Being religious in Hollywood is "never going to be trendy," Mayim Bialik has said, revealing that she has been subject to anti-Semitism.
Speaking to Fox 411, Bialik – who plays Amy on The Big Bang Theory and the title character on NBC's Blossom – said that she has "an unwavering faith in a power greater than myself" and compared it to a belief in gravity. But living out her faith in the context of the entertainment industry can be hard.
"I think in general it's never going to be trendy to be observant or religious in Hollywood circles," she explained.
"There are people I know of faith and we tend to congregate together. I study Jewish texts weekly. That's something really positive to me when you're a person of faith, it stays with you all the time."
Bialik holds a PhD in neuroscience and said she's often asked how she is able to reconcile her religious beliefs with a scientific background. "Being a scientist and a person of faith, people want to know how that is," she said. "It leads to a lot of interesting conversations that I welcome but a lot of people want to open up a conversation just to tell you, you're wrong."
She also said that she values modesty, and dresses accordingly. "It's important, especially for children and men and my sons to hear I'm not ashamed of my body, I just don't feel the need to display it with two tiny pieces of fabric when I want to go swimming."
Bialik explained that she observes the Sabbath by choosing not to use social media, but she believes in the "permeability and changeability in the structure of Jewish law...I think Judaism has always adjusted to the times that it lived in and it's adjusting in the time we are in now."
Her faith isn't always received well, however. A recent trip to Israel resulted in a backlash from fans and "a lot of negative attention," she added.
""That's what's amazing...simply by going to Israel this summer and saying nothing more than, 'I've gone to Israel,' I got the same amount of hatred and threats and anti-Semitism for actually making a statement trying to support people [who] whether I like it or not are serving in an army.
"That reveals the truth. It really doesn't matter what I support or believe the fact that I'm Jewish and go there is enough – that should be alarming to most people."
