18 of the Most Gadol Jewish People in Fashion
- 1/18
Marc Jacobs
Jacobs didn’t observe Judaism growing up, but last summer, he jokingly told the New York Times, “I’m Marc, homosexual Jew from New York.” Welcome, Marc.
Photo: Getty Images
- 2/18
Jennifer Connelly
Eyebrow goddess and Labyrinth babe, Connelly, whose mother was raised Orthodox and was educated at a yeshiva and whose father was Irish-Catholic, jokes she was “raised with a double dose of guilt.”
Photo: Getty Images
- 3/18
Jake Gyllenhaal
The King of My Heart was born to a Jewish mother. He told the Guardian, “On my 13th birthday, [my parents] thought it was important for me to experience a rite of passage, an entrance into manhood, and the consensus was that we would do something for the good of the community, some charitable work — a bar mitzvah-like act, without the typical trappings. So we went to a homeless shelter and we did some work there, and then I had the party — the celebration — there.”
Photo: Getty Images
- 4/18
David Beckham in Belstaff’s Spring Summer 2014 campaign.
While not a full-fledged Jew (or American), Beckham’s maternal zayde was Jewish. And according to his autobiography, the ultimate DILF has “probably had more contact with Judaism than with any other religion.” We’ll take it. The international fashion icon has ongoing collabs with H&M and Belstaff.
Photo: Courtesy of Belstaff
- 5/18
Alber Elbaz
The designer, formerly of Lanvin, was raised in Israel and served in the Israel Defense Forces. He once joked, “I don’t take drugs because if I did, I’d love them — I’d be a junkie. And because I’m Jewish, I’d probably be a dealer too.” Oh, Albie.
Photo: Rex Images
- 6/18
Scarlett Johansson
The bombshell actress’s mother grew up in an Ashkenazi Jewish family from the Bronx. She has referred to herself as a “New York Jew” and is the global brand ambassador of Israeli company SodaStream — and of course, Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton.
Photo: Getty Images
- 7/18
Diane von Furstenberg
DVF’s mother was a Holocaust survivor whose life was miraculously spared en route to the Auschwitz gas chambers by Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, aka The Angel of Death. She has dedicated much of her time to preserving the memory of the war, and in 2014, she pledged $12 million to help restore the Jewish ghetto in Venice, Italy.
Photo: Getty Images
- 8/18
Calvin Klein
Klein is of Hungarian-Jewish descent and grew up in the Bronx. Shalom, Mr. Klein.
Photo: Getty Images
- 9/18
Adam Levine
The Maroon 5 frontman, Kmart designer, and The Voice judge considers himself a Jew, but he chose not to have a bar mitzvah. “My father did ask me whether I wanted a bar mitzvah, and I said no,” he told the Jewish Chronicle. “I felt as though a lot of kids were trying to cash in. They were trying to make a bunch of money, and that’s fine. I just don’t think it’s the most respectful way to deal with God and beliefs and years and years and years of cultural heritage.” He’s also the first Jewish guy to be named People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive.
Photo: Getty Images
- 10/18
Ralph Lauren
The designer is the son of two Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants from Belarus, and his given surname is Lifshitz — which he changed because he said it “has the word s*** in it.” Smelly!
Photo: Getty Images
- 11/18
Paul Rudd
OK fine, Paul Rudd may not be known for his fashion sense. But he’s supercute, was in Clueless, and is definitely Jewish — he was bar mitzvahed and even used to DJ for other bar mitzvahs! — so he’s on this list. Deal with it.
Photo: Getty Images
- 12/18
Stacey Bendet
The Alice + Olivia creative director was born with the last name Wiener and had a bat mitzvah. Mazel!
Photo: Getty Images
- 13/18
Natalie Portman in Miss Dior’s 2015 campaign.
Dior spokesperson Portman, who was born in Israel, recently told the New York Post that she’s “just basically your average, everyday Jewish mother.” She has also said that she observes the High Holy Days and that her great-grandparents and great-uncle were killed in the Holocaust.
Photo: Courtesy Miss Dior
- 14/18
Winona Ryder
The ’90s style icon, who’s starred in campaigns for Marc Jacobs and also shoplifted his clothing, was born Winona Horowitz. She has revealed that several of her relatives died in the Holocaust.
Photo: Getty Images
- 15/18
Zac Posen
Designer Posen was raised Jewish in NYC. “I used to steal yarmulkes from my grandparents’ synagogue so that I could make bell dresses for dolls,” he told People magazine. And in early 2002, he staged his first real runway show at a former synagogue in the Lower East Side!
Photo: Getty Images
- 16/18
Gwyneth Paltrow
GOOPy is technically a “Zera Yisrael” — daughter of a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother — though she has chosen to raise her kids in the religion. In fact, her great-great-grandfather was a rabbi! She has starred in ads for Hugo Boss, Tod’s, and more.
Photo: Getty Images
- 17/18
Drake
The fashion-savvy rapper, who calls himself “a proud, young Jewish boy,” grew up attending Jewish day school and had a low-key bar mitzvah. “My mom really didn’t have that much money,” he told Digital Spy. “We kinda just did it in the basement of an Italian restaurant, which I guess is kinda like a faux pas. I told myself that if I ever got rich, I’d throw myself a re-bar mitzvah.” That sentiment became the concept behind his 2012 video for “HYFR.”
Photo: AP Images
- 18/18
Rachel Zoe
Stylist and designer Rachel Zoe (full name: Rachel Zoe Rosenzweig) fully embraces her Judaism, having shared photos from her son Kai’s bris ceremony and upheld the Jewish tradition of not cutting her older son Skyler’s hair until he was 3 years old.
Photo: Getty Images
Haven’t you heard? May is Jewish American heritage month!
To honor this momentous occasion, I’ve chosen to highlight 18 (18!) of the most fashion-forward chosen people in the biz. True, a few of them aren’t quite Americans. But dammit, I’m a Jew who’s American — and this is my list, after all. Plus, it’s my month too. So they stay.
L’chaim!
(All images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.)
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