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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Books
Former NY congressman Steve Israel breaks into the book business
In the five years since Steve Israel retired from Congress, he’s written his second novel, been considered for ambassador to Israel, helped recruit Democratic candidates and launched a think tank at Cornell University. But nothing seems to excite him as much as opening his own bookstore — one that will reflect his interests, including his…
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Jews are under siege on campuses and in college towns — where’s the outrage? Where are the intellectuals?
Anyone remotely affiliated with universities should be chilled by the news that a Torah was destroyed at a fraternity house at George Washington University. The image of a replica Torah scroll — ripped apart and doused in laundry detergent, its pages on the floor — is the very latest in a series of increasingly disturbing…
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How ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ convinced me to convert to Judaism — really.
Editor’s Note: Fifty years ago, on Nov. 3, 1971, the movie adaptation of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ premiered. In honor of that anniversary, this week we are publishing a series of article about the impact of ‘Fiddler’ and its legacy. You can read more of the stories here It was the afternoon before we opened….
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When Jews and Mormons swap lives, it’s as awkward as you’d expect
Ava DuVernay is best known for hard-hitting films that take on race in America, whether that’s “Selma,” a historical drama about the M.L.K.-led voting rights march, or “13,” a documentary about mass incarceration. Her newest work, “Home Sweet Home,” grapples with race and diversity as well, but does so more in the mold of the…
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Why just 850 books? Texas should investigate ‘Merchant of Venice’ and ‘Oliver Twist’ too
Dear Representative Matt Krause, As a fellow Texan, I am writing to thank you for the letter you sent to the Texas Education Authority, as well as several school districts, requiring them to reveal whether our children are a library card away from bringing home any of 850 books of dubious or dangerous content. Can…
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How Leonard Bernstein embraced his Jewishness — and changed the world
It is hard to imagine a more charismatic subject than the composer and conductor
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Does Mark Zuckerberg know what Meta means in Hebrew?
Facebook is dead, long live Meta. But, actually, Meta is dead, too. Let me explain. On Thursday, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the new name for Facebook to mark its transition to what he calls “the metaverse.” The name, which is, perhaps unsurprisingly, Meta, doesn’t translate well. Unless that’s the point. While the word, now applied to…
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A Texas politician wants to investigate my book and 849 others — bring it on
State Rep. Matt Krause, a Republican candidate for Texas attorney general, has prepared a list of 850 books that, in his judgment, should be banned from the state’s classrooms. He is concerned that such books address sexual and racial themes that “make students feel uncomfortable.” According to news reports, Mr. Krause, who chairs the House…
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Does Netflix’s ‘Inside Job’ encourage antisemitic conspiracy theorists?
Jews are at the roots of most of the major conspiracy theories. A secret cabal who runs the government? That may be a QAnon tenet these days, but it’s originally from “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” a made-up pamphlet purporting to detail the Jewish plan for global domination. Bloodsucking lizard people? That one…
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The 10 most terrifying (Jewish) songs for Halloween
Due to Halloween’s pagan origins, Rabbinic law prohibits the Jewish celebration of the popular autumn holiday, which might explain why there’s usually a notable scarcity of “slutty rabbi” costumes at your typical All Hallows’ Eve bacchanal. But the dark allure of haunted houses, jack-o’-lanterns and (let’s be honest here) candy corn is often too powerful…
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Eternally fascinated with Jewish culture, Wes Anderson delivers the best film of the year
This year’s Cannes Film Festival had its share of controversial titles, including a disturbing musical about a murderous comedian and a gorefest about a woman who has sex with cars and goes on killing sprees. But no other film at the festival inspired such heated discussion and debate as Wes Anderson’s long-awaited “The French Dispatch.”…
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