is David Letterman Jewish?

[mitchco]

some people believe Dave letterman is Jewish , and he pretends to be a regular middle American guy , because he is ashamed of his heritage. Is it true ? Letterman could be a Jewish name , but maybe not.

[don't ask]

His mother Dorothy is or was a Presbyterian church secretary, so I doubt it.

[don't ask]

Oh and he had his heart surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

[Marley23]

On the other hand, it appears that Paul Shaffer is Jewish.

[Walloon]

and he pretends to be a regular middle American guy , because he is ashamed of his heritageHmm. So you're saying that a Jew cannot be a "regular middle American" (whatever that is).

[roger thornhill]

On the other hand, it appears that Paul Shaffer is Jewish.Well he's got a shiny helmet.

[roger thornhill]

Hmm. So you're saying that a Jew cannot be a "regular middle American" (whatever that is).If you're saying that you doubt such exists, aren't you saying that too?

[Broomstick]

some people believe Dave letterman is Jewish , and he pretends to be a regular middle American guy , because he is ashamed of his heritage.
I am hoping you didn't quite mean that as it sounds... I was unaware that being Jewish makes it impossible to be a "regular American guy". Jews seem pretty integrated into the larger society to me...

His mother Dorothy is or was a Presbyterian church secretary, so I doubt it.
Nor does it entirely eliminate the possibility. Granted, if his father was Jewish and his mother not, the Jews wouldn't consider him Jewish, but the gentiles would and I'm sure this is how the confusion arises in at least some cases. There's also conversion later in life and a few other possibilities... but yeah, usually having a Presbyterian mother sort of eliminates the "Jew" label.

I think there are some folks convinced that every succesful entertainer is Jewish, whether there's evidence for or against that or not.

[Walloon]

Ancestry of David Letterman (http://www.wargs.com/other/letterman.html).

[don't ask]

Ancestry of David Letterman (http://www.wargs.com/other/letterman.html).

Nope - I get nothing.

[mitchco]

no , I'm just saying that Dave never mentions his religion or ancestery, he may be "passing " for Jewish , which used to mean a person that was hiding his true heritage , as to try and fit in to American society , because of fear of anti semitism.

[Alessan]

Right. Because there's a real "glass ceiling" for Jews in American comedy.

[Walloon]

Wouldn't that make him passing for gentile?

[Ike Witt]

Oh and he had his heart surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Does this really have anything to do with the question? If the best doctor is at a Catholic or a Presbyterian hospital, I have no problem going there over a Jewish hospital.

[Ichbin Dubist]

Not everyone whose name ends in -man, -berg, or -stein is Jewish. For example, baseball players David Eckstein, Morgan Ensberg, Lance Berkman, David Cone, and Walt Weiss are often thought to be Jewish but they aren't. But Shawn Green, Brad Ausmus, and Jason Marquis are Jewish.

Also, in my experience, Jewish people from the Midwest tend to look and sound like everyone else from the Midwest, and not like 80-year-old men named Ira raised in Brooklyn but born in Galicia speaking Yiddish.

[Walloon]

The Keller, Shore, and Schwartz I knew in Milwaukee were all Catholics.

[Kimstu]

I was unaware that being Jewish makes it impossible to be a "regular American guy".

Well, being Jewish is certainly not typical or the norm for American guys, given that Jews constitute only about 2% of the US population. But of course Jews can be "regular American guys" if by "regular" you mean "culturally integrated with other Americans" or "similar in many respects to the American mainstream" or whatever.

[Sattua]

Funny, he doesn't look Jewish.

[kunilou]

And Paul Shaffer can't be a regular Middle American guy because he's. . . Canadian!!!!!

[Wendell Wagner]

I found the following webpage by Googling on "David Letterman" and "Jewish":

http://experts.about.com/q/David-Letterman-1189/David-Letterman-1.htm

[sciurophobic]

And Paul Shaffer can't be a regular Middle American guy because he's. . . Canadian!!!!!

Shaffer is a bald Canadian Jew, just like William Shatner.

[pkbites]

JEWHOO (http://www.jewhoo.com/) used to be a great place to look people up, but they had some devastating problems with their server. The temp page is not even a shadow of it's former self.

[Carnac the Magnificent!]

Shaffer is a bald Canadian Jew, just like William Shatner.


add short, rich and given to really bad acting. That said, Shaffer doesn't carry a Type II phaser.

[Marley23]

Not everyone whose name ends in -man, -berg, or -stein is Jewish.
Especially if they're from the Midwest, like Letterman is.
I found the following webpage by Googling on "David Letterman" and "Jewish":

http://experts.about.com/q/David-Letterman-1189/David-Letterman-1.htm
Anybody else very amused by the ads for "straight teeth in six months" from Invisalign Braces on that page?

[astro]

Right. Because there's a real "glass ceiling" for Jews in American comedy.

Best snappy response of the week!

[Rucksinator]

Is there any reason to assume that he is Jewish, other than the fact that his name ends in "-man"?

