Is Whoopi Goldberg Jewish? No. Caren / Caryn Elaine Johnson family tree, ancestry, ethnicity, The View by Mary Cummins

whoopi goldberg, caryn elaine johnson, comedia, actor, television host, mary cummins, ancestry, jewish, judaism, religion, dna, ethnicity, parents, daughter, alex martin, grandparents, children, the view

Recent controversy has arisen regarding actor, comedian, television host  Whoopi Goldberg aka Caryn / Caren Elaine Johnson, Judaism and possible antisemitism. I believed her when she stated she was Jewish many years ago. While doing her family tree a few years ago I did not discover any Jewish roots or ancestors. More recently it was discovered that her use of the "Goldberg" name was more of a joke so I wrote it off as such.

*Only public information is posted here. Full birth dates of living people are not posted. Only full birth and death dates of dead people are posted. 

Whoopi was born Caren** Elaine Johnson in 1955 in New York City. Her parents were Robert James Johnson Jr 1926-1993 and Emma J Harris 1931 -2010. She had a brother Clyde K Johnson 1949-2015. She's been married three times to Alvin Martin 1952-2006, David Edward Claessen 1959 from the Netherlands and Lyle Trachtenberg. With Alvin Martin she has a daughter Alexandria Martin. Below is her family tree pedigree version. I'll update the tree and post an updated image later when I can finally get to my computer and files. 

This was just added to Wikipedia. I'll try to find the January 2009 Louis Gates show "African American Lives" on Whoopi. 

"Researcher Henry Louis Gates Jr. found that all of Goldberg's traceable ancestors were African Americans, that she had no known German or Jewish ancestry, and that none of her ancestors were named Goldberg.[13] Results of a DNA test, revealed in the 2006 PBS documentary African American Lives, traced part of her ancestry to the Papel and Bayote people of modern-day Guinea-Bissau. Her admixture test indicates that she is of 92 percent sub-Saharan African origin and of 8 percent European origin."

**Here is Caren Johnson's birth certificate. She was not born Caryn. This is for all the people sending in comments saying she was born "Caryn." Clearly "Whoopi" likes to change her name and tell stories. 

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Here is Whoopi Goldberg's marriage certificate to Alvin Martin. She was not married as Caryn to Martin.

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Below is Whoopi Goldberg aka Caren Johnson's family tree pedigree version. 1978, 1980 while living in San Diego Whoopi went by Caryn Johnson. She stated she was a single mother working with the San Diego Repertory Theater. I see no name change in San Diego County. I'll try NoCal then LA. 

April 29, 1990 interview "The Signal," Santa Clarita, California, Whoopi was asked, "How did you come to change your name from Karen Johnson to Whoopi Goldberg?" Whoopi replied, "God gave it to me. I was standing in the garden and a burning bush said that perhaps "Karen Johnson was not the way to go." Actually when I got nervous on stage I make a spitting noise like a whoopie cushion. For a while I went by that name but my mom said going by Whoopie Cushion was not a good career move, so I ended up taking my mother's maiden name, Goldberg."

whoopi goldberg, caryn elaine johnson, comedia, actor, television host, mary cummins, ancestry, jewish, judaism, religion, dna, ethnicity, parents, daughter, alex martin, grandparents, children

Whoopi's entire family came from the south. I see no Jewish ancestors or blood relatives. I see no evidence that Whoopi converted or practiced Judaism. Her father was a Baptist Rev.

I saw what Whoopi said about the Jews and Hitler on The View. Yes, Jews have light skin but they're not "white." Hitler thought Jews were "an inferior race." Hitler was a white supremacist who was racist against Jews. That is why he killed them. 

I didn't see Whoopi's jokes against Jewish American Princesses (JAPs). I grew up in Beverly Hills and most of my friends were Jewish. I heard all the JAP jokes way back in the day. I haven't heard them in a long time. 

I don't agree with what Whoopi said about Jews or JAPs. I think it's wrong for her to have stated that she was Jewish when she's not. I don't know if she's antisemitic but what she said was wrong and beyond concerning. 

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David Xavier Marks USC donor, David X Marks Tennis Stadium, Marks Hall, Marks Tower by Mary Cummins

David X Marks, David Xavier Marks, USC, Marks Hall, Marks Tower, Mary Cummins, genealogy, ancestry, dna, heritage, ethnicity

David X Marks, David Xavier Marks was a successful insurance salesman in Los Angeles, California. He donated to USC (Marks Hall, Marks Tower, David X Marks Tennis Stadium), Pepperdine, Harvey Mudd College, Hebrew University of Jerusalum, Xavier Center Loyola High School, Claremont College, Los Angeles Civic Light Opera Association besides other organizations. He started the $30,000,000+ non-profit David X Marks Foundation.

