Elvis’ paternal line is very different. According to Elvis Australia, the singer descended from a German vine dresser named Johannes Valentin Bressler who moved to New York in 1710. As time went on, the family’s last name evolved from Bressler to Presley. But later, George heard that the family menorah had been found and was on display at the Elvis Presley Birthplace Museum. Indeed, much of the museum’s collection consists of gifts and mementos that Elvis had given Janelle over the years, which she donated to the museum. In the early 1950s, Rabbi Alfred Fruchter’s family shared a Memphis duplex with Elvis’ family at 462 Alabama Ave. The Presleys rented the small apartment downstairs and the rabbi’s family lived upstairs.

It is estimated that more than one billion Elvis Presley records have been sold worldwide. From his early sessions at Sun Records to the end of his career and beyond, Elvis albums and singles enjoyed strong sales across every format–vinyl, cassette, CD and digital. In America alone, Elvis has had 150 different albums and singles that have been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with more certifications expected as research into his past record sales continues and as current sales go on. It is estimated that 40% of Elvis Presley records have been sold outside the United States.As documented in the movie, in the end, the group was successful in giving Elvis the Jewish tribute that they felt was long overdue. Initially they had only 7 of the 10 Jewish males required for a minyan (quorum) to recite the mourner's kaddish. But fortunately, or miraculously as Hartal asserts, three more Jews came "out of nowhere" and Rabbi Reuven Poupko led the group in prayer. Gladys Presley’s grave marker, now on display at Graceland. It was designed by her famous son to honor the family’s Jewish heritage. (Dan Fellner via JTA)

Turns out, Elvis’ maternal great-great grandmother, Nancy Burdine, was believed to be Jewish. Her daughter gave birth to Doll Mansell, who gave birth to Elvis’ mother, Gladys Smith. That, according to a Jewish law, which confers Jewish lineage by way of the mother, makes Elvis technically a Jew. I’m a new Elvis fan, thanks to the pilgrimage I made to Graceland during Elvis Week last August, marking the anniversary of The King’s passing. The place was deserted due to Covid. Yardley, Jonathan (June 8, 2001). "Colonel of Lies". The Washington Post . Retrieved February 15, 2023.Gladys Presley’s grave marker, now on display at Graceland. It was designed by her famous son to honor the family’s Jewish heritage, a Graceland archivist says. (Dan Fellner via JTA) The Jerusalem Post Group Breaking News World News Iran News IvritTalk- Free trial lesson The Jerusalem Report Jerusalem Post Lite Trending Articles חדשותמעריב Real Estate Listings Hype Special Content Insights 50 Jews

In 2018 Elvis’s mother’s headstone was taken out of storage and put on display in Graceland. The headstone was designed by Elvis himself after his mother died in 1958. He included a Star of David in the top left-hand corner. A sign next to the gravestone now says that was to honour Gladys’s Jewish heritage. There is evidence that Elvis’ Jewish lineage meant more to him than just a symbol on a headstone. He gave generously over the years to a variety of Jewish organizations, including the Memphis Jewish Community Center, a donation honored with a plaque that hangs in Graceland today. Elvis’ personal library included several books on Judaism and Jewish history. An entire book on the topic, “The Jewish World of Elvis Presley,” was published last year.

To continue reading, we just need a few details...

Parker worked as a "consultant" for Hilton Hotels for a number of years after Presley's death, [64] with some believing he was working to pay off debts owed to the casino from his gambling during Presley's performances there. [64] Part of this role resulted in Parker keeping the same fourth-floor suite he occupied when Presley was alive. By 1984, with his gambling debts reportedly rising again, he was evicted. [64] On the surface, however, relations between the two were as good as ever, with Parker helping the Hilton to organize another fan convention event in August 1987 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Presley's death. [64] Elvis refused to take any money for his help. On Sundays he accompanied his own family to church, dressed in his finest clothes. 4. His “Memphis Mafia” included three Jews. a b c Jobe Pierce, Patricia (1994). The Ultimate Elvis. Simon & Schuster Ltd. ISBN 978-0-671-87022-5. I was pretty upset with Janelle when I realized she might have given it to Elvis,” says Copen. “Even after the funeral (McComb died in 2005), I looked throughout her house, but no menorah. Gone.” Elsewhere in this section of the film, Parker—who in real life had sold the network on the idea of a Christmas special so he could turn Elvis into a late-’60s Bing Crosby—appears as a bumbling rube in his insistence that Elvis sing “Here Comes Santa Claus.” It’s funny, but renders Parker ridiculous. Sure, he was out of touch with the times by then, and didn’t see the Phoenix-like potential of what the special could do for his “attraction,” as he called Elvis. But he was never inept, and he was fiercely loyal in his business dealings and determined to honor his contracts to the letter. The Colonel Goes to Nightmare Alley

Alan Fortas acted as a bodyguard and general assistant to Elvis. He was the nephew of former Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas. 5. His mother’s tombstone is graced with a Star of David. The headstone, which was taken from storage only in 2018, is now on display at the sprawling complex in Memphis where Elvis lived from 1957 until his untimely death 20 years later at the age of 42. It sits in Graceland’s Meditation Garden, just outside the mansion and a few feet from Elvis’ own grave. When he became rich, Elvis reportedly donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Memphis Jewish Welfare Fund and played racquetball late at night at the Memphis Jewish Community Centre. Marchese says Elvis’s maternal great-great-grandmother was a Jewish woman named Nancy Burdine. Little is known about Burdine, but it’s believed her family immigrated to America from what is now Lithuania around the time of the American Revolution. According to Ancestry.com, Burdine was born in Mississippi in 1826 and died in 1887. Dowd, Maureen (May 22, 2022). "A Larger-Than-Life Look at a Larger-Than-Life Star". The New York Times. pp.ST10. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved September 21, 2023. Jerry Schilling, a member of the Memphis Mafia

ICYMI

Love me tender: Austin Butler plays Elvis alongside Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla (Photo: Warner Bros) As the war against Hamas unfolds, our unwavering newsroom remains committed to covering Israel's most profound crisis.