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People on Twitter refuse to believe that Rachel Sennott isn't Jewish

The Shiva baby star has confused fans since her debut

June 30, 2023 16:18
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AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 11: (L-R) Writers Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott attend the "Bottoms" screening during the 2023 SXSW Conference and Festivals at The Paramount Theater on March 11, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
1 min read

Rachel Sennott shot to fame in 2021, starring in the very Jewish, very anxious Shiva Baby. A claustrophobic, stifling feature, packed with Jewish themes and Jewish actors, it had many viewers questioning whether Sennott was actually Jewish.

Rachel Sennott was born in 1995 in a suburb in Simsbury, Connecticut. The actor was raised in an Italian/Irish home by parents Donna Virzi and Jack Sennott. Despite her very Jewish look and mannerisms, both of her parents are Catholics and she was raised in their faith.

In 2020 she tweeted: "Sending the haters nothing but love because I was raised Catholic and Catholicism is all about being condescending."

Shiva Baby stars Sennott as a bisexual Jewish woman, lambasted by her family for her directionless path in life and compared to her ex-girlfriend Maya, an accomplished law student. The themes of the film are incredibly Jewish, and in an interview with the Guardian Sennott said there was a "lot of crossover" between her Italian family experience and the Jewish one portrayed on screen.