[E. Thorp]

Is there any reason to assume that he is Jewish, other than the fact that his name ends in "-man"?He's named after King David.

[Beware of Doug]

10. He's in the media, for God's sake. (Please note the comma.)
9. He was named David.
8. His father was named Harry.
7. He's irreverent.
6. He's rich as hell.
5. He has a history of chomping large obnoxious cigars.
4. He has been known to display signs of self-hatred and neurosis.
3. He worked as a TV gag writer.
2. His show has originated from New York for 25 years.

And the Number One Jewish Thing About Dave...

1. Those glasses. Especially with that haircut.

[psychonaut]

I am hoping you didn't quite mean that as it sounds... I was unaware that being Jewish makes it impossible to be a "regular American guy". Jews seem pretty integrated into the larger society to me...I take it you haven't seen many Hasidim about. ;j

Now, if Letterman is really a Hasidic Jew "passing" as a "regular American guy", he's doing an awfully good job of it. :D

[Seven]

Would a Jew hand out canned hams?

Just asking.

[Broomstick]

I take it you haven't seen many Hasidim about. ;j
Hasidim are not the majority of Jews, at least not the majority of them in the Midwest where I have lived all my life. With the exception of those who make a point of setting themselves apart, Jews are pretty indistinguishable from the general population in the Midwest. They tend to have the same accents, the same clothes, and in general they blend in to the point Christians sometimes forget they exist.

[nd_n8]

Would a Jew hand out canned hams?

Just asking.
Sure, the irony would be hillarious even if it would be an inside joke.

[John Mace]

Wouldn't he be in the Hanukka song if he was Jewish?

Dave Letterman is half Jewish and so is Candice Bergen

(I just make that up, and I have no idea why Candice Bergen popped into my head.)

[Shagnasty]

Letterman's long-time producer was Robert Morton (Morty). Morty's sister has worked for my wife for a long-time and I know her as well. She and Morty are Jewish. More importantly, she knows Letterman and that is something she would know about. Unfortunately, she isn't at work today and won't be back until Monday. I will ask her then.

[Crandolph]

This reminds me of teaching English in Qatar, when students asked me if Abraham Lincoln was Jewish because his name was Abraham & he had a beard. Or if another teacher was Jewish because his name was Dave and "he has face like a thief." :eek: :smack:

People were very disappointed to learn that The Three Stooges were Jews, what with them being big comedy hits and such.

I think Letterman would've made a thousand jokes about his Jewishness by now if that were true.

[Love Rhombus]

Not everyone whose name ends in -man, -berg, or -stein is Jewish. For example, baseball players David Eckstein, Morgan Ensberg, Lance Berkman, David Cone, and Walt Weiss are often thought to be Jewish but they aren't. But Shawn Green, Brad Ausmus, and Jason Marquis are Jewish.


Does this mean Morgan Freeman is not a Jew?

[Shagnasty]

This cite says that he was raised in a "devout Presbyterian" home but has little religion today. (http://www.adherents.com/people/pl/David_Letterman.html)

[thenightscribe]

My maiden name is Letterman. My family tree has been followed back to the 1690s. We are not Jewish, nor have ever been (not that I'd have a problem with that). We are of Catholic and Lutheran faiths. I am Catholic. Just setting the record straight.

[beowulff]

The first wise-ass response I thought of. (http://www.thejudeosphere.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/dradle-small.jpg)

[Little Nemo]

Does this mean Morgan Freeman is not a Jew?Pretty sure Adolf Eichmann wasn't Jewish either.

But that's not important. I want to know why Morty's sister hasn't come back to work yet.

[joebuck20]

The Keller, Shore, and Schwartz I knew in Milwaukee were all Catholics.

I once knew a guy named Weinstein who was Baptist.

[Acsenray]

I know a family of Goldbergs who are Catholic.

[Mahaloth]

Zombies can be Jewish, too. Are brains kosher?

[SpoilerVirgin]

I had assumed that this zombie was raised because of the recent death threat (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jZD6RZOtORLY0fP9s8Q6vZXsOv1A?docId=b315fa939e2f4681b5f642d356af5f62) to David Letterman that referred to him as Jewish. Maybe thenightscribe felt the need to come in and set the record straight after reading that story.

[Leo Bloom]

I've seen an iceberg that was Jewish (there's some stupid joke with that).
Whoopee Goldberg changed her name when she moved to Hollywood for professional reasons.

[C. Montgomery Burns]

Just for the record, Jack Benny is a great example of a Jewish comedian whose image was pretty much "middle American everyman". If it's necessary to look for one.

[mac_bolan00]

can anyone explain this:

during one show, in a section called "know your types of meat," one girl in the audience won a box of selected meat cuts (each piece wrapped in plastic.) but as the show went on and some people were getting recognized for whatever, david kept going back to the girl with the meat, fishing out a piece, and giving it to whoever.

if i was the girl on the second time he reached in, i would have pinned his hand on the box with a switchblade.

