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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In a virtual Purim spiel, a Yiddish revival and a surprising antidote to Zoom culture
One year after the onset of the pandemic, most American theaters are languishing in the dark. But performers are still competing for our eyeballs through ever-more-sophisticated slates of virtual entertainment. Polished, highly-produced events in the vein of “Saturday Night Seder” have attempted to reproduce the intimacy and immediacy of live theater, lulling us via special…
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Woody Allen’s extraordinary violence, laid bare
“Allen v. Farrow,” HBO Max’s new four-part documentary about Dylan Farrow’s allegations of sexual assault against her adopted father, Woody Allen, has an almost soothing domestic aesthetic, full of long shots of rustic Connecticut homesteads and rippling lakes. But the series, which investigates the deep and constant violence experienced by survivors of abuse, is anything…
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On the delights of discovering a truly ‘essential’ Jewish book
The great Yiddish poet Avrom Sutzkever’s life resembled an epic novel — and along the way, he wrote soul-piercing prose and saw himself in it. “These stories are myself,” he wrote on the flyleaf of his second book of prose, though readers will feel this instinctively, without being told; this prose could not have been…
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The secret Jewish history of ‘Easy Rider’
Peter Fonda, who died in 2019, would have celebrated his 81st birthday today (February 23). Besides being a member of one of Hollywood’s most lauded family dynasties — his father was Henry Fonda, his older sister is Jane Fonda, and his daughter is Bridget Fonda — Peter Fonda is best remembered for his role in…
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‘Jesusland’ won’t be good for the Jews. But the ‘United States of Canada’ might be good for bagels.
In a coup to graphic design sure to baffle cartographers, Andrew Torba, CEO of the far-right social media platform Gab, has laid out new borders for the United States, which he re-dubbed “Jesusland.” In case you were wondering what Gab CEO Andrew Torba wants, take a look. He posted this 3 hours ago. pic.twitter.com/kDotd9waW6 —…
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The secret Jewish history of Mars
Last week’s landing of NASA’s Perseverance rover on the Martian surface reminds us of how life on Mars has long been an object of fascination here on Earth, from ancient times through David Bowie up until today. The Perseverance mission is just the latest to explore whether or not conditions in the Martian past or…
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Why does this podcast stand out from all the others?
The phrase “good girl” is always popping up on “Appearances,” Sharon Mashihi’s new narrative podcast. Family members often use that phrase to describe Melanie Barzadeh, the show’s fictional protagonist, even though she’s not really a “good girl” — at least, not by the standards of the Iranian-Jewish enclave in which she grew up. Unmarried in…
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The 9 Bible characters who should be canceled
Can Bible characters be “canceled?” This dire fate was suggested by Bill Hemmer, of Fox News, as the natural continuation of criticism of American presidents. “I tell ya, if they start canceling these American presidents, they’re going to come after Bible characters next — mark my words, right?” he warned. The topic under discussion was…
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Attention Gina Carano: Jews weren’t passive, ‘gentle’ victims. They were fighters too.
Say what you will about Gina Carano, she’s a fighter. The ousted “Mandalorian” actor, who began her career in mixed martial arts before pivoting to drama (with mixed results) made this point clear on Sunday in a YouTube interview with right-wing pundit Ben Shapiro, her first since being fired for invoking the Holocaust in a…
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How Ted Cruz and Rick Perry have redefined Texas chutzpah
In his book “The Joys of Yiddish,” Leo Rosten famously defines chutzpah as “gall” or “effrontery.” By way of illustrating this quality, he retells a story. A man has murdered his father and mother. Hauled into court, the parricide throws himself on the mercy of the judge because…wait for it…he’s an orphan. I know —…
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Facing corruption charges, Bibi turns to TikTok
Bibi Netanyahu is on TikTok. There are videos of him throwing a snowball into the camera to celebrate Jerusalem’s snowy conditions, or urging Israelis to get vaccinated, though they don’t seem to have caught on too well — while, as an international leader, he has managed to get verified, he only has 217.4K followers, far…
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News Exclusive: ADL chief compares student protesters to ISIS and al-Qaeda in address to Republican officials
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News A Jewish farmer drove 600 miles to rescue a century-old synagogue. Now he’s building a new one in a cornfield.
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Opinion Pete Hegseth is targeting a Jewish American hero — who’s next?
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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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Culture That time Yiddishists met extraterrestrials a short while ago in a galaxy not far away
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Opinion Were the attacks in Boulder and D.C. the product of ‘blood libel’? Not so fast
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News Exclusive: ADL chief compares student protesters to ISIS and al-Qaeda in address to Republican officials
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Culture In the Trump-Musk feud, both sides are united by antisemitism
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