Birth Name:
Paula Julie Abdul
Birth Place:
San Fransisco California
Date of Birth:
June 19, 1962
What Race or Ethnicity:
Jewish Syrian, Jewish Russian-Ukrainian and French Canadian
Despite many people believing Abdul is Black, her father Harry Abdul, was a Syrian Jew who immigrated to Brazil and then to the U.S. while her mother Lorraine Rykiss is also Jewish and originally from Saint Boniface, Winnipeg, Canada. Paula’s nationality is American.
Abdul has been quoted saying her mother is French-Canadian and her father is Brazilian-Syrian. Many people may associate her with the Black community because of her style of music.
In a book called The Portable Jewish Mother, it states that Abdul’s father is a Sephardic Jew and her mom is an Ashkenazi Jew.
An Abdul associate says: “I can’t say that this is a Black woman totally, but the major part of her early success came from the Black community, and her identity is definitely with Blacks.”
Source:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3328923,00.html
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n5_v45/ai_8540133
Celebrities sharing the same heritage:
She is of Russian-Ukrainian Jewish descent on her mother. http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/r/i/Yale-H-Brick-1/BOOK-0001/0013-0003.html
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/r/i/Yale-H-Brick-1/BOOK-0001/0013-0005.html#CHILD23
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/r/i/Yale-H-Brick-1/BOOK-0001/0013-0002.html
paula is not black.she jewish
Some Syrian have dark skin, like Southern Asian, and some very light. I hve two Syrian friends, one of them is dark arabic and the other one is very light. I could say that Paula is half white, and half arabic with the dark skin just like Teri Hatcher who also a quarter Syrian.
To be honest I always thought Paula was African American.
to me she’s always a beautiful woman inside & out, i just love me some paula abdul. she looks spanish but she’s not. paula abdul looks more of her dad. i been a big fan of hers since ’89 and still is. i know she dances like a black person and that’s all. i believe hen she says she’s not a black person. i really miss her so freakin’ bad on a. i. please come baby.
yeh Thats what I thought.
Paula’s 47 years old. What are you talking about ‘in her 50′s? The only time she’s said she was 50 on American Idol is when Simon jokes about her age, even though HE just turned 50.
that arabian knight dude is smart.
Paula,
We are proud to have you as part of the Black Community and that is the race that you identify with. Maybe you can teach Tiger Woods to be proud of his heritage. That boy has a problem! Paula you are the BOMB!
Id like to see that video. i wonder if its on Youtube?
Nope. I know for a definate shes in her 50′s. They announced her fiftieth birthday on american idol two or three years back. But most stars are older than they claim to be. Thats hollywood for you though.
hmm most sites say 1962.
Her birthdate is wrong. Shes 52 or 53. If it was right, she would be the same age as my daddy. But i remember a few years ago she turned 50.
no shes 47…simon has made pleny of jokes saying shes in her 50′s when in reality he is.
I agree we should be talking ethnicity.