Roth folds up the spandex

Former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth is moving to Florida and planning a round of golf … well, not really, but he has announced his retirement from music. Roth, known for his spandex-clad leaping and mane of blond feathered hair, has been open about his Jewishness and the desire to be a different kind of a role model. “Heroes for little Jewish kids are very few and far between when it comes to belligerent enthusiasm, a confrontational red-meat approach,” he told the Washington Post in 2003.

Outspoken comedian is disappointed

“It just seems to prove the point that I didn’t think existed — people really only like Jews if they’re suffering.” That was comedian Sarah Silverman on the topic of the U.S.’s funding of Israel’s anti-rocket Iron Dome. On her podcast she expressed frustration with progressive Democrats who opposed the funding. “Not having the Iron Dome is going to kill people,” she said. “I am for a Palestinian state, but I do also believe there should be an Israel, too.”

Captain Kirk finally makes it

Life imitates art, folks. William Shatner, famous for playing Capt. Kirk on “Star Trek,” is going to space for real on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket on Oct. 12. At age 90, it’ll make him the oldest person in space. It’s a suborbital flight, which means the rocket reaches what’s considered officially “space” by essentially touching it at the top of a very big arc, but it doesn’t actually remain in orbit around Earth. Nevertheless, Shatner is keen. “I’ve heard about space for a long time now,” he said in a statement. “I’m taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle.”

Dunham gets hitched

Lena Dunham, creator and star of “Girls,” just had a very Jewish wedding, marrying musician Luis Felber (stage name Attawalpa). They had a chuppah (“that was my favorite thing, because we got to have this private moment in front of everyone”) and a host of other Jewish elements, as well as bright, fun “Swinging Sixties” references. “My grandmother died in 2016, and these Jewish traditions meant a lot to her,” Dunham said. “And I think it brought back some memories for Lu’s dad, too, who hadn’t been to synagogue since he was a little kid.”

 

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Turning suffering into humor

Sarah Podemski finds a lot of things in common between her Jewish and Native/Indigenous Canadian heritages. The actress is a regular on the Hulu series “Reservation Dogs,” which deals with the struggles of Native teens in Oklahoma. She told L.A.’s Jewish Journal that creating humor out of dark historical events is something both sides of her family do. “I think there’s something very similar to how we approach our lives from my Jewish background and my Native background,” she said.

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Kids these days

Apparently Gen Z’s favorite celeb is … Adam Sandler? That’s what an investment bank that regularly surveys teens (as a way to calculate spending trends) found. The 55-year-old actor and comedian was a “Saturday Night Live” cast member and has had a string of hit films, from 1998’s “The Wedding Singer” to 2019’s “Uncut Gems.” Apparently he’s still a hit with the young ’uns: The survey of 10,000 Gen Z kids from across the U.S. put him as top favorite (they also love Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks).