After pro-baseball player Sandy Koufax publicly refused to play on Yom Kippur, he was overwhelmed by parents' requests to speak at bat and bar mitzvahs. It's not hard to see why. Here was a famous Jewish guy choosing to honor his heritage in a predominantly Christian country. Who are the Jewish role models our kids look up to today?
Zac Efron from High School Musical? Israeli-American supermodel Bar Refaeli? People known for their good genes and little else?
Every now and then I want to use Jew World Order to highlight awesome Jewish role models who either demonstrate tikkun olam or a public committment to Judaism (or both.) The only catch is that it has to be substantive. I couldn't care less that Scarlett Johansonn uses cloth shopping bags or that Norah Jones drives a Prius.
My very first entry for this continuing series is none other than Harry Potter, or at least the guy who plays him in the blockbuster Warner Bros films.
Daniel Radcliffe, now 20, recently made a generous donation to The Trevor Project, a support group for suicidal teens. Not only that, but he expressed public devotion to gay people in the media, calling homophobes "disgusting and stupid."
"He is setting a meaningful example for millions of young people around the world by embracing diversity and demonstrating that he cares deeply about the well-being of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning) youth," said the charity's chief executive Charles Robbins.
Radcliffe said, "It's extremely distressing to consider that in 2009 suicide is a top three killer of young people, and it's truly devastating to learn that LGBTQ youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers."
"It's vitally important that young people understand they are not alone and, perhaps even more important, that their young lives have real value," the actor added.
Just one question, Daniel: would you speak at my future daughter's bat mitzvah?
2 comments:
i can think of lot of awesome jewish role models, i will email you a list.
whatever you do, just do not put steven fucking spielberg on this list.
Quote: "whatever you do, just do not put steven fucking spielberg on this list."
Lol, because he's such an awful role model. A happily married father whose wife converted to Judaism and helps him fast on Yom Kippur and attend shabbos. A talented, world-renowned filmmaker who used his storytelling skills to create the best film about the Shoah ever made.
A successful celebrity who is openly, publicly proud of his Jewish heritage, who publicly supports Israel, and who created the Shoah Foundation, the Righteous Persons Foundation, and single-handedly funded a Yiddish library. He gave us Avner Kauffman, the most awesome Jewish character in movie history (and a sabra!!) and he donates tons of money every year to Israeli and Palestinian hospitals.
Like I said: awful!!! If he's such a "self-loathing Jew," then why do antisemites hate him?
Post a Comment