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
-
Volkswagen Can Change Its Language — But Not Its History
The German foundation Deutsche Sprache (“German Language”) announced Thursday that it had sold all its shares in Volkswagen, after the carmaker announced plans to switch its official language from German to English. “The words ‘Volkswagen’ and ‘German language’ will no longer fit together,” the foundation’s executive spokesman Walter Krämer said in a statement objecting to…
-
Woody Allen Wrote A Very Jewish Book Review For The New York Times
Unless you’re an old movie buff (or were around when such movies were made), you could be forgiven for not knowing the name ”Mary Astor,” which (quite consciously, I think) sounds like it was taken right out of a 1930’s country club roll call. You may not know Astor (most famous for her role in…
-
Why the Christmas Season Feels Like Trauma to Me
I never talk about this, but when I was a kid growing up in New Orleans, I was afraid of the colors red and green. It didn’t matter the season; if I saw the two together, I rushed to avert my gaze. Returning Magic Markers to their box, I took care not to let the…
The Latest
-
6 New Poems For Trump’s America
In which our Jewish poet laureate opines about the dawning Trump era — in verse. #1 You too can own Ivanka’s dress! It’s pink, it’s svelte, it screams success Not sewn on 7th Avenue But made in China just for you. #2 Ribbon cuttings, they’ll be grand! This POTUS won’t disown his brand. “Trump” in gold…
-
Remembering Dan Pagis 30 Years After His Death
The widely-admired poet Dan Pagis, famous for his haunting poems of the Holocaust, was the subject of a special memorial conference at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheva, Israel. A Romanian-born Holocaust survivor who died in 1986 at age fifty-six, Pagis was also an important scholar of medieval Hebrew literature. The conference, which took place entirely in…
-
Why ‘Farkakt’ Is Only One of Many Words That Describes 2016
Dictionary editors and cultural denizens are scrambling to come up with a single word to describe the craziness of 2016 — and some are turning to Yiddish for ideas. After flirting with “fascism” as a possibility, Merriam-Webster went with “surreal,” which it defines as “marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream.” The word…
-
Superstition Vies With Faith at Yiddish New York
There they are, in Sanford Drob’s “Expulsion:” a man and woman, draped in animal skins, seized with grief – the woman gazing forward, determined but horrified, the man covering his face with his hand – and wearing armbands emblazoned with yellow Jewish stars, the word “Jude” at their centers. It’s a painting that, despite the…
-
Why a 90-Year-Old Jewish Prayer Still Seems Relevant Today
In contemplating the current political climate, some of us may turn inward, others may turn to drink and still others to prayer, beseeching the Almighty to “plant among the peoples of different nationalities and faiths who dwell here, love and brotherhood, peace and friendship.” These 18 words appear in “Prayer for Our Country,” which dates…
-
Why My Grandfather Voted For Trump (Or Did He?)
When my mother told me that my 93-year-old grandfather would be voting for Hillary Clinton, I was thrilled. Russian Jewish immigrants of a certain age tend to vote for Republican candidates for a variety of reasons, and it gave me great pleasure that he and I were united on this election. I always admired how…
-
The Maccabees Were On The Wrong Side of History — So Why Do We Still Celebrate Hanukkah?
Each year, when Hanukkah rolls around, I feel a certain sense of unease. Hmmm. A battle between Jewish zealots and Jews who wanted to partake of the richness of the Greek world around them. I have a feeling I’m on the wrong side of this, Hanukkah-wise. “You like wine?” my friend John, who is of…
-
Lena Dunham’s Absurd Comments Are Great Fodder For Comedy Twitter
Continuing a hot streak of idiotic statements unparalleled by anyone other than perhaps our President-elect (very curious as to who holds the record), Lena Dunham said yesterday on the Women of the Hour podcast, “Now I can say that I still haven’t had an abortion, but I wish I had.” Apparently Dunham thinks that the…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
Fast Forward Unarmed man who tackled Bondi Beach Hanukkah attacker identified as Ahmed al-Ahmed
- 2
Fast Forward First Puka Nacua, now Mookie Betts: Why do sports stars keep getting antisemitic around a Jewish streamer?
- 3
Fast Forward After MIT professor’s killing, Jewish influencers spread unverified antisemitism claim
- 4
Opinion I grew up believing Australia was the best place to be Jewish. This Hanukkah shooting forces a reckoning I do not want.
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Holocaust survivor event features a Rob Reiner video address — recorded just weeks before his death
-
Fast Forward In Reykjavik, Hanukkah offers a chance for Iceland’s tiny, isolated Jewish community to come together
-
Opinion When my children decorate for Hanukkah, I don’t just see pride. I see pluralism in action.
-
Fast Forward ‘The most Australian name’: Matilda, the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach attack, embodies a nation’s grief
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
