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Marilyn Monroe would be 100 today. Are we making too much of her conversion?

JL;DR SUMMARY Marilyn Monroe's conversion to Judaism for her marriage to Arthur Miller in 1956 continues to intrigue, though its significance may be overstated. 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

ReligionHollywoodStereotypesConversionElizabeth TaylorMarilyn MonroeArthur MillerCultural ImpactJewish Icons

Places mentioned

New York, United States
"In 2015, the Jewish Museum in New York offered a useful contrast."
Egypt
"Both women had their films banned in Egypt on account of their adopted faith."
Rome, Italy
"in the case of Taylor, this meant completing Cleopatra in Rome."

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Cairo Item ID 83805
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2026-06-02 05:30:52 UTC
Curated 2026-06-02 08:31:24 UTC