David Xavier Marks was born March 14, 1891 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and died in Los Angeles, California April 11, 1977. He married, divorced Wanda Frances Rimkus with no children. His parents were Morris Marks 1858-1950 and Sarah Petker 1865-1943 born in Belarus and Ukraine respectively. His father was a Jewish "Israelite" who was in the clothing, drygoods industry per Canadian census documents and owned a brick making company, Southern California Brick Co., per US census records. David originally worked at his father's brick company. Original last name may have been Markovitz. The family came to California in 1893. He enlisted in the British Army in 1917 and served until 1918 in WWI. 1959 he received an honorary degree from USC. 

The family lived at 1357 Constance in 1920's. Below is that house today. He later lived at 1106 Hauser. 

Below is his obituary.

"The Insurance Man: The memorials are already planted all over the USC campus. "David X. Marks Tennis Stadium" and two dorms "Marks Hall" and "Marks Tower" . . . Why not? He paid for them. There are other buildings at Harvey Mudd, Pepperdine, Claremont and Loyola High.

He made millions in the insurance business, but he always was just a regular guy. He never got past the eighth grade because he had to go to work. But he loved school and so when he made it, he dedicated his life to students and education. His special love was USC and tennis and football and baseball.

He told a beautiful story about how he discovered the Trojans. At age 13. he was reading a magazine story about Harvard. A picture of an "ivy-covered learning hall" fascinated him. He asked his father if there were such a place like Harvard in Los Angeles. "I don't know but I saw a sign on the front of a streetcar that said 'To The University' so there must be one some place," his father said.

He went to the streetcar tracks and walked them to the end of the line where he found the beginnings of USC . . . He never took a vacation trip, spent all his free time on campus talking with students and watching football and baseball practice. He played tennis until he was 80, when a ball struck him in the eye and took his sight. He built the tennis facility the next year.

Dave Marks died Easter Sunday at 86. USC chancellor Dr. Norman Topping, president Dr. John Hubbard, tennis coach George Toley and John McKay from Tampa Bay will be among the speakers at a memorial service at 4 p.m. Thursday at Heritage Hall. They knew him best and they are the best speakers. But they won't come close."

Los Angels Times, Los Angeles, California, April 20, 1977

Below is his family tree. He had eight brothers and sisters. The men were all very successful in building, development, construction and other businesses.

David X Marks, David Xavier Marks, USC, Marks Hall, Marks Tower, Mary Cummins, genealogy, ancestry, dna, heritage, ethnicity

Two more photos. There are no other photos available. This is non-profit educational fair use. He's far right in the top pic getting an honorary degree. He's in the middle pic below that.

David X Marks, David Xavier Marks, USC, Marks Hall, Marks Tower, Mary Cummins, genealogy, ancestry, dna, heritage, ethnicity

David X Marks, David Xavier Marks, USC, Marks Hall, Marks Tower, Mary Cummins, genealogy, ancestry, dna, heritage, ethnicity

I looked him up today because I stayed at Marks International Hall at USC 1982/1983 address 3560 - S Hoover and original address 623 W 36th St. Thomas Guide 674B1 APN 5039-024-016 Tract 10616. The building is 40' x 95'6" x 3 stories, architect Jesse Earl Stanton & William Francis Stockwell. It was originally only 24 units then Marks agreed to pay for a second wing during construction I think and it became 48 units, 24 on each floor, 12 facing Hoover and 12 facing the back on each floor. It was originally a men's dormitory but went coed later. Men were on the second floor and women were on the third floor with two bathrooms on each floor near the ends when I was there. There was a Resident Advisor RA on each floor. When I stayed there it was for international student freshmen and anyone else who wanted to stay there. We had students from China, Africa, Saudi Arabia ... They used to do the annual bonfire in front of Marks Hall. Because it was an International Hall we got bomb threats called in all the time. It got to the point that no one left the building for bomb threats including myself. There was no AC and it was hot as hell in those dorms. Below are some pics of the old and new Marks Hall. Original built around 1954 or so. They renovated them more recently. 

David X Marks, David Xavier Marks, USC, Marks Hall, Marks Tower, Mary Cummins, genealogy, ancestry, dna, heritage, ethnicity, Marks International Hall

David X Marks, David Xavier Marks, USC, Marks Hall, Marks Tower, Mary Cummins, genealogy, ancestry, dna, heritage, ethnicity

David X Marks, David Xavier Marks, USC, Marks Hall, Marks Tower, Mary Cummins, genealogy, ancestry, dna, heritage, ethnicity

Previously there was a hotel and apartment building which they relocated in 1953. I see the original plans for the dorm. It's just a box. Permits used to be so easy back in the day. Below is the parcel map and permit.

David X Marks, David Xavier Marks, USC, Marks Hall, Marks Tower, Mary Cummins, genealogy, ancestry, dna, heritage, ethnicity

David X Marks, David Xavier Marks, USC, Marks Hall, Marks Tower, Mary Cummins, genealogy, ancestry, dna, heritage, ethnicity

David X Marks, David Xavier Marks, USC, Marks Hall, Marks Tower, Mary Cummins, genealogy, ancestry, dna, heritage, ethnicity

Genealogist at Geneanet and Geneastar
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 Mary Cummins Investigative Reporter
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 Mary Cummins
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