Editing Kirk Douglas (section)

===Religion===
Douglas was raised Jewish. On February 13, 1991, aged 74, Douglas was in a helicopter and was injured when the aircraft collided with a small plane above [[Santa Paula Airport]]. Two other people were also injured, including [[Noel Blanc]], the son of voice actor [[Mel Blanc]] who was piloting the helicopter, and two people in the plane were killed.<ref name="la-times-helicrash">{{cite news |last1=Gorman |first1=Gary |last2=O'Donnell |first2=Santiago |date=February 14, 1991 |title=2 Die as Plane, Copter Crash; Kirk Douglas, 2 Others Hurt |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-02-14-mn-1684-story.html |access-date=August 16, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kirk Douglas, Noel Blanc Recovering After Air Collision That Killed Two |url=https://apnews.com/article/0c28c487122c3e3e67d200fe7a23a2fc |access-date=March 13, 2022 |website=AP NEWS |language=en}}</ref> This near-death experience sparked a search for meaning by Douglas, which led him, after much study, to embrace the Judaism in which he had been raised. He documented this spiritual journey in his book, ''Climbing the Mountain: My Search for Meaning'' (1997).<ref>{{cite news|last=Lacher|first=Irene|title=A Role Made to Order|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-sep-24-ls-35432-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=September 24, 1997|access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref>

He decided to visit Jerusalem again and wanted to see the [[Western Wall Tunnel]] during a trip where he would dedicate two playgrounds he donated to the state. His tour guide arranged to end the tour of the tunnel at the bedrock where, according to Jewish tradition, Abraham's [[binding of Isaac]] took place.<ref name="Jewish Week">{{Cite news|title=Kirk Douglas, Legendary Movie Star Who Had His Second Bar Mitzvah at 83, Has Died|url=https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/kirk-douglas-legendary-movie-star-who-reconnected-to-judaism-later-in-life-dies-at-103/|last=Tugend|first=Tom|date=February 6, 2020|work=[[The Jewish Week]]}}</ref>

In his earlier autobiography, ''The Ragman's Son'', he recalled, "years back, I tried to forget that I was a Jew," but later in his career he began "coming to grips with what it means to be a Jew," which became a theme in his life.<ref name="Douglas 1988, p. 383">Douglas 1988, p. 383.</ref> In an interview in 2000, he explained this transition:<ref>{{Cite web|last=Douglas|first=Kirk|date=March 4, 2000|title=Climbing the Mountain: Essay and Interview with Kirk Douglas|url=https://www.aish.com/sp/so/48892702.html|access-date=August 16, 2015|website=aish.com}}</ref>

{{blockquote|Judaism and I parted ways a long time ago, when I was a poor kid growing up in Amsterdam, N.Y. Back then, I was pretty good in [[cheder]], so the Jews of our community thought they would do a wonderful thing and collect enough money to send me to a yeshiva to become a rabbi. Holy Moses! That scared the hell out of me. I didn't want to be a rabbi. I wanted to be an actor. Believe me, the members of the Sons of Israel were persistent. I had nightmares – wearing long ''[[payos]]'' and a black hat. I had to work very hard to get out of it. But it took me a long time to learn that you don't have to be a rabbi to be a Jew.}}

[[File:President Ronald Reagan with Kirk Douglas and Mrs. Douglas attending a private dinner.jpg|thumb|Douglas, his wife Anne, and President [[Ronald Reagan]], December 1987]]

Douglas noted that an underlying theme of some of his films, including ''[[The Juggler (film)|The Juggler]]'' (1953), ''[[Cast a Giant Shadow]]'' (1966), and ''[[Remembrance of Love]]'' (1982), was about "a Jew who doesn't think of himself as one, and eventually finds his Jewishness."<ref name="Douglas 1988, p. 383"/> ''The Juggler'' was the first Hollywood feature to be filmed in the newly established state of Israel. Douglas recalled that, while there, he saw "extreme poverty and food being rationed." But he found it "wonderful, finally, to be in the majority." The film's producer, [[Stanley Kramer]], tried to portray "Israel as the Jews' heroic response to Hitler's destruction."<ref>[[Deborah Dash Moore|Moore, Deborah]]. ''[[To the Golden Cities: Pursuing the American Jewish Dream in Miami and L.A.]]'', [[Harvard Univ. Press]] (1994) p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Je26PhbW3hQC&pg=PA245 245]</ref>

Although his children had non-Jewish mothers, Douglas stated that they were "aware culturally" of his "deep convictions" and he never tried to influence their own religious decisions.<ref name="Douglas 1988, p. 383"/> Douglas's wife, Anne, [[Conversion to Judaism|converted]] to Judaism before they renewed their wedding vows in 2004.<ref name="Paskin-2012" /> Douglas celebrated a second Bar-Mitzvah ceremony in 1999, aged 83.<ref name="face"/>{{rp|125}}