Simi Horwitz is a feature writer and film reviewer based in New York City. In 2022, she received first place for film criticism from the Society for Feature Journalism, and in 2023, a New York Press Club Award for an Entertainment News feature; and three Los Angeles Press Club Awards, including first place for film criticism — all for pieces published in the Forward.
Simi Horwitz
By Simi Horwitz
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Culture At 91, Mildred Kayden Is More Successful Than Ever
Composer and lyricist Mildred Kayden thought jazz was great music way back, when it was viewed as somehow lesser in many circles. When she was teaching at Vassar College in the 1940s and ‘50s, jazz was not included in the musical curriculum, and even a production like “Porgy and Bess” was written as an operetta,…
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Culture Meet the New Generation of Jewish Magicians
Video footage recorded live at the Players Theatre. While Jews make up less than 3% of the American population, nearly 20% of American magicians are Jews. There’s David Copperfield, Ricky Jay and David Blaine, the endurance artist who sports several controversial tattoos, including the numbers that were branded on Primo Levi’s arm at Auschwitz. “Magic…
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Culture David Copperfield’s Magical Relationship With God and Judaism
In the September 9, 1928, edition of the Forverts, a story with the headline “Leading American Magicians are Jews” opened with the following lede: “When a Jew rolls up his sleeves it doesn’t always mean business. It means magic.” With many Jews already working as magicians back in the day, there was every expectation that…
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The Schmooze Was Rush Limbaugh Right About ‘Commie’ Camp Kinderland?
Just because Rush Limbaugh says it’s raining doesn’t mean it’s a sunny day. Admittedly, his assertion that Camp Kinderland — a summer camp in the Berkshires — is a hotbed of Communist indoctrination doesn’t have much traction in 2013. But consider the camp’s backdrop for sports, music, drama, and arts and crafts. The theater is…
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Culture Theater Legend David Rothenberg Does Some of His Best Work Offstage
David Rothenberg has little doubt that old people are invisible. But invisibility is not all bad, he explained cheerfully in the lobby of his building, in New York City’s Greenwich Village: “See how I’m dressed? It’s great. No one notices,” he said. Yes, his baggy knee-length shorts and loose-fitting, nondescript shirt are not high fashion,…
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The Schmooze Plays That Test the Limits of Jewish Experience
David Winitsky, artistic director of the Jewish Plays Project (JPP), wants to clarify something: “This is not ‘Old Jews Telling Jokes,’” he said. “Don’t get me wrong. I love that kind of comedy and Jewish humor runs through the festival’s plays. But we’re not looking for the next Neil Simon. We’re looking for the next…
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Culture Coney Island Impresario Richard Zigun Plans Comeback After Hurricane Sandy
The Wonder Wheel is revolving, the air is awash in overly sweet smells and tinny music is everywhere. Soon the curtain will once again rise on the iconic Sideshows by the Seashore. The last time I visited, it was a windless, midwinter day. Brooklyn’s Coney Island was eerily desolate, and the only sound was that…
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Culture Judith Malina Joins Jewish Show Business Stars in Next Stage of Life
Video: Nate Lavey Anarchist-pacifist Judith Malina, who co-founded the iconic Living Theatre, doesn’t want to be in an assisted living facility at all. Still, she concedes that the picturesque Lillian Booth Actors’ Home, in Englewood, N.J., with its manicured lawns and gardens, is pretty nice. At least she’s among fellow artists. Operated by The Actors’…
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