Ilan Stavans
By Ilan Stavans
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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,…
Most Popular
- 1
Culture Hitler is trending on TikTok again — and they’re trying to make him seem like a nice guy
- 2
Fast Forward Trump says Jews would deserve much of the blame if he loses
- 3
Culture You can buy Sukkot gift boxes that say ‘tuchus’ on Amazon
- 4
Fast Forward Sitcom star encourages non-Jews like her to hang mezuzahs on their homes
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion With killing of Hezbollah’s chief, Israel occupies the inarguable moral high ground
-
Looking Forward An Israeli hip-hop artist remembers a day of hope in Gaza
-
Sports The Jewish Sport Report: How the Chicago White Sox made a bad year even worse for Jewish fans
-
Oct. 7: One Year Later A different closet: Queer Zionists navigate the post-Oct. 7 dating scene
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism