Irene Katz Connelly is a staff writer at the Forward. You can contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @katz_conn.
Irene Katz Connelly
By Irene Katz Connelly
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The Schmooze The Definitive Ranking Of Coats in “Mrs. Maisel” Season Three
“Nobody really dressed like that,” says my father, a person who was sentient in the 1950s, about “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” “Is that supposed to be a bathrobe or something?” he says of Rose’s splendid housecoats. “The word nerd didn’t exist back then. Who wrote this show?” Jewish tradition teaches the importance of bearing witness…
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The Schmooze “Elena of Avalor” Gets Hanukkah Right (Almost)
This holiday season, Disney Junior delivered what once seemed impossible — a Hanukkah episode with no Christmas trees. Despite the prevalence of Jews in Hollywood, when Hanukkah makes an appearance on TV, it’s usually as a sidenote or a joke. This year, made-for-TV giant Hallmark dipped a brave toe in the waters of multiculturalism by…
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Life An Unexpected Hasidic Pop Star Takes The Stage
The biggest sensation in the Hasidic music world has asked me to meet him at a Lakewood strip mall. The sleek cafe where we chat is aspirationally Italian, glatt Kosher, and almost empty, but the eyes of passerby linger on our table, and one man slips out an Airpod to commend my interviewee for performing…
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Culture Workmen’s Circle Celebrates 120 Years With New, Gender-Neutral Name
One of the oldest Jewish American social justice organizations is celebrating its 120th year by showing it can still keep up with the hip, young nonprofits. The Workmen’s Circle, which has served Jewish and immigrant communities in New York for over a century and was a sister organization of the Forward for nearly as long,…
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Life There Are Five Kinds Of Jewish Grandparents. Which One Are You?
Putting ourselves in groups — it’s fun at any age. For the first time, the Jewish Grandparents Network, an organization promoting community engagement among Jewish grandparents, has released a study outlining the five core “types” of grandparents, based on engagement with grandchildren, attitudes towards Judaism, and hopes for future generations: Joyful, Faithful, Secular, Wistful, and…
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Food When It Comes to Turkey, Israelis Beat Americans
In the days before Thanksgiving, as supermarket aisles simmer with eleventh-hour agita and those of us who forgot to pre-order are ready to brawl over the last free-range turkey, it may be hard to imagine that anyone consumes more fowl than Americans. As it turns out, we have a surprising rival in that quarter —…
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The Schmooze Hanukkah Now Gets Its Own Hip Holiday Music, With ‘Hannukah+’
Challenging Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah hegemony and showing that Jews too can participate in the time-honored American tradition of cashing in on holiday cheer — record label Verve Forecast just dropped its release of Hanukkah+, a star-studded album of candle-lighting melodies. Released on November 22, presumably to acclaim from the makers of mall playlists everywhere, Hanukkah+…
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Fast Forward Vindman: I Knew Testifying Would Be Okay Because ‘This Is America’
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a key figure in the impeachment proceedings and a Ukrainian Jewish refugee who arrived in America as a child, testified before the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday. Republican lawmakers and pundits have repeatedly used Vindman’s heritage to question his loyalty to the United States and his credibility as a witness. Weaving…
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