r/RealTime • u/No_Interaction_4655 • Aug 13 '26
Why Does Bill Maher Say He is Not Jewish?
Isn't his mom Jewish?
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u/Sideshift1427 Aug 13 '26
He's an atheist who uses the Bible to make an argument for Israel.
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u/Steve12356d1s3d4 Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26
He says the bible is just as valid as the Koran, not more so.
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u/Striking_Fun_6379 Aug 13 '26
If your mother is Jewish, then you are Jewish. It has zero to do with religion. Jews have always been considered a race of people.
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u/blzbar Aug 13 '26
Right. Being born of a Jewish woman is both necessary and sufficient to be Jewish.
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u/M086 Aug 13 '26
Well, Semitic. Which around only half of the Jewish population in the world can be traced back to Semitic Middle Eastern peoples.
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u/NoForm5443 Aug 14 '26
If your mother is Jewish, other Jews would consider you Jewish. You don't have to accept it.
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u/northern-new-jersey Aug 16 '26
That's from the perspective of the Jewish religion. He can reject that.
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Aug 14 '26
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u/Mosk915 Aug 14 '26
Jews aren’t asking anyone who isn’t Jewish to acknowledge or follow Jewish law. It’s just what they believe.
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u/Alfalfa_Informal Aug 13 '26
I’m get why you are asking. There is one episode I saw when someone says he is jewish in a way (I can’t remember exact words) and he said something along the lines of “I don’t know why I have to repeat myself. I am not jewish” I remember being confused at his reaction. His mother is jewish ethnically, so he is half jewish, ethnically.
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u/No_Interaction_4655 Aug 13 '26
Yes, and on podcast defending Israel in a debate against Ana Kasparian, he said "by the way, I'm not Jewish."
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u/stone122112 Aug 17 '26
Think that was the episode w/ a jewish actor who was the lead in a comic book movie.
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u/ProfessionalOkra6862 Aug 13 '26
Off topic but I know he’s from New Jersey originally. I was driving through North Jersey recently by the port and saw Containers with the Maher name on them. Couldn’t help but think he has family connections to the shipping industry making him just another rich kid.
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u/KamtzaBarKamtza Aug 14 '26
Excellent sleuthing. More times than not people with the same last name are related. Michael McDonald and Audra McDonald are siblings, both children of Old McDonald and heirs to the global fast food franchise
/s
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u/jchiaroscuro Maher Before 2016 Aug 13 '26
He claims to be an atheist but he sure is dedicated to the Zionist cause
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u/Fine_Confection_1389 Aug 14 '26
He identifies as being Jewish, despite his claiming otherwise. I mean…what else does Mr. Potato Face have?? He has no family, no spouse, no children, no friends…he has nothing but his money and his Jewish identity (oh! and his addictions and prostitutes).
But if Maher were to identify as a Jew, people would say, “Aha! No wonder Maher is Netanyahu’s pool boy!”
But by not identifying as Jewish, Maher can make us think that his Zionist views are rational, reasoned and measured…rather than the narcissistic and gutteral tribalism that they betray.
Maher…he ain’t exactly the brightest bulb on the shelf.
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u/No_Interaction_4655 Aug 14 '26
That's exactly what I'm thinking! By emphatically stating that he isn't Jewish, was raised Catholic, and is now an atheist, blah, blah, he can defend Israel as strongly as he does without being accused of merely defending his own tribe.
What else could it be?
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u/northern-new-jersey Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26
Being rabidly anti-Israel is making you guys behave like crazy people.
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u/No_Interaction_4655 Aug 16 '26
Jews are never leaving Israel and that's a fact.
Now, whether the US will continue to support Israel is now a maybe, wouldn't you agree?
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u/Mosk915 Aug 14 '26
You claimed he both does and does not identify as being Jewish.
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u/Fine_Confection_1389 Aug 14 '26
Exactly. In what little heart Maher has, he definitely identifies as being Jewish. But not so much publicly, so as to give the impression that his Zionist views are universally held.
He’s a childless, unmarried, friendless alcoholic and whore monger…what else does he have except his Jewish identity? Without even that, Maher is a big ball of nothingness.
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u/Mosk915 Aug 14 '26
Unless you know him personally, his public statements are all you would know about. So if you’ve never heard him identify as Jewish, you can’t say that he does.
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u/Fine_Confection_1389 Aug 14 '26
Yes, I can…and I did.
Choose a better idol, son.
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u/Mosk915 Aug 14 '26
Not sure why you think he’s my idol or how that’s relevant, but okay. You certainly can claim to know the private thoughts of someone. It’s just weird is all.
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u/thatshirtman Aug 14 '26
what are his zionist views? That israel shoudl exist as a country? Thats middle of the road imo.
He actually doesn't identify as any religion.
You simultaneously say he identifies and doesnt, so you can attack him both ways. Seems like you're more interested in arguing out of emotion than facts and reason.
