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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‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘On The Town’ And ‘The Shining’ Will Be Preserved In The Library Of Congress
What do genetically-engineered dinosaurs, sailors on shore leave, Victorian flower girls and a homicidal novelist have in common? They’re all being added to the Library of Congress this year. The National Film Registry, now in its 30th year, has announced its 2018 selections for motion pictures to be preserved on Capitol Hill for their cultural,…
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Why Tony Kushner Values Jewish Progressivism — And Needlepoint
If you were looking for proof that for a certain portion of liberal American Jews, secularism remains as deeply held a value as support for workers’ rights and an immoderate love for klezmer, you might have found some evidence at the Workmen’s Circle’s 2018 gala, held in Manhattan on December 10. “Cheeseburgers?” a waiter offered…
The Latest
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AUDIO: Gary Shteyngart In Conversation
Ten years ago I interviewed Gary Shteyngart for a profile in Zeek.. At the time his hair was brown and mine covered my head. In the time since then he has continued to put out books at a steady rate of one every three or four years, though “Little Failure” in 2014, was a comic…
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Film & TV HBO’s ‘My Brilliant Friend’ Feels A Little Fake — That’s What Makes It Faithful
While already lauded or rejected for its fidelity to the source material, HBO’s adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s “My Brilliant Friend” has also been derided for feeling a little phony. In an otherwise glowing review in The New Yorker, Emily Nussbaum remarked that the show “has the polish of certain well-funded historical portraits of poverty.” Her…
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An Ace Reporter Brought Down Gary Hart. He’s Not Happy With A Film About The Scandal
While Hugh Jackman is attracting Oscars buzz for playing Gary Hart in “The Frontrunner,” another actor’s performance in the film is receiving some unwanted attention. Based on the book “All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid” by journalist Matt Bai, the film, directed by Jason Reitman, includes a number of characters based…
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Music WATCH: Zero Mostel Sings A Yiddish Classic
This article originally appeared in the Yiddish Forverts. After four years of scouring Youtube for Yiddish-language videos to feature in the Forverts’ weekly cultural supplement Oneg Shabes, I thought that I had pretty much found them all. Luckily, there are still some treasures out there to be uncovered. Case in point: Rokhl Kafrissen recently posted…
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The Secret Jewish History Of Connie Francis
Last April, Stereogum – an online indie music magazine — referred to Connie Francis as “a Jewish singer from New Jersey who came up working with Brill Building songwriters.” They got it half-right, anyway. Francis, who turns 80 on December 12, was born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero to solidly Italian-American parents in Newark. Early in…
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Is This The Unacceptable Face Of Disney?
Disney songs are apparently too toxic for Princeton students. Last week the Princeton Tigertones, an all-male a cappella group whose performances for years have featured the Disney movie song “Kiss the Girl,” yanked it from its act after a piece in the student paper accused the lyrics of promoting “toxic masculinity.” Also last week, the…
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Film & TV Hey Spielberg, Want To Win At The Box Office? Cast A Woman As Your Lead.
Women may have more earning power than men at the box office. According to a new report from the Creative Artists Agency and tech company shift7, the top films of 2014 through 2017 that had females in lead roles outperformed male-led ones. The New York Times reports that the CAA and shift7 came together through…
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Honoring The Legends Of The Maccabiah Games
Jane Katz was wearing red. But she remembers the first jacket she wore at the Maccabiah Games — it was made for a man. This was not a good idea to the pioneering athlete. “I believe the first Title IX really began at the Maccabiah Games,” she said, good-naturedly at a remarkable and unusual New…
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Art How A German Art Collective Got Neo-Nazis To Identify Themselves
Following this August’s far-right rallies in Chemnitz, Germany, many participants got off easy. Of the estimated 7,000 attendees, many of whom were caught using illegal Nazi salutes and accosting immigrants, nearly all evaded arrest and, crucially, identification. Now, The Daily Beast reports that an effort by the German leftist art group the Center for Political…
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Most Popular
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Fast Forward Rep. Max Miller says driver called him a ‘dirty Jew’ and threatened to kill his family. A local doctor turned himself in.
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News An Alabama millionaire offered Jews $50,000 to move to his town. 16 years later, what’s left?
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News As Israel attacks, what is life like for Jews in Iran?
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Culture Why is Israel’s attack on Iran called ‘Rising Lion’ — and what does the Bible have to do with it?
In Case You Missed It
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Food In gentrified Manhattan, one Jewish luncheonette strives to keep the faith (except for the bacon part)
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Opinion Think speaking out against Trump won’t help? A 1943 protest in Nazi Germany says you’re wrong.
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Culture How a Jewish reporter like me got addicted to Christian media
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Opinion Israeli leaders are using Holocaust comparisons to justify attacks on Iran. Is that kosher?
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