subject: Top 10 Jewish Celebrity Role Models (living) By Ronn Torossian [print this page] Owning a PR agency, I work to build brands and create personas. We have worked with many celebrities and are well aware of the impact that famous people have in todays world. As a proud traditional Jew and Zionist, I decided to create a list of the top 10 Jewish celebrity role models. Qualification for this list required more than just being Jewish my choices are famous and also care about Judaism, Israel and upholding our faith, or some part of our faith. For this list, I have excluded nebbishes (no Woody Allens here,) and figures that are actively anti-Israel (Billy Crystal boycotted an event celebrating Israels 50th anniversary.) Being Jewish by name only wasnt enough to qualify one for this list, it required a lot more than that!
Read it with a sense of humor it is compiled by a public relations pro, not a rabbi, so its open for debate and keep things in perspective, this was a much harder task than anticipated. In no particular order here is the 1st ever top 10 list of famous Jewish role models:
Steven Spielberg: As director of Schindlers List, creator of Holocaust memorial programs, and noted philanthropist, Spielberg deserves placement on the list. In his own words I went to school without Jewish friends and did not have Jewish community centers to go to. So I was kind of like an odd duck, so to speak. There was a lot of antisemitism I learned something from all of this and it wasnt to turn the other cheek. While Holocaust education remains a key focus for him, he has also established the Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive at Hebrew University and is active in other areas of Jewish communal life.
Adam Sandler: Perhaps his greatest contribution to the Jewish world, Sandler wrote The Chanukah Song so that Jews wouldnt feel alienated during Christmas. It is possibly the most important Jewish lyrical release in the last 25 years. Sandler also positively presents the Jewish experience in many of his movies. Especially in 2008 release You Dont Mess with the Zohan, which paints an uncannily accurate picture of Israeli culture, mannerisms and behaviors.
Sacha Baron Cohen: If you have watched Ali G, you know hes fluent in Hebrew, and if you have a sense of humor you realize he pokes fun at everything, even often exploring antisemitic thresholds. He lived in Israel for a year, keeps kosher, attends synagogue, and has said I am a proud friend of Israel. His wife, Isla Fisher converted to Judaism after three years of study and said I will definitely have a Jewish wedding just to be with Sacha. She took on the Hebrew name Ayala and has described herself as Shabbat observant.
Liev Schreiber: Defiance is one of the greatest Jewish movies ever, and Schreibers character in the movie, Zus Bielski is a true Jewish hero (Bielski is one of three Jewish warrior brothers who fought the Nazis.) As Schreiber says this was a remarkable story a triumphant story. It sets out to redefine the Jewish image that of fighter. We all know tough Jews like that. My own grandfather was incredibly tough and athletic and was the main male role model in my life. Not one prone to stereotypes, Schreiber is also inspired by the feats of a different kind of Jew. He jokes that all American Jews point to baseball player Sandy Koufax and swimmer Mark Spitz as evidence that the stereotype of the effete, cerebral Jew is not true. They even take a little pride in the fact that there was a Jewish equivalent of the mafia. While nothing like the mafia, once the conflict started, the Bielski brothers had no qualms about using brutal violence against the Nazis. He says, I write and I act a lot about being Jewish. He is proud of his Jewish heritage, and both of his children were circumcised according to Jewish law, with a Hebrew naming ceremony so boot, on the occasion he commented Im not an observant person but I love the idea of a bris in the same way I love the seder. I really appreciate the sense of continuity and relatedness in Jewish culture.
Emmanuelle Chriqui: A good Jewish Moroccan girl who was raised religious and is active in Jewish charities and causes. She cares about Israel, is gorgeous, and is a positive reflection of our people.
