PJ Grisar

What We Get Wrong About Karl Marx

While never a believer in Judaism, and at times vicious about the faith, the revolutionary philosopher Karl Marx came from an indisputably Jewish background: Both of his parents’ fathers were rabbis. The fact that he was not, himself, Jewish is the result of a curious historical circumstance. Marx’s father, Heinrich, born Herschel Levi, earned his…

Why Jeff Goldblum, living meme and baboon whisperer, still matters

They, uh, broke the mold when they made Jeff Goldblum. A delightful eccentric, whose charms lean into singularity, is a kind of cultural anomaly when it comes to lasting power. His iconography — from his “Creation of Adam”-recline in “Jurassic Park,” to a straight-ahead shot of his face from “The Fly” that adorned bathroom stalls…

James Carville tells Democrats to ‘start speaking Yiddish’

James Carville thinks Yiddish should be the language of voter outreach. Well, kind of. In an interview with Vox, the longtime political consultant and “Muppets” cast member expressed his concern about “jargon-y language” surrounding subjects like race, suggesting a more accessible form of messaging for Democrats. “I always tell people that we’ve got to stop…

The 2021 Oscars had Borscht Belt resort vibes

If you’re like me, you were hoping there was an envelope mixup. We’d seen it before at far more polished ceremonies. The 2021 Oscars, which broke with tradition by announcing Best Actor as the final award on Sunday, seemed designed from tip-to-tail to honor the memory of Chadwick Boseman. And then he lost to Anthony…

The Forward’s 2021 Oscars Quiz

RIP to Jim Steinman, a wonderful, vampire-obsessed songwriter

Jim Steinman was the best kind of weird. The Grammy-winning songwriter, known for his epic rock compositions for Meat Loaf, Celine Dion and Bonnie Tyler, died Monday at the age of 73, TMZ was first to report. Steinman’s songs were unmistakable in their bravura, musical theater influence and vampiric subtext. Yes. “Total Eclipse of the…

‘Let him fade into the woodwork’ — Madoff’s victims respond to his passing

Bernie Madoff is survived by his wife, Ruth — and the thousands of people whose lives he upended. The effect of the disgraced financier’s machinations rippled. Jewish non-profits reeled when the Ponzi scheme came tumbling down. Fortunes and more modest savings were lost, and so were the jobs of many who worked for Jewish institutions. Victims…

WATCH: An exclusive trailer for ‘Upheaval,’ the story of Menachem Begin

Menachem Begin’s legacy beggars belief. The former Prime Minister of Israel survived the Shoah and Soviet Gulags. He headed the Irgun, leading the British to label him a terrorist. His critics, including Jimmy Carter, believed him to be a war monger. And yet he won the Nobel Peace Prize, with Carter, for the Camp David…