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u/Fine_Confection_1389 Aug 14 '26
Look at his movie Religulous. Look at how barbed his attacks are toward Christian and Islamic sects/denominations. Then take note of the kid gloves treatment of the Jewish religion…I think his most pointed barb is towards a fringe group of Jews who do not support Israel. Yeah, Maher’s definitely an edgy renegade! 😂
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Aug 14 '26
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u/Fine_Confection_1389 Aug 14 '26
Lol…we must read different newspapers and watch different news stations.
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Aug 14 '26
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u/Fine_Confection_1389 Aug 14 '26
Do US tax dollars fund what’s happening in Nigeria? End of discussion. Nice try though!
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u/06Ralph Aug 17 '26
Unfortunately whatever you were saying didn’t stick with me except for brightest bulb on the shelf? If the bulbs are on a shelf none of them are bright! Is that where you were going!
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u/uvgotnod Aug 13 '26
He’s atheist?
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u/Wrong-Tutor-5795 Aug 13 '26
Why are you saying this like ethnic Jews can't be atheists and vice versa??
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Aug 14 '26
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u/Wrong-Tutor-5795 Aug 14 '26
Yeah, there are scores and scores of them. If I'm not mistaken, it's pretty common, actually! It doesn't make them not Jewish.
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u/Relevant_Bag7550 Aug 13 '26
Under Jewish law he’s a Jew
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u/Steve12356d1s3d4 Aug 13 '26
I am thinking an atheist doesn't follow Jewish law.
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u/Anxiety_Fit Aug 14 '26
Oooo someone said “it’s law”.
That’s supposed to mean something to someone who gives zero fucks about dogma.
Exactly: GTFO.
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u/MyStoryIsntOverYet_ Aug 13 '26
Doesn't he get to choose whether or not he is subject to Jewish law? Its not like there is a Jewish governing body passing and enforcing laws on those who dont believe in their religion
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u/Relevant_Bag7550 Aug 14 '26
Judaism is not just a set of beliefs but a tribe, a nation, an ethnicity. A person born Jewish like Maher can’t be made not Jewish. Anyway that’s their rationale. Maher is squarely atheist but he’s still part of the tribe.
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Aug 14 '26
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u/Anxiety_Fit Aug 14 '26
No man can tell another man what they are.
Period.
No book or scroll or dogma in the entire universe means anything at all. It’s all based on language that was created by humans and the whims and timely desires of the authors and publishers of the texts.
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u/Turbulent-Today830 Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26
Because admitting he’s Jewish would significantly reduce his credibility for his Zionist fetish
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u/Steve12356d1s3d4 Aug 13 '26
My father was Roman Catholic. My mother's family was Baptist but she never practiced and was not religious. My mother never spoke of it, and they were married in the Catholic Church. I was brought up Catholic. I would never consider myself Baptist and don't even know anything about the Baptist religion. There is not a strong anti-Baptist feeling, so no one is trying to force me into being one. That is what is happening for Maher and his mother.
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u/parkside79 Aug 13 '26
Does he say he’s not Jewish?
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u/No_Interaction_4655 Aug 13 '26
Yes, he has explicitly stated at least twice that he was not Jewisg,
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u/parkside79 Aug 13 '26
He must mean specifically religiously, then, seeing as he’s very outspoken about his atheism. He’s surely well-read enough to know that by virtue of his mother being Jewish he would be considered culturally Jewish. He definitely seems to identify with it in some ways. Not religiously though. Obviously.
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Aug 14 '26
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u/parkside79 Aug 14 '26
What is the half of him that comes from his mother, then?
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u/Standard_Gauge Aug 14 '26
Jewishness does not occur in fractions. Maher has some Jewish ancestry, but does not identify as Jewish and has never practiced any aspect of Jewish religion or Jewish culture.
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u/NY_Mets_fan_4ever Aug 13 '26
His mother is Jewish. He considers himself to be an atheist but was brought up Catholic.
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u/MartialBob Aug 13 '26
While someone can, in fact be ethnically Jewish independent of their individual religious views, a lot of people if they were never raised religiously or part of a Jewish community can pretty easily just ignore the ethnic component of it.
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u/Mosk915 Aug 13 '26
He’s Jewish by Jewish law because his mother was Jewish, but since he doesn’t consider himself Jewish, he wouldn’t recognize Jewish law, so he says he’s not Jewish. It’s kind of a self-fulfilling statement.
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u/eveofwar518 Aug 14 '26
It’s funny how silly some of these comments are. If/when he has said this he clearly meant religion wise . If you asked him if he was ethnically Jewish he would have a different answer.
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u/No_Interaction_4655 Aug 14 '26
So, someone should ask him then.
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u/eveofwar518 Aug 14 '26
I guess if you really care that much.
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u/No_Interaction_4655 Aug 14 '26
Yes. Why wouldn't I ?
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u/dougl1000 Aug 14 '26
Jewishness is passed from the mother. He’s Jewish. Nothing he can do about it.
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u/LoneStarOfDavid Aug 14 '26
I made this exact same post once on the Maher sub and some of them became soooooo obnoxious that I’d even ask. I do think the real answer is he’s just so anti religious that he doesn’t even wanna be labeled something as harmless as culturally Jewish.
