Writing in the August 4 issue of The New Republic, columnist Jonathan Chait, commenting on the debt-ceiling negotiations between President Obama and Speaker of the House John Boehner, said of the latter, “Perhaps he contracted a Washington version of Jerusalem Syndrome, succumbing to delusions of grandeur.” Since this is the first time I’ve seen the…
Reader Mike Benn wrote to the Forward’s word fiend Philologos about a childhood memory of bronjenas, a flame roasted eggplant dish that his grandmother who lived in Palestine in the early 20th century made. The dish, while now called h’atsil al ha-esh in Israel and by other names the Balkans, lives on as a roasted…
Talia Bloch sings the praises of poet and Bollingen Prize-winner Allen Grossman. Philologos wonders when ‘Palestine’ became such a controversial word. Jenna Weissman Joselit pores over Chief Rabbi of Cincinnati Eliezer Silver’s ledger book. Benjamin Ivry appreciates the Jewish artists at the Villa la Fleur museum outside of Warsaw. Joshua Furst questions the theatrical pieties…
Writes David Chanoff of Marlboro, Mass.: “You probably know of James Kelman, the Booker Prize winner who writes in Glaswegian dialect. In his book of stories, ‘The Good Times,’ there occurs the line of dialogue, ‘Heh, I was hearing about Smiddy’s funeral, some kind of schemozzle.’” And Mr. Chanoff adds: “Meaning, apparently, something like ‘a…
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