Raphael Lemkin and Samantha Power's Problem From Hell
With his posthumous autobiography, Raphel Lemkin, the hero of Samantha Power’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, is finally being given the chance to speak for himself.
Trader Joe’s Treasure
About a year and a half ago, Portland, Ore.-based artist Harrell Fletcher went to his local Trader Joe’s to do some shopping. By the time he went home, it was with far more than a few bags of groceries.
Bikel’s Butcher, Sharp as Ever
Among the boldface names slated to appear at the National Yiddish Theatre-Folksbiene’s June 17 annual gala at New York’s Town Hall, there is one that doesn’t immediately bring to mind thoughts of the Yiddish stage: “NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams. But as devoted readers of The Shmooze will know, the newsman is not just a pretty face with a fancy job; he’s also something of a Yiddish buff, from whose tongue words like shpilkes and keynehoreh roll with the same ease as the day’s headlines.
Remembering the ‘Thunder Years’
Author Stephanie Klein spent five of her teenage summers at what she bluntly calls “Fat Camp.” In her new memoir, “Moose” (HarperCollins), a childhood nickname, Klein compresses those summers into a single, lightly fictionalized one. Though she changed a few identifying details, she assures the reader early on that she’s no James Frey. “Sadly enough,” she writes, “everything in this book actually happened.” On the eve of book’s release, the Forward’s Gabriel Sanders caught up with Klein to talk about her mother, Jewish basements and the joy that can come from eating a few slices of contraband challah.
As Controversy Over French Author Simmers, Museum Plans To Enter Fray
With a mix of excitement and trepidation, New York’s Museum of Jewish Heritage announced this week that it is planning to stage an exhibition devoted to the writer Irène Némirovsky in the fall.
Getting Around
Not only does work done by our latest hire, editorial assistant Marissa Brostoff, now regularly grace the pages of the Forward, but it can be found as today’s lead offering on Nextbook.org
Protecting the Graveless
This past fall, despite objections from both the White House and some in the organized Jewish world, the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to allow a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide to go before the House of Representatives. When the move led to mass protests in Turkey and threats from Ankara to disrupt the American war effort in Iraq, however, House leaders decided to table the measure.
2nd Ave Deli Cooks Up Controversy
An enthusiastic review by New York Times food critic Frank Bruni of the newly reopened 2nd Ave Deli last week no doubt triggered hunger pangs, but it also set into motion something more unexpected: a spirited discussion about whether a restaurant open on the Sabbath can still be considered kosher. After a correspondent posed the question to Bruni, the food critic wrote a blog post inviting readers to weigh in.
GOP Hopefuls Court Sunshine State Jews
Politically speaking, there is little room between Jerry Levy and his daughter Nanette Gordon. Republicans both, the two sat side by side as Senator Joseph Lieberman sang John McCain’s praises at an event sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition here last week.
