When you think of Jewish celebrities, there are actually a lot that instantly come to mind, like Adam Sandler, Mel Brooks, and Natalie Portman, to name a few. However, when it comes to famous Orthodox women, you might have trouble thinking of anyone. It seems that Orthodox Jewish women don’t get enough love in the media, so I wanted to make that happen.
Here’s a list of notable Orthodox women who are pursuing their passions and making a dent in the world. You may know some of these faces already:
READ: 10 Male Celebrities Who Should Be Jewish
1. Actress Natasha Lyonne.
She stars in “Orange Is the New Black,” and grew up in an Orthodox Jewish household in Great Neck, New York. Her family also lived in Israel for about a year and a half; after that, she attended the private Jewish Ramaz School in Manhattan.
2. Our very own “Big Bang Theory” star Mayim Bialik.
Of course, this one isn’t at all surprising if you’ve been reading Kveller, but it would be remiss of us not to include this superstar mom. She writes often about parenting, being vegan, and dressing modestly.
3. “Entourage” actress Emmanuelle Chriqui.
She was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family. She born in Montreal to Sephardic parents who immigrated from Morocco.
4. Jennifer Connelly.
The actress was brought up in an Orthodox family. Her mother is Jewish and her father was Irish Catholic. She jokes that she was “raised with a double dose of guilt.” She’s also the only woman on this list who has starred in a movie with David Bowie. Pretty badass.
5. Ivanka Trump.
The daughter of Donald Trump famously converted to Judaism in 2009 before marrying her husband Jared Kushner in an Orthodox ceremony.
6. Naomi Kutin, one of the strongest girls in the world.
She officially won the title when she was only 10 years old. And she’s an Orthodox Jew.
7. Celeb chef Jamie Geller.
Aline Frisch/Joy of Kosher
Geller didn’t actually grow up eating kosher, but now she’s famous for it, as she runs the kosher empire Joy of Kosher.
8. Rhodes scholar Miriam Rosenbaum.
Rosenbaum was the first Orthodox Jewish woman to win a Rhodes Scholarship. and she was only 22 years old. Way to make us feel old and unaccomplished.
9. Joanna Angel, American porn star.
She was raised Orthodox. She even told JTA her parents accept her career choices. Right on.
