PJ Grisar is a Forward culture reporter. He can be reached at [email protected] and @pjgrisar on Twitter.
PJ Grisar
By PJ Grisar
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Culture Beirut: Public Sculpture Resembling Star Of David Removed After Outrage
After a spate of online outrage, Lebanese authorities have removed a sculpture from Beirut’s Martyr Square. The reason? If viewed from above, the geometric artwork appears looks like a Star of David. According to Hyperallergic, the sculpture, British artist Nathaniel Rackowe’s “LP46,” became the center of a controversy on December 15, when a photograph of…
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Culture Meet Elizabeth Warren’s Fave Spy Novelist — A Jewish, Ex-CIA Judo Master
In a recent Rolling Stone interview, Elizabeth Warren spoke on impeachment, her family history and her one-time Republican affiliation. When asked what she does to unwind, the presidential candidate and senator from Massachusetts said she listens to fiction, specifically “The John Rain series,” which she described as “a good sort of mystery adventure.” The John…
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Culture The Mel Brooks Feline Musical You Must Watch As An Antidote For ‘Cats’
The net effect of Tom Hooper’s cinematic treatment of “Cats” is one of horror and existential dread giving way to derision. Rocking an abysmal 20% on Rotten Tomatoes, critics have described the film iteration of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s feline pageant as “a dog” and “the worst movie of the year and arguably the decade.” The…
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Culture Every American Hanukkah Special, Movie And TV Episode Worth Knowing About
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Hanukkah’s profile has grown over the years due to its proximity to Christmas. It’s also true that because of this nearness, it is the Jewish holiday the most Christians are familiar with. And yet, while Jews are said to control the entertainment industry, we’ve made our greatest festive…
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Culture UNESCO Cuts Ties With Belgian Parade Over Anti-Semitic Float
Following months of outrage over an anti-Semitic float included in a popular Belgian carnival, UNESCO has severed ties with the festival, which the cultural arm of the U.N. added to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2010. In March, the Aalst Carnival included a parade float featuring Jews with hooked noses and side-curls perched atop…
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Culture ‘Uncut Gems’ Gives American Jews A New, Unflattering Mascot – And It’s A Triumph
If you see Josh and Benny Safdie’s “Uncut Gems” when it opens on Christmas Day, you will witness an under-explored facet of Jewish life. As the lights go down and Adam Sandler springs to frenetic life as protagonist Howard Ratner, a New York Diamond District sleaze, you might muse as to why it took so…
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Culture A Polish Jew’s Memoir Of Survival, Unnoticed For Decades, Arrives In Translation
From 1940 to 1943, Françoise Frenkel, a Jew of Polish origin, remained in hiding in Occupied France. Where she hid varied. At times of relative freedom, she lodged at a hotel with other expats. When Gestapo raids became more frequent, and the threat of deportation loomed, she hid with friendly acquaintances (a remarkably generous couple…
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Culture WATCH: A ‘Star Wars’ Tribute To Hanukkah
“Star Wars” and the holidays don’t have the best history. The trouble began in 1977 — the first Hanukkah after the original “Star Wars” hit theaters. Toy company Kenner found itself unprepared for the demands of the season and, instead of gifting kids action figures of Luke, Leia and Chewbacca, parents were forced to give…
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