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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Joshua Fishman, Yiddishist and Linguistics Pioneer, Dies at 88
A version of this piece appeared in Yiddish here. Sociolinguist, Yiddish scholar and advocate for endangered languages Joshua (Shikl) Fishman died March 1 in New York. He leaves behind his wife of more than 60 years Gella Schweid-Fishman, three sons, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He is predeceased by his sister, the Yiddish poet Rukhl…
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Secret Jewish History of Temple Beth Shalom
Temple Beth Shalom is one of the most popular bridge playing destinations here in Boca Raton. But although many cruise past the edifice on Glade Road to get a nosh at Izzy’s Deli, few realize that there’s a taste of Yiddish in Temple Beth Shalom’s own bloodlines. To name only a few connections: — The…
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Support the Jews of Ukraine: Come to Our Banquet!
At the banquet, donors will be referred to in speeches according to the following key. No donation — An anti-Semite $1–10 — A self-hating Jew $11–50 — A good Jew $51–100 — A proud Jew $101–250 — A mensch $251–500 — A valued member of the community $501–1,000 — A brilliant thinker $1,001–2,000 — A…
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Navigating ‘Love and Sex’ and a Slew of Other Hot Button Issues Off Broadway
“Listen, there’s nothing wrong with changing a name to get ahead,” says Howard, a self-impressed, avuncular Jewish transplant to the south, visiting his daughter and her lifelong best friend, an African-American boy who grew up next door, at college. “Jews have been doing it for centuries. It’s the only way. That is the great advantage….
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Let’s Talk Hasidic in Hawaiian
In the burgeoning U.S. economy of the 19th century, pioneering merchants ventured West to target the ambitious fortune-seekers of the Gold Rush. They went beyond California’s borders, supplying goods to the rapidly growing sugar and coffee plantations of Hawaii. With their foreign manners, the English and German Jewish merchants making the journey were easily identifiable….
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The Secret Jewish History of Richard Pryor
● Becoming Richard Pryor By Scott Saul Harper, 608 Pages, $27.99 Richard Pryor’s personal history has already been relentlessly mined by numerous biographies as well as in the comedian’s stand-up acts and memoir. Still, Scott Saul’s new biography “Becoming Richard Pryor” adds a lot of new information. In his author’s note, Saul takes particular pride…
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‘The Jewish Journey’ Eyes 350 Years of Migrations to America
(JTA) — “You survive, you honor us by living,” said Martin Greenfield, now a New York master tailor, recalling his father’s words after he was liberated from the Buchenwald concentration camp. The quote could easily be taken as the theme of “The Jewish Journey: America,” a PBS documentary tracking the migrations over 350 years of…
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‘MikiLeaks’ Reveals New NSA Spying Scandal
Rabbi Barry Freundel, who has pled guilty to 52 counts of voyeurism, has revealed that he was recruited as part of a government surveillance program called “MikiLeaks.” The program, run by the National Security Agency, targeted Jewish ritual baths, known as mikvehs, to collect evidence of individuals peeing in the mikveh. Freundel’s claims were backed…
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Rabbi Freundel’s 8 Reasons There Should Be an Alarm Clock in The Mikveh
1) To distract from the dripping tap. 2) So that mikveh dippers can time themselves to make sure they don’t take too long to get naked. 3) To make the changing room reassuringly haimish, like a bedroom. 4) Really? A practice dunk is totally normal but having a clock in there is the weird part?…
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Dying to Party: Top Celebs Reveal Funeral Plans
Joan Rivers, who died in September 2014, had her funeral all planned out in her autobiography. “I want my funeral to be a huge showbiz affair with lights, cameras, action… I want craft services, I want paparazzi and I want publicists making a scene. I want it to be Hollywood all the way. I don’t…
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Jewish Teen Literally Vanishes During Latest Pew Research Study
Sixteen-year-old Justin Cohen disappeared during a follow-up interview to the 2013 landmark Pew Research Center’s survey of American Jews. Pew researcher Stephen Ipsell, who conducted the interview, said this is the first time a subject has dematerialized in the middle of a 45-minute session. “I noticed some fading around the edges around 10 minutes in…
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