‘I’m Too Proud Of Being Jewish To Hide That About Myself’

The usual Hamptons-based drama on Bravo’s Summer House took a brief hiatus (sort of) in last week’s episode when cast member Jesse Solomon presided over the show’s first-ever Shabbat dinner. Bringing the weekly Friday night meal enjoyed by Jewish families all over the world into the hit reality program seemed like a no-brainer for Solomon, who personally pitched the idea to the producers.

“I don’t do it often in the city, because people have tiny apartments and there’s a lot going on. It’s hard to do a homey thing in the city,” he explains over a video call. “I was like, ‘We have this mansion, we should do a Shabbat. It’s a casual dinner with your friends where you decompress and talk.’ And everybody’s welcome at Shabbat. It’s all-inclusive: Jews, non-Jews. Being on the show, these people become colleagues, friends, family. They’re there for you, you live with them. You’re in this microcosm and it bonds you even further. You feel like you get to know people way faster because of it. So I just thought it was a nice experience to share with some of the other cast that might not have experienced a Shabbat before.”

Other than the omnipresent cameras, of course, no one at the table was allowed to use their phones. Technology is strictly forbidden on Shabbat, a prohibitive measure intended to encourage rest, thoughtful introspection, and spiritual wellness. “[I said]

, ‘This is a time for us to reflect on the week, think about what we’re gonna do and accomplish in the week ahead. There’s no technology because we’re focusing on each other and trying to be present,’” Solomon recalls. “Those were the main themes.”

The dinner went off without a hitch…that is until Lindsay Hubbard leveled an accusation of cheating against ex-fiancée Carl Radke. By Solomon’s own admission, things “got a little out of hand,” but he was able to salvage the tense moment with a little dose of comedy. “I was like, ‘I just talked to the Big Man Upstairs. He said you could use your phone for this one little cheating accusation,” he laughs. “Hopefully, God understood.”

In any case, it was the kind of drama fans of reality television just can’t get enough of. “You get to experience the drama of somebody else’s life without having to have it happen to you,” Jesse says. “I think the reason people watch this show is because they want to live vicariously through the characters. People just crave authenticity in a world of fake bullsh** and social media and everything.”

Despite the steady rise in anti-Semitism in the United States, Solomon didn’t think twice about openly expressing his Jewish identity on national television. While he grew up in a Reform household in the suburbs of Chicago and didn’t necessarily keep kosher or observe all the laws of Shabbat, a great deal of emphasis was always placed on — in the words of Fiddler on the Roof’s Tevye — tradition! “We would celebrate Shabbat every Friday growing up,” he notes. “It was a culturally important thing in my family … It’s important and I’m too proud of being Jewish to hide that about myself.”

That willingness to embrace one’s full self is what made Jesse a Summer House fan favorite (or fan-hated depending on who you are) in the first place. In particular, audiences really resonated with his inspiring story of surviving testicular cancer. “I get a lot of people who reach out to me being like, ‘Thank you so much for openly sharing your story. It encouraged me to go get checked and I found something, but I found it early.’ Or, ‘I was so ashamed that I had cancer and now I feel good talking about it because of you,’” he continues. “The same thing with being Jewish. A lot of people reached out after the Shabbat [episode]

thanking me so much for sharing and they just really connected with seeing Shabbat on a show that they watch. I think now is as important of a time as ever to be openly Jewish. I do get hate for it, but that’s who I am.”

His romantic actions on the show are another story entirely. Addressing his polarizing image among Summer House viewership, Solomon admits, “I think I’m also very easily hatable” with a knowing grin. He goes on to add: “Things don’t really bother me and I think people think I love myself, and I’m cocky. But [in reality], I’m just easygoing and if you don’t love yourself, it’s hard to love others. You gotta be good with who you are and know that you’re a good person. I think I’m good with who I am, and I know that I try to do the right thing as much as possible. And if I don’t, I apologize, take accountability, say sorry, and move forward. As long as my family and my friends love me — and I love me — then I’m good with all the haters that come out of this whole experience.”

At the same time, he hopes to parlay his Bravo notoriety into several lucrative business ventures, with a career in music sitting at the very top of the wishlist. In fact, it was last season’s made-up “What Would Jesse Solomon Do?” song that really pushed him into the spotlight. “I sang the song on the show just as a joke. I didn’t even really think much of it. I kind of had the idea for it and then put the lyrics together the night before — and it went viral. Now it’s what I’m kind of known for.”

Similarly, he’s been releasing original singles on his YouTube channel every month. “I hope it works,” concludes Solomon, who’s been singing since childhood. “It’s not like everything is riding on me being a musician. I feel very fortunate that I’m not a starving artist, but I’m treating it like I am, because I’m working really hard at it and trying to make stuff that sounds good to me. And I think it would be really fun to be able to be a touring musician. So that’s my main goal right now.”

All available episodes of Summer House are now streaming on Peacock.