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.