Life

Movie Stars In Forverts History: Princess Mohammed Ali Ibrahim née Ginsburg

The Princess, top right. Image by Underwood&Underwood/Forward Association

By Phoebe Maltz Bovy May 4, 2017

Pearl Shepard (Ginsburg), from the 1924 Forverts. Image by Underwood&Underwood/Forward Association

The Forverts and Forward alike have a rich history of covering Jewish film stars (including the old standby: stars readers might not have known were Jewish). One of the most noteworthy Jewish stars of yore: Pearl Shepherd, born Pearl Ginsburg or Ginsberg, active in the 1910s and 1920s. Shepard starred in a number of movies, with quaintly intriguing titles such as “Break The News To Mother” and “Why Leave Your Husband?”.

Image by Forward Montage

Shepard started out as a public school girl in the Bronx, but as caption information from our archive — provided by Chana Pollack — reveals, the actress’s life took some unexpected turns:

American Movie Star Bride of Egyptian Prince, Nephew Of The King

That Pearl Shepard (Ginsburg), former New York motion picture actress, is now the Princess Mohammed Ali Ibrahim, of Egypt, was confirmed this week by her mother, Mrs. Morris Ginsberg of New York, who has just returned from Europe. She said that her daughter and the Prince were married a year ago and that since then they have been traveling in Europe. They are now on their way to Egypt.

Mrs. Ginsberg did not state whether her daughter had embraced the faith of Islam and she refused to say where the wedding ceremony had taken place or that the marriage had received the sanction of the Prince’s uncle, the King of Egypt.

The Princess, top right. Image by Underwood&Underwood/Forward Association

While some have doubts whether the marriage officially took place, it was reported in The New York Times. Shepard’s furrier father, Mr. Ginsburg, approved, deeming the prince “a very polished young man with the most excellent traits.” From the sound of it, the story of Princess Mohammed Ali Ibrahim née Ginsburg wasn’t so much a case of breaking the news to mother as of mother breaking the news to the world.

Phoebe Maltz Bovy edits the Sisterhood, and can be reached at bovy@forward.com. She is the author of “The Perils Of ‘Privilege’”, from St. Martin’s Press. Follow her on Twitter, @tweetertation

Phoebe Maltz Bovy is a former editor of the Sisterhood blog at the Forward. Her writing has appeared in several publications, including The New Republic and The Atlantic. Her book, “The Perils of ‘Privilege,’” was published by St. Martin’s Press in March 2017. She has a PhD in French and French Studies from New York University, and has read a lot of 19th century French Jewish newspapers for a 21st century American.

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