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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This pastor translated Biden’s name to Hebrew. He won’t like his own Hebrew name.
Every so often, fringe Christian figures look to Hebrew to impute Satanic inspiration. Sometimes, it backfires tremendously. One-upping this woman who slammed Monster energy drinks with the sign of the beast, right-wing pastor Perry Stone has translated President Joe Biden’s name into Hebrew. When you break it down — eliding some vowels and looking into…
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Part Tarantino, part ‘Parasite,’ totally Jewish — Michael Mayer’s Israeli Hollywood nightmare
Picture this. It’s just after Havdalah, the post-Shabbat religious service that separates the holy from the profane. Michael Aloni, cute as ever, is sitting at the dining room table, along with members of his family and a number of guests. The rabbi from the school is supposed to be joining them. No matter—they’ll get started…
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Books “Golem Girl” captures life of imagination and disability culture
When artist Riva Lehrer was a child, Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” deeply resonated with her. Her association with the legend was understandable—Lehrer was born with spina bifida, a condition when the spine and spinal column do not fuse in utero. Lehrer was born in 1958, when 90% of children with spina bifida did not survive. It…
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An impeachment with the power to cleanse and restore
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story appeared in the Forward on Jan. 13, 2021. Every article on impeachment insists that “impeach” does not mean to “remove” — but rather, in a quasi-Talmudic tone, the word means to “officially state the charges against a public official.” As law bloggers scrambled to parse the parameters…
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In HBO’s ‘A Perfect Life,’ Judaism is a crucial issue — until it isn’t
“Vida Perfecta,” or “A Perfect Life” in English, opens with a breakup. Specifically, it opens with Maria breaking up with her fiancé Gustavo over and argument about whether or not one should have an enema before anal sex. Their argument is conducted in front of a real estate agent as they purchase an apartment together…
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Amy Schumer’s mayo pitch was not exactly the Super Bowl’s most Jewish ad
Super Bowl LIV was a disappointing spectacle for even the most devoted Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan: a rout never makes for interesting viewing. And while we congratulate the Glazer family on a victory handily won — while cringing a bit each time the commentators said it was a “great night for [Buccaneers coach Bill] Arians”…
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For more than a century, Ruth Dayan dreamt of harmony in Israel
Ruth Dayan, the Israeli social activist and fashion entrepreneur who died on Feb. 5 at age 103, played well with others with matchless fortitude. She exemplified the belief that meaningful human interactions require recognizing the suffering of others and trying to do something to help. She was born in Haifa, then part of the Ottoman…
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Indie drama ‘Leona’ uses a forbidden romance to critique Mexico City’s Orthodox community
(JTA) — At the start of the film “Leona,” an indie drama set in Mexico City, protagonist Ariela watches her close friend immerse in a mikvah, or ritual bath, with a group of other family and friends. It’s an awkward but festive occasion, as the friend’s wedding is fast approaching. After leaving, as soon as…
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WATCH NOW: March 18: A hybrid Passover – How is this holiday different from all others?
Watch the recording here. A year ago, Zoom was new, and in-person seders verboten. Now, with vaccinations picking up along with deep pandemic fatigue, American Jews are grappling with whether and how to gather. And after months of racial reckoning, the holiday’s historic themes of justice and freedom are newly relevant, and complicated. Join Marcella…
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WATCH NOW: March 11: This Song is Your Song – The popular tradition of translating English songs into Yiddish
Watch the talk here. Watch as Forward editor in chief Jodi Rudoren talks to singer-songwriter Daniel Kahn, producer of the hit video of Woody Guthrie’s classic anthem, ‘This Land is Your Land’ in Yiddish, and a panel of Yiddish culture mavens, on the thrills and challenges of creating such intersections between two cultures. The clip…
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They remember their last big vaccine — for polio
My father isn’t one to proffer childhood anecdotes, but there is one story he likes to tell: it’s about his polio vaccine. He was in elementary school when the Sabin vaccine (named for Alfred Sabin, the Jewish scientist who developed it) became available for general use. He lived in a small Connecticut town where crowds…
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