Drag star's got Jewish roots under that blonde hair (http://www.timesofisrael.com/drag-stars-got-jewish-roots-under-that-blonde-hair/)
RACHEL SOLOMON, August 15, 2013, 5:03 am
After five hit seasons, American reality TV competition "RuPaul's Drag Race" recently crowned its first Jewish winner, 25-year-old Jerick Hoffer, a.k.a. Jinkx Monsoon. From the first episode, Hoffer proudly declared himself "Seattle's premiere narcoleptic Jewish drag queen," and — despite his sleep disorder — tirelessly battled other contestants, week after week, for the title of "America's next drag superstar."
Since cable's Logo channel broadcast his win in May, Hoffer has made a whirlwind of appearances as Monsoon, who he describes as "the hardest-working single mother in show business."
Hoffer's currently starring off-Broadway in New York in "The Vaudevillians," in which he plays Kitty Witless, a 1920s/'30s entertainer flash-frozen by an Antarctic avalanche and recently revived. Originally intended as a one-night performance, the show has been a hit with both critics and audiences, getting extended last week for a second time, through Oct. 29 at Manhattan's Laurie Beechman Theatre.
Hoffer met recently with The Times of Israel to talk about drag as an outlet for both his art and his Jewish identity.