The Gospel According to (Nato) Green

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
● On coming from San Francisco: My wife and I are a typical San Francisco couple. We recycle; we’re into light bondage; our safe word is “Zinfandel.”
● On his wife’s pregnancy (with twins): It was a tough time. She was eating for three; I was drinking for four. We didn’t want to know whether they would be boys or girls. People would say, “What gender are they?” People, I’m from San Francisco. They get to pick.
● On gluttony: I need more of a continuum. I have “hungry” and “full” but I don’t have a concept of “satisfied,” “enough,” dayenu.
● On fatherhood: Now that I have children, I realize nobody actually likes children. Children are like free jazz and Christianity — much better on paper.
● On his former occupation: I used to be a union organizer. People always want me to make jokes about the labor movement, but I think it’s tacky to make fun of the dead.
From “The Nato Green Party” (Rooftop Records)
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.
