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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I have seen the future of America — in a pastrami sandwich in Queens
San Wei, which serves pastrami sandwiches along with churros and biang biang noodles, represents an immigrant's fulfillment of the American dream
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Such a Beautiful Holocaust Novel — Maybe Too Beautiful
Affinity Konar was still a bit starstruck, there in a lounge at Manhattan’s Warwick Hotel. She’d just met Lucette Lagnado, one of the authors of “Children of the Flames,” a book about the Nazi doctor Josef Mengele and the twins who survived his Auschwitz laboratory. Konar said the book was one she had been “obsessed…
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Art Did Mexican Artists Produce the First Images of the Holocaust?
Velvet-black smoke pours out of a locomotive looming on the horizon, accentuating the train’s length. It ascends heavenward, but the smoke is no Exodus pillar of cloud guiding the Israelites. This ominous billowing form signals the train’s imminent departure, as armed Nazis herd people aboard. In the foreground, a burly soldier shines a lantern into…
The Latest
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7 Cool New Jewish Documentaries To Watch Out For
This year’s 7th annual DOC NYC film festival has seven Jewish flicks on its schedule, some having their North American or US premieres, others showing for the first time in NYC. America’s largest documentary festival runs November 10-17 at the IFC Center, which produces the event, and includes 110 feature-length documentaries and 102 shorts. Films…
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Is Leonard Cohen’s New Song His Most Jewish Ever?
Leonard Cohen has died at 82. Here are Seth Rogovoy’s thoughts, originally published in September, about the title track of Cohen’s recent album “You Want It Darker.” For his 82nd birthday on Wednesday, September 21, 2016, Leonard Cohen gave the world a gift: a sneak preview of his upcoming album, the title track of “You…
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A Song of Love and Memory for Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen has died at 82. Here’s how Ezra Glinter, a Forward editor and fellow Montreal native, profiled the master composer on his 80th birthday in 2014. When I moved to Montreal in the summer of 2004 the city was about to experience two end-of-an-era events, though I knew nothing about either of them at…
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When Leonard Cohen Crooned for Israel in Its Darkest Hour
It wasn’t only that his sad and beautiful lyrics resonated so strongly with them. And it wasn’t only because he was a fellow member of the tribe. Leonard Cohen, who died on Friday at the age of 82, has long held a special place in the hearts of Israelis, thanks in large parts to his…
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Adam Kirsch Read the Classics of Jewish Literature So You Don’t Have To
Here are some fun facts from Adam Kirsch’s “The People and the Books: 18 classics of Jewish Literature.” The name Esther is actually a Persian form of Istar, a Middle Eastern goddess of fertility, love and war — an unusual mix, even for a higher being. Before he decided to go with his concept of…
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Music On Top of Mount Zen With Leonard Cohen
Writing the first biography of Leonard Cohen took me to a mountain top (Mt Baldy and his Zen hideout), as well as to the Greek island of Hydra, a New York sound stage and the Tower of Song — Leonard’s music room at his home. Spending time with him meant learning what generosity of spirit…
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Music Leonard Cohen, ‘Master of Erotic Despair’ Takes His Leave
Rock-poet Leonard Cohen, the “master of erotic despair” and the writer of dozens of modern classics that have been performed and recorded by everyone from John Cale to Judy Collins, Willie Nelson, U2 and Rufus Wainwright, died on November 7, at age 82. The official announcement was made on November 10 after a private funeral….
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You Wanted It Darker? Leonard Cohen Just Passed Away.
Leonard Cohen passed away on November 7 at the age of 82, it was announced on November 10. His influence over half a century was phenomenal. He will be missed. Tributes are already pouring in, including tweets from Bette Midler, Mia Farrow and Marc Maron. Leonard Cohen has died. Another magical voice stilled. — Bette…
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Music How a Troubadour Daniel Toledano Is Reconnecting With His Sephardic Heritage
With his long, curly hair, his amber medallion and a guitar strapped onto his shoulder, Dani Toledano looks like a troubadour just about to recite an elegy. In fact, he works for Ragonis Tours, an Israeli company that helps groups of visitors discover the Jewish past of Toledo, Spain. In a quiet square of the…
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Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
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Fast Forward Why the Antisemitism Awareness Act now has a religious liberty clause to protect ‘Jews killed Jesus’ statements
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News At Harvard, reports on antisemitism and anti-Palestinian bias reflect campus conflict over Israel
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