New Girl is newly Jewish: Actress Zooey Deschanel converts to Judaism
Deschanel, 35, stars in the Fox sitcom “New Girl” and has appeared in numerous films, including “Mumford” and “Almost Famous.”
By JTAUpdated: NOVEMBER 9, 2015 23:14Actress Zooey Deschanel(photo credit: REUTERS)
Actress Zooey Deschanel has converted to Judaism.Deschanel, the daughter of a Quaker and Roman Catholic, converted shortly before marrying producer Jacob Pechenik, Us Weekly reported Monday. The article did not say what denomination of rabbi supervised her conversion.The two married in June, a month before the birth of their daughter, Elsie.“Zooey converted to Judaism for Jacob,” an unidentified “insider” told the celebrity magazine.Deschanel, 35, stars in the Fox sitcom “New Girl” and has appeared in numerous films, including “Mumford” and “Almost Famous.”Zooey is not the only celebrity taking a leap of faith and joining the tribe.Former porn star Jenna Jameson will be the subject of a reality show documenting her conversion to Judaism and her upcoming marriage in Israel.Jameson, 41, retired from pornography in 2008 after winning over 35 adult film awards in a 15-year career. She announced in June that she was converting to Judaism to marry Bitton. Since then, she has repeatedly shown support for Israel and showcased her kosher cooking on social media.Bitton, 41, told Walla News in an interview that it wasn’t easy telling his family that he was marrying the former “queen of porn.”“Look, I didn’t come to my mom and say, ‘I’m dating the biggest porn star in the world.’ I mean, there are porn stars, and then there’s Jenna Jameson,” Bitton said. “At the start, I didn’t tell her who she was. It was a slow process. I let her know in bits and pieces until eventually she was able to accept it. And then it was fine.”
The show will be modeled on reality shows such as “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and will focus on Bitton and Jameson’s private life in the lead-up to their marriage.