You Don’t Have to Be Jewish to Be…Jewish?

Jill Ingber
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Paris Hilton is not Jewish. And that is fine with me. A celebrity is a public figure and they represent that with which they are associated with. Having grown up in a fairly large Jewish community, I tend to forget that there are many people in this country that have not had frequent, not to mention any, contact with Jews. This is something I have realized more and more after coming to college. For many, a Jewish celebrity is their closest depiction of what a Jew is.

My mom used to roll her eyes and sarcastically mutter, "Great, and he’s Jewish," any time there was a story on the news about some type of alleged scandal or offense involving someone who was evidently Jewish. And though I used to roll my eyes back at her for being so concerned, it is important to realize that stereotypes do exist. A Jewish person in the public eye has the potential to reinforce a stereotype, or to negate it.

Jewish celebrities remind us that Judaism is a real thing and it can be important to anyone who practices it, no matter how famous, infamous, or just plain not famous they may be.

But all Jewish celebrities do not represent their religion equally. In my research for this article, I was shocked at how many celebrities are Jewish, or at least partly Jewish. It is obvious then, that some celebrities are more overt about their religion. Some actors may often take roles that play off their Jewish persona, like Ben Stiller. But this is not to say that a Jewish celebrity should be evaluated based on his or her public Jewish life or image. Lisa Bonet is Jewish, and raising her children as such, while Ben Stiller married Marcia Brady, not Jewish.

Still, some put it right out there. Adam Sandler’s lyrics tells us it’s okay not to be the only kid without a Christmas tree, as well as who else in show business is right there with us. Woody Allen is sure to incorporate some element of his Judaism in all his work. And I remember worrying about whether or not Sarah Jessica Parker was going to find the afikomen in "Shalom Sesame" long before I ever was worrying about her finding love on "Sex and the City."

I didn’t know if I was supposed to be proud or disturbed when Madonna changed her name to Esther and wore tefillin in her video and Britney donned a "Kabbalists do it better" t-shirt. But either way, it even seems Judaism is not just for Jews anymore.

But I think we should be thankful for Jewish celebrities, because how many other things could we have in common with a celebrity?

Even famous Jews can vent on the plights of being a Jew. Jerry Seinfeld summed it up when he said, "Ya know, I don't get it. I'm not allowed to ask a Chinese person where a Chinese restaurant is. Aren't we all getting a little too sensitive? I mean, somebody asks me which way is Israel, I don't fly off the handle."

[Posted 12/9/04]