I scrolled way back on her mom’s Instagram so you don’t have to.
Rachel! I’ve just met a girl named Rachel! And suddenly the name will never be the same to me…
Ever since her star turn as Maria in the 2021 Steven Spielberg adaption of “West Side Story,” actress Rachel Zegler has been everywhere. She entered the Hunger Games universe in 2023’s “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” playing Lucy Gray Baird. She’s slated to make her Broadway debut in an adaption of “Romeo & Juliet” in 2024. And in 2025 she’ll be starring as Snow White in an updated, live-action version of the Disney animated movie.
For the Jewish community at least, this all begs the question: Is Rachel Zegler Jewish? There are a few signs which point to maybe. Her name is Rachel, after all, which is also the name of one of the biblical Jewish matriarchs. And, the surname Zegler sounds like it could have Ashkenazi Jewish origins.
So, let’s investigate.
As I laid out previously in the article “Is Jeremy Allen White From ‘The Bear’ Jewish? An Investigation,” here’s what we’re looking for in terms of Jewishness. In order to determine if Rachel Zegler is Jewish, we’re looking to check at least one of two boxes. Does Rachel Zegler identify as culturally or religiously Jewish? And/or, does Rachel Zegler have Jewish ancestry? If the answer to either of those questions is a resounding yes, she’s a member of the tribe!
Let’s start with question number one: Does Rachel Zegler identify as culturally or religiously Jewish? In Rachel Zegler’s case, this question is fairly easy to answer. Through a quick search of Rachel’s Twitter profile, a couple tweets surface in which she references attending an all-girls’ Catholic high school (she graduated from Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi, New Jersey in 2019) and identifying as a Christian. So we can definitively put a big ol’ red X in the first column. Rachel Zegler does not culturally or religiously identify as Jewish.
Let’s move on to the second question. Does Rachel Zegler have Jewish ancestry? In 2021, Zegler told TIME magazine that her abuelita (her mom’s mom) emigrated to the United States from Colombia. Of course, being Latina doesn’t preclude a person from also being Jewish — as Hey Alma contributors Arielle Egozi and Tori Avila will happily remind you. However, some Instagram posts from Rachel’s mom Gina displaying a collection of no less than 26 Santa figurines and saying “They must be filled with the Holy Spirit” about Rachel’s confirmation class make it less likely that Rachel has Jewish ancestry on her mother’s side.
Rachel’s dad’s side is where things get a little more murky. In the same TIME interview, Rachel identified herself as a “white Latina,” meaning that she has both Colombian and European heritage. According to an article from classicfm.com, Rachel’s dad has a Polish background. (Though I’m not seeing this information confirmed anywhere else.) At the same time, the last name “Zegler” has German origins. While both Poland and Germany are important sites of the Ashkenazi Jewish diaspora, I wasn’t able to find anything specific to point to any Ashkenazi heritage in Rachel’s family.
So, ultimately…
News
“YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT HE SAID LAST…” The final words of the gunm@n behind one of the most horrifying family massacres are being revisited — and investigators say the scene inside the home was frozen in time 👀 👇 A half-eaten meal and 6 untouched chairs were reportedly still sitting around the table when officers walked in
HORROR CRIME Chilling final words of crazed gunman who shot dead six members of same family in brutal rampage A GUNMAN screamed chilling words about death and money moments before slaughtering six of his own relatives in a horrific rampage,…
“HE WAS JUST 200 FEET FROM HOME.” 😳 What started as a late-night meetup in Massapequa turned into every parent’s nightmare within minutes 💔 👇 When police arrived, a glowing phone and a single unanswered call were reportedly still visible beside the curb
DATE NIGHT HORROR Son, 28, dies in dad’s arms after being ‘stabbed to death in his own bed by his late-night hook-up, 22’ A MAN bled to death in his father’s arms in the middle of the night after he…
“THEY CAME UP THROUGH THE MANHOLES.” 😳🕳️ At least 3 bizarre sewer incidents have now been reported across New York since May 5 — with mysterious men reportedly emerging from underground tunnels in Brooklyn and Queens 👀 But it’s what officials say is hiding beneath the city’s “extremely dangerous” sewer system that has people seriously unsettled… 👇
After mystery men emerge from NYC manholes, officials warn of ‘extremely dangerous’ sewers Since May 5, at least three of the unexplained sewer incidents have been recorded in Brooklyn and Queens. Mystery men who are “up to no good” have…
WE NEVER FOUND THE SECOND ONE: Matt Brown’s family confirmed that one familiar personal item was recovered after the incident. But the other item in the same pair seems to have vanished without a trace
The mysteries surrounding Matt Brown’s final days continue to multiply in heartbreaking and inexplicable ways. As the Brown family sifts through the personal effects recovered from the Okanogan River after the 43-year-old Alaskan Bush People star’s apparent suicide in late…
I WISH I HAD NEVER OPENED IT: Bear Brown just revealed that what devastated him most after Matt Brown’s death wasn’t a photo or a text message. It was something found in the smallest compartment of his old backpack. 😭
In the latest gut-wrenching revelation to emerge from the Brown family’s private examination of Matt Brown’s belongings, Bear Brown has confessed that one small item has haunted him more than any other discovery since his brother’s tragic death. While the…
NOAH BROWN: “I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG THEN” While checking Matt Brown’s belongings, Noah said he found the watch Matt always wore. But the hands had stopped at a moment that sent chills down the family’s spine. 😭
NOAH BROWN: “I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG THEN.” While checking Matt Brown’s belongings, Noah said he found the watch Matt always wore. But the hands had stopped at a moment that sent chills down the family’s spine. 😭 In the…
End of content
No more pages to load
