Comments (0)Lea Michele
Freaks For `Gleeks’
October 2, 2009
The small, sleepy northwestern Ohio city of Lima (pop. 38,000) has never been known as a thriving Jewish metropolis. But Lima, which is the setting of the TV musical comedy-drama sensation “Glee,” certainly has a number of Jews connected with it, at least speaking from a fictional point of view.
Besides the lovely and incredibly talented Lea Michele (who portrays ambitious high school drama queen Rachel Berry and was recently profiled on this page), the “Glee” ensemble includes Jessalyn Gilsig, who plays Terry Schuester, the demanding, quirky and sporadically delusional wife of the show’s main character, teacher/glee club director Will Schuester.
The fetching, 37-year-old, Montreal-born actress is married to film producer Bobby Salomon. They were married in a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony in 2005 and have a 3-year-old daughter, Penelope.
Ms. Gilsig’s previous credits include stints on “Nip/Tuck” and “Boston Public,” and she has recurring roles on “Friday Night Lights” and “Heroes.”
Also on “Glee” is adorable Dianna Agron, who plays Quinn Fabray, the devoutly Christian cheerleader who is head of the Cheerios squad as well as the school’s Celibacy Club. The Savannah, Ga.-born actress, 23, had a recurring role on “Veronica Mars.”
Of her Jewishness, Ms. Agron recently told JVibe, “I went to Sunday school, Hebrew school and a Jewish [day school] through third grade. My brother and I loved everything about Chanukah and Passover and all the food. … We’re so scattered, so bar mitzvahs and weddings are the times we come together.”
Jenna Ushkowitz is not a member-of-the-tribe but she plays Tina-Cohen Chang on “Glee,” an Asian-American (and presumably somewaht Jewish) goth student with a speech impediment. The Korean-born Jenna, 23, and Lea Michele (Sarfati), who is of Sephardic and Italian-American ancestry, have been close pals since the age of 8, growing up in Tenafly, N.J.