By Mark D. Zimmerman
MELVILLE, New York — Australian rapper Iggy Azalea, a Grammy nominee for this year’s Best New Artist, has what Jewish connection?
- A. Israeli horticulturists at the University of Haifa have developed a breed of azalea which is resistant to petal blight, a common plant disease. They have named this new breed the Iggy Azalea, as the lead scientist is originally from Iggy Azalea’s home town of Perth, Australia.
- B. In 2010, Iggy participated in the Sar-El Australia program, where young people travel to Israel as volunteers on kibbutzim, army bases, and hospitals. Iggy spent three months working on a kibbutz near Ashdod.
- C. Iggy was discovered by Jewish rapper Matisyahu, who was performing in her hometown of Mullumbimby in New South Wales, Australia. After hearing her perform in a local club, he invited her to join him on his tour and introduced her to audiences in Israel, the United States, and around the world.
- D. Though she is not Jewish, her grandfather was a Sephardic Jew who emigrated from Greece to Australia at the start of World War II. His name was Yechiel “Yechi” Azaria, from which she derived her stage name of Iggy Azalea.
- E. In 2014 Iggy was performing at a private bar mitzvah party in Beverly Hills when her pants split while she was twerking, providing an unexpected show for the guests.
Here’s the link to the answer:
http://rrrjewishtrivia.com/answers/grammys-2015-answer.html
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Mark D. Zimmerman is the author of Rashi, Rambam and Ramalamadingdong series of Jewish trivia e-books. Learn more at rrrjewishtrivia.com.