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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How Alicia Svigals Helped Me Go Public With My Klezmer Obsession
A master violinist was giving her star pupil a lesson one hot and humid summer day. The student’s instrument, sensitive to both heat and humidity, kept sliding out of tune as the student played the difficult piece. “The notes! Play the right notes!” The master cried, as the student’s sweat beaded on his furrowed brow….
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The Secret Jewish History of Pokemon Go
Rav Ashi, the first editor of the Babylonian Talmud, once dreamed that he was having a conversation with Manasseh, a King of Judah who had died about a thousand years earlier. Ashi asked: “Since thou art so wise, why didst thou worship idols?” Manasseh replied, “Wert thou there, thou wouldst have caught up the skirt…
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Susan Faludi’s Story of Her Father’s Survival and Transition
In The Darkroom By Susan Faludi Metropolitan Books 432 pages, $32 Susan Faludi hadn’t spoken with her father in 25 years when, out of the blue, he sent her an email in 2004 informing her of his sex change. At 76 he was now no longer Steven Faludi, but Stefanie Faludi. Susan Faludi picked up…
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Anti-Trump Comments Spark Backlash
President Obama has, in his last months in office, been making a habit of the mic drop. (See his speech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and his recent Jimmy Fallon-aided slow jamming of the news.) Based on a recent New York Times interview, it seems Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is impressed by his style….
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Books Literary Figures Call for Release of Arab-Israeli Poet Charged With Incitement
More than 150 literary figures, including nine Pulitzer Prize winners, are calling for Israel to free an Arab-Israeli poet charged with inciting violence through social media. The open letter announced Tuesday in support of Dareen Tatour, who has been under house arrest since October, was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace and Adalah-NY (The New…
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Irving Gottesman and the Subtlety of Genetic Psychology
Irving Gottesman, a professor of psychology and modern pioneer in the study of the genetics of schizophrenia who died on June 29 at age 85, exemplified the saying attributed to Albert Einstein: “Subtle is the Lord, but malicious He is not.” Accepting complexities and contradictions in research without losing his unruffled good humor, the Cleveland-born…
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Cyber Warfare Is Real — Should We Blame the U.S. and Israel For Starting It?
In late 2009, something almost laughably scary started happening at the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran: centrifuges — slim cylinders containing powerful rotors used to enrich uranium — began exploding. It wasn’t clear why. Or how. The operating data for the impacted centrifuges gave the impression they were functioning at normal levels, and when technicians…
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Books When Meyer Wolfsheim From ‘The Great Gatsby’ Is the Only Jewish Character You Know
As a high school English teacher who writes poetry in her free time, I read a poem a day at the start of each class period. Last September, I read poems by Emma Lazarus, because students were going to be writing an essay about her famous sonnet “The New Colossus.” When I introduced her to…
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Peter Yarrow Contemplates Life Without Mary
Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey have performed together about a half-dozen times a year since their partner, Mary Travers, passed away in 2009. Yes, Yarrow says, long-time fans of the influential folk group, Peter, Paul and Mary may at first think they sound a little “peculiar” without her. But that’s just at first, he…
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These Frum Filmmakers Are Revolutionizing Orthodox Cinema
The Haredi world is generally viewed as an insular patriarchal community that shuns movies. Virtually nobody owns a TV. Still, a fledgling, shadow film industry has been growing quietly for a decade within the confines of this improbable universe. These flicks — dozens of them — are produced, scripted, directed and performed by women. Female…
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Meet the Men Reviving the Golden Age of Moviegoing on the Lower East Side
I’ve always loved going to the movies. I often go when I feel lonely or inspired. I love the bustle and the camaraderie, the unspoken connections that form when you sit next to complete strangers and experience the same emotions. I like picking the perfect seat. I like the trailers. I like eavesdropping on people…
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