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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Books
Modern Love Illuminated
The sea of love can be a “dark and scary place — deep, cold, impenetrable, and populated by billions of freakish creatures lurking in the depths with their gnashing teeth and electrified appendages,” Daniel Jones, editor of the Modern Love essay column in The New York Times, writes in his new book, “Love Illuminated: Exploring…
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Is Valentine’s Day Kosher?
(Haaretz) — The Jewish religion views participation in non-Jewish religious practices very seriously. In fact, the first three of the Ten Commandments all essentially revolve around the same issue – idolatry is forbidden. Furthermore, the Mishnah and the Talmud devote a full tractate to idolatry – Avodah Zara – going over the intricate details of what…
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Music Israel Admits Patients After ‘Palestine’ Letterhead Feud
Israel on Thursday allowed the entry of some 35 Palestinian medical patients from the Gaza Strip after initially barring them because “State of Palestine” had appeared on the letterhead of their application. A Palestinian official said Israel relented and permitted their entry without any change to the logo. An Israeli official said the letterhead had…
The Latest
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Music Polish Rabbi Fired Over Kosher Slaughter Scandal
Amid reports that kosher slaughter is continuing in Poland in the face of a law prohibiting it, the country’s chief rabbi suspended an aide who appears to have misrepresented the practice to government inspectors. The aide, Michael Alper, wrote a letter to Polish veterinarians in which he asked for permission to slaughter 250 cows after…
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Neshama Carlebach Isn’t Just Shlomo’s Daughter
Our high school, the Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto was, as its name indicated, a community school. Kids entered ninth grade from the spectrum of Jewish day schools — Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Sephardic. But it was also a community school in a different way; we were a small group (graduating class of 110), and…
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Music Morocco Synagogue Gets Spruce Up
An historic synagogue in Essaouira, Morocco is to be refurbished in a joint project with the German Foreign Ministry. It will be the second synagogue to be restored under a special German government program. Tuesday’s announcement came as the Moroccan Ambassador in Berlin, Omar Zniber, launched an exhibit at the embassy’s cultural center of photographs…
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Music Sheldon Adelson Website Hacked by Israel Foes
The website of a casino operator owned by Jewish billionaire Sheldon Adelson was hacked by unidentified vandals who criticized his support for Israel. The hackers on Tuesday took over the home page of websites run by the Las Vegas Sands Corp., the world’s largest casino operator, owned by Adelson. In addition to criticizing Adelson over…
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Music Donald Duck Arab Voice Fired for ‘Death to Israel’ Tweet
An Egyptian radio host who calls himself the official voice of Donald Duck on Disney Middle East was fired after sending anti-Israel tweets. Wael Mansour tweeted the news of his firing on February 6, six months after his tweet against Israel. “Disney decided I am no longer the official voice of DonaldDuck in it’s middle-east…
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Sid Caesar, Brought Jewish Humor to Middle America, Dies at 91
Sid Caesar, who has died at the age of 91, was more than just a pioneer of TV comedy. As his memoirs “Where Have I Been: An Autobiography” (Crown Publishers, 1982) and “Caesar’s Hours: My Life in Comedy, With Love and Laughter” (PublicAffairs, 2003) recount, his achievement was a blend of second generation immigrant Jewish…
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The Top 10 (Jewish) Valentine’s Songs
Begun over 1500 years ago as a Roman liturgical commemoration of Christian martyrs, Valentine’s Day has gradually expanded in scope over time to become an all-inclusive celebration of romantic love. (Though martyrdom can of course still be involved, should you fail to live up to the expectations of your significant other on February 14.) With…
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Vilna Synagogue Is Rare Gem in Tony Boston Neighborhood
The 10-minute walk from Boston’s Charles/MGH Red Line stop to the Vilna Shul meanders along narrow tree-lined streets with picturesque streetlamps and houses in the ritzy Beacon Hill neighborhood. It’s easy to walk right past the synagogue, which is set back from Phillips Street behind a fence with a Star of David, as one hurries…
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