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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Theater Jason Alexander lives out a lifelong dream, playing Tevye in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’
'I wanted to do a piece that is proudly Semitic' said the Tony winner and ‘Seinfeld' star
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How Philip Roth Won the Battle for the Jews
In October 2016, author and essayist Anne Roiphe sung the praises of “The Conversion of the Jews,” a story from Philip Roth’s 1959 book “Goodbye, Columbus.” Upon hearing of Roth’s death, she writes: “Ah Phillip… the counter feminist gremlin of our time… Yes, you were a king of comedy. Yes, you saw right through the…
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Philip Roth’s Newark Still Exists — If You Know Where To Look
On Philip Roth’s 80th birthday, a group of the author’s most fervent fans boarded a tour bus in Newark, New Jersey, Roth’s hometown and the site of many of his novels. Stops included Weequahic High, where Roth graduated from High School, and one of Roth’s childhood homes. The tour gathered a far-flung set of Roth…
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Writers Remember Philip Roth: ‘The Planet Weighs So Much Less Without His Words’
Yesterday, at the age of 85, Philip Roth passed away. Roth was a titan of American letters, but his influence spread past his native shores. His death made headlines across the world, and his obituary appeared on the front page of Le Monde, France’s pre-eminent newspaper. But the most touching tributes to the decorated novelist,…
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Philip Roth Dies, And Part Of Our America Dies With Him
I’m moving again and my books are packed up and sealed in boxes. Just two days ago I took all the Roth books down from my highest shelf: The first edition of “Portnoy’s Complaint,” the first book I gave to my boyfriend, now my husband, twenty years ago at the Shark Bar in Soho; “American…
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Philip Roth’s Legacy, In Their Words
Philip Roth passed away on May 22, 2018, aged 85. For his 85th birthday, on March 19, Talya Zax had collected the thoughts of writers and politicians about Roth’s astonishing achievements. They stand as testament to his work, even on this, sadder, milestone. -Editors In 1981, Philip Roth gave a now-famous description of his experience…
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Richard Goodwin, Speechwriter For LBJ, JFK and RFK, Dies At 86
Richard Goodwin, who died in Massachusetts on May 20 at age 86, was more than just a distinguished speechwriter for John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Robert F. Kennedy. Goodwin furthered social progress with his brilliantly crafted words, coining the phrase “Great Society” to describe the Johnson’s government’s efforts to battle poverty and racial…
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Film & TV Oprah Says Vote
Oprah gave a pitch-perfect commencement speech at my school’s graduation, a mix of motivation (“Be the truth. Be. The. Truth.”) and motivation shtick (“Invest in a quality mattress. And don’t cheap out on your shoes.”). The exhortation that won the biggest rise from the thousand USC Annenberg students: “Vote. Vote. Vote.” Their cheers almost made…
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Reimagining Isaac Babel In The Era Of Fake News: Rajiv Joseph’s Obie-Winning Play
Editor’s note: “Describe The Night” won the 2018 Obie Award for best new American play. Below, read Jesse Oxfeld’s review of the play’s New York debut at the Atlantic Theater Company. There is fiction and there is fact. There is history and there is myth. There is truth and there is fake news. Or else…
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As Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine Folds, Remembering Some Of Its Best Work
Andy Warhol gave the world many things, among them that iconic Campbell’s soup can, those even more iconic portraits of Marilyn Monroe, an eight-hour film of the Empire State Building from a single perspective and Interview Magazine. As of Monday, that last item, which Warhol founded in 1969, is no more. Employees of the magazine…
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Why Israel Needs A New Map — For Wine
A new map of Israel is in the works — one that doesn’t include a green line. Indeed it is not a political or even a conventionally geographical bit of cartography. It is a map that divides Israel into small winemaking regions, taking into account topography, soil, and climate. This map should help consumers and…
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Film & TV Why Hollywood Used To Be Better For Women
Nobody’s Girl Friday: The Women Who Ran Hollywood By J. E. Smyth Oxford University Press, 328 pages, $29.95 Just the Funny Parts: … And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking Into the Hollywood Boys’ Club By Nell Scovell Dey Street Books, 336 pages, $27.99 It’s even worse than you suspected. But it was once better…
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