Romney/Ryan and the lullaby of lying

By Marty Kaplan
Published on August 27, 2012

It shouldn't have taken Todd Akin's crackpot contraception comment to alert us that Paul Ryan thinks rape is just another "method of conception."

Distinct voices

Published on August 27, 2012

A cantata is a musical composition typically composed of solos, duets, and other forms for voice, sung with instrumental accompaniment. Thus framed, the title of Jeffrey Lewis's latest novel, "Berlin Cantata" (Haus, $15, ISBN 978-1-907822-43-8), aligns nicely with the book’s structure, since nearly every chapter is presented as a monologue voiced by one of 13 characters.

Supermarket Memories…

By Julia Bendis
Published on July 9, 2011

Oh Sarah Palin, what nonsense fell out of your mouth now…

By Julia Bendis
Published on June 7, 2011

Joys of growing up in Communist Soviet Union, and other tales of my Family.

By Julia Bendis
Published on February 16, 2011

An Artistic Homage to Big Brother

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on January 29, 2004

Not many artists begin an ambitious new series at 76, but Arnold Mesches did just that after receiving a large box stuffed with FBI documents in 1999. It had taken the Jewish American painter three years and dozens of letters to obtain the 760-page dossier, his FBI file from 1945 to 1972. The papers -- obtained under the Freedom of Information Act -- chronicle his left-wing activities from the Communist red scare of the 1950s to the Vietnam War era.

Comic Book Icon Battles Everyday Life

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on August 14, 2003

In the biopic "American Splendor," cranky comic book icon Harvey Pekar frets in the supermarket. "This may be the shortest line, but I'm taking a risk because it's an old Jewish lady," he says. When the woman argues with the manager, he storms out of the store.

Lighten Up

By Rabbi Elazar Muskin
Published on March 8, 2001

With the demise of the former Soviet Union and the fall of communism in the early '90s, the story of Soviet Jewry's battle for survival appears to be ancient history. Yet one of the truly remarkable books of our time is the autobiography of one of the famous refuseniks, Yosef Mendelevitch, who struggled valiantly for his right to be Jewish in Communist Russia. Mendelevitch titled his autobiography "Mevzah Hatunah," which translates from Hebrew as "Operation Wedding."

Unintended Consequences

By Susanna Crosby Perrin
Published on April 6, 2000

"I tell you, there was never a trip like this before. The motives are terribly sad, but we are going to have a lot of fun. This is another dimension of history." With these words, Arnost Lustig and Jan Wiener, both Jewish survivors of the Shoah, embark on a trip to the Europe of their childhoods, documented in the film "Fighter." Premiering at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, "Fighter" is a unique exploration of both the Holocaust and the Communist era of Eastern Europe.

A Jewish Renaissance

By Ruth E. Gruber
Published on September 30, 1999

A decade ago, the Jewish communities in communist-dominated Eastern and Central Europe were generally written off as dying remnants of the pre-Holocaust past.

Bulgarian Rhapsody

By Larry Gordon
Published on February 12, 1998

When I was asked to teach at a Bulgarian university, my only clear images of the Balkan nation included its infamous Communist-era spy system, its great Olympic weight lifters,and its national women's choir, whose haunting harmonies were popular in the West.