I understand that everyone’s favorite holiday is Christmas. Santa, Hallmark movies, tree decorating – all that’s great, but what about Hanukkah?
As a Jewish girl in elementary school, I remember my school hallways covered in green and red. I’d come home from school in December and envy those who celebrated Christmas. As I grew older, those feelings faded and I realized how cool it was to be Jewish. In the spirit of Hanukkah, here are everyone’s eight favorite real and fictional Jewish people:
1. Adam Sandler
There may not be a better known Jewish person than Adam Sandler. Adam Sandler made it cool to celebrate Hanukkah, which I always relished in. You may have Elf, but we have 8 Crazy Nights!
2. Adam Brody
I’m not actually sure if Adam Brody is Jewish, but I do know that Seth Cohen is. If you’ve never watched The O.C., I highly recommend signing up for Hulu and binge watching right now. I distinctly remember being 5 years old watching “The Best Chrismukkah Ever” with my parents in my living room, thinking that it was so cool that a TV show finally had an episode about Hanukkah.
3. Cher Horowitz
While Cher Horowitz may not be the best representation of every Jewish girl out there, I do admire the fact that she portrays a lot of the qualities of a Jewish American Princess. Not only that, but she’s a boss a*s b*tch.
4. Gene Simmons
Not many people may know this, but Gene Simmons is Jewish. Yes, before he was the Gene Simmons we all know and love, he was Chaim Witz. If that’s not the most Jewish name you’ve ever heard, I don’t know what is. Props to him for spending more time on his makeup than any modern day beauty blogger ever will.
5. David Schwimmer
David Schwimmer may be Jewish, but so is Ross Geller. There are so many amazing holiday episodes of Friends, but there’s no holiday episode better than “The One With The Holiday Armadillo.” As Ross is trying to explain the importance of Hanukkah to his son, Ben, he decides to dress up as an armadillo similar to how Christmas has Santa Claus. My parents are huge Friends fans, so I know that they could relate all to well to Ross’s dilemma.
6. Scott Disick
If you’re a big Keeping up With The Kardashians fan like myself, there’s NO ONE better for you than Lord Disick. Scott Disick is your typical Jewish boy from Long Island who ended up becoming Kourtney’s baby daddy. While he may have been heinous in the early years – punching mirrors and cheating on Kourtney, for example – he’s now evolved into the comic relief of the show. From Todd Kraines to Art Vandalay to becoming an actual Lord, we should be proud to call Scott Disick a member of our tribe.
7. Sarah Jessica Parker
SJP is possibly one of the most important people of all time in your life if you’re a single gal in your 20s. Without her, we wouldn’t have Sex and the City – which, if you’re me, is one of the only shows to religiously watch. SJP may have not taught me a lot about being Jewish, but she did teach me about the importance of Manolo Blahnik.
8. Jeremy Piven
You may want to fight with me on this, but if we’re going to talk about everyone’s favorite Jewish people, then this list wouldn’t be complete without Ari Gold. Ari Gold, or Jeremy Piven, was one of the main characters on Entourage. As an agent working in Hollywood, he resembled every neurotic, hotheaded Jewish person that we know in our community. “The Bat Mitzvah” episode in season two represented every over-the-top, outrageous, thousand-dollar party that I went to in middle school.
As you gear up to light your menorah, think back to these eight people that make us proud to be Jewish!