Gary Lucas

Gary Lucas is a guitarist, songwriter and composer who has recorded more than 50 albums and performed with legends including Leonard Bernstein, Lou Reed and Patti Smith.

By Gary Lucas

Art
In 1960’s New York, the past was a foreign country — they sure did things differently there

A cornucopia of Jewish artists populate the pages of 'Everything Is Now,' J. Hoberman's massive survey of New York's avant-garde

By Gary Lucas May 26, 2025 | 8 min read
Film & TV
From WWII Amsterdam, a deeply disturbing story of Dutch complicity with the Nazis

Willy Lindwer's Holocaust documentary 'Lost City' unearths a gruesome chapter in Dutch history

By Gary Lucas Jan 21, 2025 | 3 min read
Culture
‘A Complete Unknown’ proves that one thing about Bob Dylan will certainly endure

The new Dylan movie packs an emotional wallop, even if it fakes just like a biopic

By Gary Lucas Dec 16, 2024 | 4 min read
Culture
In Poland, a return to the scene of an unspeakable crime

A journey to Jedwabne, site of the massacre of 1,600 Jews, kindles both anger and a sense of redemption

By Gary Lucas Jul 9, 2022 | 19 min read
Music
A ‘Dachau’ song so shocking and transformative, there’s nothing else like it

Inspired in part by all the Jewish artists on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs, the Forward decided it was time to rank the best Jewish pop songs of all time. You can find the whole list and accompanying essays here. “Some white folks think it’s hip to have Blacks in their band….

By Gary Lucas Jan 31, 2022 | 2 min read

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Gary Lucas

By Gary Lucas

In 1960’s New York, the past was a foreign country — they sure did things differently there

From WWII Amsterdam, a deeply disturbing story of Dutch complicity with the Nazis

‘A Complete Unknown’ proves that one thing about Bob Dylan will certainly endure

In Poland, a return to the scene of an unspeakable crime

A ‘Dachau’ song so shocking and transformative, there’s nothing else like it

Most Popular

In Case You Missed It

How a swaggering Jewish kid from East London became (albeit briefly) Britain’s greatest rock star and poet

Andrew Cuomo criticizes Israel — or does he?

What does the Star of David represent? A new ruling offers a legal answer

I prepare bodies as part of my synagogue’s burial society, but I’m an anti-Zionist. Is that OK?

Gary Lucas

By Gary Lucas

In 1960’s New York, the past was a foreign country — they sure did things differently there

From WWII Amsterdam, a deeply disturbing story of Dutch complicity with the Nazis

‘A Complete Unknown’ proves that one thing about Bob Dylan will certainly endure

In Poland, a return to the scene of an unspeakable crime

A ‘Dachau’ song so shocking and transformative, there’s nothing else like it

Most Popular

That whites-only, no Jews allowed Arkansas community is legal, says state’s attorney general. How?

As an Israeli political scientist, I resisted thinking this war was a genocide. Here’s what changed my mind

In a first, Orthodox rabbinical school ordains an out gay rabbi

From Shabbat dinners to ‘Talmudic discourse’: Jewish women killed in NYC shooting leave legacies of faith and family

In Case You Missed It

How a swaggering Jewish kid from East London became (albeit briefly) Britain’s greatest rock star and poet

Andrew Cuomo criticizes Israel — or does he?

What does the Star of David represent? A new ruling offers a legal answer

I prepare bodies as part of my synagogue’s burial society, but I’m an anti-Zionist. Is that OK?

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