Jewish History & Culture
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Most of the Best (S.J. Perelman)
Among the allergens being released this June is a remake of “Around the World in 80 Days,” the Jules Verne novel that launched a thousand travel articles. Perhaps Jackie Chan will inhabit the role of Passepartout in a fashion that surpasses the achievements of Cantinflas, “the world’s greatest comedian,” according to Charlie Chaplin, a person […]
Breaking the Mold (Eric Lax's book on the discovery of penicillin)
Earlier this month I attended the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation research benefit for stem-cell research. Although James Taylor’s five-song set and Nancy Reagan’s acceptance speech were each memorable and moving, what I found myself thinking about most that evening was Eric Lax’s new book “The Mold in Dr. Florey’s Coat” (Henry Holt & Company, $25), […]
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The End of 'Friends'
The last episode of “Friends” airs May 6, and while we may all express a collective sigh of relief at the end of more than a year of shameless hype and exploitation, it doesn’t mean that we can’t stop to reflect on this moment in American cultural history. Or that we don’t care about whether […]
The Escapist (MIchael Chabon's "The Escapist" as metaphor)
Jewish history has tradition of escaping and escapism It’s Sunday and I’m rushing over to my local comic book store, Hi De Ho, in Santa Monica to buy issue No. 1 of “The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist.†If the name is familiar, it’s not because you used to collect “The Escapist†in your youth, […]
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Second Government (Bernard-Henri Levy)
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about French philosopher, journalist and filmmaker Bernard-Henri Levy (only in France can philosopher hyphenate with filmmaker). We had lunch about six months ago. At the time, Levy’s English-language edition of “Who Killed Daniel Pearl?”(Melville House), had just been published. The book had received a mixed response for its controversial […]
Sleep, Interrupted
I remember, as a child, trying in vain to stay up to see the ball fall on New Year’s Eve. In later years, high school brought concerts that went past midnight and college introduced all-nighters of the studying and partying kind. In the midnight hour came inspiration and revelation and dreams of new worlds to […]