Presley was not Jewish. Yes, some sources repeat a tall tale that Presley's third cousin told 20 years ago to a Jewish biographer of Presley. This cousin said that he and Presley shared a very remote Jewish maternal ancestor (a woman who lived in the early to mid 1800's) While Presley was aware – and even proud – of his Jewish pedigree, there is no evidence he ever practiced the faith. Thomas Andrew Parker (born Andreas Cornelis vanKuijk; June 26, 1909– January 21, 1997), [1] commonly known as Colonel Parker, was a musical entrepreneur, best known for being Elvis Presley's manager. The Presleys were even poorer than my family,” Judy Fruchter Minkove wrote in the Baltimore Sun in 2004. “My father was the Orthodox rabbi for a small congregation and later founded and became principal of the Memphis Hebrew Academy. During the day, my mother would share coffee with Gladys Presley. In our house, Elvis was known as the ‘Shabbos goy,’ the gentile who would turn on lights for us Friday nights or Saturdays, when Orthodox Jews are forbidden to light a fire, which in time evolved into not turning on lights.”

According to Max Wallace and Jonathan Goldstein, authors of "Schmelvis: In Search of Elvis Presley's Jewish Roots," Nancy Burdine “probably” came from a family that immigrated from Lithuania around the time of the American Revolution.

Sign up to The JC newsletter

For the remainder of Presley's life, Parker saw little of him. The two had become almost strangers, and false reports in the media suggested that Presley's contract was up for sale. [58] Although Parker publicly denied these claims, he had been in talks with Peter Grant, the manager of Led Zeppelin, about the possibility of him overseeing a European tour for Presley. [58] Despite the new rumors of Presley touring overseas, however, Parker never followed through with the deal. Elvis was 13 when he and his parents left Tupelo for Memphis. There, the Presleys lived downstairs from the family of Rabbi Alfred Fruchter of Beth El Emeth Congregation. The rabbi’s son, Harold, now 65 and living in Maryland, told me the two families became good friends; Harold’s mother would often have coffee with Elvis’ mother Gladys. In watching the movie and speaking to Hartal, it is hard not to come to the conclusion that there is something almost spiritual in the love that diehard Elvis fans have for their "king." "Elvis had a special neshama (soul)," says Hartal. "You don't see followers of John Lennon or Jim Morrison behaving the same way that Elvis fans do. There was something special beyond the man. His spirit, his music, his connection." This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. For the rest of his life, Parker managed the Presley estate. Having previously sold the rights to Presley's early recordings to RCA, he struggled to secure a steady income, and his financial situation worsened after he sustained significant gambling losses. [4] [5] Parker's final years were spent living in Las Vegas, in increasingly poor health, until his death in 1997. [1] Early life [ edit ]

As the war against Hamas unfolds, our unwavering newsroom remains committed to covering Israel's most profound crisis. I’ll put my hands up, I’m a big Elvis fan. I have been since my mum took me to see him in Girl Happy in 1965 when I was six years old, the first of many. Admittedly, I became a bit more circumspect about the films Elvis had been compelled to make as I got older. But he was always on my mind. I’ve been to Elvis’s home, Graceland in Memphis. A friend and I go to every concert of Elvis music by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, hosted by Elvis’s wife Priscilla. It goes without saying that I am beyond excited about the new Baz Luhrmann film, Elvis, released on 24 June. In Dutch law, a citizen loses their right to Dutch citizenship the moment they swear allegiance to a foreign army. [68] This would have rendered Parker stateless but the Dutch government never revoked his citizenship. [69] Afvaart 'SS Veendam' op 20-03-1926 vanaf haven New York". stadsarchief.rotterdam.nl. Rotterdam City Archive.

The King of Rock and Roll was rumored to have a distant connection to Judaism.

Alan Fortas acted as a bodyguard and general assistant to Elvis. He was the nephew of former Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas. 5. His mother’s tombstone is graced with a Star of David.

a b c "Tom Parker Is Dead at 87; Controlled Presley's Career", New York Times, January 22, 1997. Accessed June 6, 2022. It may come as a surprise to learn Elvis Presley’s ethnicity includes a Native American heritage. However, one of his movies reflects this part of his family tree. Elvis starred in a Western musical/drama called Flaming Star in 1960. In the film, he played a man with a Native American mother and a white father. While many Westerns portray Native Americans in a negative light, Flaming Star is sympathetic in its portrayal. The film was released during the civil rights movement and arguably mirrors changing attitudes about race in America. If that grim scenario sounds familiar, the Colonel was also a huge fan of Nightmare Alley, the 1947 drama recently remade by Guillermo del Toro. “The fascination Colonel had with that picture was unbelievable,” Raphael remembered. “He sat there so engrossed that he never moved, though God knows how many times he’d seen it. He talked about it all the time, for years.” The Colonel Loved Elvis’s Racy Headlines—In Fact He Helped Stage ThemPresley worked for the rabbi's family, doing tasks Jews were not permitted to do on the Jewish Sabbath. He did this for free. The rabbi, in turn, did things like lend Presley his record player and arrange for a summer camp trip for Presley. When Presley hit it big, he made a major donation to the rabbi's religious school. Parker was born as Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk in Breda, North Brabant, Netherlands, [4] the seventh of eleven children, [6] to Maria Elisabeth (Marie) Ponsie and Adam van Kuijk. [7] His father was employed in the military for twelve years and by the time Parker had been born, he worked as a liveryman. [8] Parker had French heritage through his great-great-grandfather Petri Ponci who arrived from Val-d'Oise to the Netherlands in the late eighteenth century. [9] As a boy, he worked as a barker at carnivals in his hometown, learning many of the skills he would later use working in the entertainment industry. [1] [4] There is evidence that Elvis’ Jewish lineage meant more to him than just a symbol on a headstone. He gave generously over the years to a variety of Jewish organizations, including the Memphis Jewish Community Center, a donation honored with a plaque that hangs in Graceland today. Elvis’ personal library included several books on Judaism and Jewish history. In addition to the Memphis Jewish Community Center, he supported the Memphis Hebrew Academy (now the Margolin Hebrew Academy). Larry Moss, a Jewish diehard fan, says Elvis also paid for a senior lounge at Baron Hirsch Synagogue, in memory of the mother of one of his Jewish friends. 7. Elvis honed his fashion sense at Lansky Bros.