Move over, hora — this season’s Jewish cast members of “Dancing With the Stars” are spinning, dipping, and quickstepping their way into the spotlight.
For two decades, the ballroom has been home to sequins, samba, and surprise eliminations, but it’s also been a stage where celebrities get to share pieces of their identity right alongside their paso doble.
Before Season 34 of the hit competition season kicks off on Sept. 16, let’s get to know the Jewish celebrities and pros who will be competing for the mirrorball this year.
Jewish celebrities competing in “Dancing with the Stars” Season 34
Dylan Efron
After becoming America’s sweetheart on Season 3 of “The Traitors,” certified nice Jewish boy Dylan Efron, 33, will be paired up with Jewish dancer Daniella Karagach.
Efron, brother to heartthrob Zac Efron, has Jewish heritage on his dad’s side, but the family largely grew up agnostic. However, Zac has at least said that he identifies as Jewish.
However, the family’s last name, “Efron,” has Hebrew roots. It comes from the biblical place Ephron (אפרון), known as the site where Abraham was buried.
Corey Feldman
Jewish actor Corey Feldman, 54, will be facing off for the mirrorball trophy this year.
Growing up in a Jewish family in Los Angeles, Feldman first became famous as a child actor, starring in movies like “The Goonies” and “Stand by Me.” Feldman became part of the so-called “Two Coreys” duo with frequent Jewish co-star Corey Haim.
Beyond acting, Feldman pursued a music career with his band Truth Movement and later as a solo artist. In recent years, he’s been outspoken about child exploitation in Hollywood, producing documentaries and speaking publicly about his own experiences.
While he hasn’t revealed much about his Jewish identity, Feldman wrote on X that he views religion as a way to hope for a world of peace and love, capping it off with this iconic message:
Feldman will be dancing with last season’s victor, Jenna Johnson.
But what about Danielle Fishel?
While some have said that “Boy Meets World” star Danielle Fishel is a member of the tribe, sadly, that claim is incorrect.
The actress, who will be dancing with Pasha Pashkov this season, revealed that she is of Maltese descent and is not Jewish.
However, her husband and father of her two children, Jensen Karp, is in fact Jewish. His memoir, “Kanye West Owes Me $300: And Other True Stories from a White Rapper Who Almost Made It Big” discusses how his first rap gig was at a friend’s bar mitzvah. He has also revealed that, like many other Jews, he eats Chinese food and goes to the movies every Christmas.
Jewish pros dancing on Season 34 of “Dancing with the Stars”
Alan Bersten
Dancing with actress Elaine Hendrix this season, Alan Bersten, 31, was raised in a Russian-Jewish family in Minnetonka, Minn. His parents wanted him and his two siblings to be ballroom dancers, and — without having any dancing experience — decided to open their own studio.
“My parents wanted me and my brother and sister to start dancing, but they had never danced in their lives,” he explained in 2018. “They found a ballroom dance studio, but it really wasn’t good enough. So they took a weird risk and opened a dance studio for us.”
Over the years, Bersten has wished his fans a happy Rosh Hashanah and that he hopes “all of my fellow jews have an easy fast this Yom Kippur.”
Bersten has repeatedly poked fun at his holiday season routine with some hilarious social media posts:
Plus, he wished fellow Jews a nice Hanukkah.
In April, Bersten partnered with Stand Up to Jewish Hate to condemn antisemitism on social media and call for users to use their voices to push back against bigotry.
“Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of hate specifically toward the Jewish community,” he said. “The ignorance, the stereotypes, it’s not OK. … we can’t let negativity win.”
“We all have the power to make a difference. Let’s educate, not escalate,” he added.
Valentin Chmerkovskiy
Val Chmerkovskiy, 39, was born to a Jewish father and a Christian mother in Odessa, Ukraine. He grew up in a Russian-speaking community that was heavily populated by Eastern European Jews.
He has discussed that blending his Jewish identity with his wife, fellow DWTS pro Jenna Johnson’s Mormon background was initially a challenge.
“Trying to fuse a Jewish-Russian family with a Mormon family from Utah definitely is a challenge,” he said in 2018. However, Chmerkovskiy and Johnson explained that learning about their different cultures has made their relationship stronger.
While his brother, former DWTS pro Maks, has been much more open about his love of Judaism and his support of Israel, Val has shared his pride at being a member of the Ukrainian-Jewish community.
“My mother is Christian and my father is Jewish (we are a confused family), so my brother and I got the best of both worlds. However, we live a life closer to that of a Jewish family,” Maks previously said about their upbringing.
This season, Val will be competing with social media star Alix Earle.
Daniella Karagach
Daniella Karagach, 32, was born in Brooklyn to Jewish immigrant parents from Moldova.
Karagach has been spotted on numerous occasions wearing a crimson kabbalah bracelet. Wearing a thin red thread or cord (Hebrew: חוט השני, khutt hashani) is a long-standing Jewish folk custom, believed to protect against misfortune caused by the evil eye.
Karagach is married to “Dancing with the Stars” pro Pasha Pashkov; she has not publicly disclosed anything about her Jewish identity or upbringing.
Have Jewish competitors ever won “Dancing with the Stars?”
Before the sequins and spray tans became tradition, the very first mirrorball trophy went to Alec Mazo, a Jewish immigrant from the Soviet Union who cha-cha’d his way into DWTS history.
Season 7’s mirrorball went home with TV host Brooke Burke, who not only slayed the samba but also reps her Jewish roots on her dad’s side.
Nobody put Baby in a corner — and nobody kept Jennifer Grey from the mirrorball. The “Dirty Dancing” star waltzed her way to victory in Season 11, proving that Borscht Belt dancing will never go out of style.
After years of twirls, flips, and near misses, Karina Smirnoff’s patience paid off in Season 13 when this Jewish ballroom powerhouse finally got to hoist her very own mirrorball trophy with actor J.R. Martinez, becoming the first Jewish pro to win.
After years of being the “bad boy of the ballroom,” Jewish Ukrainian dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy finally snagged his first mirrorball in Season 18 with Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis.
Maks finally got his mirrorball in Season 18, but little brother Val wasn’t about to be outshone. The Ukrainian-Jewish dancer has scooped up three wins (Seasons 20, 23, and 31), making him one of the show’s ultimate champs.
After seasons of near misses, Alan Bersten broke through in Season 28 with “Bachelorette” star Hannah Brown, giving the Russian-Jewish pro his first mirrorball trophy. He beat out Jewish pro — and yeshiva graduate — Sasha Farber, who came in third that season.
Daniella Karagach went from DWTS newcomer to mirrorball champion almost overnight. With NBA champ Iman Shumpert by her side in Season 30, the Brooklyn-born Jewish dancer cha-cha’d her way into the winner’s circle.
Dancing With the Stars Season 34 kicks off Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. ET. You can catch it live on ABC and simultaneously on Disney+. If you miss the live airing, don’t worry — episodes are available to stream the next day on Hulu.
