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‘No matter what, I will always be a Jew.’ Billy Joel opens up about his family’s Holocaust history

JL;DR SUMMARY Billy Joel, in HBO's documentary 'And So It Goes,' delves into his family's Holocaust history, revealing how it shaped his identity and influenced his public stand against antisemitism. 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

HolocaustTrumpJewish IdentityViennaTraumaFamily HistoryUnite The Right RallyHbo DocumentaryBilly Joel

Places mentioned

New York City, New York, United States
"Billy Joel wears a jacket with the Star of David during the encore of his 43rd sold out show at Madison Square Garden on August 21, 2017 in New York City."
Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany
"His father, Helmut (who went by Howard in America), came from a wealthy family that owned a textile factory in Nuremberg."
Luitpoldhain, Bavaria, Germany
"His family home was next to the Luitpoldhain, the park where the Nazis staged their party rallies."
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
"I was angry, Joel, who wore the star on his jacket in the aftermath of the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville."
Vienna, Austria
"As Joel was about to leave he got a telegram saying we found your father he was in Vienna."

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Retrieved 2025-07-17 05:30:46 UTC
Curated 2025-07-17 08:31:20 UTC