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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How my odious cousin Roy Cohn was responsible for creating Donald Trump — and me
For this author, 'The Apprentice' is a chillingly accurate film that hits way too close to home
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How Pastrami Helped To Create American Jewish Culture
Pastrami on Rye: An Overstuffed History of the Jewish Deli By Ted Merwin NYU Press, 256 pages, $26.95 I have always loved the theater, because no matter how many years of confuting experience intervene, Pavlovian associations lead me to expect that corned beef sandwiches at the 2nd Ave Deli will follow every play in New…
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How I Relieved Myself Through Prayer
My brother was trying to decide if a friend of mine was too religious for him to date. We were both in our teens then. I had no idea how he defined “too religious.” “Just tell me,” he said. “Is she the kind that says that weird blessing when she comes out of the bathroom?”…
The Latest
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Why Collectors of ‘Antisemitica’ Aren’t Always Anti-Semites
In our capitalistic world, everything (tangible) is ownable and collectible, including items that one might assume no one ever would choose to own or collect, such as signed mug shots of Charles Manson, African slave trade shackles or Islamic State T-shirts and hats. Atrocities are to be learned from, one might think, the paraphernalia associated…
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Transgender Man Gives Birth to Baby — Embraces Life as ‘Abba’
(JTA) — When Rafi Daugherty went to the hospital for the birth of his first child, he posted a sign on the delivery room door. “I am a single transgender man having my first baby,” it read. “I use he/him/his pronouns and will be called ‘Abba’ (Hebrew for father) by the baby. Papa, Dad, Daddy,…
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8 Jewish Movies Premiering at Sundance
There’s a lot of amazing Jewish movies coming out of Sundance Festival this year. The popular film festival is in its 28th year, and is starting on Thursday, January 21st, in Park City, Utah. From documentaries about Jewish settlers to full feature dramas from the heart of New Zealand, here are eight great movies that…
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Art Do These T-Shirts Make Me Look Jewish?
Anne Grant wanted to arrive early at the Center for Jewish History for the opening of her biggest exhibition to date. Her train from New Haven had run an hour behind schedule, and she rushed into the echoing lobby juggling a backpack, an overstuffed Longchamp tote and a blue water bottle. She has straight, mousy…
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Linda Lavin Is the ‘Mother’ of All Jewish Mothers
Let us stipulate, to begin, that Linda Lavin is excellent at playing a Jewish mother of a certain age. In fact, she is better than excellent; she is extraordinary, perfect, brilliant, perhaps the ideal, especially when that Jewish mother is wry, self-assured, precise, prickly — and when isn’t a Jewish mother (or at least a…
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Music How This Ex-Orthodox Yeshiva Student Became a Star In the Arab Music World
Ziv Yehezkel is a man full of contradictions. He is at once a deeply religious Jewish man, but also a zealous lover of Arabic music. The soloist of Arab Orchestra of Nazareth, the 31 year-old was born in Kiryat Ono, a town in central of Israel, in an area called “Little Baghdad.” But Yehezkel did…
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Music Glenn Frey and the Secret Jewish History of The Eagles
The death of rock singer Glenn Frey, a cofounder and leader of the Eagles, marks an end to one of the longest running and most successful bands of the rock era. Critics have always noted the somewhat acerbic, downright cynical attitude running through many of the group’s best-known songs. But perhaps overlooked has been a…
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Who Told Herman Wouk ‘You’ve Got To Go to Germany’ — and Why
Editors note: One of the most celebrated authors of the 20th century, Herman Wouk — author of “Marjorie Morningstar,” “The Caine Mutiny Court Martial” and “The Lawgiver” — shows no sign of relenting from his astoundingly prolific output. In this excerpt from “Sailor and Fiddler: Reflections of a 100-Year-Old Author,” Wouk, who will turn 101…
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5 Jewish Ways To Celebrate Martin Luther King Day
While for many, Martin Luther King Day means a welcome break from work. For those eager to spend it honoring King’s memory, here are some options for celebrating the day — with a Jewish spin. 1) Volunteer The best way to recognize King’s service is by continuing his legacy. Repair the World, an organization dedicated…
Most Popular
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Culture Why saying ‘L’shana Tova’ on Rosh Hashanah may not be the correct phrase
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Fast Forward Was the viral Ta-Nehisi Coates interview a hit piece or fair play? A journalism ethics expert weighs in.
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Culture How my odious cousin Roy Cohn was responsible for creating Donald Trump — and me
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Opinion This is the most disorienting Rosh Hashanah in memory
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Culture How the closing of a website for Yom Kippur confessions explains the modern internet
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Fast Forward Brown University rejects pro-Palestinian protesters’ demand to divest from Israel
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Fast Forward As Netanyahu pushes US to join fight against Iran, Biden tells Jewish leaders US ‘fully’ backs Israel’s right to defend itself
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Fast Forward German town’s memorial stones for Nazi victims are stolen on Oct. 7 anniversary
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