David Yehuda Sterm, the "Rosh Chinuch" at a Reform synagogue in the UK called Alyth along with holding a degree in Film and Television Studies, speaking at a Limmud session in the UK posited that Bugs Bunny is Jewish - actually not quite Jewish, but designed on Jewish features and characteristics.
Stern said that Bugs Bunny was first produced in the 1940s by Leon Shlesinger Productions, founded by a Jewish man, and the voice of Bugs Bunny for many years was Mel Blanc, also a Jew. In addition, though this seems a bit flaky, Bugs Bunny had an accent that might be considered Jewish - considering his voice was the voice of a Jewish voice actor, it is not surprising that Bugs Bunny's voice sounded possibly Jewish, whether it actually did not not.
Also, Bugs Bunny grew up on the Lower East Side, a haven for Jewish immigrants at that time. Bugs Bunny was regularly targeted for elimination and eradication, but somehow always survives using his wiles and his wit - just like the Jews..
And who was the bad guy? Porky Pig. The most impure animal in the eyes of the Jewish people.
And "Rabbit" was taken, probably, because it sounds like "Rabbi".
(source: NRG)
It's a humorous discussion that will probably never have a definitive answer, but Stern makes a good case for it. I wonder if it is enough to count Bugs Bunny in a minyan...
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