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 Israel’s former space security chief says there’s a ‘Galactic Federation.’ We have some questions.
Groucho Marx, and later Alvy Singer, once quipped “I don’t want to belong to any club that would have someone like me for a member.” But what if that club includes aliens? The question came to us Dec. 7, after the Jerusalem Post reported that former Israeli space security chief Haim Eshed dished about the…
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Culture Howard Stern disses President Trump, signs up for 5 more years of Sirius
Howard Stern’s not going anywhere. After months of keeping listeners in suspense, the self-coronated King of All Media has announced that he will remain with SiriusXM for an additional five years. In explaining his loyalty to satellite, he dissed his ex of 15 years: terrestrial radio. “I had been in a toxic relationship with terrestrial…
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Culture The 8 least essential Hanukkah gifts
Hanukkah will begin on sundown Dec. 10, and even mid-pandemic, many will light the lights, fry the oil, dabble in some low-stakes gambling and, yes, give gifts. Gift guides are always tricky. They ultimately come down to the tastes of the writer, not the gift buyer or receiver. And while there are a number of…
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Music In latest 2020 surprise, Bob Dylan sells his catalog to Universal
Bob Dylan has been full of surprises during this unprecedented year. Coming off his witching hour single drops that culminated in a celebrated album of new material, the 79-year-old songwriter has just agreed to sell his entire catalogue of over 600 songs. On Monday, Universal Music Publishing Group announced that it would purchase all of…
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Culture Daveed Diggs gifts us a fresh Hanukkah song — and a puppy
Look, the Hanukkah song book has a lot of vacancies when compared to its seasonal neighbor. “Sevivon Sov Sov Sov,” kinda slaps, but we could always use an updated anthem. Enter “Hamilton” star Daveed Diggs with a new tune that fully captures the thrills — and many disappointments — of the Festival of Lights. The…
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Culture In an English sea town, a 91-year-old synagogue needs saving
Read this article in Yiddish Francesca Ter-Berg has lived in the coastal English town of Margate for a year and a half. It took her over a year to find the local shul. It was hidden on a backstreet and had been shuttered for years. Soon after discovering it, she learned it was set to…
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Culture The real ‘Mank’ hated Hitler and helped refugees — he was also an isolationist
Holed up at a dusty ranch in Victorville, California, with a full-leg cast, screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz has been self-medicating as he works his way through a draft of “Citizen Kane.” When his secretary, Rita Alexander, learns he’s sneaked booze into the guest residence, she confronts his accomplice, a German nurse. “Frieda, you mustn’t let…
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Culture The terrifying marriage of convenience between Israel and evangelical Zionists
At an August rally in Wisconsin, Donald Trump ditched the dog whistle of Jewish control and said the quiet part out loud. “We moved the capital of Israel to Jerusalem,” Trump said to cheers at an Oshkosh airport. “That’s for the evangelicals.” Trump then paused and mused on a fact that struck him as curious:…
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