1. Aly Raisman Breaks Out Her Dancing Shoes
Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman is joining the cast of Dancing with the Stars. Raisman, who is Jewish, will team up with two-time winner Mark Ballas to compete for the mirror ball trophy. The two have already become fast friends as Raisman is posting pics of the soon-to-be dancing duo hanging out together!
The dance-show competition should come naturally for Raisman who won two gold medals and a bronze medal for the U.S. Women’s Olympics at the 2012 London Games. The star athlete famously performed her gold medal-winning floor exercise to the traditional Jewish wedding song, “Hava Nagila.”
Raisman also recently announced she would soon begin training for the 2016 Olympics in RioDe Janeiro, Brazil.
First Adam Brody was spotted canoodling with new girlfriend Leighton Meester. Now the Jewish hottie is said to be preparing for a steamy makeout scene with Kristin Bell!
The former star of Scream 4 and The O.C. is set to join the cast of House of Lies for three episodes. During his stint on the show, Brody will play the owner of an adult toy company – and the newest client for Marty (Don Cheadle). He also forms a special relationship with Jeannie (Kristen Bell’s character).
Whether in real life, or just on the screen, Brody is certainly having a lot of luck with the ladies (but it’s easy to see why)!
3. Spielberg Shares Holocaust History with Young Students
When Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1994, the Jewish director used his award speech to passionately implore we never forget the Holocaust and to “please teach this in your schools.” Nearly twenty years later, he’s getting what he asked for.
The USC Shoah Foundation, which Spielberg started after making the Holocaust drama, kicked off the IWitness Video Challenge at the Chandler School in Pasadena last week. The challenge asks students around the world to learn about the Holocaust and to then use clips of survivor testimonies in their own projects about the Holocaust.
“It was my goal when I established the Shoah Foundation that future generations would learn from the incredible life stories preserved in the Visual History Archive,” said Spielberg in a press release. “I’ve seen how students connect with survivors through watching their testimony, and the impact it has on them. They experience a kind of learning that is profound and personal. And they take that with them into their lives.”