So far, the final season of “Hacks” has a bevy of fabulous guest stars. Tony Kushner, Bob Mackie, Ann Dowd, Cherry Jones, Leslie Bibb, Jesse McCartney, Jordan Firstman, Trisha Paytas, the Property Brothers… the list goes on.
But my personal favorite guest star in season five of the HBO comedy hasn’t been a person — it’s a literal star. The J. Hannah Star of David pendant, to be exact. Throughout season five, Hannah Einbinder‘s character Ava Daniels has sported the pillowy, subtle white gold Jewish star charm multiple times, whether on her faux lesbian weekend with Deborah or fangirling over Tony Kushner. (On the latter point: Same, Ava. Same.)
“Hacks” costume designer Kathleen Felix-Hager tells me that they used multiple J. Hannah pieces this season, but that Hannah Einbinder, who is Jewish, gravitated towards the Star of David pendant. “It became her go-to piece,” she explained over Instagram DM.
It’s easy to see why. When the J. Hannah Star of David pendant first debuted in 2023, J. Hannah founder Jess Hannah Revesz told Hey Alma she aimed to create a Jewish star that was unique, refined and “an abstract take on tradition.”
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For Revesz, the necklace also held personal significance. “I received a Star of David necklace as a bat mitzvah gift, and the pendant is a homage to the nostalgia-steeped bat mitzvah talisman I once wore, elevated through a lens of timeless refinement, equal parts modernist sophistication and summer camp charm bracelet sentimentality.” She added, “My connection with the [Star of David] symbol is very much linked with memories of my family and their history. We’re a small family, and all but one of my grandparents are Holocaust survivors.”
So… does this mean that Ava, Deborah Vance’s bisexual, deeply woke comedy writing partner, is Jewish? The answer is likely not. “Hacks” has already established that at least some part of Ava’s family is Catholic, via her father’s prayer card and funeral mass in season one. (Though Ava herself does not believe in God.) And later, in season three, Ava’s mom Nina comes to Las Vegas to celebrate Christmas with Deborah and Ava.
Additionally, when I asked Felix-Hager if there was a conversation with production about what wearing the J. Hannah Star of David necklace might signal for Ava’s character, she instead pointed towards Hannah Einbinder’s Jewish heritage. “The Star had personal meaning [for her],” she offered.
While this does open another line of inquiry about whether Ava is inadvertently wearing a Jewish star (given Kayla’s non-Jewish bat mitzvah in the show, this isn’t impossible) or if the J. Hannah pendant is just a regular charm necklace within the world of “Hacks,” I can’t really argue with Felix-Hager’s insight. If I were in Hannah Einbinder’s position, the Star of David necklace would resonate most with me, too.
You can shop the necklace below:
