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As we mourn Alex Trebek, we honor the Jewish history of ‘Jeopardy’

JL;DR SUMMARY As the world mourns the loss of Alex Trebek, the beloved host of Jeopardy!, this reflection by Benjamin Ivry honors the show's deep connections with Jewish culture and its significant representation of Yiddishkeit over the years. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HolidaysJewish CultureJewish RepresentationYiddishkeitJeopardyAlex TrebekTriviaTelevision HistoryJewish ContestantsArt Fleming

Places mentioned

Teaneck, New Jersey, United States
"The Jeopardy! aspirant Rabbi Joyce Newmark from Teaneck, New Jersey, explained that her usual response to questions about whether it was difficult to be a female rabbi was to say she didnt know, as she has never been any other kind."
Brooklyn, New York, United States
"Brooklyns Kingsway Jewish Center is where this future politician & Vermonter was Bar Mitzvahed in 1954"
Chappaqua, New York, United States
"In a 2016 blog, Rabbi Geoffrey Mitelman recounts how he aced his audition for the show with an anecdote about how he had marched in a Memorial Day parade in Chappaqua, New York, alongside Bill Clinton."

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Retrieved 2025-03-18 05:31:16 UTC
Curated 2025-03-18 08:31:10 UTC