Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Himmler: An ordinary man turned villain

By Jonathan Kirsch

No matter how much is written about Nazi Germany, there is always some new horror to behold and some new paradox to ponder. That’s how I felt when. . .

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Jewish theater: From Yiddish to multiculturalism

by Iris Mann

What defines “Jewish” theater? David Chack, a playwright and president of the Association for Jewish Theatre, promises that question will be. . .

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Who is that masked Jewish man? It’s Hero Man!

by Sam Blum

David Filmore is a mild-mannered filmmaker. A Shabbat-observant Jew from Australia who moved to West Hollywood 10 years ago, he spends his days. . .

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Art and fashion find their nexus in a Los Angeles creative couple

By Tom Teicholz

Cubes of color intersected by bands, which the viewer can manipulate into arrangements within a grid framing the work; watercolors of narrow. . .

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Guide to a master reader’s works

By Rabbi David Wolpe

In a moment of unwarranted despair, the young Keats wrote his epitaph: “Here lies one whose name is writ in water.” Yet creative geniuses achieve. . .

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Who’s afraid of children’s art?

by Jonathan Maseng

In September 2011, the Museum of Children’s Art in Oakland (MOCHA) was expected to open an exhibition called “A Child’s View of Gaza.” The. . .

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Will this finally be the year for an Israeli Oscar?

By Tom Tugend

Joseph Cedar’s “Footnote,” Israel’s entry in the Oscar sweepstakes for best foreign-language film, has jumped the first major hurdle by. . .

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Notable books of 2011

By Jonathan Kirsch

In addition to our prizewinner, we also want to honor some of the other exceptional books that came to our attention in 2011, each of which is. . .

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Amid memories, cemetery documentary imparts lesson of Jewish survival

By Tom Tugend

The Weissensee Jewish Cemetery is 130 years old and has survived the kaiser’s imperial Germany, the Weimar Republic, and, astonishingly, the Nazi. . .

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

In the beginning, there was Monterey

By Jonathan Kirsch

One way to mark the chronology of the counterculture, a pastime that is beloved by the baby boomers, is by reference to rock festivals. Woodstock and. . .

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

‘Unusual’ Jewish books

by Donald Altschiller/JointMedia News Service

During the 1978 Frankfurt Book Fair, an enterprising bibliophile conducted a meticulous search of the vast exhibit hall with an unusual purpose: to. . .

Friday, December 16, 2011

Amy Ephron’s intimate view of a life well lived

by Dora Levy Mossanen

Amy Ephron’s captivating new book, “Loose Diamonds … and other things I’ve lost (and found) along the way” (William Morrow, $19.99), is a. . .

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Jerusalem, behind the veil of piety

By Jonathan Kirsch

Jerusalem is always in the headlines, or so it seems, but the same city on a hill has commanded the attention of the Western world without. . .

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Book review: The risks of trusting others

by Steve Weinberg

Those who follow the teachings of religion by presuming the innate goodness of fellow human beings will quite likely find the book “Dangerous. . .

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

A scholar reveals the Qur’an

By Jonathan Kirsch

No book is regarded with more fear and loathing in the West than the Qur’an, the fundamental religious text of Islam, and yet I am confident that. . .

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Dishing the dirt on Santa

by Iris Mann

Ho, ho, ho. Santa Claus is coming to town, and all hell is about to break loose. It seems that Santa has been a closeted gay man, but now “Santa. . .

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Howard Cosell: The man fans loved to hate

by Steve Weinberg

When Howard Cosell achieved fame as a sports journalist, the last thing he wanted was to be thought of as a Jewish sports journalist. But because of. . .

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Ozomatli: Band of the people

By Ryan Torok

The Latin band Ozomatli is rocking out on the flatbed of a truck parked on a closed-down Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles. It’s a Saturday in. . .

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Back to Ukraine: A filmmaker’s diary of living in her ancestors’ land

by Jonathan Maseng

Naomi Uman is a woman of many talents, but drawing is not one of them. “I always knew that I was an artist, but I can’t and I couldn’t draw. . .

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Beyond the blockbusters

by Iris Mann

Among the holiday-oriented movies slated for this season, we find some quite unusual, fascinating fare, including a spy story, a silent movie, a. . .

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

A gift for every reader

By Jonathan Kirsch

From novels to memoirs to movie reviews, and much in between, here are a few standout books for Chanukah gift giving.. . .

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Spielberg in talks to direct Moses film

JTA

Steven Spielberg is in talks to direct a movie about the life of Moses.. . .

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Tel Aviv museum launches $60 million capital campaign

JTA

The Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, Beit Hatfutsot, is launching a $60 million capital campaign in New York to raise money for renovations. . .

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Avner’s ‘Prime Ministers’ to be adapted for two U.S. films

By Tom Tugend

Two American producer-directors, on opposite coasts, are in the process of turning Yehuda Avner’s book “The Prime Ministers” into separate. . .