My tuppence about the musical version, "Oliver!":
Ron Moody ("Fagin") is Jewish, according to the "who's Jewish?" Web
site Jewhoo, which says he was born Ron Moodnick. I have heard that
Irish-born Shani Wallis is Jewish, but can't find this written down
anywhere.
I don't have it in front of me, but I do have an Israeli cast LP (in
Hebrew, naturally) of "Oliver!". As I recall, the liner notes (in
English, which I can read, and in Hebrew, which I can't read as
well!) said that composer Lionel Bart based some of the songs on
Eastern European Jewish folk melodies which he had heard growing up
in London's East End.
For what it's worth: The 1948 David Lean-directed film "Oliver
Twist" was banned in Israel because the Fagin character (played by
Alec Guinness) was seen as a negative Jewish stereotype, while Egypt
banned it because the depiction of Fagin was seen as too sympathetic!
Ethan Minovitz
Co-Host, Anthology of Jewish Music
CFRO-FM 102.7 (Vancouver Cooperative Radio)
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