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Gwyneth’s Gods

She really does have it all

by
Stephanie Butnick
August 04, 2011
Gwyneth Paltrow.(Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images)
Gwyneth Paltrow.(Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images)

Oscar winning actress-turned-singer-turned-cookbook writer (not to mention rabbinic heir—Paltrowitch anyone?) Gwyneth Paltrow seems to be everywhere these days. She graces the pages of the September 2011 issue of design magazine Elle Decor, where she shares her favorite home items.

First we learn that, like the Karp family in The Frozen Rabbi, Paltrow’s recently renovated London home has a rumpus room (stars, they’re just like us!). But the item that really caught our eye was number six, the Juxtaposed: Religion shelf. The wooden shelf has seven notches carved out: as Gwyneth explains, “Built-in slots hold holy books—including the Qur’an, Bible, and Tao Te Ching—all at the same level (which is how I like to think about religion).”

Also reserved on the shelf are spots for the Bhagavad Gita, the Analects, and, of course, the Torah.


Stephanie Butnick is the founder of GOLDA, a Jewish lifestyle newsletter. She hosted the Tablet podcast Unorthodox, co-authored The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: From Abraham to Zabar’s and Everything in Between, and worked as a writer and editor at Tablet.