The newspaper gossip columns are all abuzz today with the latest news in the celebrity industry. It seems very likely that Israeli supermodel Bar Rafaeli and her superstar actor boyfriend Leonardo DeCaprio are on the path to marriage.DeCaprio seemed to love his recent visit to Israel, and has been dabbling in udaism and rumor has it he is looking into conversion in preparation for marriage to Rafaeli.
One of the articles I saw mentioned he is doing it because her "traditional" family would be more comfortable with her marrying a Jew. This despite his already being a Catholic (though non-practicing)..
Amazing that nowadays it is ok to be a Jew, even the celebrities are ok with it and look to become Jews, when just a short time ago in history becoming a Jew was something few people would have considered..Or maybe religion in general is just something few people care about, so it does not really make a difference to them which religion they are unaffiliated with.
That's not true..in the 50's there were a whole slew of ppl who converted, including, Marilyn Monroe, Sammy Davis Junior, Elizabeth Taylor.
ReplyDeletepost world war 2 has been kind to the Jews in this regard.
ReplyDeleteif you look at the seforim from even up to 100 years ago (aruch hashulchan even) that talk about conversion you will see that anybody considering converting was serious because you had to be crazy to convert back then as Jews were despised and tortured..
if you look at the seforim from even up to 100 years ago (aruch hashulchan even) that talk about conversion you will see that anybody considering converting was serious because you had to be crazy to convert back then as Jews were despised and tortured..
ReplyDeleteAny chance the animosity of the right wing towards gerim (despite the Torah's command not to oppress the ger) is due to historical realities like these? It makes an interesting sociological question but it does not excuse those anti-ger attitudes.
Who knows? Maybe he will be one of those gerim who get so into it, that a year from now he'll be in yeshiva learning full time and Bar will be stuck with a charedi husband on her hands? Wouldn't that be funny? :)
ReplyDeletethat would be funny...he even already has the black hats from some of his movies..
ReplyDeleteLeonardo =אריה בן אברהם אבינו
ReplyDeleteWill it be unadorned Judaism or one of the adjectives, like conservative, reform etc?
ReplyDeleteKids would be as Jewish as she is, so it's more to have a rabbi (of sorts) at the wedding.
Batya, for a rabbi of sorts at the wedding you don't need anything. Look at the Clinton wedding! You can always find a 'rabbi' who will participate in a high-visibility wedding.
ReplyDeleteBottom line is this, it doesn't hurt anyone's acting career if they (clearing throat) "convert" to Judaism.
ReplyDelete