38 | DECEMBER 17 • 2020

PUPPY LOVE. STEWART
IS KOSHER? A FICTIONAL
PANDEMIC (OY!)
As I’ve noted before, actor/
writer Daveed Diggs, 38,
is the son of an African
American father and a (white)
Jewish mother. He was
raised Jewish. On Dec. 5,
a video he created, Puppy
for Hanukkah was released
on the Disney Channel and
YouTube. It is great in so
many ways. It features sev-
eral children, all of whom
appear to be biracial and
Jewish, singing and dancing
to what I’d call “melodic hip-
hop.” As you might guess,
one of the kids really wants a
puppy for Chanukah.
I don’t cover most
Christmas movies, and
I didn’t write about The
Happiest Season, an original
Hulu film that began stream-

ing on Nov. 25. Several
things make me mention it
now. The film has an unusual
theme, has several Jewish
actors and has received very
good reviews. Also, I just
learned that Kristen Stewart,
the film’s co-star, recently
disclosed her Jewish back-
ground. Here’s the film’s
basic plot: Stewart plays a
member of a lesbian couple.
They travel to her partner’s
family home for Christmas.
Problem is that Stewart’s
character doesn’t know her
partner hasn’t come out
to her conservative par-

ents. Alison Brie, 37, Victor
Garber, 71, and Dan Levy, 37
(Eugene Levy’s son) have big
supporting roles.
Just before the film
opened, Stewart, 30, spoke
to Howard Stern, 66. She
said her father isn’t Jewish,
and her mother was adopt-
ed by a Jewish couple. She
added that she recently took
a DNA test and found out
that she is 24% Ashkenazi
Jewish. So, it is clear that
one of her biological mater-
nal grandparents is Jewish.
A friend really dug into this
info — and we agree that it

is virtually certain that her
maternal grandmother was
Jewish (which makes Stewart
a “halachic” Jew).
There is an online refer-
ence to Stewart’s mother
belonging to a B’nai Brith
youth group. Stewart’s many
Jewish fans should pause
before kvelling too much. In
2011, she said a talent agent
signed her after hearing her
sing “The Dreidel Song” at a
grade school event, but she
never celebrated Chanukah
in her home.
On Dec. 17, CBS All Access
will start streaming The
Stand, a mini-series based
on a Stephen King novel.
Basic plot: most of the peo-
ple in the world die in a
pandemic, and the ones left
are psychically drawn to a
religiously devout African
American woman or to an
evil white man who may
be the devil incarnate. Nat
Wolff, 25, plays Lloyd, a
petty criminal who becomes
Mr. Evil’s smartest and most
loyal lieutenant.

ARTS&LIFE
CELEBRITY JEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

COURTESY OF SOPHIE ELGORT/ DISNEY CHANNEL

11-year-old actor Ethan
Hollingsworth performing
in “Puppy for Hanukkah”
music video.

Paid for by Oakland
County Health Division.

We can’t forget the danger. Wear the

mask. Wash your hands. Practice physical

distancing. Consider virtual gatherings.

Curbside food pickup.

For more holiday safety tips,

visit oakgov.com/covid.

THE ONLY WAY TO BEAT
COVID-19 IS TO FACE IT.

Paid for by Oakland
County Health Division.

We can’t forget the danger. Wear the

mask. Wash your hands. Practice physical

distancing. Consider virtual gatherings.

For more holiday safety tips,

.

COVID-19 IS TO FACE IT.