Mila Kunis opens up about Jewish roots and childhood guilt
Mila Kunis is a globally recognized star who embraces her roots. Born in Ukraine, she emigrated to the USA with her parents. Kunis openly discusses her Jewish heritage. In a conversation with an Israeli journalist, she shared her challenging experiences related to this aspect of her identity.
At first glance, Mila Kunis appears similar to her American peers, as she spent most of her childhood and her entire adult life in the USA. However, the actress's early years were filled with distinct experiences.
In an interview with Israeli writer and journalist Noa Tishby, Kunis spoke about her roots. The actress was born in Ukraine and moved across the ocean with her parents at the age of eight. Being Jewish is also part of her identity, though she couldn't practice due to political reasons during her childhood.
She couldn't talk about her origin
"I knew I was Jewish, but I wasn't allowed to talk about it with anyone. We also didn't practice any holiday rituals at home. At that time in Ukraine, my religion was not tolerated," Kunis explained to the journalist.
For most of her life, Mila did not connect with this part of her identity. Only after marrying Ashton Kutcher, who chose to convert to Judaism, did she start taking an interest in it. Her husband became Kunis's guide to this religion. Together, they are raising their two children in Judaism.
"You want to know something about Judaism, call Ashton Kutcher," Noa Tishby joked.
"I was raised with a sense of guilt"
Interestingly, when asked what she considers the most Jewish element of culture, the actress had a clear answer: a sense of guilt. The journalist chuckled in response.
"I was raised with a huge sense of guilt. Superstitions and guilt—those two things have been with me since childhood," Kunis explained.
