By Diana Brement, Jewish Sound Columnist Speaking from Miami, about halfway through his book tour for “The Family: Three Journeys into the Heart of the Twentieth Century,” David Laskin was pleased with how the trip was going. Published by Viking, “The Family” is Laskin’s own family’s saga of “ur-20th-century Jewish stories,”Continue Reading
By , JNS.org (JNS.org) Numerous popular singers are planning to stop in Tel Aviv during their tours in the coming year, including Julio Iglesias, Cyndi Lauper, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, and others. The pop stars will visit Israel despite the ongoing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign calling on celebrities notContinue Reading
By Tom Tugend, other When Canadian filmmaker Naomi Jaye, who had spent 10 years making short films, told friends she was embarking on her first feature, they cheered. When she added that the project would be the first Canadian movie in Yiddish, which neither she nor her lead actors knew,Continue Reading
By Jack Falk , Special to JTNews For its fall concert “Until When?” Seattle’s Music of Remembrance promises an enticing mix of music, theatre, and dance, including a newly commissioned choreography to accompany a suite of incidental music for the silent film “Der Golem”; a suite from the Israeli composerContinue Reading
By Talia Lavin, JTA World News Service NEW YORK (JTA)—”Everyone knows that Jews control the media and banks and stuff,” comedian Eugene Mirman quips in a recent stand-up routine. “But did you know that when you go to a carnival and you have to be a certain height to goContinue Reading
By Emily K. Alhadeff, Associate Editor, JTNews October 11-20 Seattle Polish Film Festival The Seattle Polish Film Festival features two Jewish-themed films. “Siberian Exile” (2013, 125 mins.) follows Poles, Ukrainians, and Jews deported to the Soviet Union in 1939. Through the eyes of young Staszek, the exiles face starvation andContinue Reading
By Emily K. Alhadeff , Associate Editor, JTNews Editor’s note: The story was corrected to note that the event will take place at Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation, not at the Stroum Jewish Community Center. Millie Perkins was on her way to becoming a successful model in Paris when history intervened.Continue Reading
By Jana Banin, JTA World News Service HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)—Some were psyched for the nostalgia of “The Goldbergs,” a new ABC sitcom about a boisterous, outspoken American family set in the 1980s. But Wednesday’s premiere was a little too loaded with references to that neon-colored, big-haired decade—think REO Speedwagon, SamContinue Reading
By Dikla Tuchman, JTNews Correspondent Despite the expense and the long travel time, most people consider Israel a place they’d love to visit. The historical significance of the country is enough to woo most anyone, regardless of cultural or religious backgrounds. It’s no surprise, then, that National Geographic would findContinue Reading
By Joel Magalnick, Editor, JTNews A detailed study of the acts at this year’s Bumbershoot show that with the exception, perhaps, of a backup singer or two, the musical acts are woefully bereft of Jews. Where in the past we had Monotonix (the Israeli punk band whose act was cutContinue Reading
By Judy Lash Balint, JNS.org SEATTLE—Most Orthodox rabbis who earn the title “emeritus” retire to a quiet life of teaching and learning and visiting the sick. Emeritus Rabbi Simon Benzaquen, who recently retired after decades of service to Seattle’s Sephardic Bikur Holim congregation, does all of those activities, but nowContinue Reading
By Michael Fox , Special to JTNews To everyone under 40, and anyone outside of New York, the popular Catskills summer resorts of the mid-20th century must seem as distant, obscure and foreign as the Yiddish theatre. The comparison is not inapt, for both institutions were important signposts in theContinue Reading
By Erin Pike, Special to JTNews If the biggest question on your mind this weekend is, “Where can I get my hands on a Jewish version of “˜Fifty Shades of Grey?’” well, you’re in luck — sort of. “Fifty Shades of Schwarz” has “parody” stamped right on the cover. However,Continue Reading
By Charlene Kahn , JTNews Correspondent Though known as strong supporters within the Jewish community, Seattleites Herb and Lucy Pruzan are also longtime patrons of an evolutionary Northwest art scene. Through Oct. 6, Tacoma Art Museum will share more than 100 works in a retrospective exhibit from the Pruzan’s half-centuryContinue Reading
By Tori Gottlieb, Special to JTNews Most people would never imagine that there was ever a time when Idan Cohen wasn’t a dancer. But they would be surprised to find out that the 35 year old, now a world-renowned choreographer, was somewhat of a late bloomer, moving into the worldContinue Reading
By Janis Siegel, JTNews Correspondent “Let my people go” may be one of the most recognizable Jewish phrases, but Moses likely said it in a language that most Jews wouldn’t even recognize today, said Harvard comparative literature professor and linguistic scholar Marc Shell. After all, Shell told the audience ofContinue Reading
By Herb Krohn, Special to JTNews Most of the Jewish-related films at the Seattle International Film Festival have passed, but this one is a must-see for Jews and non-Jews alike. Inequality for All Rating: Outstanding Genre: Documentary USA Sunday, June 2, 2013 — 6:30 p.m. – Egyptian Theatre Monday, JuneContinue Reading
By Dikla Tuchman, JTNews Correspondent For more than 40 years, Seattle has been home to two of the largest, best-known music festivals on the West Coast: Bumbershoot and Folklife. Both happen to fall during the time of the year when our city receives a short respite from the rainy months,Continue Reading
By Janis Siegel, JTNews Correspondent With a voice that combines an exotic hybrid of his French roots, a decade in Israel, and a nod to the Pacific Northwest incorporated from his current environs in Seattle, Bet Alef Meditative Synagogue’s Rabbi Olivier BenHaim’s new six-step meditation CDs feature his self-described straightforwardContinue Reading
By Gwen Davis , JTNews Correspondent Who were the first Jews in Washington State? How were they able to assimilate into American and Washington culture? Why did they move here and what were their lives like day to day? On June 2, the Washington State Jewish Historical Society (WSJHS) andContinue Reading
