Related:
According to "Forbidden Adventures: The History of the American Comics Group", by Michael Vance, Greenwood Press, 1996, Richard E. Hughes' real name was Leo Rosenbaum (p.43), which makes one wonder if there were subtle Jewish jokes inserted in Herbie stories. References to the YMHA and lox and bagel suggest an orientation. References-Schmeferences. Herbie's speech patterns, like "You want I should bop you with this here lollipop?" are consistent. And so what's with all the shrugging? But is Herbie Jewish? There are no cases where he is overtly religious, and in #14b, Herbie is in the Christmas spirit, so the Jewish references appear to be just jokes, but perhaps there is a deep underlying reference.
Index terms: Leo Rosenbaum, Jewish, Horowitz, Jack Benny, YMHA, bagels, lox, schlemiehl, schlemiel, Shapiro, pickles, Goldilox, shrugging, Richard E. Hughes, Ogden Whitney