Hulu's 'The Bear' brought up 'Jewish lightning': What does it mean, and is it antisemitic?

There are some light spoilers for “The Bear” in this article.

(JTA) — “The Bear,” FX and Hulu’s drama series about the behind-the-scenes workings of a Chicago restaurant, has been one of TV’s most acclaimed series since debuting last year.

The first episode of its second season, which debuted June 22, brought up a controversial term that caught the attention of critics: “Jewish lightning.”

Most found the reference funny but didn’t want to touch it. A Vulture critic wrote,” I’m not even going to go into what ‘Jewish Lightning’ is.”

But what does it mean, and is it as antisemitic as it sounds?

T...