Schmelvis

About two months ago I enjoyed seeing the great documentary "Schmelvis: In Search of Elvis Presley's Jewish Roots" on my T.V; it was before I started this Blog. Now I stumbled upon a review of the book that Jonathan Goldstein wrote (with Max Wallace) about his travels from Israel to Graceland with Dan Hartel and with Reuben Poupko.

 Dan Hartel is a Hasidic Jewish Elvis impersonator, "who performs at senior citizens' homes under the stage name "Schmelvis," and Reuben Poupko is an eccentric Orthodox Rabbi.

The three discover that:

·        "Elvis always wore a Jewish Chai pendant;

·        He put a Star of David on his mother's headstone;

·        He spent his teenage years living in a predominantly Jewish Memphis neighborhood; Cantorial records may have influenced Elvis's singing style;

·        As a young man, he had a nose-job to reduce the prominence of his Jewish nose".