By Drew Isserlis Kramer
Jewish celebrities, they’re just like us.
When Jewish tweens turn 12 or 13 years old, they mark the transition to adulthood with a b’nai mitzvah celebration. For some, charisma at synagogue sets the stage for star quality on screen and stage. When Jews achieve acclaim and fame, they sometimes show off Jewish pride and teenage awkwardness with a throwback post to an early performance that left the critics kvelling. And when they do, those pictures find themselves in a round-up of the best in taffeta and feathered hair. Below are our favorite before-they-were-stars b’nai mitzvahs.
Before the Zoe Report
In a world before reality television, celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe was just Rachel Rosenzweig from Millburn, New Jersey. Even as a 1980s b’nai mitzvah scholar, young Rachel demonstrated her chops for serving red-carpet fashion moments. With her son Sky’s 13th birthday a month away, she took to Instagram in 2024 to lament her “bad bob, over peroxided “sun-ind” hair in an attempt to be blonde.” While she claims she “may delete later,” her three outfit changes are preserved here for all eternity. We can only hope she shares a head-to-toe lame’ lewk when her son is called to the Torah.
A Middle School Love Triangle Before Nick Kroll hit Comedy Central, he turned on the charm on the dance floor at his bar mitzvah in Westchester, NY. Sharing proof that he got girls in middle school, in a 2021 Instagram post, Kroll threw it back to that moment when he cozied up to his then crush Dana. Kroll calls out his camp friend Danny, the inspiration for Seth Rogan’s character on Big Mouth, for throwing shade in the background. Looks like the little guy got the girl this time.
Chelsea Keeps it RealComedian Chelsea Handler warns never to say she’s “not a real Jew” in her 2014 IG post throwing back to her 1980s bat mitzvah. Standing with the Torah, no one can deny that she and her mall hair rose to the occasion. Surf the comments to see who the haters think played the part of the Rabbi photoed with her. John Cusak or Cantor Manevitch from Washington Hebrew Congregation in DC? The world may never know.
Schumer Dances With Herself
In February 2024, Amy Schumer posted a throwback bat mitzvah photo. The image, aptly captioned “dancing alone at my bat mitzvah,” was met with backlash in the comments for her decision to support Israel after the Hamas terror attacks on October 7, 2023. Whether or not her intention was to express her sense that she’s alone in her stance with Israel, Amy Schumer’s bat mitzvah throwback is a statement of her Jewish identity and that she is unafraid to be an independent woman who speaks her mind.
Alex Edelman Wraps Tefillin
A rising comedic star, Alex Edelman posted this gem on the 13th anniversary of his bar mitzvah. In 2014, he likely never expected it to resurface, but with three tours a Broadway premiere in 2023, he’s hit his listicle era. Born and raised in a Boston Modern Orthodox community, Alex Edelman’s Millennial Jewish schtick gives him international acclaim and nachas from the Tribe.
Bravo, Andy Cohen
Before he was TV’s funniest celebrity producer, Andy Cohen wore transition lenses to shul. Throwing it back to his bar mitzvah in a 2017 post, Cohen keeps his eye on the prize in a studious, scholarly pose. Famous for sprinkling Jewish Joy into his Watch What Happens Live talk show, his Mazel of the Day sends positive vibes into the world.
Seth Rogan is one of us
Actor Seth Rogan posted his bar mitzvah throwback to be in solidarity with fellow actor James Franco before he was called to the Torah as an adult. Although Rogan was raised very secular, he rediscovered his Jewish identity later in life. Rogan’s recent work explores his heritage, such as the HBO comedy An American Pickle, which tells the story of a Yiddish-speaking immigrant who falls into a pickle jar in 1919 and brines for a century until he wakes up in 2018 New York.
If Este Haim had it to do over again…The Haim sisters built their brand on their Jewish identity. From their name, Haim, which means life, to their storied debut in Cantor’s Deli (paid for with Matzo Ball Soup), the sisters regularly post content that celebrates Jewish life. In a 2020 GQ article, the girls shared their bat mitzvah stories, ranging from a mardi gras theme to a no party at all. Oldest sister Este confessed her 1999 bat mitzvah theme was roller skating because of Sugar Ray’s music video for the band’s song “Every Morning.” However, due to green screen magic, the girls shared that Este would have gone full Blumarine if she could do it all over again. In the Instagram reel, the sisters rocked the brand’s fur trimmed and rosette dotted aesthetic, which was the quintessential bat mitzvah look for the Y2K generation.
