This is the Forward’s coverage of Jewish culture where you’ll learn about the latest (and sometimes earliest) in Jewish art, music (including of course Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen), film, theater, books as well as the secret Jewish history of…
Culture
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Who Put the Coal in Coalition?
[ ![][2]][2] When people ask me, “Who put the fun in fundamentalism?” I always answer that it was a little-known 14th-century Sufi Pir named Sayyid Jalal al-din Husayn Bukhari. More to the point this month is who put the fundamentalists in power, and, in the wake of the fractious Israeli elections, a Mr. Will Tiberias…
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Rahm Emanuel’s Guide to Down-to-Earth Parenting
Rahm Emanuel is the tough-but-fair, no-nonsense chief of staff for President Barack Obama. He is also a former chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The loving husband of Amy Rule and father of three small children, he’s taken lessons he learned in the rough-and-tumble world of politics and applied them to the challenges of…
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Shake Hizzoner’s Hand!
[ ![][2]][2] Have you ever wanted to look and feel important for at least one brief second, no matter how little you deserve it? This is your chance! For a mere $50, for a limited time only, you too can Shake Mayor Bloomberg’s Hand – and have the picture to prove it! We know what…
The Latest
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Alex Rodriguez Admits to Kabbalah Use
[ ![][2]][2] In a tearful televised confession, New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez yesterday confirmed long-rumored allegations of performance-enhancing kabbalah use during a live interview with ESPN baseball analyst Peter Gammons. Citing pressure to stay competitive, Rodriguez acknowledged resorting to the practice of esoteric Jewish mysticism on multiple occasions since being introduced to its mysterious…
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Extreme Gaza Makeover
Finally, good news for a city torn by war, terrorism, political intimidation and a crippling embargo: The popular ABC show “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” is coming to Gaza City. “My producer was just watching the news and thought, ‘Those guys could use a makeover!’” said host Ty Pennington. Although at first Pennington objected, once he…
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Where On Earth Is Our Chicken Soup?
[ ![][2]][2] We’ve been patient for a long time, but we’re just about at our limit. Enough with the excuses. Would you please tell us why we don’t have our bowls of matza ball soup? It’s a bit too much to take after all our people have been through. First, slavery in Egypt. Then the…
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Letters
[ ![][2]][2] Thank You, Backward! Dear Backward, Thank you so much for your insightful, independent and comprehensive coverage of all things Jewish. It’s really nice to have a critical look at the community for once. I look forward to my weekends when I can kick back, relax and read my paper just the way my…
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Going Gaga For Batsheva in America
Since its first tour of the United States in 1970, Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company has won over American crowds and critics alike with its energetic approach to dance. At the time, it was, perhaps, a novelty: an Israeli group performing primarily American repertory with unbridled verve and vigor. But in the past 18 years, the…
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The Mightiest Stories Ever Told
On or about March 13, 1929, readers of The New York Times were informed that Noah’s Ark had taken Broadway by storm. Those who had not yet had their morning coffee must have taken the news quite literally, especially since it was accompanied by a two-page spread that featured an enormous boat washed up amid…
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It’s a Purim World Out There
Purim has always been a weightier holiday than it seems — precisely because it is the lightest. Unbearably light, to paraphrase Kundera: Purim’s message is that there is no anchor, that all is random, that carnival is real and there is nothing you can do about it. Or, to paraphrase the late and beloved Rabbi…
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Miklós Radnóti: Bearer of Poetic Witness
Miklós Radnóti (1909–1944) was arguably the greatest poet of the Holocaust. He stands out among the other great figures of the Holocaust literature of his generation because he dedicated his life — his talent, discipline, loves and learning, and even his fate in the Holocaust — to the craft of writing poetry. Unlike many others,…
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