Breaking news: Alana Haim was photographed at the “Hacks” season three premiere party wearing not one but two Star of David necklaces.
It’s no secret that Alana, actress and one-third of the group Haim, is proudly Jewish. She and her sisters/bandmates Danielle and Este bring it up often in interviews, and Alana’s podcast with her friend Sasha Spielberg is peppered with Yiddishisms and awkward Jewish coming-of-age stories. The photo on Haim’s third album cover was taken at LA’s iconic Jewish deli Canter’s, which is where they played their first gig (for which they were paid in matzah ball soup). They sold merch to raise funds for Tree of Life synagogue in the wake of the 2018 shooting there. Their dad was a professional soccer player in Israel.
I think that’s why fans were caught off guard when, after October 7, the band went radio silent. Their last post on social media was from Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer at the beginning of October. That post — along with the last posts on the individual accounts of Alana and Este — was soon filled with comments from fans urging them to make a statement.
But they said nothing about October 7, nothing about lives lost in Israel and Gaza. They haven’t signed any statements on either side of this tragic war. This isn’t a criticism from me, but I find myself so curious about how they’re feeling right now.
Their silence was so interesting to me that I started deliberately checking in on their social media every month or so. The angry comments on their early October Instagram posts kept growing, and then suddenly, their Instagrams were archived — which apparently they do every time they’re working on a new album. The official Haim account’s bio just says “writing… writing… writing.” According to the Haim fan world (a place I just discovered while writing this) a new album announcement is imminent.
The few times we’ve seen the Haim sisters in the last few months have often been when they’re with their friend Taylor Swift. Alana cheering for the Chiefs from a box seat, Este and Alana at Taylor’s birthday party, all three of them out to dinner with her in New York.
It’s their proximity to Taylor that has me wondering if they’ve picked up a few tricks from her — namely, Easter eggs. To the delight of Swifties everywhere, Taylor Swift crams as many clues as possible into music videos, social posts and her outfits. (When Swift’s latest album came out, fans realized that the style names of some of the clothing she had been photographed wearing matched song titles on the album.)
So when I saw Alana Haim wearing, again, not one but two Jewish stars recently, my Spidey senses were raised. I did what any pseudo-journalist working in Jewish media would do and performed a thorough audit of Haim’s jewelry through the years. Alana wore a Star of David necklace to the Emmys after party this year, and last fall to a Chiefs game with Taylor Swift and to Taylor Swift’s birthday party. Este wore hers to Taylor Swift’s birthday party in December and to Sundance in January. After spending an honestly impressive amount of time looking at the Haim sisters’ necks, I feel confident in saying that this particular accessory is a new addition to their wardrobe.
Applying Swiftian logic to this fashion choice, I’ve concluded that there is something Jewish about their next album. Or perhaps, like many of us, they are turning towards Jewish jewelry to make a subtle statement about their identity and what it means to them.
If I’m wrong, well, worst case scenario we have new Haim music that’s not Jewish. If I’m right, you heard it here first.