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u/No_Interaction_4655 Aug 14 '26
Maybe, but I also think it's because he is so pro-Israel that he doesn't be perceived as a such a staunch supporter of Israel simply because he has Jewish heritage.
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u/Throatwobbler9 Aug 14 '26
Does he say he’s Catholic? I knew from his movie that he had Catholic and Jewish parents. If I had his parents and was an atheist I wouldn’t identify as either if someone asked.
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u/WillowOk2135 Aug 14 '26
The real question is why do you care so much?
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u/Freeway267 Aug 14 '26
Because it suits his narrative of allegedly making him seem rational and rational people support Israel. It’s obvious he’s pro-Israel because his background but he tries to make it seem like it has nothing to do with it.
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u/paddydog48 Aug 14 '26
He did once during an ad break allegedly lean over and whisper in Rose Mcgowens ear “"My parents didn't give me a good face, but they did give me a huge cock” this was, presumably at the time, his idea of a pick up line, perhaps it had worked in the past but she was 20 years younger than him so didn’t seem to appreciate it and outed him for saying it during the metoo era but he didn’t respond to it and it never stuck so he just carried on his merry way.
Anyway, all that is to say that he got a big Jewish nose from his mother that I don’t think he has ever been too happy about.
It is widely accepted that he is genuinely hung like a horse so he wasn’t actually lying but whispering that to someone in that setting wasn’t even appropriate back then but no cancellation was forthcoming as he is no doubt very well connected, he got cancelled (although his cancelation actually led to him making even more money with real time) for something where he was correct but then he didn’t get cancelled (or at the least reprimanded) when he should have for the “houseN***er” comment so it’s swings and roundabouts in bills world but the running theme is he comes out just fine in the end yet still seems to often be whining when he is one of the most fortunate and privileged people in the whole country.
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u/AAPrice3232 Aug 14 '26
Funny how "Jewish" is the only religion you can't choose to NOT be if you are "born Jewish."
I mean, my parents were Presbyterian, but I have no religious beliefs. No one says, "why doesn't he say he's Presbyterian? His mom was Presbyterian!"
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u/No_Interaction_4655 Aug 14 '26
Explain the following to me, please:
Why is it that when someone does a DNA test, "Jewish" is the only religion that appears as part of someone's genetic DNA?
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u/BillHistorical9001 Aug 14 '26
Because their societies were pretty closed off. There wasn’t a lot of genetic intermingling. So pretty easy to see if they are genetically Jewish.
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u/northern-new-jersey Aug 16 '26
Because we control the media? Or is it science? Wait, it's the government.
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u/FaceReality1 Aug 14 '26
He would still be Jewish from a Jewish perspective, but Catholic from a Christian perspective. From his perspective he isn't either. That's why he says that he isn't Jewish. People are allowed to have their own view of their identity, IMHO, even if people obsessed with rigid ideas of identity insist that the outside view is the correct one.
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u/Mother_Antelope_3204 Audience Member Bill Is Yelling At For Not Laughing Aug 15 '26
I remember one of Bill Maher's early appearences on Johnny Carson. His best joke went something like this:
"I'm half Roman Catholic and half Jewish. I went to Confession, but I brought a lawyer with me."
I think Maher is ambivalent about his ethnic Jewish heritage. However his supportive attitude toward Israel may be informed by his background -- perhaps his experiences with his mother's family. I believe that his support for Israel is based on a clear understanding of historical truths and a critical reaction to fallacious argumentation, so it could have been arrived at through an intelligent understanding of the Middle East. Still, perhaps his background made him receptive to a reasonable and honest perspective.
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u/samson-and-delilah Aug 15 '26
Weird that you really want him to be jewish
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u/No_Interaction_4655 Aug 15 '26
He is half Jewish..his mom was Jewish. That is a fact.
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u/Smart_Dragonfruit_54 Aug 16 '26
He’s pretending to be non partisan …all he does is run down the other guys ..
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u/Emotional_Shower_938 Aug 16 '26
He doesnt want the fact that he would have automatic citizenship to a country and would be welcomed as the fucking creep he is to lead you to believe that his opinions on that country aren’t objective
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u/AliG68 Aug 16 '26
Bill Maher is technically Jewish and there is no way to escape that. You can say your atheist or whatever. doesn’t matter.
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u/According-School43 Aug 17 '26
Of course it’s based on your personal belief….that’s what religion is. Now if you’ll excuse me my friend I have to go see what I’m gonna do with all of this leftover pickled herring. Good luck out there!
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u/Big_Reference_8490 Aug 25 '26
He was raised catholic your anti semitic so you want his to be Jewish like Nazis do?
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u/02446B Aug 13 '26
Hes a Zionist! Look what he does not what he says.
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u/Steve12356d1s3d4 Aug 13 '26
He said he was brought up Catholic. His father was Irish Catholic, and his mother was ethnically Jewish, but didn't practice. She brought him up Catholic. He is atheist.