Harold J. White of Gloucester, Mass. writes: “Recently, friends asked me about the Hebrew word for ‘hope,’ tikvah, which they wanted to use in some announcement. Out of curiosity, I checked the concordance to the Bible and [the biblical dictionary of Wilhelm] Gesenius. The word tikvah does not occur there. And yet Hatikvah, ‘The Hope,’…
A prominent leader of interfaith dialogue is calling for a reexamination of the decades-old Orthodox ban on theological discussions between Christians and Jews. In proposing a reassessment of the ban, Eugene Korn, an Orthodox rabbi who recently resigned as the Anti-Defamation League’s director of interfaith affairs, is taking on no less a figure than the…
The sound of whiskey-voiced singers and the sight of soulful women with snaking arms and electrifying footwork epitomize the fiery Gypsy art of flamenco. But few people realize that flamenco emerged not only from Gypsy passion, but also from Sephardic Jewish roots. In fact, the word “flamenco” means “Flemish” in Spanish, probably because Jews and…
This past August, following a performance of Richard Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” in Rio de Janeiro’s opera house, the production’s eccentric Jewish director made sure the audience received a view of the full moon — and it was not to confirm the arrival of Rosh Chodesh. Brazilian prosecutors have charged the German-born, American-raised director, Gerald…
Desire and Delusion: Three Novellas By Arthur Schnitzler Ivan R. Dee, 264 pages, $28.50. * * *| Thomas Pynchon once noted that when reference is made to the notion of seriousness in the context of a work of art, what is invariably under discussion is its attitude toward death. Obviously, death has been a primary…
LOS ANGELES — For the past two years, the Comedy Central-sponsored “Sit ’n’ Spin” nights have provided a supportive setting for local comedy writers to try out new material on an audience of their peers. The humor is usually profane and often sexually explicit, and the writers who gather twice a month at Hollywood’s Hudson…
It is thrilling to see artists taking risks, and even more thrilling when they succeed. The Metropolitan Opera is succeeding brilliantly this season with its breathtaking new production of Fromental Halévy’s “La Juive” (“The Jewess”), the first time this legendary and singular 1835 French grand opera is being heard in New York in almost 70…
SAN FRANCISCO — A balding, middle-aged guy standing alone on a stage describing his financial troubles with two hefty volumes of the U.S. Tax Code as his only props doesn’t sound like a scintillating night at the theater. Yet Josh Kornbluth manages to weave his woes into an engrossing and humorous tale of redemption. “Love…
After exhausting herself last year attaching nearly 400 handmade chocolate roses to a bustier, pastry chef Nicole Kaplan of the tony Eleven Madison Park restaurant decided to fashion an easier ensemble for this year’s sixth annual Chocolate Show at New York’s Manhattan Pavilion. With the help of a glue gun, she fastened hundreds of chocolate…
Mel at 13, with Tallit: While we here at the Forward were busy compiling this year’s list of the 50 most influential members of the American Jewish community, the folks over at Entertainment Weekly were putting together their 14th annual “Power List” of Hollywood movers and shakers. The third spot on our list went to…
With bagels and lox stuffed into his suitcase, Eli Levy used to travel back from New York to his home in Aventura, Fla., with a weekend’s supply of traditional Jewish brunch food in tow. But between such trips, Levy would find himself hungering for a fix of fancy fish from Barney Greengrass on the Upper…
