User talk:Valley2city/Archive 15/ubx

Elvis Presley's Jewish family roots
I have some problems with some other editors of the Elvis Presley article.

Some weeks ago another user was of the opinion that Elvis's personal development must have been governed by some form of Jewish tradition, and this would have considerable relevance for the singer's biography. Therefore, I did some further research and found the following material being published in books on Elvis:
 * "Elvis' confusion and secrecy about Judaism came from his upbringing. When he was quite young Gladys told him that her maternal grandmother, Martha Tackett Mansell, was Jewish." See Larry Geller, If I Can Dream: Elvis' Own Story (1989), p.69-70.


 * Martha "was the daughter of Abner and Nancy J. Burdine Tackett and ... Nancy is of particular interest to us. According to Elvis' third cousin Oscar Tackett (who shared the same ancestors, Abner and Nancy), Nancy was Jewish. ... Again, names often tell a story and two of Martha's brothers were given Jewish names, Sidney and Jerome." See Elaine Dundy, Elvis and Gladys (2004), p.21.


 * "Geller claims in his book [If I Can Dream: Elvis' Own Story] that Gladys told Elvis she had Jewish ancestors, starting with her maternal grandmother, Martha Tackett Mansell. Which is pretty close to what Elaine Dundy says in her book." See Alanna Nash, Elvis Aaron Presley: Revelations from the Memphis Mafia (1995), p.2-3.


 * "Elvis's identification with the Jews continued once he became a star. When the Jewish Community Center was built in Memphis during the 1960s, he donated money for its construction. He had a Star of David engraved onto Gladys's tombstone, and often wore a Chai, the Jewish symbol for life, on a necklace." See Glen Jeansonne, David Luhrssen, Dan Sokolovic, Elvis Presley, Reluctant Rebel: His Life and Our Times (2011), p.31.

Therefore, I think a short notice should be included in the Elvis article which on the one hand says that Elvis did not practice the Jewish religion, but on the other hand mentions his identification with the Jews. What about this paragraph:
 * Although he did not practice the Jewish religion, some friends and biographers say that Elvis had not only Christian but also Jewish family roots, because of his maternal grandmother's Jewish heritage. He was known to wear both a cross and a Star of David around his neck, explaining that he "wouldn't want to be kept out of Heaven on a technicality." He also wore a Chai, the Jewish symbol for life, on a necklace. According to Glen Jeansonne, David Luhrssen and Dan Sokolovic, "Elvis's identification with the Jews" continued throughout his life. He had the Star of David engraved onto his mother's tombstone, and when the Jewish Community Center was built in Memphis during the 1960s, he donated money for its construction.

All this is well sourced and not an example of WP:SYN, as one of the other users has falsely claimed. Wikipedia cites what the sources say, the reader is well informed about the topic. What do you think? Onefortyone (talk) 01:48, 2 July 2011 (UTC)

Wikipedia:WikiProject United States/The 50,000 Challenge
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Women in Red World Contest
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