Religious tolerance Religious tolerance

Jewish porn star says Orthodox parents accept her

‘A few distant relatives got angry at my mom and dad for not disowning me,’ says Joanna Angel, the first Orthodox-raised Jew to enter porn industry

Joanna Angel, right, arriving at the 29th annual Adult Video News Awards Show at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 21, 2012. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images, via JTA)
Joanna Angel, right, arriving at the 29th annual Adult Video News Awards Show at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 21, 2012. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images, via JTA)

American porn star Joanna Angel told a British newspaper that her Orthodox Jewish parents in New Jersey have been accepting of her career choices.

In an article on how parents of people working in adult entertainment reacted upon learning about their work, Angel, 34, told the Daily Mail that her parents offered business advice and defended her against judgmental relatives.

Angel runs alternative porn website BurningAngel.com, which according to the Daily Mail is “one of the biggest in the alternative adult industry.”

“There were a few distant aunts, uncles and cousins who got angry at my mom and dad for not disowning me, but all it did was make us closer,” Angel told the newspaper, adding, “They were like: ‘Don’t tell us how to raise our daughter!’’”

In an interview last year with Vice, Angel (her original name is Mostov) told of growing up observant and attending Jewish day schools and summer camps. While she is no longer Orthodox, she told Vice she still fasts on Yom Kippur and avoids eating bread during Passover.

In June, JTA listed Angel as one of the “7 most famous Jews in porn,” noting that she is believed to be the first Orthodox-raised Jew to enter the porn industry.

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