Jewish History & Culture
This is the Jewish History & Culture page content.
A DIFFERENT ISRAEL
When Israel is discussed these days, more often than not it is in terms of an existential crisis, or “the situation,” or as the subject of international news headlines. However, reading recently published works by three different Israeli fiction authors, Etgar Keret, Benjamin Tammuz and A.B. Yehoshua, is a bracing reminder that there is an […]
A Passion for War (Steve Rubin)
To meet him, you might think Steven Rubin is a normal person. Tall, handsome, happily married with young children, he is personable, affable — in short, one of the gentlest and nicest guys you could meet. But he is a man obsessed with war — World War II to be precise. Recently, Rubin launched www.ww2daily.com, […]
Walk Like A Mom/Rockstar (Susanna Hoffs)
“Hannah Montana,” a Disney Channel program I watch on occasion with my daughter, features a 14-year-old girl with a secret identity: she’s actually a rock star. This is an absurd fantasy. In real life, the rock star at my daughter’s school is a mom. Although she leads a double life, it is no secret. Her […]
Hate the Game, Love The Player (Michael Tolkin and "The Return of The Player")
The fall season is upon us, with new books, movies and TV programs all vying for our attention as palliatives to the news of war, terrorism and melting ice caps. Even as the days get shorter and our own day of judgment looms imminent, we wonder: Is there a hero out there who can set […]
Read More… from Hate the Game, Love The Player (Michael Tolkin and “The Return of The Player”)
Kaplan's Collage
Here’s Marty Kaplan blogging on Huffington Post about suggested treatments for Mel Gibson’s “problem”: “‘Jew Like Me’ is another strategy. Walk a mile in my shoes. Gain 10 pounds at my table. Wait two hours after lunch before swimming. Laugh that ironic meta-laugh right along with us when Jon Stewart says, ‘Jewey.’ Sensitize yourself to […]
The Mad Adventures of Gerard Oury
“The King of popular comedy is dead,” proclaimed Le Figaro after Gerard Oury, one of France’s most successful directors (if not its most successful) died on Thursday, July 20, at his home in St. Tropez. I know Oury’s work because as a teenager I went with my mother to New York’s 68th Street Playhouse, an […]