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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I have seen the future of America — in a pastrami sandwich in Queens
San Wei, which serves pastrami sandwiches along with churros and biang biang noodles, represents an immigrant's fulfillment of the American dream
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Books Yid Lit: Lev Grossman
Lev Grossman does not tire of his best-selling fantasy novels being called “Harry Potter for adults.” While “Potter” is marketed to children and happens to attract adult readers, “The Magicians” (Viking, 2009) and its new follow-up, “The Magician King,” are designed for adults. The books are filled with drinking, cursing and sex, and, things aren’t…
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Books The ‘Feed Me Bubbe’ Book: Behind the Scenes at the Photoshoot
Avrom Honig is the co-author, with his bubbe, of “Feed Me Bubbe” — originally a hit YouTube series, and now a book. His posts are being featured this week on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author Blog Series. For more information on the series, please visit: Greetings,…
The Latest
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Rooms Packed to the Brim With Life
Funny how things turn out. In last month’s column, where I discussed my trip to the Stanton Street Shul, I made much of the fact that I did not have to resort to 3-D goggles to be transported back in time to the Lower East Side of the early 1900s. But, as luck would have…
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Israeli Piano Prodigy Takes Jazz World by Storm
At the improbably tender age of 15, Tel Aviv pianist Gadi Lehavi can play jazz with the kind of subtlety that would be remarkable at any age. Home-schooled since the eighth grade, he now feels the pull of New York, where his artistic peers are most plentiful and his musical development would probably be most…
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Unpacking ‘Umgepotch’ A Word for Sloppy
Menorah Rotenberg of Teaneck, New Jersey writes: “The other day, I was telling someone about a recipe that I no longer make because it is too much of a ‘potchkie’ — that is, it has too many ingredients and is too time-consuming. “I then thought of ‘umgepotch,’ too much or over the top, as in…
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Books Q&A: Vanessa Hidary on Jon Stewart, Dating, and Being the Hebrew Mamita
Those who appreciate Vanessa Hidary’s unique, fierce voice in her solo performances as the Hebrew Mamita can now enjoy her words in print, as well. “The Last Kaiser Roll in the Bodega,” Hidary’s first book, is a compelling compilation that paints a word picture of a bold Jewish woman ahead of her time. It is…
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Books Are E-Books Kosher?
Earlier this week, Wayne Hoffman wrote about a funny thing, the meaning behind the names of a few of his characters, and a gay Jewish reading list. His posts are being featured this week on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author Blog Series. For more information on…
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Lost Music of Istanbul’s Sephardic Jews
‘It’s really changed.” My wife, Ingrid, and I were sitting in the lobby of the Hotel Residence in Istanbul, listening to an Israeli historian named Daniel wax nostalgic. Daniel’s mother, a native Istanbulu, had taken him there on frequent childhood visits in the years before the varlik vergisi, or “wealth tax,” of the 1940s and…
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September 9, 2011
100 Years Ago in the Forward Rising star Rudolf Shildkraut is in awe over Yiddish theater superstar Eugene Mogulesco. Shildkraut first saw Mogulescu perform in Romania, when Shildkraut was a child. During a visit to the offices of the Forverts for a discussion about theater, Shildkraut called Mogulesco “a genius.” He said that he has…
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Books A Gay Jewish Reading List
Earlier this week, Wayne Hoffman wrote about a funny thing and shared the meaning behind the names of a few of his characters. His posts are being featured this week on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author Blog Series. For more information on the series, please visit:…
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Learning From the Fingers and Mind of a Guitar Master
“Listen!” one of the students says, looking astonished. He motions with his head toward the dining room, where Pierre Bensusan is clearing the table. I listen. Pierre is not only humming and whistling at the same time, but he seems to be whistling a melody and humming an accompanying bass part. “Sure,” he says, shrugging,…
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