Seth Rogovoy, a contributing editor at the Forward, is the author of Bob Dylan: Prophet Mystic Poet (Scribner) and Within You Without You: Listening to George Harrison (Oxford University Press).
Seth Rogovoy
By Seth Rogovoy
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Culture Robert Klein Zips Through a Century of Jewish Show Tunes
From the sublime to the ridiculous, including many stops in between, “From Moses to Mostel: A History of the Jews (According to Musical Theatre),” given its world premiere at Town Hall on Saturday night and starring Robert Klein in a very Tevye-like role, succeeded in its simultaneous goals of recovering mostly forgotten or overlooked chestnuts…
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Culture The Secret Jewish History of the Academy Awards
As we all know, Jews control Hollywood, yeah, yeah, yeah, yadda, yadda, yadda. But that hasn’t stopped plenty of hosts and presenters at the Academy Awards over the years from poking fun at the notion, or from making the crowd and viewers uncomfortable with remarks bordering on the anti-Semitic. Fortunately, however, Mel Gibson hasn’t had…
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Music The True Story of Genya Ravan, a Jewish Rock ‘n Roll Survivor for the Ages
If for nothing else, Genyusha Zelkowitz aka Genya “Goldie” Ravan should be known for her hits recorded under the name Goldie and the Gingerbreads in the early 1960s. The group was the first all-female band signed to a major label – anticipating by over a decade bands like the Runaways and later on the entire…
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The Schmooze How 100 Years of Jewish Jokes Shaped Modern Humor
Not that it should come as any surprise, but Vulture’s recent list of merely affirms the widespread assumption that much if not most of what passes for contemporary humor was and remains directly or indirectly forged out of the tragicomedy of Jewish culture. With roots going back to the Old World badkhns through Yiddish vaudeville…
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Music Glenn Frey and the Secret Jewish History of The Eagles
The death of rock singer Glenn Frey, a cofounder and leader of the Eagles, marks an end to one of the longest running and most successful bands of the rock era. Critics have always noted the somewhat acerbic, downright cynical attitude running through many of the group’s best-known songs. But perhaps overlooked has been a…
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Culture The 10 Most Jewish Beatles Songs Now on iTunes and Spotify
By now you’ve all heard that after years of holding out, Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono have struck deals with major music streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music, and have allowed the complete Beatles catalog to be available to those who stream music online. Both Spotify and Apple allow users to create playlists of…
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Culture He Dreamed a Dream in Yiddish
Over the weekend, two events encapsulated Yiddish New York, the week-long festival of Yiddish arts, music and culture that served to replace a gaping hole in the calendar left by the demise of KlezKamp, which ended its 30-year run last year at this time. On Saturday night at the Museum of Jewish Heritage at Battery…
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Culture Why 2015 Was the Most Yiddish Year of All
For a supposedly dead or dying language, Yiddish is not going down without a fight. In fact, we’re in the midst of a rich and creative revival such that the language and its culture hasn’t seen in decades. Yiddish Studies programs are cropping up at the unlikeliest of colleges and universities across the United States….
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