[Crazyhorse]

can anyone explain this:

during one show, in a section called "know your types of meat," one girl in the audience won a box of selected meat cuts (each piece wrapped in plastic.) but as the show went on and some people were getting recognized for whatever, david kept going back to the girl with the meat, fishing out a piece, and giving it to whoever.

if i was the girl on the second time he reached in, i would have pinned his hand on the box with a switchblade.

Nope I can't explain why you would have done this.

[mac_bolan00]

proprietary reasons?

[Leo Bloom]

add short, rich and given to really bad acting. That said, Shaffer doesn't carry a Type II phaser.
Type II is recessive.

[LurkerInNJ]

He's not Jewish.

[jabiru]

He might be Jewish now. Five years is long enough to convert, isn't it?

[Leo Bloom]

Zombies can be Jewish, too. Are brains kosher?
Yes they are as a matter of fact, if they come from a kosher animal.

This was question was asked in the GQ thread

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-147388.html

where it was answered incorrectly. (Chronos, how could you!?)

[Cartooniverse]

I've seen an iceberg that was Jewish (there's some stupid joke with that).
Whoopee Goldberg changed her name when she moved to Hollywood for professional reasons.

Smart woman. Who in their right mind would hire an actress named, say, Imogene Goldberg?

[Acsenray]

Smart woman. Who in their right mind would hire an actress named, say, Imogene Goldberg?

According to Wikipedia, Caryn Johnson changed her name to Whoopi Goldberg precisely because of the perception that Jews have an advantage in show business.

[mac_bolan00]

^
really? does this mean that in hollywood names like o'neil, kelly, moore, o'connor, tracy, reagan, etc., are now passe?

[Acsenray]

It was her perception. I don't know about anyone else's perception.

[svd678]

I knew the minister who confirmed Letterman in the Reformed Church. (now U.C.C.)

[handsomeharry]

I've seen an iceberg that was Jewish (there's some stupid joke with that).


Thank you for ruining my no-longer-upcoming post, Leo Bloom!

Or, should I say
'Thank you for ruining my no-longer-upcoming post, Levi Meyer Blumenthal, as these papers that I'm holding in my hand prove!'

hh

[Leo Bloom]

Thank you for ruining my no-longer-upcoming post, Leo Bloom!

Or, should I say
'Thank you for ruining my no-longer-upcoming post, Levi Meyer Blumenthal, as these papers that I'm holding in my hand prove!'

hh
:D

[Colophon]

As this is a zombie thread long past its Stumble-Haphazardly-In-Search-Of-Brains-By date, could someone explain to a Brit what the big deal is about being Jewish in America?

I notice that if you type in the name of just about any big TV or movie star into Google, one of the first things on the autocomplete list, just under "gay", is "jewish", so I assume lots of people are typing in "is so-and-so jewish?" Why?

[Leo Bloom]

As this is a zombie thread long past its Stumble-Haphazardly-In-Search-Of-Brains-By date, could someone explain to a Brit what the big deal is about being Jewish in America?

I notice that if you type in the name of just about any big TV or movie star into Google, one of the first things on the autocomplete list, just under "gay", is "jewish", so I assume lots of people are typing in "is so-and-so jewish?" Why?Why do you ask?;)

[DSeid]

As this is a zombie thread long past its Stumble-Haphazardly-In-Search-Of-Brains-By date, could someone explain to a Brit what the big deal is about being Jewish in America?

I notice that if you type in the name of just about any big TV or movie star into Google, one of the first things on the autocomplete list, just under "gay", is "jewish", so I assume lots of people are typing in "is so-and-so jewish?" Why?
When I read your question I immediately thought of this recent op-ed (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/opinion/sunday/cohen-jews-in-a-whisper.html). I am not sure if it informs.IN his novel “Deception,” Philip Roth has the American protagonist say to his British mistress: “In England, whenever I’m in a public place, a restaurant, a party, the theater, and someone happens to mention the word ‘Jew,’ I notice that the voice always drops just a little.”

She challenges him on this observation, prompting the American, a middle-aged writer, to say, yes, that’s how “you all say ‘Jew.’ Jews included.”

This prompted a memory: sitting with my mother in an Italian restaurant in the upscale London neighborhood of St. John’s Wood circa 1970 and asking her, after she had pointed to a family in the opposite corner and said they were Jewish, why her voice dropped to a whisper when she said the J word.

“I’m not whispering,” Mom said and went on cutting up her spaghetti so it would fit snugly on a fork.

But she was — in that subliminal, awkward, half-apologetic way of many English Jews. ...

... When Roth’s hero returns to New York, he finds he’s been missing something. His lover, now distant, asks what.

“Jews.”

“We’ve got some of them in England, you know.”

“Jews with force, I’m talking about. Jews with appetite. Jews without shame.”
In any case, Americans tend to be a nations of hyphens and we are often curious about who is part of what hyphen, especially when it may be surprising. I think that most ethnic groups are interested in knowing how members of their group are doing, and want to do their own version of kvelling or shaking our heads. With an Indian or a Chinese American celebrity one less often has to ask. Winehouse was Jewish? Shatner? And so on. Letterman though ... no.