Elvis Presley would have turned 75 today, and people are still asking if he was Jewish. Well, perhaps he was, at least according to Jewish law, if not in his own mind.
According to some Elvis historians, his mother’s maternal grandmother was Jewish – a woman named Nancy (others say, Martha) Tackett. Of course, Elvis never thought of himself as Jewish. At least there is no evidence that he did.
So can someone be Jewish even if they don’t think of themselves as such?
From the standpoint of halakha (Jewish law) the answer is by all means. In fact, according to the Talmud, one remains Jewish even if they choose to convert to another tradition. Jewishness is a forever kind of thing.
Of course the implications of that law are potentially two-fold: on the one hand, nothing a person does can dissolve there connection to the Jewish people. Once you are in, you are in forever. On the other hand, it suggests that Jewishness can operate independently of any ideology or practice, in which case one might be considered a member of the Jewish people even if they don’t meet the test according to how some Jews interpret Jewish law.
Elvis’ Jewishness, like his music, represents a fluid blending of cultures and communities. I can’t help but wonder how good it might be for Jews and Judaism if we were as good at applying that process to faith and community as Elvis was to music…
Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of 
posted January 9, 2010 at 10:51 am
I have seen reports in the past that report that, as a teen, before his career took off, Elvis served as a “Shabbos Goy” for his neighbor, though I have never taken the time to research if this is a fact or some kind of Jewish urban myth. Does anyone know, for sure?
posted January 9, 2010 at 11:19 am
Elvis was a Southern Baptist just like his mom. He sang lots of gospel music,tht is all I got to say about this. He is singing for God and Jesus as I type. P.S. Happy Birthday in Heaven Elvis, sing and dance for ever.
posted January 9, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Elvis was Pentecostal and attended an Assembly of God. He learned gospel music soul style when he was but a child. The interpretation of his music became quite moving even in the secular world due to the Holy Spirit. Yes, I wished he had been a Gospel Singer souly; he would have been a great witness for God.
posted January 9, 2010 at 2:45 pm
I am told that I have Jewish heritage through the line of the Gadd’s that came from England. Is there any truth in this? Supposedly a grandfather four or five times removed??????
posted January 9, 2010 at 4:00 pm
The important thing to remember is that he was spiritual.
posted January 9, 2010 at 6:27 pm
oNE VERY IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE I LEARNED FROM DAD IS TO BE RIGHT BY FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT,NOT BY BEING JUST RELIGIOUS,THAT’S AWESOME TO UNDERSTAND FOR ME.
ELVIS MAY BE A SPIRITUAL PERSON.
posted January 9, 2010 at 6:51 pm
I am told by a local rabbi who has a radio program that Elvis was keenly aware of his Jewish roots. As a child, he lived in an apartment and very often visited the orthodox rabbi who lived in the apartment directly above his, learning Jewish liturgical music and becoming influenced by it. He is also reputed to have carried a kipah in his pocket at all times throughout his entire adult life.
It seems clear that, while not calling himself Jewish or practicing Judaism, Elvis felt a very strong kinship to our people and our history. Jewish? It’s not so simple…
posted January 9, 2010 at 9:30 pm
I was thinking about this subject today. There are too many self-hating Jews in the world; Jews who reluctantly consider themselves Jewish because they “have to” because their maternal-whatever-relative was. And now anti-Semitic people can go to Israel under the “law of return” because of this same precedent.
Let those who identify as being Jewish be Jewish, and those who do not wish to be Jewish, not be Jewish. Otherwise we have no right to complain that our numbers are winding down, while at the same time the youth of our faith are losing a desire to stay “in the tribe.”
posted January 9, 2010 at 11:03 pm
Elvis may, in fact, have had a Jewish great grandmother, but this by no means makes him Jewish….
I believe that if you make a choice to become a Jew and live as one, then, you are a Jew….Family ties alone don’t “make” someone a Jew, instead, conscious choice and decision do!
posted January 9, 2010 at 11:16 pm
And, as a postcript, the most important thing is to be spiritual about your choice and love what you choose!
posted January 10, 2010 at 12:48 pm
Yes, I think Elvis may have been Jewish..he wrote a song that never really made it but It was called: You ain’t nothin’ but a kosher hot dog. I think they changed it to something that became a hit..really!! Would I lie??
posted January 10, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Re Shabbots Goy – http://www.aish.com/jw/s/48968596.html
This is an absolutely wonderful story!
posted January 10, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Doesn’t really have anything to do with the subject, but I’ve heard that Elvis wore a Star of David as well as a cross … he joked about the fact that it was to keep him covered in case one was wrong but his friends, in iterviews, said it was really to do with his belief in being open-minded about faith.
A bit like the way he combined ‘Dixie’ with ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic’ … well allright, just a bit!
posted January 10, 2010 at 6:40 pm
We need more people like Elvis. Whether or not he was Jewish, he had Moses in his blood, Jesus in his heart, and his soul was black.
posted January 11, 2010 at 10:32 am
Regarding The Jewishness of Elvis Presley, he wore a Hai with great pride. IT was on display at the Graceland mansion, and still is. He had many Jewish friends in Memphis and Los Angeles.
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