On Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor’s conversion to Judaism just before she married singer Eddie Fisher in 1959 wasn’t really an embrace of Jewish religious practice — but much more an embrace of the Jewish people and a statement of love about her late husband, Mike Todd.
Still, for the rest of her life, Taylor did much for Jewish and Israeli causes and identified as Jewish, telling Larry King in 2001, “Yes, I’m Jewish.”
Taylor’s most important legacy, after her film work, was her fight against the scourge of AIDS. In 1984, she was the founding international chairman of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR). The story of her HIV/AIDS work is on AMFAR’s tribute page to Taylor. It begins: “I will not be silenced and I will not give up and I will not be ignored. With these words, Taylor lent her voice to the voiceless, her iconic image to those who had previously been invisible, and her compassion and determination to a cause many others had shunned.”
Interestingly enough, the other major figure in the founding of AMFAR was Mathilde Krim, another Jew-by-choice. These two women, who both had extraordinary careers before the AIDS epidemic, made a formidable pair and they often appeared together in public forums. Yes, most likely it is just a coincidence that two of the most important figures in AMFAR’s history are women who chose to convert to Judaism. Still, I think that one could say that the same empathy for the “other” that motivated these women to identify with and join a historically oppressed minority (the Jewish people) also led them to empathize with and help the victims of the AIDS epidemic.
Partial 411 on Casey Abrams
Coming into this week, Casey Abrams, 20, was still one of the 11 finalists on “American Idol.” Pundits have rated him as having a very good chance of winning if he stays healthy (he suffers from ulcerative colitis).
Speculation that Abrams is Jewish has run high since a 2008 short student film appeared on the Web. It’s a fictional piece about a yarmulke-wearing guy (Abrams) who works at a Jewish delicatessen.
A friend of mine knows a famous Jewish rock producer who’s working with “Idol” contestants. At my request, this producer asked Abrams if he is Jewish. Abrams replied that his father, a Los Angeles–area film professor, is Jewish but that his mother is not. The producer didn’t inquire further into Abrams’ religious upbringing.
‘Win Win’ and Paltrow’s Jewish roots
“Win Win” has got great reviews in national media outlets. It opened March 25 in San Francisco and opens Friday, April 1 in the East Bay. Paul Giamatti stars as a struggling lawyer who volunteers as a high school wrestling coach. He takes on the guardianship of a pretty wealthy elderly client for the monthly fee and improperly puts him in a nursing home. Things get complicated when the client’s troubled teen grandson (played by newcomer Alex Sheffer), who happens to be a great wrestler, shows up at his grandfather’s house, looking for a place to live. Giamatti takes him into his home. San Francisco native Jeffrey Tambor (“Arrested Development”), 67, has a big supporting part as the main coach of the wrestling team.
Actress/singer Gwyneth Paltrow, whose late father was Jewish, is the subject of the Friday, April 1 episode of NBC’s “Who Do You Think You Are” (8 p.m.). A Jewish ancestor of Paltrow’s will be the focus of the show. The full episode will also be available for (free) viewing on NBC’s website starting next week.