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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You’re Ben Platt!
You are a wunderkind in your field who attracts attention wherever you go. Known for humility and a tough work ethic, you have the tendency to be hard on yourself and give in to anxiety. But even more than your legendary talent, you are known by those who love you for your deep-running passions and…
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Why George Saunders Loves Isaac Babel And Nadezhda Mandelstam
George Saunders has been credited with helping reinvent American fiction: In 2017, Zadie Smith wrote that “Within the universe of American writing, there really is a continent called GeorgeSaunders-Land, where the people speak funny, and the social contract has either broken down or been bent out of all recognition.” Saunders has yet to be deemed…
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Film & TV The Secret Jewish History Of Al Pacino
Is Al Pacino one of the great Jewish actors of our time? Hear me out. While best known for portraying characters of Italian and Latino descent – think Michael Corleone of “The Godfather” films, Carlito Brigante of “Carlito’s Way,” and Tony Montana of “Scarface,” Pacino has an arm’s-length resumé of portraying Jews in film and…
The Latest
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If You Live In New York, Here’s The One Poem You Should Read Today
The weather in New York City is frightful! So far today it has windy-rained, rain-snowed, thunder-snowed, and just plain old snowed. It is dark and dreary and the floor of the subway cars is releasing a certain warm-wet scent, which is comforting in a disturbing kind of way. If you have spoken to another person…
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Art Remembering Keith Sachs, Who Gave Philadelphia A Very Memorable Gift
In 2013, Keith L. and Katherine Sachs scheduled an appointment with Timothy Rub. Rub, director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, looked forward to seeing the museum trustee and his wife, but didn’t think much of it. “Out of the blue, the two of them came into my office, sat down, and said,…
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Bernstein Book Award Finalists Include Masha Gessen, Joshua Green
The finalists for this year’s Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism, awarded annually by the New York Public Library, include Masha Gessen, Jessica Bruder and Joshua Green. The award, established in 1988, comes with a prize of $15,000. This year’s winner will be announced on May 21. Masha Gessen’s “The Future is History:…
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Was Alan Gershwin Really George Gershwin’s Son?
Brooklyn-born Albert Schneider, who called himself Alan C. Gershwin, maintained the claim that he was an illegitimate son of the American Jewish songwriter George Gershwin (1898-1937) for decades until his death on February 27 at age 91. He never relented, despite the Gershwin family’s prompt denial of any such connection. Schneider/Gershwin, as he shall be…
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Is Dave Zirin The Most Important Sportswriter In America?
One day last October, Gregg Popovich, the longtime coach of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, made a phone call to Dave Zirin, sports editor of the magazine The Nation. President Trump — while embroiled in a mini-scandal about his delayed public response to the death of American troops during combat operations in the African country…
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Olivier Award Nominees: ‘Hamilton’ Breaks Records, ‘Angels In America’ Makes Waves
The London production of “Hamilton” has earned 13 nominations for the Olivier Awards, the United Kingdom’s equivalent of the Tony Awards, setting a new record. The previous record number of nominations was shared by “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” (2017) and “Hairspray” (2008), each of which garnered 11 nominations. Close on the heels of…
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Paula Vogel, Avram Finkelstein Finalists For Lambda Literary Awards
Finalists for the 2018 Lambda Literary Awards, announced today, include Paula Vogel, Annalee Newitz, Avram Finkelstein and Bill Goldstein. The Awards, which recognize achievement in LGBTQ literature, honor works published in the previous year in a variety of genres, from mystery novels to academic texts. This year’s Awards will be presented on June 4. Vogel…
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Why Jellyfish Have Become Such A Sucky Problem For Israel
Securing Israel’s energy security is no easy feat. But engineers are now having to put up with a new threat to the nation’s power grid: the nomad jellyfish. The blue-tinted Rhopilema nomadica looks sort of like the lovechild of a mushroom and a very large plastic bag. The species made its first pilgrimage to the…
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Opinion A single arrest has thrown the battle for Israel’s soul into sharp relief
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Culture A young Muslim woman moved in with a 96-year-old Jewish actress – and it was bashert
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Film & TV Amy Goodman has been a fearless journalist for more than four decades; she says her Jewish roots made her that way
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Yiddish גרשון ווײַסעס פּאָעטישע חידושיםGershon Weiss’ poetic surprises
אין זײַן בוך לידער פֿאַרטיפֿט זיך דער דיכטער אין פּסיכאָלאָגיע, רוחניות און צווישן־קולטורעלע פֿאַרבינדונגען.
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