| 1. Jerry Seinfeld
ANSWER: If you didn't get this one right then you are simply destined to fail this quiz. Like lox and bagels, to the world at large Jerry Seinfeld is as synonymous with the Jewish people. Everyone knows he's Jewish. But here's something about Jerry that you may not know: during his time at Queens College, he was an amateur wrestler who called himself "The Jewish Terror." Yup. Little Jerry Seinfeld once wrested for the honor our people. But let's not kid ourselves -- he was surely no Samson. The Biblical strongman deposed of the entire Philistine army single handedly. Jerry on the other hand ran away from a pack of dogs that were attracted to him because his coat smelled like mutton.
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| 2. David Blaine
ANSWER: Magician David Blaine's father was Spanish-Puerto Rican and his mother, Patrice White, was Jewish of Russian descent. Blaine's most famous stunts include being buried alive for more than a week, being frozen in a block of ice for two and a half days, and being “drowned alive” spending more than a week submerged underwater. Judaism has a term to describe people like David -- Meshuganeh!
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| 3. Paula Abdul
ANSWER: With a last name like Abdul, you couldn't possibly be Jewish, could you? If you're Paula Abdul you can! Paula's father, Harry Abdul, is a Syrian-Brazilian orphan who was born to parents of Sephardic Jewish descent. Her mother, Lorraine Rykiss, who is Jewish, is a former concert pianist, born in Winnipeg, Canada. Because of her last name she often gets confused for a Muslim, and because of her dark complexion she is often thought of as African American. But she is neither. She is Jewish, and proves that there are Jews out there who can do more than just the Hora. Okay, maybe she is the only one.
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| 4. Geraldo Rivera
ANSWER: Lillian Friedman married Cruz Rivera. They named their baby Geraldo Miguel Rivera. Since, according to Jewish law, anyone born to a Jewish mother is Jewish, Geraldo Rivera is Jewish. Jewish law however does not stipulate that we have to be "shep naches" from him.
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| 5. Jason Biggs
ANSWER:From American Pie fame, actor Jason Biggs is not Jewish. He has joked in interviews about the fact that he is often cast as an explicitly or implicitly Jewish character. What makes them Jewish? Because they are nerdy. Hey -- should we take offense to that? Well not to worry, Jason spent some time in Israel and is reported to be a supporter of the Jewish State, and also played an Orthodox Jew in an off Broadway play called Modern Orthodox. That's about as Jewish as a non-Jewish person can get!
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| 6. Robert DeNiro
ANSWER: Although we are not 100% certain, numerous reports indicate that his mother is Jewish, and his father is not, which makes him Jewish according to Jewish law. His penchant for playing angry violent mobsters seems to run contrary to the idea that he belongs to our religion of peace. However, his reported love of corn beef sandwiches seems to indicate that he is indeed a M.O.T.
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| 7. Harrison Ford
ANSWER: His mother is Jewish of Russian ancestry, his father is Irish Catholic. That makes him, Indiana Jones, Jack Ryan, Dr. Richard Kimble and Han Solo all Jewish.
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| 8. Michael Richards
ANSWER: Somewhat surprisingly and perhaps thankfully, Michael Richards is not Jewish -- he is of Italian Catholic ancestry. We say surprisingly because the character he played on Seinfeld -- Kramer -- seemed like that crazy Jewish uncle that we all have (we say thankfully because Michael's recent press is something the Jewish people definitely do not need right now). Jewlarious has done some research to put an end to the confusion and we have discovered that Kenny Kramer, the real person upon which the Kramer character was based is in fact Jewish. So of the four main actors on Seinfeld -- Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss -- Richards is the only one who isn't Jewish. Yom Kippur must have been a lonely day for Michael on the set. Which really is too bad, because it looks like Michael could use some atonement for his sins these days.
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| 9. The Tomato
ANSWER: Tomatoes were introduces to North America from the Caribbean. Initially, residents thought the vegetable was poisonous until a Jewish doctor named Dr. Siccary proved otherwise. As a result, Jewlarious is conferring honorary Jewish status on the Tomato. mazal tov to both the fruit and vegetable families.
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| 10. Martin Short
ANSWER: The comedian best known for his sketch characters like Ed Grimly (Saturday Night Live) and Jiminy Glick (The Jiminy Glick Show) is not Jewish. Why the confusion? Well you see, Martin Short is funny, and we Jews are snobs, so we assume that everyone who is funny who doesn't look like Chris Rock must be Jewish. Well, sadly, Marty is not "one of ours." But, maybe he has some Jewish ancestry somewhere? As Short likes to say, "I am part Jewish -- on my manager's side."”
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| 11. Mindy Cohn
ANSWER: Mindy – or Natalie from The Facts of Life -- is Jewish. Her sense of humor and love of pastries on the show was a dead giveaway. Mrs. Edna Garret, initially housekeeper on Different Strokes and then den mother at Eastland Academy for Girls, is harder to peg. Her mothering instincts say she is Jewish, but her bakery -- "Edna's Edibles" -- was not under kosher supervision. However there is no debate about Natalie's friend Tudy -- she is definitely not Jewish.
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| 12. Hank Azaria
ANSWER: The actor and comedian behind many of the voices on the Simpsons is Jewish. Police Chief Wiggun, bartender Moe, and Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, are not.
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| 13. Lisa Bonet
ANSWER:African American actress Lisa Bonet famously played Denise on the Cosby show. Her mother was Jewish, which makes her Jewish. At one point, she was married to, and had a child with rocker Lenny Kravitz whose father is Jewish. Lisa has commented publicly that they are raising their child Jewish. When her daughter turns 12, Bill Cosby has reportedly said that he will give little Zoe a lifetime supply of JELLO for her Bat-Mitzvah.
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| 14. Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot)
ANSWER:Balki Bartokomous - Bronson Pinchot (born Poncharavsky), is from the Island of New York and is Jewish. Balki of 80's sit com Perfect Strangers fame is from the Island of Mypos and may be either Jewish or "Myposite-ish," the dominant religion on Mypos. Although we cannot locate Mypos on any known maps or atlases, we are told it is home to a small Jewish community to which Balki and his family may indeed be members. This may also mean that Cousin Larry is Jewish (Mark-Linn Baker), as it stands to reason that if he is Balky's cousin, then they both come from the same family, and therefore must both be members of The Tribe. As for Mr. Twinkacetti, Balki's boss at the Ritz discount shop, all indications are that he is not of the Hebraic persuasion.
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| 15. Borat (Sasha Baron Cohen)
ANSWER:He may play a Kazakh anti-semite on TV, but Borat's creator and real life persona is British comedian Sasha Baron Cohen. Our sources tell us that Sasha is strongly affiliated and that his parents attend an Orthodox synagogue in England and are observant. So, are they proud of their son and his fame/infamy? Of course not! He's not a doctor.
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