Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of Jewish culture. Here, you’ll learn about the latest (and sometimes earliest) in Jewish art, music, film, theater, books as well as the secret Jewish history of everything and everyone from The Rolling Stones to…
Culture
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That time Yiddishists met extraterrestrials a short while ago in a galaxy not far away
It was a normal summer internship at the Yiddish Book Center ... until the Jedi invaded our turf
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How to master the little-known art of indoor birdwatching
On my way to a museum for the first time in 15 months, I paused at the sight of something red flashing past me in the North Woods of Central Park. I squinted into a tangle of branches and dense foliage until I saw it again — black with a splotch of red, or maybe…
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On the bayou, where Black and white lawyers worked together to fight racism
More than 50 years before the term intersectionality entered the lexicon of social and political activists, Black lawyers and civil rights workers in the Deep South found common cause with 1960s era northern Jewish lawyers. Bringing on white lawyers was a pragmatic decision on the part of Black southern lawyers who oftentimes were blocked, intimidated,…
The Latest
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July 7: 16 over 61 awards ceremony
This ceremony will take place on Wednesday, July 7 at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT. Register here. Please join us to celebrate the recipients of our inaugural 16 over 61 awards. Jewish tradition is filled with stories of individuals who take transformative journeys late in their lives. Moses, Abraham, Sarah, Miriam, and Naomi…
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Gossip is back — and that’s a good thing
It may be lashon hara, but talking to each other about each other fuels a sense of connection
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Can Shabbat be #self-care? For me, the answer was yes — maybe
Sometimes, when I quit Slack and stow away my laptop on a Friday afternoon, I go on Instagram and scroll through pictures of challah. Plain challah, rainbow challah, challah embellished with candied flowers. Hefty, round challah and etiolated mini challahs scattered artfully across a pristine baking sheet. Challah posed next to minimalist Shabbat candlesticks or…
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The secret Jewish history of birdwatching
Like so many things, birdwatching can be traced back to the Bible, specifically to the story of Noah and the Flood. You probably recall that when the floodwaters receded and Noah’s ark found itself grounded atop Mount Ararat, Noah opened a window in the ark and sent out a dove to run reconnaissance for him,…
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Was Ethel Rosenberg really a tragic figure?
The sad case of Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg exemplifies the claim that on occasion, there are no more merciless judges of Jews than their coreligionists. Rosenberg, who with her husband Julius was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union and executed by the U.S. federal government in 1953 at Sing Sing prison in Ossining, New York,…
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From the time of Torah to TikToks, 10 of Judaism’s best dads
“Fiddler on the Roof” is unequivocal: It is the father’s lot to, day and night, scramble for a living, feed a wife and children, say his daily prayers and have the final word at home. Well, things have changed for most of us since shtetl days — a net positive — but Papas are still…
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Behind a viral slap, a disturbing antisemitic history
It was the face slap that launched a thousand video clips. During a visit last week to the southeastern French town of Tain-l’Hermitage, President Emmanuel Macron waded into a bain de foule or a “crowd bath” — the tradition of politicians walking the streets, greeting voters and shaking their hands. Rather than taking Macron’s hand,…
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The secret Jewish history of Rita Moreno (who just might be a descendant of very secret Jews)
At age 89, Rita Moreno is still going strong, with a role in the upcoming remake of “West Side Story” by Steven Spielberg (she starred as Anita in the original film) and a leading role in the rebooted TV sitcom “One Day at a Time,” which was an ongoing venture until filming was shut down…
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What does the Museum of Modern Art have to do with Palestinian oppression?
Of all the museums to criticize for its ties to imperialism, the Museum of Modern Art seems like a strange one. Why not the Metropolitan Museum, or the British Museum, institutions that exhibit older art, often pilfered by conquering Europeans? But the Strike MoMA movement is about a lot more than, well, striking MoMA. The…
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Opinion The two things I fear most after the horrifying attack on Jews in Boulder
In Case You Missed It
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Film & TV In unheard recordings, Andy Kaufman emerges — a kinder, gentler soul than you may expect, or hope to see
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Opinion As fires burn in L.A., has Trump found his Reichstag fire moment?
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Film & TV In Jerusalem, everything is political — even the stone architects used to design the city
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Fast Forward Zohran Mamdani: Even if I wanted to go to Israel as NYC mayor, Israel probably wouldn’t let me
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