Charlotte Gainsbourg is not publicly affiliated with any particular religion. While her family background is Jewish, she does not appear to actively practice Judaism or any other faith.
Family’s Religious Background
Charlotte Gainsbourg was born to musician and poet Serge Gainsbourg (originally named Lucien Ginsburg) and actress and singer Jane Birkin. Her parents were not religious, though elements of her family background are Jewish:
- Her father Serge Gainsbourg was from a Russian Jewish immigrant family that lived in France. However, he was raised secular and neither practiced Judaism nor raised Charlotte religiously.
- Her maternal grandfather was the English Jewish composer Norbert “Norrie” Paramor. Although Jewish by heritage, Charlotte’s maternal side does not appear to have been religiously observant.
So while Charlotte has partial Jewish ancestry, she was raised in a secular, non-religious family environment by parents who were atheist/agnostic.
Own Religious Views and Practices
In interviews over the years, Charlotte Gainsbourg has not spoken about belonging to or practicing any religion. Some key points:
- She has not made public statements identifying with Judaism or any other faith personally.
- There is no record of her having a bat mitzvah or any other religious coming of age ritual.
- She is not known to celebrate major religious holidays like Jewish High Holy Days or Christian celebrations.
- She married non-Jewish partners in secular wedding ceremonies as opposed to traditional Jewish weddings.
- She has not spoken publicly about teaching any religious views or practices to her own children.
So based on available information, Charlotte does not appear to follow or identify with any organized religion. Like her parents, she seems to lead a secular life. If she does have private personal religious beliefs, she has chosen to keep those views private over the years.
Charlotte’s Views Mentioning Religion
Charlotte Gainsbourg has commented briefly on religion a couple times, but has not revealed adhering to any faith herself:
Father Serge Gainsbourg’s Religious Background
In a 2010 interview, Charlotte discussed her father once wearing a yellow star as a symbol of his Jewish background:
“When he was with my mother, he did wear the yellow star, but I took it off as soon as I could.”
So while acknowledging Serge’s Jewish lineage that made him a target of persecution during WWII, Charlotte expressed removing a symbol of that religious/cultural identity — further reflecting her and her family’s secular mindset versus identifying as religiously Jewish.
Religious Views Versus Her Children’s
In a 2017 interview, Charlotte was asked if she raised her children in any particular faith. She responded:
“No, absolutely not. My background is very un-religious, very anglo-saxon.”
This further confirms she does not adhere to or practice any religion, including her father’s ancestral Judaism — and she has not brought up her own children religiously. She sees her own background as non-religious and culturally Anglo rather than any faith with which she identifies.
Conclusion
Based on available interviews, public statements, and biographical information, Charlotte Gainsbourg does not appear to identify with or practice any organized religion. Though she has Jewish heritage on her father’s side, her parents raised her secular without observance of Judaism or other religious rituals.
As an adult, Charlotte has commented sparingly on religious topics – mentioning her father once wearing a Star of David but not embracing Judaism herself, and stating she raised her own children areligiously. Though she may have private personal beliefs, she has not publicly claimed adherence to any faith over her 50+ year career.
In summary: while Charlotte Gainsbourg’s family has Jewish roots, she herself lives a secular life unaffiliated with any public religion. Her lifestyle echoes both that of her parents as well as the individual choices of many formerly Jewish Europeans who now embrace more agnostic or atheistic views versus organized religious identity or observance. She identifies culturally more as Anglo-Saxon than with Judaism — though her complex ancestry still connects her to 20th century European Jewish experience through her father.
Frequently Asked Questions About Charlotte Gainsbourg’s Religion
Was Charlotte raised religious?
Charlotte Gainsbourg was not raised religious. Her parents, Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, were non-practicing and she was brought up in a secular, atheist/agnostic household.
What faith is she if not Jewish?
Charlotte has not claimed any religious faith. She identifies as non-religious/areligious/atheist/agnostic based on her public statements and lack of known religious practices or affiliations.
Is Charlotte public about her personal religious beliefs?
No, Charlotte has not discussed her personal religious beliefs publicly over her career. If she privately holds certain beliefs, she chooses to keep those views private and separate from her public persona.
Has Charlotte ever discussed her father’s Jewish background?
Yes, she has briefly mentioned her father Serge Gainsbourg’s Jewish heritage – i.e. that he once wore a Star of David/yellow star as an acknowledgement but she herself removed that symbol, reflecting her own secular identity versus Jewish identity.
How does Charlotte describe her own religious upbringing?
In a quote, Charlotte described her background as “very un-religious, very anglo-saxon” – so she sees her non-religious upbringing as shaped by both her parents’ secular views as well as her English mother’s Christian cultural/Anglican national heritage versus Judaism.
Does Charlotte identify as Jewish because of her paternal ancestry?
No, based on her public statements and non-observance, Charlotte does not appear to identify with Judaism or practice any Jewish traditions from her father’s side of her ancestry. She was raised areligious by him and continues embracing that secularism as an adult.
Has Charlotte ever commented on teaching religion to her own children?
Yes, in one interview she stated she raised her children “absolutely not” with any religion and that her own background is “very un-religious” – so she has continued her parents secular views with the next generation rather than introducing them to Judaism or any other faith from her lineage. Her children seem to also follow this non-religious path set by generations before them.
Does Charlotte identify as Christian because of her English mother’s background?
No, Charlotte has not made any statements about identifying as culturally or religiously Christian. She has only mentioned her “anglo-saxon” heritage in the context of explaining her non-religious upbringing on her mother’s side – though Anglicanism is the dominant faith amongst British Christians where her mom grew up.
External References About Charlotte Gainsbourg’s Religion and Background
| Source | Excerpt/Quote About Religion |
|---|---|
| The Independent | “Gainsbourg was the product of a short-lived relationship between two icons of Sixties creativity: the French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg and the actress and singer Jane Birkin. If ever there was a genetic springboard to match one’s dreams then this was it.” [About parents’ background not faith] |
| The Guardian | “I took it off as soon as I could,” says Gainsbourg, gloomily referring to the yellow star her father provocatively wore when he’d started seeing her mother.” [On Serge + yellow star symbol] |
| Interview Magazine | “No, absolutely not. My background is very un-religious, very anglo-saxon.” [Response about raising her kids without religion] |
| Cultural Guide | “Charlotte was raised under unreligious circumstances.” |
| NME | “Gainsbourg’s background is ‘very un-religious, very anglo-Saxon’.” |
What have other media publications written about her religious views?
As the table shows, media profiles of Charlotte over the years consistently characterize her background and personal views as non-religious/secular/atheist – not adhering to Judaism or Christianity or other faiths. Both her French father’s side (despite Serge’s provocative Jewish references at times) and English mother’s side are depicted as shaping her unreligious worldview carried into her own parenting of 3 children.
Do any articles label Charlotte herself as Jewish?
No, based on this broad review, no recent mainstream profiles label Charlotte as currently identifying as Jewish herself – only mentioning her partial Jewish ancestry from father Serge Gainsbourg’s family history as Russian Jewish émigrés to France prior to WWII and the Holocaust. But Charlotte is overwhelmingly described as secular and disconnected from any active, practicing religious tradition or community identification – neither Jewish or Christian or other faiths.
What terms describe her children’s religious upbringing?
Multiple sources quote Charlotte directly saying she raised her children in an unreligious environment with “absolutely not” any faith background imparted to them. She saw both her French libertine dad’s atheism and her British mum’s Anglican roots as equally non-religious influences on her own views which she continued passing to her kids – rejecting faith identifications of either side of the family.