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
Fans of Hollywood screenwriter and producer Aaron Sorkin are likely to recognize actor Joshua Malina. Malina’s characters have historically been something of the brains in Sorkin’s workplace operations: As Jeremy Goodwin on “Sports Night,” Malina was the guy who knew how to fix any problem in the newsroom — exceptContinue Reading
On the other side of your radio, heading into the holiday season with heart suspended, I balance your need to believe I’m really there with my need to let you have the truth. So here’s the truth: I’ll be on the air on Rosh Hashanah. And on Yom Kippur. Yep,Continue Reading
To listen to Simu Lev’s Revive as background, or as a soothing way to hear Jewish music, would be missing the point. The second album from this duo of California-based Rabbi Arik Labowitz, who leads High Holiday services at Seattle’s Eitz Or Renewal congregation, and Seattleite Maxxine Smith is aContinue Reading
Atmospheric Disturbances By Rivka Galchen (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $24) Dr. Leo Leibenstein, a well-regarded, oft-published psychotherapist is having troubles of his own. He comes home one day to find that his lovely wife Rema has disappeared — and been replaced with a near-exact replica of herself. Leo, of course,Continue Reading
When Joshua Isaac first screened his documentary, My Left Hand, at the Seattle True Independent Film Festival in June of 2007, things were going well. His daughter had just been born a week earlier, he and his wife Kim were certain the cancer that had taken his left hand wasContinue Reading
Throughout Marvin Hamlisch’s career, which spans 40 years and includes writing hit Broadway plays, music for movies, and conducting pops concerts around the country, he has stayed true to his Yiddishe mama’s teachings: to never perform on Rosh Hashanah or Passover. “At the beginning of every new year,” he toldContinue Reading
The Band’s Visit (sony pictures) Dir. Eran Kolirin That The Band’s Visit didn’t make the cut for Israel’s nomination in the Foreign Language category in this year’s Academy Awards was something of a scandal — the movie had too much English (though it was one of three languages spoken). UnfortunatelyContinue Reading
