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 In his impeachment defense, David Schoen picked a really weird hill to die on
David Schoen’s faith, from his phantom yarmulke to his Shabbat observance, has played no small role in Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial. And yet, it was his take on another religion that raised eyebrows on Friday. Observers think he picked a super strange hill to die on. While Schoen eschewed his kippah in a public…
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Culture Stan Lee was his own favorite superhero – that was his downfall
True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee By Abraham Riesman Crown, 416 pages, $28 Where exactly did Stan Lee, the character and the person, come from? It depends what part of the man you’re looking for. One of Lee’s oft-repeated founding myths, evidence of the extreme self-love that made him the godhead of…
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Culture Gina Carano should watch ‘The Mandalorian’ before she makes Holocaust analogies
Lucasfilm sacked actress Gina Carano from the “Star Wars” universe over a post likening hatred directed at people with differing politics to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany. The question naturally follows: Has she been paying any attention to the show that just canned her? To begin with, Carano, an outspoken Republican and featured…
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Culture Our big idea for how Steven Spielberg should spend his Genesis Prize money
Steven Spielberg’s Oscars are about to have some company. On Wednesday the Genesis Prize announced that the director behind such films as “Jaws” and “Schindler’s List” was selected for the “Jewish Nobel,” which comes with a $1 million prize. For the first time in its history, world Jewry was invited to vote on who would…
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Culture The Jewish lawyer fighting against fake vanilla — and for 3-legged squirrels
In front of me is a bottle of vanilla seltzer. Its label states it was made with “natural flavors.” When I mention the brand to Spencer Sheehan, his voice jumps an octave. “Oh, I know that!” says Sheehan, 41, with a Long Island lilt. “Natural flavors technically will have a small amount of vanilla, but…
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News Heading to controversy: Impeachment trial yarmulke debate ignites Twitter
Twitter erupted on Tuesday afternoon with the most existential of Jewish questions: Can a hand substitute for a yarmulke? The hoopla and hullabaloo began when David Schoen, the modern Orthodox attorney representing Donald Trump at his second impeachment trial, was making his case in front of the Senate. He grabbed the unmarked 8 oz. bottle…
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Culture This pastor translated Biden’s name to Hebrew. He won’t like his own Hebrew name.
Every so often, fringe Christian figures look to Hebrew to impute Satanic inspiration. Sometimes, it backfires tremendously. One-upping this woman who slammed Monster energy drinks with the sign of the beast, right-wing pastor Perry Stone has translated President Joe Biden’s name into Hebrew. When you break it down — eliding some vowels and looking into…
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Culture Amy Schumer’s mayo pitch was not exactly the Super Bowl’s most Jewish ad
Super Bowl LIV was a disappointing spectacle for even the most devoted Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan: a rout never makes for interesting viewing. And while we congratulate the Glazer family on a victory handily won — while cringing a bit each time the commentators said it was a “great night for [Buccaneers coach Bill] Arians”…
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