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Cool and Dashing, Paul Newman Was a New Kind of Jewish Star

JL;DR SUMMARY Paul Newman's legacy as a modern Jewish superstar resonated deeply with many, including theater critic Misha Berson, who reflects on Newman's blend of American male Jewishness and anti-hero charisma. 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 IdentityZionismHollywoodSocial JusticePost War AmericaCelebrity ImpactFilm And TelevisionPaul NewmanNewman's Own

Places mentioned

Cleveland, Ohio, United States
"His father, a Cleveland storeowner, was a Jew; his mother, a Catholic."
Alabama, United States
"such as civil rights (Newman marched with Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in Alabama) and the movement against the Vietnam War"
Chicago, Illinois, United States
"and the movement against the Vietnam War (he was a delegate for anti-war candidate Eugene McCarthy at the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention)."
Israel
"No wonder seeing Newman play Ari in Exodus felt liberating. Here was a strong, dashing Jewish hero, a modern Technicolor Moses, defying authority with cool aplomb to save his people."

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Cairo Item ID 61725
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2025-09-17 05:31:00 UTC
Curated 2025-09-17 08:34:05 UTC