It may seem like Barry Manilow has come a long way from his roots. Born Barry Pincus in 1943 to a Jewish family, Manilow was raised by his mother and grandparents in an impoverished section of Brooklyn where he spent his youth attending Hebrew school and playing the accordion. ButContinue Reading
Marc Revenson grew up around music but always took it for granted. “For starters, I grew up around grandparents who had a real passion for Yiddish,” Revenson, known to his fans as Lil Rev, says. “The older that I got, the more of an appreciation I began to have forContinue Reading
Stereotypes may be in the eye of the beholder. At least, that just might be the case in how a character in the French animated film Azur and Asmar, which was screened at the Seattle International Film Festival’s SIFF Theater at the Seattle Center last month, is perceived. A takeContinue Reading
The history of the state of Israel is relatively short, but the tales surrounding its establishment go back thousands of years, and includes incredible stories of struggles, successes, failures, wars, defeats and victories. Until recently, those tales were mostly documented in long and tedious books, which kept them out ofContinue Reading
It’s been more than three decades since Golda Meir died. She was a giant on the world stage in her time. Starting life in Kiev, she made her way to the American Midwest before settling in Palestine and eventually becoming the fourth Prime Minister of Israel. In her day, aContinue Reading
Encompassing four events and a showcase of our state’s Jewish history, the culmination of a year’s worth of planning at Town Hall Seattle will bring Judaism to the masses. Its upcoming series, the latest in its annual celebration of world cultures, brings together local and national musicians, a silent filmContinue Reading
The action-packed World War II drama Defiance is a smart, satisfying chunk of pulp nonfiction that, while totally accessible to a wide audience, will find its most enthusiastic fans among Jewish moviegoers. Doubling as a Moses parable (with a nod to the Maccabees) and a rebuff to Schindler’s List, thisContinue Reading
Jorge Liderman: Aires de Sepharad: 46 Spanish Songs for Violin and Guitar www.albanyrecords.com I rushed to recommend this graceful recording to the music department at Classical KING-FM. The much-honored Argentina-born, Israel-trained composer Liderman made this hour-long suite for violin and guitar [editor’s note: corrected from originally stating the suite wasContinue Reading
There are any number of ways, from exploitation to trivialization to stultifying pretension, to bungle a film about the Holocaust and its repercussions. Likewise, the pitfalls and miscalculations marking the road from successful book to botched movie are legion. Both cases represent missed opportunities, which is the most charitable thingContinue Reading
Diana Brement JTNews Columnist Three different family stories spanning centuries and continents give us a personal lens with which to look at Jewish history. We can follow one family through six generations, spend the 20th century peeking into Italian Jewish life before and after World War II, or travel toContinue Reading
NEW YORK (NEXTBOOK) — Natan Sharansky, who spent nine years in Soviet prisons before moving to Israel and embarking on a career in politics, turned to me in the front lobby of the building that housed the offices of the New York Sun. I had walked him down the stairsContinue Reading
One thing that can be said about Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, considered by many to be the father of the Modern Orthodox movement, is that his legacy is nothing if not controversial. The arguments that surround his contributions to American Orthodox Judaism still rage, even 15 years after the rabbi’s death.Continue Reading
Seattle choreographer Donald Byrd confronts the Israeli/Palestinian struggle in A Chekhovian Resolution, which debuts November 21 and 22 at the Moore Theatre. Co-commissioned by Seattle Theatre Group, the work is a collaboration between Spectrum Dance Theatre’s Artistic Director Byrd, the Israeli choreographers Nir Ben Gal and Liat Dror, and theContinue Reading
Poet, author, professor, and former Microsoft Internet guru Emily Warn has come home to Seattle. She brings with her a new book, Shadow Architect (Copper Canyon Press, July 2008), a poetic and visual foray into the legendary spiritual and regenerative power hidden within each letter of the 22-letter Hebrew alphabet.Continue Reading
Michael Fox Special to JTNews God’s existence and his responsibilities to the chosen people are abstract concepts to some people. For others, faith is a matter of the greatest importance. Both ends of the spectrum have been represented at every dark juncture in history. In our own time, when theContinue Reading
Malya Muth Special to JTNews In the classic 1927 silent movie The Golem: How He Came into the World, Paul Wegener, the filmmaker and actor in the title role, retold the story from rabbinic legend of the Golem, the giant clay monster who stood by to save the Jewish citizensContinue Reading
Sophisticated classical and jazz guitars will combine with a generations-old folk music tradition in a program featuring Israeli classical guitarist Liat Cohen and Brazilian jazz guitarist Luiz de Aquino to kick off a two-year festival of Sephardic culture at Ezra Bessaroth. Born in Tel Aviv and based in Paris, CohenContinue Reading
What’s the most Jewish musical instrument? Maybe it’s the cello. Much like the human voice — itself a kind of string instrument, making sound with vibrating cords — all the bowed string instruments, from violin to double bass, can yearn and sing and resonate deep inside a listener. But theContinue Reading
Although author Gina Nahai hasn’t set foot on Iranian soil since 1977, she still carries a sense of the place with her in everything she does. And her writing is no exception. The author of four novels, Nahai was one of the first in modern times to chronicle the experienceContinue Reading
When his current contract as music director of Seattle Symphony expires at the end of the 2010-2011 season, Gerard Schwarz will move on to the next stage in his wide-ranging career. Rather than seeking to renew his contract with the orchestra he has led for 24 years, Schwarz plans toContinue Reading
