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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Israel’s Olympic Duds Go From Beijing to the Racks
Oh, to be a gold-medal Olympian. Michael Phelps’s record-breaking victories this Olympics could be worth between $50 and $100 million in endorsements, and it’s quite possible that Speedo and Nike may soon enter a bidding war over the rights to clothe the lightning-fast swimmer’s body. Israel’s athletes, meanwhile, do not carry that kind of endorsement…
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Jewish Ping-Pong Diplomacy Takes Beijing
On these hot August days and nights, Beijingers often take to the parks, squares and sidewalks to socialize, dance and compete in their own “Olympic Village.” For many, the only sport worth sweating for is table tennis, known here as ”pingpang.” Amid the buzzing cicadas and jingle of bike bells, the smack of paddles hitting…
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Smooth Sailing (for Some) Jewish Olympians
It was smooth sailing ahead for kosher Kiwi Jo Aleh of New Zealand on Saturday, when she came in second place in the Laser Radial event, taking the overall lead from Anna Tunnicliffe of the United States, the world’s top-ranked woman Laser Radial sailor. Aleh previously came in fourth and had a trio of second-place…
The Latest
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Jewish Jock Helps Phelps Make Olympic History
Poor Mark Spitz. The middle-aged motivational speaker and former swimmer can no longer be “considered the Greatest Olympic athlete of all-time,” now that Michael Phelps has won eight gold medals in one Olympics this morning, surpassing Spitz’s seven in 1972. Spitz can actually thank a fellow Jew for this development. Jason Lezak, who won bronze…
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Older Female Jewish Athletes Rise and Fall
Two Jewish women are feeling the agony of defeat this morning, but one will still be going home with a medal. U.S. swimmer Dara Torres lost the gold medal in Sunday’s 50-meter freestyle by one-hundredth of a second to Germany’s Britta Steffen. Torres, 41, who converted to Judaism and has a Jewish father, finished the…
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In China, Did Shimon Peres Redraw Israel’s Borders? (UPDATED)
The sight of President Shimon Peres of Israel sitting in the stands in the National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest, last Friday night had Hebrew talking heads buzzing. The Jewish and Israeli press has made much of Peres being the first Israeli president to attend the Olympic games since Israel began attending the international…
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For Shabbat in Beijing, A Bar Mitzvah and Kosher Bird’s Nest
This morning, as Michael Phelps was preparing to tie Mark Spitz’s record seven gold medals in a single Olympic Games, another young American was in Beijing as well, also getting ready for the biggest day of his life so far. Just a few hours after Phelps accomplished his dream, Isaac Shapiro stood up and approached…
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Another Israeli Record-Breaker, Another Political Sore Loser
Israeli swimmer Anna Gostomelsky broke an Israeli record today when she came in first place in the eighth heat of the 50-meter freestyle preliminaries in 25.23 seconds. While Gostomelsky failed to qualify for the semifinals, falling 16 milliseconds short of the 16th spot in the contest, she was thrilled with her results. “I’m very pleased,…
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For Jewish Marathoner, Praying Fast and Steady Wins the Race
Today’s Beijing blue sky and sunshine must have prompted Deena Kastor to sigh with relief. On Sunday (Beijing time, Saturday night in the U.S.), Kastor, a Jew from Northern California who is considered America’s best female marathoner, will compete in the women’s marathon, and having won the bronze at Athens in 2004 — the first…
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Jews Sail Toward Medals in Qingdao
Jo Aleh is used to standing out from the crowd. She is the top-ranked New Zealand female in her one-woman sailing event, and number four in the world. And being the daughter of an Israeli father and Kiwi mother who made aliyah, Aleh is also the only Jewish athlete on the Kiwi Olympic team, and…
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Hitting the Olympic Mat, Jewish Wrestler Finds Victory in Defeat
Yesterday, I watched Ari Taub, a 37-year-old Jewish lawyer from Canada, take on a worthy opponent and 16 years of personal demons in the 120-kilogram category Greco-Roman wrestling competition at the Chinese Agricultural University Gym. While Taub was eliminated after losing his first match 2-1, 4-1 to Mihaly Deak-Bardos of Hungary, his Sisyphean journey to…
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