So, how did the West become antisemitic?
Scholar Ivan Marcus examines the origins of the world's oldest hatred
Merchant of Venice
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Theater Glenda Jackson played Jews, acted for Jews and replaced a Jew in parliament
The MP and Oscar winner died at 87
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Theater Yes, Richard Dreyfuss, a Jewish actor can play Othello — just not you
Dreyfuss’ remarks on casting prove he needs to brush up his Shakespeare
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Theater Are We Ready To Reckon With ‘The Merchant Of Venice’?
In May 1943, at Vienna’s Burg theater, the Nazi party staged its most famous production of Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice.” It starred Werner Krauss, a man so anti-Semitic that he is said to have asked Joseph Goebbels to make a public announcement clarifying that he was not Jewish, but rather habitually played Jewish caricatures…
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Opinion Connecting the Dots Between Greek Crisis, Argentina — and the ‘Shylock’ Canard
If you’re like me, you’ve probably been trying for weeks to figure out what the heck that Greek euro crisis is all about. And every time you thought you were getting close, they went and changed the script on you. Personally, I thought I had it sorted out after Greece’s July 5 referendum on the…
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Breaking News Argentina President Slammed for ‘Shylock’ Slur
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner recommended in a visit last week to an elementary school in the shanty town of Lugano that the students read “The Merchant of Venice,” with its anti-Semitic portrayal of a vengeful Jewish moneylender, to understand Argentina’s economic troubles. Following the visit, the president continued to tweet the recommendation, appearing to try…
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Breaking News Shylock-for-‘Jew’ Crossword Clue Spurs Apology Over Money-Grubber Trope
A major newspaper company has apologized for using Shylock as a clue for the answer “Jew” in a nationally syndicated crossword puzzle after the Anti-Defamation League said it was insensitive. Tribune Media Syndicate, which provides content to 4,000 outlets and reaches 10 million readers, said in its apology that appeared in newspapers on Sunday that…
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The Schmooze Forward Fives: 2010 in Performance
In this, the second annual Forward Fives selection, we celebrate the year’s cultural output with a series of deliberately eclectic choices in film, music, theater, exhibitions and books. Here we present five of the most important Jewish performances of 2010. Feel free to argue with and add to our selections in the comments. Hapless Hooligan…
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