Arts and Culture
Kosher Lust: Love is Not the Answer (REVIEW)
Kosher Lust, by Shmuley Boteach (Gefen Publishing House, 2014). You really do want to find something positive to say about Shmuley Boteach. He is a phenomenon; very bright, an articulate bundle of energy and self-promotion. Anyone who has the chutzpah to describe himself as “America’s Rabbi” deserves ten out of ten for effort. I believe that along with most Chabad alumni, official and unofficial,...
October 22, 2013 9:51 am
Pop Culture, The White House, and American Jews (REVIEW)
JNS.org – Yehuda Avner’s 2010 book “The Prime Ministers” reveals a tradition...
October 20, 2013 11:46 am
Italian Tenor Andrea Bocelli: Israel Left a Very Powerful Impression on Me
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, the best-selling classical musician of all time, said, writing...
October 18, 2013 4:32 pm
World’s Oldest Holocaust Survivor Finally Gets Her Close-Up (VIDEO)
At 109 years old, Alice Herz-Sommer can make multiple claims: she is the world’s oldest...
October 18, 2013 8:53 am
Jesus in Jewish Art: The Missing Pieces
Medieval and Renaissance artworks commonly Christianized Jesus, his family, and close followers...
October 16, 2013 12:09 pm
Report: ‘Troubling Reactions’ From Jewish, Christian Audiences to Test Screenings for Hollywood’s Take on Noah’s Ark
Hollywood is finally taking on the full tale of Noah’s ark, but the film, directed by...
October 15, 2013 10:01 am
Mikey Pauker’s New Album: ‘Extraordinary Love’ (INTERVIEW)
Folk. