Monotheism, Hollywood, Bagels … and the Tushy
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Dan Friedman March 19, 2009
What have the Jews ever given us?
OK not a banking system that is the envy of the world.
OK, not an education system to rival the finest of any culture.
But a movie industry that drives world fashions. And superheroes … monotheism … bagels … cutting-edge comedy from the Catskills to Sacha Baron Cohen. And, of course, the cutest word for the butt in any language: tushy. Fran Manushkin has just written “The Tushy Book,” a children’s book reveling in the genius of the word, from its daily utility:
Sitting down would NOT be cushy,
If you didn’t have your tushy.
To its ubiquity:
Tushies dancing!
Skating! Spinning!
Tushies racing!
Tushies WINNING!”
And, as with the finest literature there is a hint of mortality:
Grown-up tushies, firm or droopy.
Baby tushies, cute but poopy.”
It’s almost Shakespearian (if Shakespeare were a Jewish American with kids).
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
— Alyssa Katz, editor-in-chief
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