This Week in Forward Arts and Culture

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
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“Howl!,” the Allen Ginsberg biopic starring James Franco, comes out this week. Jake Marmer takes a look at Ginsberg’s literary afterlife in print, film and comic form.
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On Rosh Hashanah we eat fish heads — architect Frank Ghery made fish lamps instead. Gavriel Rosenfeld tells us why.
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On Yom Kippur we wish each other a “good seal.” Philologos recalls the days when a seal was an indispensable personal accessory.
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In the latest Yid Lit podcast, Allison Gaudet Yarrow talks to Adam Langer about his novel, “The Thieves of Manhattan,” previously reviewed in the Forward here.
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Forward arts and culture editor Dan Friedman talks to Mark Cohen, editor of “Missing a Beat: The Rants and Regrets of Seymour Krim,” (reviewed in the Forward here) about why Krim has been neglected as a Beat, a writer and a Jew.
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In our fall books section, Netty C. Gross looks into the Orthodox publishing industry; Rachel Gordan fondly remembers Herman Wouk’s ”Marjorie Morningstar”; Benjamin Ivry remembers, not so fondly, Leon Uris; Julius Novick thinks about Sarah Bernhardt and Yale’s new Jewish book series; Peter Ephross reviews a biography of Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal; Ranen Omer-Sherman praises David Grossman’s latest novel, and Donald Kimelman proclaims Forward staff writer Gal Beckerman’s history of the Soviet Jewry movement a “masterful and highly readable history.”
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And this week on the Forverts video channel, Dr. Max Kohn hosts a discussion about the documentary film “The Jews of Ukraine”:
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
