www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Who's part Jewish in Hollywood

Hi all,

We have a thread about Greek and Orthodox celebs... now, being 1/4 Jewish (my paternal grandfather, a Russian Jew, married my Irish Catholic grandmother) I thought it would be neat to have a thread of celebs who are of mixed Jewish ancestry.

Here are the ones I know of:

- Gwyneth Paltrow (1/2 Jewish)

- Carrie Fisher (1/2 Jewish)

- Joely Fisher (1/2 Jewish- Carrie Fisher's half sister)

- Goldie Hahn (1/2 Jewish)

- Kate Hudson (she's Goldie's daughter, making her 1/4 Jewish)

- Harrison Ford (1/4 Jewish)

- Elvis Presley (1/8 Jewish)

Those are the only ones I can think of at present... feel free to add to the list.

hmmm Adam Sandler

Ben Stiller

Natalie Portman

NOt sure on the percentages. But for more just listen to Adam Sandler's Haunnakah(i can't spell) song. It has a bunch.

In Christ,
Katie g

Honestly, about 75% of Hollywood is full or part Jewish. This could take a long long time.

Mel Brooks, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, Sydney Pollack, Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal (half), Scarlett Johansson (half), Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Orlando Bloom, Jennifer Connelly (half), the Phoenix brothers (half), Wynona Ryder, Alicia Silverstone, Steven Spielberg, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick (half), David Duchovny (half), Robert Downney Jr. (half), Helen Hunt (1/4), Sean Penn (half), Debra Messing, Jamie Lee Curtis (half - Tony Curtis was Jewish), etc. etc. etc. these came off the top of my head pretty much.

There are thousands. :p

Logos Teen

"Paul Newman's half Jewish, Goldie Hawn's half too. Put them together what a fine lookin' Jew!... We've got Ann Landers and her sister Dear Abby. Harrison Ford's a quarter Jewish, not too shabby!" From the Chanukka Song by Adam Sandler.

"Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert don't mix meat with dairy. I guess they shoulda called it 'Little Kosher House on the Prarie!'" From the Channuka Song part 3 by Adam Sandler

Here's another one:

"So many Jews are in show biz. Bruce Springsteen isn't but my mother thinks he is!"

Chanukka Song part 3 by Adam Sandler

Bob Dylan was Jewish, then Catholic, and now he's Jewish again.

Hmmm. Tri-ritual. I didn't know that. Or maybe bi-ritual+. Wasn't he involved with pentecostals at some point? I don't know why that sticks in my mind, but for some reason it does.

My Gosh!

You people have forgotten the most famous one's. Barbra Streisand for one, and Judy Garland is another. Lisa Manelli is half Jewish, and let's not forget the old comedians: Jack Benny and George Burns...And then there was the great Cary Grant.

Actually most of the people in Hollywood were Jewish. It seems that those that left Germany before WW II were hired by the great movie studios, (owned by Jews of course), and it was kept hush, hush. It was the depression, and they were afraid it would offend the Americans that were out of work.

The pathetic thing is that the Jews that wanted to retain their Jewishness and not lose it in our culture returned to Roumania before WW II. The Hebrew theater which was so prominant, was then lost forever. A whole culture was destroyed, but many of the talents at least were transferred to our own theater.

But then we Greeks had Spyros Skouros...I think he owned FOX movie studio and theaters.

Zenovia

Can't believe no ones mentioned the Stooges ??? Where's Theist Gal ?

Dr Eric

You beat me to the Springsteen line in Adam Sandler's Channukah Song. Years ago, I remember there were rumours about Springsteen being Jewish, but actually he's Dutch-Irish on his father's side and Italian on his mother's and he was raised Catholic.

Okay! Now that we've mentioned the Jews of Hollywood, let's get to the Irish in politics. Now that'll be a never ending list.

Zenovia

Kerry, Kennedy, Andrew Jackson (Scot-Irish,) etc... ad infinitum ad nauseum.

Good grief, I was talking about celebs who are PART Jewish... if we included fully Jewish celebs, we'd be here for a month!

I can't believe I forgot Ben Stiller... he's actually only half Jewish. He's just like my dad... he has an Irish mom and a Jewish dad!

God bless,

Karen

CHRISTOS VOSKRES....

Zenovia wrote:

"You people have forgotten the most famous one's. Barbra Streisand for one, and Judy Garland is another..."

Actually, Judy Garland was a baptized Episcopalian as were her parents and grandparents.

Two of her husbands were Jewish....

She considered herself Protestant...

Dear Karen,

I would guess, that the numbers of half-Jewish actors are considerably less than completely Jewish actors because of the fact that Jews tended (that seems to be changing a bit these days--) to marry within their religion which is also their very identity and survival..

My friend/co-worker's father is Jewish and her mother Irish/English, but since she is not an actress, I guess she doesn't count!

My husband and I have friends that are both Greek and Jewish, and they are all truly lovely people. The city of Thessalonika (before WWII) had been one of the largest and most thriving Jewish cities in Europe since ancient times.

I hope that you have fully explored the richness and history of your Russian/Jewish roots.

Alice

(I hope you are up to date on your Yiddish phrases too--they aren't just for us New Yorkers anymore...courtesy of Seinfeld!)