Forward.com

Building Identity Through Art

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:34:00 EST

When Argentine artist Mirta Kupferminc escorts her mother, a Holocaust survivor who fled her homeland of Hungary in the wake of World War II, to view exhibits of her work, she sometimes worries that her mother will find the material too disturbing, too reminiscent of her experiences during the war. After all, Kupferminc bases much of her mixed-media work on her parents’ heritage, employing historical details from their lives in her pieces. “Sometimes,” Kupferminc said, “I ask her: Are you sure that you can cope with such strong material in these exhibitions? It’s not hard for you?” Her mother’s answer, Kupferminc recalled, is always the same: “‘Oh, Mirta,’ she says, ‘What’s hard is what I lived, not what you’re doing.’”

An Honest Marriage of Vermont and Judaism

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:33:00 EST

A white-pillared converted stone church beside a coppice of pine trees and over a sloping meadow from the grave of poet Robert Frost, might seem like a strange location for a sukkah, but this fall the Bennington Museum hosted two of them to mark the centennial of organized Judaism in the Vermont town.

Where ‘Love’ First Appears

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:14:00 EST

In this column, Rabbi Ilana Grinblat tells of her young son’s exuberant reactions to life’s smallest of joys — and compares these reactions to the overwhelming emotions experienced by the Isaac and Rebecca in this week’s Torah portion.

Dirty Sayings Never Get Old

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:16:00 EST

In the early 1970s, Marvin Zuckerman and Gershon Weltman, childhood friends from the co-ops of the Bronx, came across a rare Yiddish manuscript. Though they had never thought of putting out a book together, they quickly recognized that there was something in this document that made them want to take up the task of translating and publishing the work — dirty words.

Two-Way Giving

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:16:00 EST

In October, they began. This time next year, they will have finished. In between, it’s a big commitment to become a docent. It takes a lot of knowledge and plenty of spare time.

Schmutz Sandwich Anyone?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:49:00 EST

If you like gross-out humor, you’ll love “Sex, Drugs & Gefilte Fish,” a new compilation of essays, derived from Heeb magazine’s live storytelling series.

The Doctor Who Had the Chutzpah To Write Music

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:47:00 EST

Retired radiologist Albert Hurwit knows a thing or two about success. The Hartford, Conn., resident — and grandfather of eight — has a pedigree fine enough to make any mother kvell.

Nine Faiths, One Vegan Lunch at Windsor Castle

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:39:00 EST

On Tuesday November 3, His Royal Highness Prince Philip will host over 200 guests for lunch at Windsor Castle, the 900-year-old palace that serves as an official residence of his and Queen Elizabeth’s. But this lunch will be noticeably different from the roasted quail and crème fraîche typical to castle meals. Instead, the menu is entirely vegan and centered on seasonal, regionally sourced ingredients.

High School Reunion

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:01:00 EST

Comedienne Susie Essman, who plays the foul-mouthed Susie Greene on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” spoke recently with Forward editor Jane Eisner — her high school classmate! — about love, life and the advances in hair products over the past four decades.

Creating an Arab-Israeli Dialogue, One Note at a Time

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:59:00 EST

On a rain-drenched afternoon in Philadelphia, I entered a small underground room at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts to observe a rehearsal of “Resonances” — a new composition commissioned by Intercultural Journeys, an Arab/Jewish ensemble that utilizes the arts as a vehicle to produce dialogue between the Israeli and Arab peoples. In rehearsal were Syrian composer Kareem Roustom, Arab-Israeli violinist Hanna Khoury and Israeli-Jewish cellist Udi Bar-David.

Saving Pastrami on Rye

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:07:00 EST

Nearly 80 years after their heyday — when they numbered roughly 2,000 in New York City alone — delis have found an unlikely young advocate in David Sax, the 30-year-old author of the newly published “Save the Deli.”

Why We Start With 'Bereishit'

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:01:00 EST

With the cycle of Torah reading beginning anew this weekend, Rabbi Ilana Grinblat looks at the reason why the Torah starts with Genesis, even though the first commandment doesn’t come until Exodus. In doing so, Grinblat consults both Rashi and her toddler daughter

Non-Jewish Husbands, More Jewish Kids

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:29:00 EST

In her new book, Keren R. McGinity, left, traces the attitudes of intermarried women toward Judaism throughout the 20th century. She argues that as the century progressed, intermarried women became significantly more likely than their male counterparts to retain their Jewish identity

Forget Your ‘Bashert,’ God Has Made You Millions To Choose From

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:27:00 EST

A young rabbi explains why he no longer teaches about the concept of bashert, or the divine determination of the one person whom we are to marry.

Invisible Revisions

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:26:00 EST

Hila Ratzabi had a typical American-Jewish childhood: day school, Shabbat observance, and the expectation of endogamy. It wasn’t until much later that Ratzabi realized, as she writes in this essay, that it was possible to maintain her Jewishness while partnering with a non-Jew.

From Salt Lake City to Smoked Salmon Town

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:21:00 EST

I was raised a white-boy Mormon in Salt Lake City in the 1960s. It was a good place to grow up, except that everybody looked like me, and almost everybody practiced the same religion. The only “exotic” person I knew was my best friend in junior high, Barney Josephson. He was Jewish, but he stood out only because he was six feet tall at age 13.

Jews With Tattoos

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:21:00 EST

Craig Dershowitz started with a Kabbalah Ladder on his back, then followed with the word ZION on his right forearm. His entire torso remains a mural in progress.

On Tour: The History Behind Israel’s Popular Drinks

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:19:00 EST

Imagine you’re at an oasis — a colorful island in the middle of a dry, hot desert with plenty of trees for shade. Could it get any better than this?

Mommy Dangerous

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST

In his new novel, “More Than It Hurts You,” Darin Strauss asks how
well can you know the person you wake up next to?

Get Down!

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:56:00 EST

When Sara Schwimmer Marcus, founder of JewishWeddingNetwork.com, gives her brides a pep talk, it always includes this: “Hold on tight, enjoy the ride and try not to make that face.”