celebrity jews
arts&life
40 August 1 • 2019
jn
RUNDOWN ON THE
JEWISH
DEMS SEEKING NOMINATION
Two candidates are “just plain
Jewish:” Vermont Sen.
Bernie Sanders, 77, and
author/lecturer Marianne
Williamson, 67. Her
father changed the family
name “Vishnevetsky” to
Williamson. Marianne was
raised a Conservative Jew
and does mention being
Jewish in public speeches.
Her Detroit ties include living
in Birmingham and Grosse
Pointe and, for many years,
serving as spiritual leader
of the Church of Today in
Warren (now Renaissance
Unity Church in Ferndale).
Colorado Sen. Michael
Bennett, 54, is the son
of a Protestant father
(with Mayflower pas-
senger ancestry) and a
Jewish mother. His moth-
er, Susanne, was only a
baby when she and her
parents were imprisoned
in the Warsaw Ghetto.
Susanne was smuggled
out of Poland. Susanne’
s
mother found refuge in a
Catholic convent and her
father managed to survive
the labor camps. Bennett’
s
mother’
s family, who came
to the States in 1950, were
never observant Jews. The
senator’
s father identified
as a Christian but was not
churchgoing. Bennett was
raised with exposure to
both his heritages, but not
really in any faith. He says
he believes in God, but he is
not a practicing “anything.”
New York Sen. Kirsten
Gillibrand has a Jewish
great-grandfather (her pater-
nal grandmother’
s father)
who was raised Catholic, as
was Sen. Gillibrand.
JEWISH TIES
California Sen. Kamala
Harris is married to Jewish businessman
Douglas Emhoff, 54. The senator’
s
mother was from India and a Hindu. Her
father was from Jamaica and a Baptist.
She was exposed to both faiths. Harris
and Emhoff wed in a civil ceremony in
2014. In her recent memoir, Harris notes
that at the close of her wedding ceremo-
ny, “… in keeping with our respective
Indian and Jewish heritage, I put a flower
garland around Doug’
s neck, and he
stomped on a glass.” It was
the first marriage for Harris
and the second for Emhoff.
He has two children by his
previous marriage.
Former Vice President Joe
Biden, a Catholic, has three
Jewish ties by marriage: (1)
His late son, Beau Biden,
married Hallie Olivere,
now 44, in 2002, and they
remained married until his
death in 2015. The couple
had two children, now
teenagers. Olivere’
s mother
is Jewish, her father isn’
t.
There is no reporting on
whether Hallie was raised
Jewish or the religious
nature (if any) of her wed-
ding to Beau, or what faith,
if any, Hallie and Beau’
s
children are being raised in;
(2) Biden’
s daughter, Ashley,
is married to Dr. Howard
Krein, 52, a Jewish ear,
nose and throat doctor. They
wed in 2012. A Catholic
priest presided, with a rabbi
“assisting.” They don’
t have
children; and (3) Hunter
Biden, the son of the former
veep, wed Melissa Cohen,
32, in May. The couple only
knew each other a month
before the wedding. Born
and raised in South Africa,
Cohen reportedly comes
from an observant Jewish
family. She was formerly
married to a Los Angeles
Jewish businessman. She’
s
also posted a video of a
desecrated Parisian Jewish
cemetery with comments
showing her anguish. No
word if the wedding was
secular or religious. The
groom, however, got a “sha-
lom” tattoo, which matches
one his wife has.
SURPRISE
The father of Attorney General William
Barr was born Jewish but converted to
Catholicism. Barr’
s mother was Catholic,
and he was raised a Catholic. ■
NATE BLOOM
COLUMNIST
Bernie Sanders
Marianne Williamson
Michael Bennet
Joe Biden
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