Letters to the Editor
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Wait a minute...
Liev Schreiber is JEWISH?!
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Yeah, but
do any of these guys self-identify as Jewish? That would make it much cooler.
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Hipster Hebs
If Jon Stewart and Lewis Black aren't hip enough for your list, then maybe hip isn't the thing to be any more. And if David Cross and Dave Attell aren't hip, where do I take square lessons?
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The Chosen Few
Justin Warfield , front man for the goth duo, She Wants Revenge, is definately one cool Jew
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Adrien Brody cool?
He was a total a-hole when he kissed Halle Berry. She looked slightly disgusted and not very impressed.
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Ben Stiller not sexy?
Man, I think he's hot!
And Jon Stewart is not only cool, he's also extremely sexy IMO.
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What About Neil Gaiman?
Did he get left off the list because he's over forty? Because he's certainly cool.
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do any of these guys self-identify as jewish
adrien brody had a jewish father, but has gone out of his way in interviews to point out that he is not jewish. Jake Gyllenhaal, on the other hand, has fondly recalled his Bar Mitzvah. Liev Schreiber grew up on an ashram--you never hear him talk about the Jewish. Jason Schwartzman self-identifies as a Coppola, and really, wouldn't you? Adam Brody is one of two on this list with two Jewish parents, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the other. Shia LaBeouf was raised Jewish, although his father was Cajun. Can't speak to Alex Greenwald. James Franco, again, Jewish mother, and who knows what he'd say? And Matt Stone of South Park is only half-Jewish, and I think we all can agree it's part of his psyche in a fairly negative way--and I LOVE South Park.
My point is, along with answering the previous letters, is why is it important who is Jewish and who is not. I think we as Jews have reached the point where playing the Jew game with celebrity is unecessary. We are part of the fabric of American society. Let's stop figuratively counting our money already.
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cool?
Brody - following up an Oscar win with a Coke commercial - very cool - if cool were slang for icky.
Jason - too aware of the cool factor to be truly cool.
The rest - huh?
Take out Liev - whose talent doesn't even make sense on a fluffy list like this - and The Beastie Boys trounce the whole list combined for sex/smarts/cool.
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Yeah, fluff, but...
When I was growing up Catholic in the 70s, I was very aware of all the cool, sexy Jewish guys on TV and in the movies. Had a big crush on Starsky, myself. Now, there's just waaay too much Schwimmer going on, and it bugs. I don't know if Anton Yelchin (Huff; Fierce People; House of D) is any percentage Jewish, but just in case I nominate him for Cool Jewish Actor of the Future.
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Cool, maybe. Hep, not so much.
Jon Stewart is one hep cat. Cotton don't grow no higher than that man.
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Cool?
To leave out Jon Stuart and Lewis Black is very .. uncool. You don't know what you are talking about. All of these are too young to qualify. Or maybe it's a Gen X thing.
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Louis XVI not XIV
Re Jason Schwartzman in Marie Antoinette: he played Louis XVI (16th) not XIV (14th), who was dead many years before his great grandson ascended to the throne.
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If a rabid fanbase among women is any guide ....
... then watch out for the rise of American Idol finalist Elliott Yamin. He started out shy and awkward, but his coolness points are accumulating rapidly as he comes into his own as a great singer.
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jon stewart and lewis black aren't under 40
the point of the list was to identify the next generation of promising jews who don't play to stereotype.
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4 Jewish music men
1. Jakob Dylan
2. Sean Paul -- Toaster
3. King Django -- ska master
4. Cheb i Sabbah -- Algerian-born San Francisco DJ
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What about converted Jews?
Would it count if someone converted? Also, since the list included half-Jewish gentlemen, what about Lenny Kravitz? I'm not sure how old he is so maybe he can't be on this list.
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What rock have you all been living under?
Matisyahu has redefined the cool jew paradigm - out with the guitar, in with the mike. Times are changing and cool jews know they have to adapt. The style and sound that defined the likes of David Lee Roth, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons simply wouldn't work in today's music industry. Amen!
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jewish athletes
Where is today's answer to Mark Spitz??
And back to rock stars.. I know he's kind of wimpy but isn't Adam Levine (Maroon 5) Jewish? And I'm glad someone pointed out The Beastie Boys. Marchese hasn't done his homework
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Kid Beyond!
Hunky singer / beatboxer god Kid Beyond was born Andrew Chaikin -- bar mitzvahed, circumcised, the works. Sadly, he seems to be a full-on Buddhist now... playing for another team... Sigh.
Mmm, I love me a hot Jewish man who can work that tongue.
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What about me?
I'm pretty cool.
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Chosen Few
Interesting that the world of Judaism is only represented by caucasians. There are Ethiopian Jews, Yemenite Jews, and other Jews within africa and the middle east.
Causcasian Jews define what is cool and what is not and ask all other Jews to bend to their taste. Funny, when most Jews cite Poland or other European countries as their ancestral land, which is mentioned not once in the bible, while Ethiopian Jews, which is mentioned more than any other country save Egypt and Israel proper, is asked to convert to prove their Jewishness.
Before you write an article like that, take a history course.
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A List of Wannabes
Cooler than all ten of these wastrels is Israeli actor Lior Ashkenazi (Walk on Water, Late Marriage). Handsome, masculine, smart, and he's not afraid to do full frontal nude scenes.
Now, that's cool!
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cool emanations
David Cross does a great bit on how Judaism is the only religion where you can't get out of it, no matter what you believe, if your mother was Jewish. Listen to it, and put him on all lists.
More glaring omission: Sacha Baron Cohen!!!! Ali G, Bruno, even Borat (especially in a swimsuit), this man is way cool.
What about Rick Rubin? Although he might not personally be cool (check the beard, yo), a lot of coolness has emanated from his producing fingertips. Also, his place in early hip-hop history should cement the coolness factor.
I agree that Sandler and Stiller are clowns-- $20 million per picture clowns. So that won't change.
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Not a Jew
Um ... Adrien Brody may have played a Jew on the big screen, but he's not Jewish in reali life. Sorry.