Kippa-wearing teen set for Tuesday's ‘America’s Got Talent’ semis

Jewish day-school graduate Edon Pinchot seeks show’s $1 million prize

JTA — Edon Pinchot, a kippa-wearing Jewish day school student, will be performing Tuesday in the semifinals of “America’s Got Talent.”

Pinchot, 14, of Skokie, Ill., will be among 12 acts performing live on the popular NBC reality show before a a television audience that could top 10 million. The second set of 12 semifinalists will perform Sept. 4.

Other semifinalists joining Pinchot, a singer and pianist, on the show include singers, a dancer, a dog ventriloquist, an acrobat, a mind reader and a comedian.

Should enough TV viewers cast their votes for Pinchot, he will advance to the finals and a chance to take home the $1 million prize. He has performed an audition, in the Vegas round and in the quarterfinals to reach the semis. His kippa has made him a focal point for viewers.

Pinchot, who is Sabbath-observant and keeps kosher, is the fourth of five children and has been playing piano since he was 9. His grandmother, Ginger Pinchot of Silver Spring, Md., says Edon is “very athletic. He’s one of the stars of his soccer team, and he’s also a straight-A student. He’s just kind of an all-around guy.”