Drake Isn't The Only One: 10 Black Celebrities You May Not Have Known Were Jewish

drake

» by February 19, 2011, 9:55am

Tracee Ellis Ross

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Comment Comments 33 Tags Tags: , , , , , , , ,
  • Flower

    thats a lie

  • T Clark

    Swear I didn't know Rashida Jones was black, I guess the first clue was her name?lol :-/

  • Lisa

    I thought everyone knew Rashida Jones's father is Quincy Jones. You must be very young?

  • Alexis

    Where is Lauren London?

  • Pearls n Polos

    Boris Kojoe... really isnt his father Nigerian ? IDK about that, maybe his mother was jewish, but an african man isnt playing that nonsense, they are very big on tradition.

    Lenny, lisa, Drake and Sammy Davis already knew, shocker was Nell Carter and Boris

    • Claudette

      Boris Kodjoe is half GHANAIAN and half German.

  • Candace

    What about Nas?

  • me

    the majority of the list is half breeds so its not surprising that they jewish. nell carter was the only surprise, she must have married a Jew like sammy did.

    • w/e

      why do you have to call them 'half breeds' ? they're not dogs. smh.

  • JahBless

    Jada Pinett-Smith, Rain Pryor (Richard's daughter), Yaphet Koto, Rebecca Walker (The Color Purple Alice's daughter) Minnie Riperton's daughter Maya, & Sophie Okonedo
    were a few I just learned about too

  • theBlackPocahontas

    UM, this is why we need to read more. Jewish is a FAITH not a race or culture, thus the people on this list may not be Jewish.

    For instance, as someone stated Boris has an african father. Who knows what his faith was growing up. Same thing with Tracee, Diana Ross does not practice jewish faith, thus I doubt her kids are Jewish, they may be but it isn't some foregone conclusion.

    Sammy Davis jr and Drake are prime example of people who are essentially saying I practice the Jewish faith.

    And when did Jordan Farmar come out and accept that he was black. I always knew he was but it was as if he didn't "Kanye shrug" I could be wrong but I doubt it

    • Moses

      yeah, you are wrong. Jordan always told the media that he was black and jewish and that he was named after the great Michael Jordan.

  • Moses

    You forgot Slash and Ben Harper.

  • The Cynic

    Tracee Ellis Ross's father was a Caucasian Jew. Idk if she practices the faith herself. For the longest I just thought she was just Black since her character on girlfriends was Black. i guess that is what she considers herself. I'm also guessing Boris's Mom is a German Jew??? *Kanye shrug*

  • 4Real-Tho

    It is not about what RELIGION the black father had/has, etc. What makes a person a JEW is being born to JEWISH Mother. A person is only a Jew if they are born to a Jewish Mother. Otherwise, they are said to have a Jewish background. Hence, most of the aforementioned Celebs were born to a Jewish mother. A Jewish father does not really make one a true Jew as the child can choose whatever religion in this case. According to Jews I have spoken to in length, you have to be born to a Jewish mother in order to be considered a Jew.

    • Golanilion1976

      I agree. Nowadays, one have to be born to jewish mothers to be a Jew, which mean you belong to that ethnicity. You may not practice the religion of judaism but you "belong" to that people...the ancient Hebrews. I am "black" person who is of Haitian, French and Spanish descent. My skin is brown but identify with the so call "black race" but I practice judaism...because of my jewish heritage from my "white" descendents. I had to convert so to be accepted as a full Jew amongs dominant Jewish mainstream. In any case don't be surprise to know how many people are jews of different colors, different coutries and ethnicity. Some just don't practice the religion but are by jewish law...jews or descendents of jews regardless of what they may look. Our forfathers and mothers married foreigners and no matter what they were consider to be israelites...or jews in the old days. Things change...somehow some wise guy decide it should be the mother and not the father........what about moses sons and Joseph s son in the bible/Torah.
      Shalom

  • Jo

    You are not a Jew unless you are born to a Jewish mother. Everyone on this list who has a Jewish father doesn't fit the topic. Drake has a Jewish mother, so that makes him a born Jew. If you have a Jewish father and are a practicing Jew that just simply makes you a convert just as if you had two black parents and then converted to Judaism.

