MARCH 26 • 2020 | 41
Arts&Life
celebrity jews
OVER ON NETFLIX AND HULU
Unorthodox is a four-part
mini-series that begins stream-
ing on Netflix on March 26. It is
based on Deborah Feldman’
s
bestselling 2012 autobiography,
Unorthodox: The Scandalous
Rejection of My Hasidic Roots.
Feldman, a wife and mother,
was a member of the Satmar
Hasidic in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
In the series, Esther “Esty”
Shapiro (played by Israeli actress
Shira Haas, 24) flees Brooklyn
for Berlin. She leaves behind
her husband (Israeli actor Amit
Rahav). Most advance reviews
praise the series. It tells a multi-
dimensional story that does not
vilify the Hasidic community (and
shows some of Esther’
s joyous
moments in that community).
Esther, in a word, wants more
independence.
Baghdad Central is a six-part
series that begins streaming in
its entirety on Hulu March 27.
The central character of this
series is an Iraqi Muslim police
detective who is forced into a
risky collaboration with American
occupying forces when his older
daughter goes missing and his
younger daughter requires kidney
dialysis. Corey Stoll, 44, co-stars
as a U.S. military police officer
who may or may not be corrupt.
Advance reviews are very good.
AFTER A 62-YEAR DROUGHT,
A GRAND SLAM VICTORY
I became aware of rising tennis
star Sofia “Sonya” Kenin,
21, when she won the 2020
Australian Open. She is the first
Jewish woman to win a Grand
Slam singles title since Suzy
Kormoczy, a Hungarian Jew,
won the French Open in 1958.
Kenin’
s parents left the Soviet
Union for America in 1987, but
briefly returned to Moscow in
1998 (after the fall of the Soviet
Union) so family members could
help them after Sonya’
s birth.
They returned to America a few
months later and eventually
settled in south Florida. Sonia’
s
father, Alex, has been her coach
since she was 12. She turned pro
in 2017 and, by 2019, she was
ranked No. 14 (singles) in the
world. Last February, she earned
$2.85 million for winning the
Australian Open and has moved
up to No. 7 in the world.
Shortly after Kenin won the
Open, a friend asked me if Kenin
was Jewish. I found what I could
and then got assistance from a
Russian Jewish émigré friend.
What public records we could
find — a partial family tree and
Kenin family Facebook pages
that often mention Israel — con-
vinced us that her father was
very likely Jewish, and her moth-
er was probably Jewish, too.
I told the Jewish Sports
Review what we found, and they
attempted to contact Kenin or
her parents. It took some time,
but contact was made with her
mother. She told the Review that
Alex is Jewish and that she is
“half-Jewish.” As I learn more,
I’
ll let you know. Kenin will be a
big-time contender for years to
come.
NATE BLOOM
COLUMNIST
HULU
uptownshangri-la.com
UPTOWN
6407 Orchard Lake Road
(15 Mile & Orchard Lake)
248.626.8585
DAILY DIM SUM
MIDTOWN
4710 Cass Avenue
Detroit, Michigan 48201
313.974.7669
DAILY DIM SUM & SUSHI
CHINESE PEOPLE
EAT HERE
On Star’
s beautiful
already low-priced trays
$5 OFF
Expires 3/31/20. One Per Order.
Not Good Holidays. 10 Person
Minimum. With this coupon.
DELIVERY AVAILABLE
“…one of America’
s finest
carryout-only delicatessens!
Star’
s reputation
has never wavered!”
— Danny Raskin
STAR
DELI
COMPARE OUR LOW PRICES WITH ANY DELICATESSEN IN TOWN!
SALAD TRAY
$14.99
per
person
per
person
DAIRY TRAY
$23.99
SALAD TRAY W/ LOX & CREAM CHEESE
$18.99
per
person
MEAT TRAY
$13.99
per
person
Best Deli Trays
In Town!
Prices subject to change
24555 W. 12 MILE ROAD
248-352-7377
www.stardeli.net
041_DJN032620_AL celeb.indd 41
041_DJN032620_AL celeb.indd 41
3/23/20 11:13 AM
3/23/20 11:13 AM