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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Books You’ll Never Guess Which Israeli Authors President Obama Loves
We’ve always known President Obama is, at heart, a lovable nerd. Soon we’ll get even more proof; the president guest-edited the November edition of WIRED, which the magazine’s editor in chief Scott Dadich recently wrote will be focused on frontiers, including “the final one, because it turns out President Obama is a big Star Trek…
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The Schmooze The Notorious RBG’s Next Big Role? Opera Star
Between “Supreme Court Justice,” “Notorious RBG,” and “Namesake of the Praying Mantis lomantis ginsburgæ” Ruth Bader Ginsburg already possesses more intimidatingly cool titles than most of us can ever hope to acquire. She’s about to add another one: Duchess of Krakenthorp. Ok, that one’s not permanent; next month, Ginsburg will be performing the role of…
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The Schmooze Bob Dylan’s Website Removes Mention Of Nobel Prize
Bob Dylan has made waves as the most recent winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, in more ways than one. Dylan’s win was unexpected, as musicians haven’t previously been honored; adding to that surprise, the singer and songwriter went nearly a week without acknowledging the award. Many thought his silence had been broken when,…
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The Schmooze On #WonderWomanDay, Celebrating 5 Jewish Wonder Women
Today, the character of Wonder Woman – she of the super strength, lasso, and controversial but iconic red bustier – is being initiated as a United Nations Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women And Girls. When announced earlier this month, the honor drew ire from some, especially as it followed close on the failure…
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The Schmooze A Philip Roth Film, a Leonard Cohen Profile and 5 More Things To Watch, Read and Do This Weekend
Depending on where you are, it’s either fall or supposed to be. (New York has had a week of balmy temperatures, with turning leaves the only hint of autumn.) Oscar-contending films are being released, television shows are embarking on new seasons, and as evenings descend earlier, books are beckoning from the shelves. What better time…
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The Schmooze Chelsea Handler’s Star-Studded Roundtable Reveals Just How Sexist Hollywood Really Is
It’s not a surprise to most women that a gender-based wage gap exists, but it can be a shock to learn just how pervasive and enormous it can be. Comedian Chelsea Handler took that subject on in Wednesday’s installment of her Netflix series “Chelsea.” Hosting director Ava DuVernay, actresses Hilary Swank and Connie Britton, and…
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The Schmooze Howard Stern Says Won’t ‘Betray’ Donald Trump by Rerunning Sex-Fueled Interviews
In the aftermath of the release of the “Trump Tape” — for those under a political rock that’s the leaked 2005 recording of Donald Trump, on a hot mic, bragging about sexually assaulting women— clips of Trump making sexual claims on Howard Stern’s radio show have exacerbated public outrage. Those claims include Trump’s declaration that…
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Culture Is The Truth About Elena Ferrante In Her Name — Or Her Books?
This past Sunday, the Italian journalist Claudio Gatti published an investigation into the “true identity” of novelist Elena Ferrante in the New York Review of Books, as well as outlets in France, Italy, and Germany. Based on financial and real estate records, he concluded that Ferrante was actually a Rome-based translator whose Jewish mother survived…
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