/199285/5 "2003-09-03T13:10:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by j.c. \* > I’ve been trying to tell myself he was attacked by a spider, but just as it jumped on his head, someone killed with a well-aimed death ray. Would that be a 1920s style death ray? ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-happy-orthodox-jewish-man-for/199285/6 "2003-09-03T19:21:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TubaDiva \* > \*\*We actually had someone ask for it and one of our community made it and we’ve used it ever since. > > I admit, it’s a limited use sort of thing, but isn’t he cute? > > your humble TubaDiva > Administrator > Zay gezunt! \*\* Very! :dubious: Is quite well done as well. :o is just wrong though. :wally is kind of a mixed message too. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-happy-orthodox-jewish-man-for/199285/7 "2003-09-03T23:51:14Z")
You mean it’s _not_ a french hat-wearing happy man with spring ear-rings? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-happy-orthodox-jewish-man-for/199285/8 "2003-09-04T01:52:42Z")
Looks like the lead singer for the Spin Doctors. ;j _I’ve… got a pocket full of… kryptonite, yeah_ ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-happy-orthodox-jewish-man-for/199285/9 "2003-09-04T03:35:23Z")
If you highlight him, he looks Chinese. ---
**Author:** ![Aankh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@Aankh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aankh)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-happy-orthodox-jewish-man-for/199285/10 "2003-09-04T04:03:39Z")
I was curious about this too. [This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=182338&highlight=hippy+AND+orthodox+AND+jewish) gives you links to the complete history. > [@](#): > > If you highlight him, he looks Chinese. He looks _evil_ Chinese. Very Fu Manchu.