    • Y

      This!

    • Golanilion1976

      I agree. I am a "black" person but I also have jewish ancestors. So I converted. I am proud of my heritage and I practice Jedaism. However just know that it was not always so when we were called Hebrews or israelites in the time of Moses. It did not matter. You only had to have an israelite parent and live in the comnnunity of israelites/ jews and that was it. Moses Kids? Joseph kids? Remeber the words of Israel to joseph is son: .."menashe is mine...." Joseph s wife was egyptian but Israel claimed his grandsons as his....Jews...israelite.

  • WhereDaWhiteWomenAt

    Jews come from a distinct culture. They are not white. Other whites do not consider them white. They want to be white but they are frontin' -trying to p*****. They are a semetic people. Have them do genetic testing and many of them will have Negroidian genes. If Moses p*****ed for an Egyptian, then he must have been black. The Jews have tried to separate themselves and convince the world that they are white but it is not so. Look at how others in the white race reject them...

  • Elle

    Please read your definitions of what it means to be a Jew. Jewish is NOT a religion. JUDAISM is the religion. To be Jewish means that they come from the the Israelites or Hebrews of the Middle/Near East. And everyone is correct who posted that the lineage goes thru the mother hence why Jewish men are STRONGLY encouraged to marry a Jewish woman because the heritage is p*****ed through her.

  • Tee

    Everyone is INCORRECT to say the lineage comes from the mother. I know what you've been told, but if anyone actually read the book they call the Bible, then it would be evident the inheritance and name of ISRAEL, not Jew, is p*****ed on through the FATHER. Each tribe in Israel, which makes up the Israelite nation, comes from the 12 SONS of Jacob. Also, we are known as the children of ABRAHAM, ISAAC, and JACOB. Further, being an Israelite is a nationally, by blood, and not a religion. However, anyone can serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but that doesn't make them an Israelite. That just means they are an Egyptian, German, Chinese, etc... who are serving (i.e. keeping the laws) the Most High.

    And most people calling themselves Jews are NOT Israelites.

  • Tee

    Further, "ish" is a suffix meaning "like unto". Like Reddish, Yellowish, Greenish, etc... It means an imitation, and not the ORIGINAL.

  • Savvi Fenom

    Hey, don't forget Whoopi "GOLDBERG". Hellooooo??!!

  • diva t

    I didn't know any of these peeps were Jews.

  • yepp

    Pearls n Polos@ boris kodjoes father is ghanaian not nigerian

    and most of these celebs have a white mother so how the heck are they black!? they are mixed

  • African Malaika

    why do we call people of mixed races "Blacks"???? Why not call them the race of the other parent i.e white, chines, Indian, etc. They are neither black nor the other race, they are "colords" period! If you mix "black" and "white" you don't get "black" or "white "you get "Gray" . Lets be realistic please!!!!

    • disqus_5BGsQPK6mb

      Well logically it is the dominant gene that shows in that child, if it is mixed with black and yellow and yellow appears mostly then that is the dominant gene. Also the term "Black" when referring to African people has various levels of color and other races only change colors through their emotions.

  • Bob

    Black doesn't refer to color alone stupid and a half white/black person will never be seen as white.

  • MICHEAL JACKSON

    REALLY OUR TO MY EARS DECIEVE ME CALLING THESE PEOPLE JEWS ALL BLACKS OUR JEWS DAM WHEN THE HELL YOU PEOPLE GIOING TO WAKE UP,,,,,,,BLACK MAN AND WOMAN IS EYGPT WAS EYGPT AND ITS OUR HOME ASK THAT JEW THAT RUNS HOLLY WOOD IF HE THINLS HES JEW WHERES THE HISTORY HE HAS NONE HE IS KHAZARRZ LOOKJ IT UP THEY OUR THE IMPOSTER

    • hellakitty

      learn to spell you anti-semite

    • disqus_5BGsQPK6mb

      Hahaha no matter what you say against Jews your labeled an "Anti-Semite" look that up. Keep speaking your mind even when your T9 msg is not working with you hahaha
      @ Micheal Jackson

  • dan elogoodin

    jordan farmar is not black lmfao

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