Moment Fiction // Cuba
1936: He has been called “distinguished gentleman” and “filthy Jew”; the former is better, of course. Turn by turn he has been treated with civility or contempt.
At Camp With Bob Dylan
My enduring memory of Bob Dylan from that summer is of a young man sitting on the roof of one of the cabins, strumming on a guitar and singing loudly with his characteristic high-pitched nasal twang.
Remaking the Modern-Day Synagogue
For Dovi Scheiner, a synagogue is a place for prayer and pilates, for coffee breaks and comedy and film screenings. But perhaps most importantly, it is a living room.
Book Review // Light Come Shining: The Transformations Of Bob Dylan
When Bob Dylan became the first songwriter to win the Nobel Prize in Literature last October, the internet erupted with reactions ranging from euphoria to dismay.
Book Review // Twenty Girls to Envy Me: Selected Poems of Orit Gidali
Until the 1980s, women were a small minority among Hebrew writers. There was Russian-born Rahel Bluwstein (1890–1931), considered the “founding mother” of modern Hebrew poetry by women. Esther Raab (1894–1981) was the first native-born Israeli woman poet, principally known for her rich use of modern Hebrew.
Book Review // A Horse Walks Into a Bar
The earliest comedy I remember with any clarity was created by a famous tragic clown, a circus performer whose painted mouth was perpetually turned down in a frown. Left out of the spotlight, he carried a sledgehammer and ran after the other clowns who wouldn’t have anything to do with him.
The New Israeli Americans
The days of shame about living in America are over. But can this diverse group of immigrants hold onto their culture? And is there a chance that they can become a unified political voice?
Meir Shalev: Israel’s Dictator-in-Writing
Although Americans may not immediately recognize his name, best-selling novelist Meir Shalev is one of Israel’s most beloved and celebrated authors. He is a man with deeply held convictions and opinions about both the art of writing and Israel.
Jewish Word // Blood libel
In September, Josh Marshall of the online political news outlet Talking Points Memo reached for an unexpected metaphor to express his disgust at Donald Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric…
Author Interview // Kati Marton
Kati Marton’s early life reads like the plot of a John le Carré spy novel. Marton was born in Budapest in the early years of the Cold War to journalists who, at the time, were among the most famous anti-communist dissidents in the world.
Bob Dylan: The Unauthorized Spiritual Biography
By Nadine Epstein and Rebecca Frankel
In the early 1960s, Bob Dylan performed at tiny Greenwich Village folk clubs, acoustic guitar strapped across his compact shoulders,...
‘While I’m Here’: A Look Back at Theodore Bikel
Theodore Bikel was an actor, a folksinger, a Yiddish speaker, an activist. Now, a group of musicians is making its own attempt at preserving Bikel’s legacy.