Mayim Bialik's Kosher Comeback!

You probably remember Mayim Bialik for her lead role in the early-1990s NBC television sitcom Blossom. Wonder what she's been up to since? After starring in Blossom she earned a BS from UCLA in 2000 in Neuroscience and in Hebrew and Jewish Studies, and went on to earn a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, also from UCLA. Bialik was a dedicated student leader at UCLA Hillel, leading and starting a women's Rosh Chodesh group, chanting for High Holiday services, and conducting UCLA's Jewish a cappella group. She is currently a board member, co-founder, and chair of Jewish Free Loan Association's Genesis branch, and as an avid student of all things Jewish, she studies Torah on a weekly basis with a study mentor through Partners In Torah.

Lately, Mayim has been making what can best be described as a "Kosher Comeback." It seemed to have started with an innocent appearance of her Blossom doll in Pop Judaica's Passover segment on the Modern Jewish Mom show. Then there was this post on Jewcy, where she was interviewed about her growing level of religious observance. Today, her Jewish wedding is profiled on Jewish Wedding Network, and this Friday she'll be made over by the folks at What Not to Wear. (Shabbos observant Jews: Be sure to set your DVRs!) Word has it that they make sure to dress her modestly on the show. She'll also be playing a frum woman in an upcoming episode of Saving Grace, so stay tuned!

Mayim's interest in Judaism does not seem to be anything new though. We dug up this clip from 1989's Chabad Telethon which proves that even in her Blossom days, she was into mitzvot!


Mayim Bialik is schlepping the schlep tote from PopJudaica.com

Spock's Jewish Roots

Greetings Trekkies! Did you know that actor Leonard Nimoy, who starred as Star Trek's Mr. Spock, modeled the the famous "Live Long and Prosper" hand salute after the the sign of the Kohen? Watch this interview where he explains the Jewish origins of this Vulcan salute:

One Kippah, Two Kippahs, Three Kippahs, Autograph!

(photo credit: seattlepi.com)

It was Mae West who said "Too much of a good thing can be wonderful," and in the case of yarmulkes, for one man at least, this couldn't be more accurate.

Jonathan Challet, a Seattle kippah connoisseur, is known for his collection of unusual yarmulkes. We know what you're thinking, too many kippahs can be overwhelming -- you get them at bar mitzvahs, weddings, and a dozen other happy events in the Jewish calendar. But Challet has managed to make his kippah collection one that isn't meant to be stored away. No, he doesn't wear them, he keeps them in his car, on the off chance he might run into someone famous, and boy has he: the eclectic collection of signatures on the head coverings includes Barack Obama, Elvis Costello, Uma Thurman, Ray Allen and Annie Leibowitz.

As a result, 32 of his kippahs are now on display in Seattle at the University of Washington's Odegaard Undergraduate Library from through April 30. It's definitely a case of religion meeting culture meeting politics meeting art colliding with chutzpah!

I'm guessing Challet is probably going to start a trend. We have our Obamicas in hand just in case we happen to run into the man himself, but if that doesn't pan out there's always the Poker Yarmulke, which we might be able to get Jennifer Tilly (actress AND poker champ!) to sign, or maybe once the Obama girls settle on a dog, we can get the presidential pooch to put down a paw on the Dog Yarmulke and Tallis?

Chabad's Telethon Really a Dancing Rabbi Marathon!

We were up far past our bedtimes last night, but it was definitely worth it -- what with the amazing dancing rabbis and fundraising efforts of the 28th annual Chabad Telethon live in Los Angeles which raised $8.1 million  in a six-hour span!

The Chabad Telethon was hosted by actor/comedian Elon Gold, who was joined by actress Leslie Grossman and piano prodigy Ethan Bortnick. Actor Jon Voight -- who has been part of the fundraiser for years -- led a colorful array of celebrity personalities, including  Martin Landau, James Cromwell, Tom Arnold, and Kellie Martin, not to mention pre-taped messages from Larry King, Howie Mandel, Regis Philbin, and Kelly Ripa. The show was peppered with musical numbers, from classic tunes to modern versions of classic Jewish melodies.

