After revealing her recent proud-momma moments, Dorit Kemsley offered a rare look at her role as a daughter.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member returned to Instagram on Friday, June 20, to share a glimpse at her mom Rachel Lemel’s intimate birthday celebration. Dorit posted a video of her mom sitting at a restaurant table as her family sang “Happy Birthday” and “For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow.”
Dorit Kemsley sends birthday wishes to her mom, Rachel Lemel
Dinner attendees were Dorit’s father, Shalom Lemel, as well as her two kids, 11-year-old son, Jagger Kemsley, and 9-year-old daughter, Phoenix Kemsley, whom she shares with her estranged husband, Paul “PK” Kemsley.
“Happy birthday to my beautiful mama!” Dorit captioned a Story. “We love you so much and so happy to be with you… One thing’s for sure— this woman radiates love in a way that stays with everyone she meets. She doesn’t just love deeply—she makes everyone around her feel it.”
Dorit Kemsley’s kids share heartwarming speeches for their grandma
The Beverly Hills ’Wife also posted a video of her kids’ adorable birthday speeches for their grandma.
“I’ve known savta (grandma) all my life, for nine years,” Phoenix began. “And I just want to thank you for being the best grandma in the world, and I love you so much.”
“That’s it? That’s your full speech?” Dorit asked from behind the camera.
“A little goes a long way, mommy,” the daughter said, to which Dorit replied, “That’s true.”
Dorit then turned the camera to her son, Jagger, as he shared some beautiful words for the guest of honor.
“I’ve known my grandma for my entire life, since I was little, since I was a baby,” he said. “Whether it was starting to teach me Spanish, whether it was just kissing me when I needed it, whether it was hugs, whether it was helping me talk when I was a baby, whether it was teaching me how to walk, whether it was just being there for me when I was in the hospital, you’re always there for me. I just want to say thank you so much for being the best grandma.”
Dorit also posted a Story of her mom and dad sharing a kiss and a couple of shots of her parents with her children.
“My heart in one photo,” she captioned a family picture.
Dorit Kemsley shares more details about her upbringing and unique accent
Born in Woodbridge, Connecticut, Dorit was raised in a multi-cultural, multilingual home with her sister, Debbie, and brother, David. According to her Bravo cast bio, her mom, Rachel, is from Tangier, and her father, Shalom, is from Israel. The mother of two touched on her upbringing in a 2017 interview with The Daily Dish, explaining why she had a distinct accent despite being born and raised in the U.S.
“I think the way I speak is probably a combination of many things. First and foremost, I am married to a Brit who’s got a very, very strong London accent, and I’m sure some of his inflections have sort of rolled over on me,” she said. “My parents are not American. I was born and raised in America. I did spend a significant amount of time, nearly 10 years, back and forth going to Europe. I spent a lot of time working all over the world and in various places of the world where people didn’t speak English all that well.”
She continued: “My Spanish gets very confused with the Italian because they’re so similar and I speak better Italian than I do Spanish. But I spoke Spanish before Italian. So there’s the Hebrew. My father’s Israeli but I wasn’t raised speaking Hebrew, and I wanted to learn when I was a teenager so I would insist that my father would only speak to me in Hebrew.”
Learn more about Dorit’s family life and whether her sister still resides in California.