Paul Ryan Image by twitter

To show its excitement over House Speaker Paul Ryan’s newfound Jewish connection, the Manischewitz company prepared him a Welcome Basket of kosher goodies.

In a tweet, Manischewitz, one of the leading brands of kosher products based in the United States, welcomed Ryan to Judaism. The company included a photo of a wicker basket — piped with blue ribbon and adorned with a sparkly silver bow — cradling some of its “favorite traditional nosh.” It also threw in a list of its Top 10 tips to help “jump-start” his education on Jewish culture and values.

It has since been deleted.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Ryan, a practicing Catholic, learned he’s 3% Ashkenazi Jewish, during the filming of an upcoming season of PBS’s “Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates Jr,” The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

Gates, the show’s host and a professor at Harvard University, said his research took him all the way back to Ryan’s 10th great-grandfather, who was born in Germany in 1531. He told reporters that Ryan was surprised, but proud of his previously unknown heritage.

Former Ryan advisor Dan Senor told Jewish Insider that Ryan called late at night on July 11 to break the news.

“I have something really exciting to tell you,” Ryan said. “I just learned that I’m part Jewish. I’m officially a member of the family!”

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at fisher@forward.com, or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount