For the first time since 1972, NASA astronauts are currently traveling around the moon.
Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen are all part of the Artemis II NASA mission, which launched on April 1 and has since captured the attention of the American public. This is thanks to the fact that the four astronauts have now traveled farther away from Earth than any other living person, and a video, which has now gone viral, of the crew’s heartening request to name a crater on the moon “Carroll,” after commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife.
Everything about the mission is awe-inspiring. It’s a grand display of the scientific advancement humanity can achieve, as well as the love and care we can feel for one another. Additionally, if you’re in the Jewish community, the Artemis II mission might bring up another feeling. Namely, curiosity over whether or not Commander Reid Wiseman is Jewish. (Especially since some Jewish influencers are claiming he is.)
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So, let’s investigate!
If you’ve been following along with our previous investigations of this nature, you know that we’re looking to check at least one of two boxes. Does Reid Wiseman identify as culturally or religiously Jewish? And/or, does Reid Wiseman have Jewish ancestry? If the answer to either of those questions is a resounding yes, he’s a member of the tribe!
Let’s begin with his family. Reid Wiseman was born on November 11, 1975, the son of William Wiseman III and Judith Wiseman (neé Sweitzer). Beyond that, there is sadly not a lot of publicly available information about his family, such as whether his father’s Wiseman side has any Jewish ancestry. One thing we do know, however, is that when Wiseman’s mother passed away in 2020, her funeral was held at an Episcopal Church. So, while the last name Sweitzer can be a Yiddish last name, this bit of information implies that Reid Wiseman’s mother was not Jewish. (Sweitzer can also just be a German surname.)
OK then. Onward! What about whether Reid Wiseman identifies as Jewish culturally or religiously? Unfortunately, the answer to that question is also rather inconclusive — beyond a tweet of Wiseman’s from 2014 which implies that he celebrates Christmas.
Verdict: There does not seem to be definitive proof publicly available. However, it seems unlikely that Reid Wiseman identifies as Jewish.
