14,
Just How Jewish
The lowdown on some of your favorite
celebrities from a Hollywood insider.
PHILIP BERK
Special to The Jewish News
II
aving interviewed stars for
the past 20 years, I often
have asked them about
their Jewish identity.
Barbra
Streisand wear
People like
their Judaism on their sleeve. For oth-
ers, like Paul Newman, the question
alone is an irritant.
I remember asking actor/director
Rob Reiner why he avoided the sub-
ject of religion in his hit film When
Harry Met Sally.
Inspired by his own experiences, it
was a love story in which the two lead-
ing characters, played by Meg Ryan
and Billy Crystal, were obviously (in
the movie and in real life) gentile and
Jew. But neither of them ever discussed
family, differences in religion or even
social values. I wanted to know why.
For a moment, Reiner flushed with
anger.
Philip Berk writes from Los Angeles.
"A lot of people
have asked that
same question," he
replied. "To me, it's
completely irrele-
vant. I'm not saying
the film is a work of
art, but if you look
at any work of art,
you are judging
what's there, not
what's not there.
"We made a con-
scious choice not to
show the family. We
wanted to show
how men and
Right: Gwyneth Paltrow• Bat mitzvahed at 12.
women rub up
against each other,
Above: Harrison Ford: Not bar mitzvahed.
His Jewish mother wasn't happy
how they relate to
each other, in a dis-
tilled fashion."
their family; they talk about
But isn't religion
their differences in religion. But not
and family part of that?
when
they are on camera."
"Sure, it's part of that."
Hollywood
can get away with
Then, he added, somewhat face-
ignoring
religious
concerns. Paul
tiously, "Look, they do talk about
Alicia Siverstone:
Proudest Jew in Hollywood.
1/1
66 Detroit Jewish News
Newman, nominally Jewish on his
father's side, responded to my ques-
tions as though he had no Jewish
identity.
When asked about Exodus having
Kyra Sedgwick: Definitely
Jewish but loves her Bacon.
Jeff Goldblum: Remind him.
1999
C
Harvey Keitel: With age conies wisdom.