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Help[Opinions] Re: Idina?
in reply to a message by Wish Fish
The probably belongs on the Name Facts board but anywho.
The Columbus Monthly wrote an article about Idina with her own statement on her unique name: “Since we're talking names: ‘Idina’ is a tribute to Menzel's great-grandmother, who was named Ida. ‘It's an Israeli name, a Hebrew name; it means gentle,’ Menzel told Playbill, adding, ‘In the Jewish religion, when someone passes, you name [a child] after [him or her] and use the first letter.’”
There’s also a source that stated “Menzel's mother named her Idina after her great-grandmother Ida, but also incorporated the ‘A’ from the name Adena, which she also liked.” However, I found that harder to verify.
It’s interesting to note that the Wicked Fandom Wikipedia says she was born Adinah Kim Mentzel, which may reflect a variation in spelling based on her Israeli heritage. She has said she changed her name to make pronunciation easier.
The Columbus Monthly wrote an article about Idina with her own statement on her unique name: “Since we're talking names: ‘Idina’ is a tribute to Menzel's great-grandmother, who was named Ida. ‘It's an Israeli name, a Hebrew name; it means gentle,’ Menzel told Playbill, adding, ‘In the Jewish religion, when someone passes, you name [a child] after [him or her] and use the first letter.’”
There’s also a source that stated “Menzel's mother named her Idina after her great-grandmother Ida, but also incorporated the ‘A’ from the name Adena, which she also liked.” However, I found that harder to verify.
It’s interesting to note that the Wicked Fandom Wikipedia says she was born Adinah Kim Mentzel, which may reflect a variation in spelling based on her Israeli heritage. She has said she changed her name to make pronunciation easier.
This message was edited 5/23/2025, 6:26 PM
Replies
Is Menzel Israeli? I always assumed she was Norwegian.
Yes, her family is Jewish, and Israeli citizenship is available to all Jews no matter their country of residence. Her parents are both immigrants from Russia.
She is so closely associated with her character Elsa, so I can understand why you’d think she may be Norwegian.
She is so closely associated with her character Elsa, so I can understand why you’d think she may be Norwegian.
This message was edited 5/23/2025, 6:29 PM
(this is really irrelevant but it was her grandparents that emigrated from Russia. Menzel is an American Jew of Russian descent. While she could theoretically apply for Israeli citizenship, she never has and has had zero public connection to Israel.)
This message was edited 5/24/2025, 9:02 PM
I didn’t know that! I just assumed it was her parents; thanks for the correction.
I didn't know she was of Russian descent!