Chi-town? More like Chai-town. On August 23, Chicago’s WBEZ 91.5 devoted an episode of their program “Curious City” to the history of Jews in the Windy City. The program began with a question from listener Elias Saltz: “Where were the largest Jewish neighborhoods in Chicago, and what were they like and where did they go?”…
On August 25, 1918, as World War I barreled further into its final phase and a play called “Lightnin’” prepared for the next-day open of what would be a Broadway run of record-breaking length, a baby was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts with the name of Leonard Bernstein. Over the rest of the 20th century, Bernstein’s…
Chicago is a city renowned for its public art, from Anish Kapoor’s Instagram-omnipresent “Cloud Gate,” better known as the Bean, to Marc Chagall’s mosaic “Four Seasons” at the Chase Tower Plaza. Now, a piece of public art situated nearby both of those works, Yaacov Agam’s “Communication X9,” has been removed from the Michigan Avenue address…
Aretha Franklin was the heartbeat of American music, an unmatchable talent with an unmatchable presence. Thursday’s news of her death from pancreatic cancer at age 76 was met by testaments to her greatness from everyone from Barack and Michelle Obama to Barbra Streisand. For the Forward, Benjamin Ivry wrote a meditation on Franklin’s lasting Jewish…
I spent last Saturday at a truly raucous wedding, so my plans for the forthcoming weekend are heavy on sleep and light on, well, everything else. If you, unlike me, are planning to be out and about this weekend, read on for the best weekend events in New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago and Los…
Oy, readers. It has been such a week; the only thing to say is oy, and the only thing to do is make plans for the weekend for the sake of distraction. Read on for the best weekend events in New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as the best weekend…
We at the Forward’s culture desk are not known for being particularly athletic-minded, but nonetheless, even we think it’s a thrilling time for sports. The World Cup! Wimbledon! Donald Trump agilely avoiding the enormous balloon depicting him as a baby that will soon hover above him in London! Remarkable what the human body can do….
For most of us, this was not our first Greater Chicago Jewish Festival. In years past, we have sat at our congregations’ tables or attended with our families. We share fond memories of kosher hot dogs and klezmer music, of sponsor tote bags and stress balls. For most of us, however, this was our first…
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