Holy Moses

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Text on Button HOLY MOSES!
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Black illustration of a bat with a star of David on it and black text underneath on a bright green background

Curl Text HIP PROD., 153 NORTH, CHGO.
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The phrase “Holy Moses” is a common English language interjection used to express surprise or amazement. In the 1960s Batman TV series Batman’s sidekick Robin is noted for excessive use of the catchphrase “Holy….” or “Holy _____ Batman!”. The amalgamation of these two phrases alongside the 1960 Batman comic logo plays into the cultural cache of both slogans. The fact that Moses is also an important Hebrew prophet revered in the Jewish religion is a witticism accentuated by the Star of David on the left of the Batman logo. These combined cultural references are perhaps a subtle nod to the fact that both Bob Kane and Bill Finger, the co-creators of Batman, are of Jewish descent.

Holy Moses is also the name of a German thrash metal band active from 1980-1994 and again from 2000-present, although the logo of the band does not feature the Star of David.

Sources

Althouse, S. (2020, August 17). The Definitive Ranking of Robin’s 359 Exclamations from Batman. Buzzfeed. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from https://www.buzzfeed.com/spenceralthouse/the-definitive-ranking-of-robi….  

Beegle, D. (2020, January 10). Moses. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Moses-Hebrew-prophet .

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Holy Moses. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Holy%20Moses.

Rabbi Simcha Weinstein Special to NJ Jewish News. (n.d.). New Jersey Jewish News. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from https://web.archive.org/web/20120518174649/http://www.njjewishnews.com/….

Willaert, K. (n.d.). The Mark of Batman: The Evolution of an Icon. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from https://www.halloweencostumes.com/blog/p-529-evolution-of-the-batman-sy….

Catalog ID IB0671