Out and About: Banned Books in Jordan; ‘Finnegans Wake’ in Yiddish

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
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The L.A. Times explores Jordan’s premiere destination for banned books.
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The Wire creator David Simon talks about his father Bernard Simon, a “professional Jew” and the public relations director of B’nai B’rith for more than 20 years.
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New York’s Kehila Kedosha Janina is the last Greek synagogue in the Western Hemisphere.
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Philip Glass is writing a new opera based on Franz Kafka’s “The Trial.”
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James Wolcott has some harsh words for Cynthia Ozick.
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The son of one Dead Sea Scrolls expert was sentenced to six months in jail after impersonating another Dead Sea Scrolls expert.
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CNN catches up with Orthodox rapper Shyne.
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Toronto klezmer band Beyond the Pale wins big at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.
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Allan Nadler discusses Jacob Glatstein, “one of modern Yiddish literature’s richest and most original voices.”
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Speaking of original voices, how about “Finnegans Wake,” in Yiddish?
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Alfred A. Knopf is set to publish some 300 love letters written by Vladimir Nabokov to his (Jewish) wife, Vera Slonim.
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Norris Church Mailer, widow of Norman Mailer, has died.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
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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.
