Ilan Stavans
By Ilan Stavans
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News Seeking Mameloshn Down South
The following essay is an abbreviated version of the introduction to “Yiddish South of the Border: An Anthology of Latin American Yiddish Writing,” edited by Alan Astro and released by the University of New Mexico Press. In the ever-popular “The Joys of Yiddish” (1968), Leo Rosten offered the following definition for Ladino: “Ladino, or Judesmo,…
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News In a Jewish-Hispanic Fairy Tale, A Witch With a Yiddish Accent
Quick: How many movies with Jewish-Hispanic themes can you name? Okay, time’s up. But don’t feel bad if your list is a bit short. I know something about these matters and could only come up with about six titles, including “The Jewish Gauchos,” based on the literary classic by Alberto Gerchunoff and set in the…
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News The Lessons of 1492
The historian Américo Castro disliked the term “Siglo del Oro”— the Golden Century — when applied to the period of artistic expression and transatlantic colonization that swept the Spanish Empire from 1492 to the dawn of the 17th century. He wondered: what is golden about those hundred years? Sure, the comedias of Lope de Vega,…
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Opinion The Christian right wants schools to teach the Bible — but doesn’t understand what the Bible is about
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Opinion Steve Bannon wants Jews to ‘hard weld’ to Christian nationalists. Not so fast
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Fast Forward Some imagine a ‘President Josh Shapiro.’ Here’s what he said about Biden after the debate.
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Looking Forward Biden’s rabbi and I debate whether it’s time for the president to step aside
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Fast Forward Hostage posters ripped off the wall outside Brad Schneider’s office a week after his house is picketed after midnight
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Fast Forward Bereaved Israeli families may now add traditional phrase ‘May God avenge his blood’ to soldiers’ gravestones
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News ‘The most important tattoo I ever did’: Artists volunteer to ink Oct. 7 survivors
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Looking Forward Don’t let your kids read this column (but don’t ban it either)