One of the most memorable bits of the evening was when L.A. Lakers point guard Jordan Farmar was given 90 seconds to shoot as many baskets as he could, with each shot amounting to $1,800 toward the telethon total. If we're not mistaken, it was nearly 30 baskets! We were also incredibly moved by a video segment about the efforts of Chabad in Running Springs, California, to feed, house, and offer comfort to firefighters during the blazing fires of late last year.

It's always exciting to see watch the telethon and see how many funds are raised for Chabad's substance abuse treatment centers, education and outreach, and other activities for benefitting people of all faiths and persuasions. But when it comes down to it, we know that the amazing dancing rabbis are really what really brings in the big bucks!

Be sure to check out the telethon's website, ToLife.com, for clips, information about donating, and more details about the Chabad Telethon. 

Hollywood Celebrities and Jewish Conversions

The red string bracelet is not enough it seems, as more and more celebrities are bypassing the Kabbalah trend and opting for an all out conversion to Judaism.

Rumor has it that Lindsay Lohan, who was raised Catholic is thinking of converting to Judaism because of gal pal DJ Samantha Ronson. A source told Life & Style Magazine that “Sam’s family is Jewish. Lindsay has learned a lot about Judaism from Sam and admires its beliefs.”

Lindsay's Dad, who is a born-again-Christian told E! "She's exploring right now. She's explored the Church of Scientology, she tried Kabbalah, and now this. I think it's just another phase. But either way, she's involving God in her life, and I'm happy about that."

Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka is said to have promised Nice Jewish boyfriend Jared Kushner (who owns the New York Observer) that she would convert to Judaism if their relationship became more serious. The couple reportedly broke up earlier this year because Kushner's Orthodox family was upset that he was dating a "shiksa."

The wedding of Sasha Baron Cohen (of Borat fame!) and fiance Isla Fisher has reportedly been postponed, as Fisher's conversion process was put to a halt while she filmed the movie "Confessions of a Shopaholic."

We just hope that these celebrities realize, converting to Judaism is no easy task. It can sometimes be a very long process that involves tremendous amounts of dedication and study.

Our advice? If you're a celebrity whose looking for a quickie conversion with little or no commitment, check out the Convert to Judaism Breath Spray for a conversion that's as easy as a spritz!

Thank you for being a friend....

Today, the world mourns the loss of Estelle Getty, best known for her role as the lovable Sophia on the TV show The Golden Girls.

Did you know that Estelle Getty, born Estelle Scher, started out her career in the Yiddish theater?

Tune into the Lifetime channel this Friday, July 25th when they air ten of the best episodes of the Golden Girls featuring Sophia. Let's all enjoy one last cheese cake in her honor!

Taking the "J" out of Jdate

Remember when Jdate was a dating site for Jews? Well times have changed! Word has it that 25% of those on Jdate are not even Jewish, including singer Jesse McCartney. McCartney told In Touch that he joined Jdate when a Jewish friend's sister met her boyfriend on the site.(got that?)

Well, we're sure there are a lot of girls who would like to bring Jesse Metcalf home to their Jewish mothers. Interested in dating a heartthrob? Look up profile jbagel07.

An Unconventional Bris

Penis balloons at a bris? Now we've hear it all.
Read more about Christina Aguilera's son's bris here.

Soprano in the Holy Hand

Did you think Soprano's star Jamie-Lynn Sigler was Italian? So did we! It turns out she's a nice Jewish girl from Long Island. Who nu? Jamie-Lynn just took her first trip to the Holy Land via Birthright Israel. You can see her interview with Israeli television here:

Natalie's Shoe Line

Natalie Portman can now add designer to her resume. This Hebrew hottie will be launching a shoe line in conjunction with the company Te Casan. How is this shoe line different from all other shoe lines? Well, for one, The Natalie Portman Collection is a vegan-friendly, leather free shoe line. Shoes will retail around $200.00 with 5% of the collection's profits donated to charity. The fashion savvy will have to wait until February to get their hands on Natalie's line, but can get a sneak peak here on Te Casan's website.

