ELVIS, MARILYN MONROE, SAMMY DAVIS JR., ELIZABETH TAYLOR, MADONNA, and YOU…

What do these icons of the entertainment world all have in common with you?  Despite their stardom, they have all shared a passion for the same beliefs as you – Judaism. 
According to rabbinic law, a Jew is defined as either a person born to a Jewish mother, or one who has converted to Judaism. Elvis “Aaron” Presley was Jewish the old fashioned way – through maternal descent, while Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Sammy Davis Junior all converted to Judaism.  Although Madonna is not Jewish, she has openly admitted that she is now a devout follower of the Kabbalah.

After his mother died, Elvis personally sought to design his beloved mother’s gravesite which included a Star of David.  The decision was made by him in honor of his Jewish heritage -- something his mother was proud of and acknowledged to Elvis at a very early age.   Later in life, when Elvis discovered the teachings of Judaism through his hairdresser Larry Geller, he became familiar with the Hebrew alphabet and its symbols.  Throughout most of 1977, Elvis wore a "Chai" necklace as part of his on-stage wardrobe. When Elvis was asked why this particular piece of jewelry was so important he replied, "I don’t want to miss out on goin' to heaven on a technicality," noting that the two letters form Chai, the Hebrew word for “life.”

The prolific Jewish playwright Arthur Miller initially met Marilyn Monroe at a cocktail party in Hollywood. When they met some years later, after her divorce from Joe DiMaggio, love blossomed. But when a dinner discussion regarding marriage plans cropped up, Marilyn made an unusual request: "I think I'd like to have a rabbi." 

Marilyn converted in June of 1956, flanked by Rabbi Robert Goldberg.  She even got a musical menorah that played Hatikvah as a gift.  On June 29th, 1956 she married Arthur Miller. On July 1st, 1956 they had another, Jewish, wedding ceremony.

On the January 15, 2001 “Larry King Live” show, Elizabeth Taylor was asked: “You are Jewish, are you not?” and she replied “I am.” (She had converted when marrying singer Eddie Fisher, and she later married the Jewish producer and impresario Michael Todd.)
Elizabeth Taylor narrated portions of “Genocide,” produced by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, that went on to receive the 1981 Academy Award for best feature documentary, the first Holocaust documentary to be given this honour.  Elizabeth made it clear that this project was very special to her, since she regarded the Jewish people as her people, and wanted to identify personally with the tragedy of the Holocaust.  She was deeply moved during the recording of one of the stories. She wept and could not continue recording Leon Kahn's description of the murder of the residents of Elsiskes at the hands of their Ukrainian tormentors.”

In 1954, entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. almost died in a car accident where he lost his left eye. While in the hospital, his friend Eddie Cantor enlightened him on the similarities between the Jewish and black cultures. Davis converted to Judaism after reading Paul Johnson's “A History of the Jews” in the hospital. One paragraph about the ultimate endurance of the Jewish people intrigued him in particular: "The Jews would not die. Three centuries of prophetic teaching had given them an unwavering spirit of resignation and had created in them a will to live which no disaster could crush."

It was not long after his conversion that he refused to work on Yom Kippur. The director of the movie “Porgy and Bess” got angry and called the legendary producer Samuel Goldwyn. Goldwyn immediately called Sammy and wanted to know if it was true about his refusing to work. Sammy said that, as a Jew he could not work on the Day of Atonement. There was silence for a moment, with Goldwyn no doubt noting that stopping production would cost $30,000, a large sum then. Finally, Goldwyn (who was also Jewish) said, "Bless you." Production on the film was stopped for Yom Kippur.

Madonna has been voted one of the world's top followers of the Jewish faith - even though she was brought up as a Catholic.  Critics claim that since being introduced to the Kabbalah, Madonna has produced some of her best music ever, and experts believe that religion was her main help.

Madonna, who does not consider herself Jewish, has earned her place as one of the 50 most influential people practising some form of Judaism today."
"In a burst of creativity following the birth of her daughter, she produced what many critics believe to be her best album - 'Ray of Light' - which takes its title from the Kabbalistic theory about the origins of the world.”

The story of Pesach as recounted in the Haggadah metaphorically describes a conversion to Judaism.  The requirements of conversion are as follows:  ritual circumcision (Hatafat Dam -- drawing of blood), ritual immersion (Mikveh), and the study Torah.  In the exodus from Egypt, the sacrifice of the Pascal lamb is the symbolic drawing of blood, the crossing of the red sea is the ritual immersion and the conversion is complete with the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.  As we approach Pesach, it is important to remember not only those who have been oppressed because they were born into our faith, but also to acknowledge those who have chosen to join our faith because of our rich heritage and pride in our beliefs.
Chag Sameach,
Cantor Eric Moses