Talya Zax is the Forward’s opinion editor. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter, @TalyaZax.
Talya ZaxOpinion Editor
By Talya Zax
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The Schmooze Happy 125th Birthday, Fanny Brice!
Fanny Brice, the legendary comedienne and songstress immortalized by Barbra Streisand in the musical and film “Funny Girl,” would have been 125 years old today. Brice, born Fania Borach on the Lower East Side’s Forsythe Street, captured hearts as a star member of “The Ziegfeld Follies,” the character of Baby Snooks on the radio, and…
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Culture Why Zadie Smith Thinks Philip Roth, and Alexander Portnoy, Changed The World
Who is Philip Roth? Most of us agree on the known particulars: he’s a novelist (obviously), a Jew, a Newark native. Depending on who you ask, he is also a pervert, a misogynist, a narcissist, a chauvinist, and/or a self-hating Jew. (I got that list from quickly Googling “most frequent criticisms of Philip Roth;” I…
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Culture Dallas Holocaust Museum To Relocate, Expand Mission
The Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center For Education and Tolerance today announced plans to move to a new, expanded site that will quadruple the museum’s exhibition space. The museum also plans to reorient its mission, changing its name to the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. In a press release, Museum President and CEO Mary Pat Higgins…
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Culture Paula Vogel’s ‘Indecent’ Heading To Broadway
Fans of Paula Vogel, Yiddish Theater, and equality in the arts rejoice: Vogel’s play “Indecent,” which made its New York debut off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theater last April, will be hitting Broadway this coming spring. On Wednesday, producers Daryl Roth, Elizabeth Ireland McCann and Cody Lassen announced that, starting in April 2017, “Indecent,” which Vogel…
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Culture At His Library in Newark, Philip Roth Names 15 of His Favorite Books
Philip Roth is one of Newark, New Jersey’s most famous sons. The novelist was born there, and has frequently used the city as a setting for his books. Now, he’s paying homage to Newark by pledging to donate his personal library to the Newark Public Library upon his death. In a press release, Roth explained…
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Culture Zadie Smith’s Lecture, Nora Ephron’s Revolt and 4 Other Things To Watch, Read, And Do This Weekend
Last weekend Rachel Bloom made us laugh, cry and sing with the season premier of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” Ewan McGregor gave us a film adaptation of “American Pastoral” that the Forward’s Adam Langer found disappointing (sorry), and we swooned, again, for Leonard Cohen. What’s grabbing our attention this week? Holocaust denial, more Philip Roth, and the…
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The Schmooze Gal Gadot Says She Would’ve Pulled Krav Maga on Donald Trump’s Wandering Hands
In the wake of allegations of Donald Trump misbehaving at Miss Universe pageants — walking freely amongst dressing rooms while participants changed, etc. — one of the first questions television host James Corden had for former Miss Israel Gal Gadot was whether Trump, when she met him at the 2004 Miss Universe competition, had toed…
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The Schmooze Rachel Bloom Loves Barbra Streisand, And 5 More Confessions From Her Billboard Interview
Rachel Bloom won hearts this past year with “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” the comic musical CW show she created and stars in. In advance of Friday’s Season 2 premier, she sat down with Billboard’s Danielle Bacher to dish on her favorite musicians, first slow dance, and more. Here are 6 of the coolest things she revealed. 1)…
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