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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Netflix’s ‘sexy’ new animal-head dating show has biblical overtones — sort of
What if you were dating a rather bulbous dolphin? It’s a question no one had ever asked themselves before the arrival of Netflix’s new dating show, “Sexy Beasts.” Contestants are swathed in an obscene amount of FX makeup and prosthetic fins and transformed into various creatures, both real and fantastical, to see if they can…
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Film & TV How Jewish and Irish humor intermarried on ‘Conan’
Nearly 28 years ago Conan O’Brien filmed himself walking to his first day of work. Along the way, his doorman, hopscotching children and a horse and buggy driver, reminded him he was under “a lot of pressure” and threatened that “he better be good.” O’Brien, an accomplished writer for “SNL” and the “The Simpsons,” but…
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A year and a half later, a treasured voice returns — and maybe so does a city
It was just a step up from the floor to a low stage, just one nod to the band, just the first soft words of “My Funny Valentine,” that standard of standards by Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart: “Stay little valentine stay.” That’s all it took and without the slightest mention of taking more than…
The Latest
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This year, Rosh Hashanah comes in a can
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a delicious Rosh Hashanah craft beverage? Maybe something with some apple and honey in it, but without any bitter IPA aftertaste. And, though you can never tell with craft production, it would be good if it didn’t have any added sugar. What would be even better would be…
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We tried six kinds of cyser — and have recovered sufficiently to write about them
A select group of intrepid mead tasters gathered to try six surprisingly different cysers. Our tasters ran the gamut from mead cynic to enthusiast and the cysers ran the gamut from those featuring simply apple and honey to those including mangos, habañero peppers and Sri Lankan cinnamon. 1) Elemental (Maryland) Heirloom Cider Very cidery. Not…
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At Zabar’s, mastering the art of the schmooze
I looked up at the clock on the far rear wall in my section. It was 4 o’clock and he hadn’t shown up yet. I worried a little and continued waiting on customers. He completely left my mind for a while and then, suddenly he was there, in the front of the store, reaching up…
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Tovah Feldshuh on ‘Becoming Dr. Ruth’ and the return of live theater
At the beginning of “Becoming Dr. Ruth,” Tovah Feldshuh shuffles onstage in an unmistakable blond-tufted wig. She circles the living room of an apartment cluttered with papers, moving boxes, Judaica, and turtle figurines, babbling instructions over the phone in a feverishly chipper, French and German-inflected accent. Then, she stops. A wave of shock washes over…
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The gay, Jewish scientist the Nazis left alone
The scientist Otto Warburg played a pivotal role in unlocking a central mystery of cancer. But how he was allowed to advance our understanding of the disease is a mystery unto itself. At the time of Hitler’s ascent, when his colleagues fled en masse or were stripped of their positions, Warburg, a gay man from…
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Raves in the desert, secret parties in mansions — COVID couldn’t stop Israel’s underground party scene
In Israel, #hotvaxxedsummer is already underway; all restrictions have been lifted, bars are packed and parties are sold out. Hookup culture has come back to life, and people are beyond grateful to be out of their houses, finally seeing their friends and meeting new people. But not everyone actually stopped seeing people in the first…
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Bagels, challah or hamentaschen? Jerry or George? We ranked choice-voted our favorite Jewish and New York things.
Beyond the usual candidate drama — including but not limited to issues of residency and alleged union-busting and sexual harassment allegations — the big story in this year’s New York City mayoral race is ranked choice voting. For a people with 1.5 opinions per person, Jewish voters, unsurprisingly, have plenty to say. Many may appreciate…
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What will #hotvaxxedsummer look like? Israel beat us there
The U.S. is finally reopening. Nightclubs will soon be back in full swing, and people are predicting another Roaring ’20s era of debauchery and indulgence — dubbed, at least online, #hotvaxxedsummer. But not everyone is so excited. Some are anxious about how it will feel to be in a crowd after over a year of…
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Opinion Mamdani has made ample efforts for Jews. How come no one is telling that story?
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Books For the Jews of Venice, an uneasy history of scapegoating and grudging tolerance
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Fast Forward British Museum postpones a Jewish Culture Month lecture, citing ‘disruption’ concerns
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Opinion In Miami, rekindling the Black-Jewish alliance that Clarence Jones insisted never died
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News Floyd Mayweather showered cash on Jewish causes — and now he’s suing their ‘Robin Hood’ alleging $175 million got diverted