At this point in time, Jerry Seinfeld will undoubtedly go down as one of the most influential comedians in U.S. history. Seinfeld is easily considered to be one of the best sitcoms from the 90s, and to this day, it is still a source of complete geniality in the comedy world.
Naturally, even after Seinfeld aired its final episode in 1998, fans continued to closely follow Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, who ingeniously incorporated various real-life elements into the series, including Seinfeld’s own name and religion. If you’re an avid Seinfeld fan, you probably know more about the actor and writer than many of us, however, for those just jumping on the Jerry Seinfeld bandwagon, his religion might still be a mystery to you.
What is Jerry Seinfeld’s religion?
Much like his character on Seinfeld, Jerry is indeed Jewish. The actor has long advocated for his Jewish roots, incorporating religious elements and references into most of his work — on and off stage. He was born in Brooklyn, New York City, to two Jewish parents. His father was a sign painter known for collecting jokes he heard while serving in World War II, and his mother and grandparents were Mizrahi Jews from Aleppo, Syria.
Essentially, Seinfeld comes from a long lineage of Jewish people, which keeps him closely connected to the religion as a semi-practitioner. At 16 years old, Seinfeld even volunteered in Kibbutz Sa’ar in Israel, and in an Instagram post following the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, Seinfeld shared his own experiences in the country, advocating for Israel — which did not bode well with most fans, understandably so.
“I lived and worked on a kibbutz in Israel when I was 16 and I have loved our Jewish homeland ever since. My heart is breaking from these attacks and atrocities. But we are also a very strong people in our hearts and minds. We believe in justice, freedom and equality. We survive and flourish no matter what. I will always stand with Israel and the Jewish people.”
What’s more, Seinfeld has also commented on his religious spectrum while on the WTF With Marc Maro podcast, and while he considers himself Jewish, he finds himself not particularly religious. “I’m Jewish and we celebrate some of the big ones, you know,” he said. Moreover, the comedian also admitted to attempting to do a few courses in the church of Scientology, allured by its “emphasis on ethical behavior.”
“I did do a course in Scientology in like ’75. I found it very interesting, but never pursued it.”
In the end, Seinfeld remains deeply connected to his Jewish roots, although he admits to not being particularly religious. Unfortunately, many fans were ultimately disappointed by the actor’s open advocacy for Israel, especially considering the country’s long-standing one-sided conflict with Palestine since 1948. Nevertheless, we can always fondly remember the fictional characters from Seinfeld — as they say, respect the art, not the artist.