Clik here to view.
The Maccabeats Jam With Obama
In 2010 the Maccabeats became famous for their Hanukkah song “Candlelight,” which was a cover of Mike Tompkins’ “Dynamite,” which was itself a cover of Taio Cruz’s“Dynamite.” After their delightful...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Bus Accident in Israel, and Afterward
“After living with a disability for 22-plus years and trying in vain to write about it for almost as many, I’ve finally gotten my thoughts down on paper.” So Joshua Prager introduces his new memoir...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Drugs and Strippers Under God
Polish Bar, a recent movie starring Judd Hirsch, Meat Loaf, and Richard Belzer (the Law and Order guy) is packed with the drama of what the filmmakers call Chicago’s “ludicrous underbelly”: money,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shivah: The Video Game
If we had a shekel for every time we’ve paid a shivah call and wanted to make a game of it…we’d be broke. But that hasn’t been Dave Gilbert’s experience. Gilbert’s brainchild, “The Shivah,” is a murder...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Birth of the Crock-Pot
While you may be familiar with the gloppy yet delicious Shabbat afternoon stew that is cholent, you may not know about the word’s French etymology, nor the fact that we have a Jewish inventor to thank...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Last Jewish Waiter
David Manheim, a 38-year-old waiter at New York’s famous Katz’s Deli, hates his job. Really hates his job. And he’s always wanted his own talk show. So on April 20th, he merged his only love with his...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An Illustrated Kafka For Kids
Children’s books, with their large glossy pages and sparse text, often follow puppies on magical adventures, and always end happily. My First Kafka: Runaways, Rodents & Giant Bugs is no such book....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Norway, Jews, and Political Murder
Derek B. Miller‘s debut novel, Norwegian by Night, is about aging snipers. Or, it’s about parenting and loss. Or, the lingering traces of the Korean and Vietnam Wars. It feels about as full as life...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Jewish Pop-Up Museum in a Random Portuguese Town
For the past month, residents of Cabanas de Viriato, a small town in central Portugal have been greeted by a strange site outside a dilapidated old mansion: white tent-like structures with 30,000...
View ArticleClik here to view.
When Borscht Belt Comedy Went to School
“The birth of modern stand-up comedy begins in the Catskills Mountains,” so says When Comedy Went To School, a new film that traces the evolution of comedy as we know it. Narrated by Robert Klein, it’s...
View Article