Marvel's Captain America is well-known for being the de-facto patriotic superhero, created just before America entered World War II in a time of crisis to defeat Hitler and the Nazi threat. Incredibly strong, fast and agile as a result of the super-solder serum, Steve Rogers would go on to save hundreds if not thousands of lives during the war and beyond (after being thawed out of suspended animation while frozen in the Arctic ice). But Captain America's Jewish creators drew from some very personal source material: the Jewish legend of the Golem.
Writer Joe Simon and artist Jack Kirby co-created Captain America in March of 1941 in a direct response to Hitler and his army invading much of Europe. At the time, America was staunchly anti-war and would remain so until December 7th of that year, when Imperial Japan attacked the naval base at Pearl Harbor. But Simon and Kirby believed that a strong American statement against fascism and anti-semitism was necessary, and thus created a superhero wrapped in the colors of the American flag. But while Steve Rogers himself is not Jewish, every inch of Captain America's creation and costume is influenced by the Jewish Golem narrative, beginning with his creation.
In the Golem legend (sometimes referred to as the Golem of Prague), a rabbi creates a being out of clay to project his community from anti-semetic attacks. Using secret Hebrew rituals and kaballah mysticism, the rabbi imbued the Golem with superior strength and durability (the main draw of the super-soldier serum created by the Americans). As a being of clay, the Golem could not be corrupted or turned against the Jews in any way. To complete the process, the Rabbi wrote the word אמת on his forehead, meaning "truth." The golem could only be killed if one were to erase the א, leaving the word מת, meaning death.
The Hebrew letter א is more or less analogous to the english A, which is prominently displayed on Captain America's helmet. Doctor Reinstein (a stand-in for Albert Einstein, and later changed to Abraham Erskine) is the brilliant Jewish scientist who created the super-soldier serum and could be seen as a stand-in for the rabbi in the Golem legend. Much like the Golem, Steve in frequently depicted as incorruptible - so much so that the infamous 2017 Secret Empire event in which Steve was revealed as a secret Hydra agent was met with incredulity and hatred from the Marvel faithful.
The incredibly patriotic Captain America was created by two Jewish writers in response to a threat against Jews, much like the Golem. Writers frequently take inspiration from their personal lives, and Simon and Kirby are no different. Though never actually confirmed by either man, it's fair to say that Captain America has his roots planted firmly in the Golem myth.
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