10 Top Proud Jewish Living Celebrities
10 Top Proud Jewish Living Celebrities
Owning a PR agency, I work to build brands and create personas. We have worked with many celebrities and are well aware of the impact “famous” people have upon the world.  As a proud traditional Jew and Zionist, I decided to create a list of the Top 10 Famous Jewish Role models.

Qualification for this list required more than just being Jewish – the people on this list are famous and care about Judaism, Israel and upholding our faith. or something in our faith. In addition to being legit celebrities, to qualify for this list, they couldn’t be nebbishes (no Woody Allens here), not care about dating/marrying Jews (Goodbye Natalie Portman & Bar Rafaeli) or Anti-Israel (Billy Crystal boycotted an Israel party).

In no particular order here’s the 1st Top 10 list of famous Jewish role models – read it with a sense of humor – it’s a list compiled by a Public Relations pro, not a Rabbi - and keep things in perspective, as this was a much harder task than anticipated.

So it’s open for debate… but the first ever Top 10 Jewish celebrity role model list (in no particular order):

Stephen Spielberg: As director of Schindler’s list, creator of Holocaust programs, and noted philanthropist, Spielberg deserves placement on the list.  As he’s said, “I went to school without Jewish friends and did not have Jewish community centers to go to.  So I was kind of like an odd duck, so to speak.  There was a lot of anti-Semitism – I learned something from all of this and it wasn’t to turn the other cheek.” Holocaust education remains a key issue, he has a Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive at Hebrew University and has done other work.

Adam Sandler: Perhaps his greatest contribution to the Jewish world, Sandler wrote The Chanukah song so that Jews wouldn’t feel alienated during Christmas. Sandler also gives a good representation of the “Jewish experience” in many of his movies, especially “You don’t mess with the Zohan”, an uncannily accurate representation of Israeli culture, manners and behaviors. His song is the most important Jewish song certainly in the last 25 years.

Sacha Baron Cohen:  If you have watched Ali G, you know he’s fluent in Hebrew, and if you have a sense of humor, you realize he pokes fun at everything (throw the Jew down the well).  He lived in Israel for a year, keeps kosher, attends synagogue, and has said  'I am a proud friend of Israel.” His wife, Isla Fisher converted to Judaism after three years of study and said "I will definitely have a Jewish wedding just to be with Sacha.” She took on the Hebrew name Ayala and has described herself as keeping Shabbat.

Liev Schrieber: Defiance is one of the greatest Jewish movies ever, and Schreiber’s character in the movie, Zus Bielski, is a true Jewish hero (Bielski is one of three Jewish warrior brothers who fought the Nazis). As Schrieber says, “this was a remarkable story — a triumphant story. It sets out to redefine the Jewish image — that of fighter. We all know tough Jews like that. My own grandfather was incredibly tough and athletic and was the main male role model in my life.” Not one prone to stereotypes, Schrieber is “also inspired by the feats of a different kind of Jew. He jokes that all American Jews point to baseball player Sandy Koufax and swimmer Mark Spitz as evidence that the stereotype of the effete, cerebral Jew is not true. They even take a little pride in the fact that there was a Jewish equivalent of the mafia. While nothing like the mafia, once the conflict started, the Bielski brothers had no qualms about using brutal violence against the Nazis.”



Brafman said “leaving a press conference because "Shabbat is coming" turned a personal professional victory into a genuine Kiddush Hashem”. (Sanctification of G-ds name).

As he says “I write and I act a lot about being Jewish.” He is proud his children both had a proper bris, with a mohel and a Hebrew naming ceremony: “I’m not an observant person but I love the idea of a bris in the same way I love the Seder. I really appreciate the sense of continuity and relatedness in Jewish culture.”

Emmanuelle Chriqui: A good Jewish Moroccan girl who was raised religious and is involved with Jewish charities and causes.  She cares about Israel, is  a positive reflection of our people.

William Shatner & Leonard Nimoy – These “trekkies” are both active in the Jewish community and proud of it.

The V-shaped hand signal that Nimoy made famous as Mr. Spock was a remembrance from his synagogue days -the shape of the letter shin in the Hebrew alphabet, the first letter of "shalom," or peace.  It is half of the original blessing used by the cohanim, whom are genealogical descendents of Jewish priests from the Jerusalem Temple. William Shatner is involved with the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and an ambassador for JNF good causes in Israel.

Paula Abdul: With a unique ethnic background -  Her father is Syrian Jew and mother is a Canadian Jew – Abdul is outspoken about Jewish pride.  She visited Israel on an invitation from the Israeli government saying: “My dream is to visit Israel, go to the Dead Sea, to tour the Western Wall and other holy sites."

Fran Drescher: A Jewish style icon, Drescher was one of the first to show that Jewish girls could be glamorous and successful while openly very Jewish.

Benjamin Stein: Outspoken on issues and frequently refers to himself as a proud Jew.

Ivanka Trump: Since converting to marry mogul Jared Kushner, she has been Shabbat observant, keeps kosher and was seen in media worldwide this year on the second day of Sukkot walking to shul with her husband carrying a lulav and etrog.  They have given their time and hearts to Jewish causes and it is beautiful to see this nice young, smart attractive Jewish couple so committed to Jewish causes.

Being Jewish by name only wasn’t enough to qualify one for this list – it required a lot more than that.

Honorable mention goes to criminal defense attorney Benjamin (Ben) Brafman who said after successfully defending Sean “Diddy” Combs with an acquittal on all counts late on a Friday afternoon: “This is an amazing victory, and I am, of course, very happy for Puffy and his family. I know that following the Super Bowl, the winning quarterback generally announces that he is now 'going to Disneyland.' Well, ladies and gentlemen, this winning quarterback is going to synagogue -- Shabbat is coming!" This statement was carried worldwide and was a beautiful inspiration for proud Jews worldwide. As Brafman said “leaving a press conference because "Shabbat is coming" turned a personal professional victory into a genuine Kiddush Hashem”. (Sanctification of Gds name).

Owning a PR firm and working in a high-profile industry it’s often difficult to find proud Jewish role models.  Let’s hope all good Jews – celebrity or not - work for a positive image of our people and faith.