A Nice Jewish Boy?

It seems JR Rotem, one of Britney Spears old flames, is just like every other single Jew out there looking for love on Jdate! If you're a "hot Jewish girl with good values," then JR just might be your bashert. (via Dlisted)

Celebrity Sighting!

It's always exciting to spot celebrities in products from Pop Judaica! We almost plotzed when Zach Braff showed up on an episode of Scrubs wearing the Kosher Beef T-shirt. He're little Sadie Sandler, daughter of Adam Sandler wearing the Tush pants a few weeks ago at a fundraiser in LA.

Did you know that Adam's dog is named Matzoball? Yep, and Adam's other dog Meatball even wore a dog yarmulke to Adam's wedding.

Being that Chanukah is just around the corner, and we're on the subject of Adam Sandler it seems apropos to link to one of the all time greatest songs EVER.

The countdown is on!

Did you know that Chanukah is just a month away?! December 4th to be exact. What are you waiting for? Log on to PopJudaica.com and get started on your holiday shopping! Here are some of what your favorite Jewish celebrities will be getting for Chanukah:



Special thanks to Jewish Robot for creating this amazing cartoon.

Halle Berry's Jewish Nose

If you watched Jay Leno's interview with Halle Berry last night, then you saw an edited version of the interview. Word has it that when Berry was showing Leno distorted photos of herself, she showed a picture of herself with a big nose and exclaimed "that's my Jewish cousin." According to the NY Post, through which Berry issued an apology, she begged Jay Leno to edit the segment...and he did. View the edited segment here:

Israel and Sports Illustrated?

Hot on the heels of the Maxim Magazine uproar, Israel, it seems is set to secure its sexy reputation. The New York Post reports that Leonardo DiCaprio's Israeli model girlfriend Bar Raphaeli is being photographed in Israel for the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Sources say she has a good change of making the cover since she was the only model to be photographed in a different location than the other models who were photographed on St. John.

Madonna in the Holy Land

Our favorite Kabbalist made a visit to Israel this week, leading an all star delegation of stars including husband Guy Ritchie, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Donna Karan, and Rosie O'Donnell (who knew she was a Kabbalist too?) The stars were at a Kabbalist conference in Tel Aviv to celebrate Rosh Hashanah.

Madonna also had the privilege of meeting Israeli President Shimon Peres who, the Jerusalem Post reports, presented her with a copy of the Old Testament. Madonna reciprocated by presented Perez with a copy of the Zohar.

Funny + Beautiful = Bashert?

Newsflash! According to US Magazine actress Natalie Portman and Saturday Night Live's Andy Samburg are dating. Now that's a cute couple!

Hip Hop Hurt

Israeli hip hop violinist Miri Ben-Ari was involved a serious car accident with a UPS truck in New Jersey yesterday.
According to a rep of the Grammy award-winning artist, she was rushed to a local hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries and was later released. Get well soon Miri!

If you haven't heard her music - it rocks! Miri was discovered by Wyclef Jean and has collaborated with artists like Kanye West and Alicia Keys. She released her debut album, The Hip-Hop Violinist in 2005. See her perform here.

Oy! Vat at billboard!

Vatz up with this billboard advertising American Apparel? The shmatte company sure knows how to get our attention. The Forward reports that This billboard featuring Woody Allen dressed as a Chasid just went up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. In Yiddish, it states "the holy rebbe."

We Heart Josh

Hebrew hottie Josh Bernstein, host of the archaeology show show Digging for the Truth is interviewed in this Sunday's New York Times. Josh is one of those few people who has equal appeal to both men and women. The men like him for his Indiana Jones-esque adventures and the women love him for his resemblance to Indiana Jones. We Jews love him because he is Jewish, successful, and hot to boot. Who does Josh love? According to the article - tall, blond women. Thanks Josh. Thanks a lot.

Read the article here.

Get your Josh Bernstein screensaver here.