
The “Wicked” press tour continues to make headlines. From “holding space” for “Defying Gravity,” the way co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have been teased about crying in multiple interviews, to the sheer number of product collaborations the film has, it has been the talk of the town since its premiere.
One figure drawing significant attention is Ethan Slater, whose whirlwind romance with Grande and divorce from his ex-wife, Dr. Lilly Jay, have been as discussed as the film itself.
While we at Unpacked avoid commenting on rumors (lashon hara is lashon hara, even if it’s true!), we can discuss the 32-year-old actor’s Jewish identity.
The basics
Ethan Samuel Slater was born on June 2, 1992 in Washington, D.C. to Jewish parents. He’s the youngest of three children, having older sisters Sara and Tamara. His father, Jay Slater, works at the Food and Drug Administration while his mother, Ellen Goldmuntz, was a lawyer.
Ethan Samuel Slater was born on June 2, 1992, in Washington, D.C., to Jewish parents. He is the youngest of three children, with older sisters Sara and Tamara. His father, Jay Slater, works for the Food and Drug Administration, while his mother, Ellen Goldmuntz, was a lawyer.
Tragically, his mother passed away when he was seven years old, an event that inspired his love of writing.
Slater believes the best creative processes involve “mining from personal experience.” His concept album, “Edge of the World,” explores themes of loss and creativity, drawing heavily from his childhood experiences.
“When I was seven years old, my mom died, and so that’s been a really big, formative thing in my life. She had left this huge imprint on me, even though I had so few memories,” said Slater in 2021. “And that’s what happens to [my] character, Ben. He grows up not knowing his mom, being raised by a single dad, and yet the impact she has on his life and his life trajectory is immeasurable. So those are the two inspirational elements that came together.”
At 19, Slater was cast as SpongeBob in “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical.” His performance received glowing reviews and earned him a Tony Award nomination.
Growing up, Slater’s family didn’t have cable, so he first encountered SpongeBob at his bubbe’s house (she must have kvelled when he landed the role!).
This year, Slater made his film debut as Boq in Wicked.
Ethan Slater’s Jewish identity
The Broadway star has been open about his Jewish heritage, crediting it with shaping “every aspect” of his life.
Raised in a proud Jewish household, Slater attended the pluralistic Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School until eighth grade and became a bar mitzvah at Ohr Kodesh, a Conservative synagogue in Silver Spring, Maryland. He continued Hebrew studies at Shoresh Hebrew High School, which his father co-founded.
Like “Dear Evan Hanson” star Ben Platt and Caissie Levy, who originated the role as Elsa in “Frozen” on Broadway, Slater is a Camp Ramah alum.Initially attending Camp Ramah in New England because his father was the camp doctor, he grew to love the experience and returned every summer. “I went there originally as a staff brat but stayed on until I was 16,” he said.
Continuing his Jewish life as an adult
As an adult, Slater remains active in the Jewish community. In 2018, he spoke at his old day school and has participated in Jewish-themed programming.
For Vasthy’s Friends, a YouTube account where Broadway performers create child-friendly programming, Slater taught his audience about “favorite holiday” of Passover. He sang “Chad Gadya” and recounted seder traditions, including a mischievous afikomen-hiding story from his childhood.
Slater has also performed in Jewish-themed productions. He appeared in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and starred alongside fellow Jewish Broadway star Julie Benko in “Marcel on the Train,” a play about Jewish mime Marcel Marceau and his work with the French Resistance.
Ethan Slater’s stance on the war in Gaza
In December 2023, Slater shared on Instagram that he signed a letter with fellow alumni from his Jewish day school condemning Israel’s attacks on Gaza and calling for a ceasefire.
ethan slater signed an open letter condemning israel for the gen0cide of palestinians, and asking for a ceasefire pic.twitter.com/MnrmtlSXyv
— allegra☀️ (@theegrandeheels) December 19, 2023
Slater wrote that his Jewish education instilled a responsibility to speak out against injustices and extending “never again” to include all oppressed communities.
“Right now the Palestinians are under immediate threat from the State of Israel,” Slater wrote in his caption.
The letter condemns Hamas’ attacks and the hostage crisis, but blasts the Israeli government’s “grave violations of human rights and international law” toward Palestinians since 1948. It claimed that the Palestinian people are “undergoing a war fueled by genocidal intent, supposedly in the name of [Jewish] safety.”
The alumni criticize the day school for its Israel education, which it refers to as biased and based on inaccurate information to encourage students to support the Jewish state.
“When we reflect on our years at JDS, many of us feel that our Israel education was defined by false narratives and glaring omissions. This pedagogy, a mainstay of American Jewish institutions, is designed to funnel generations of Jewish youth toward unconditional support for Israel’s militarism and war crimes,” the letter says.
Slater echoed similar claims about the Israel education he received growing up.
“My Jewish education also, by design, gave me a one sided view of Israel and it’s need for self-defense and safety. But it is impossible for me to understand how Israel’s treatment, occupation, and current bombardment of Palestinians makes Jews anywhere any safer,” Slater wrote in his Instagram story.
Ariana Grande’s Jewish dating history.
The pop star has a history of dating talented Jewish men.
Grande was previously engaged to comedian Pete Davidson, whose father was Jewish. Davidson’s dad, Scott Davidson, was a New York City firefighter who died rescuing people during 9/11.
The elder Davidson reportedly played basketball in the Jewish Community Center League. Pete, who grew up practicing Catholicism, discussed in 2017 learning about his Jewish heritage from his mother.
“I’m just an Irish Jew… My mom was Irish, my dad was Jewish. I just found out, like this year. My mom just never told me,” Davidson said, adding that he “always wanted to be Jewish” and that his ancestry DNA test came back 48% Jewish.
Grande also dated rapper Mac Miller (born Malcom McCormick) who unfortunately died in 2018 after an overdose.
Miller was extremely open and proud of his Jewish heritage with tattoos of a Star of David, a chai, and hamishpacha (meaning “the family” in Hebrew).
The self-proclaimed “bad little Jew” was a Jewish summer camp alum, could read the Torah, and was a fan of his grandma’s mango noodle kugel, which he said tastes much better than it looks.
Miller spoke at length about his Judaism in interviews, telling Forbes that he loved being a Jewish rapper because it taught others about the community and subverted expectations.
“I think it’s dope to have any different culture that people don’t know all about to be brought to the spotlight because this is a world filled with so much variety of culture that every time something different is out it’s good, you know, because it’s like ‘oh, a Jewish rapper, that’s why I think I could be a Jewish rapper… So you know, now people in hip hop or other people that didn’t think Jewish people could be so cool, you know, they can!” Miller said.
Miller’s Jewish background also made appearances in his music. In addition to having a song titled “Oy Vey,” he mentions the Torah, the Holocaust, Israel, Moses, Passover seders, and hamantaschen.
In addition, Miller created a brand “Old Jewish” with Diamond Supply Co. that had Jewish imagery integrated into it.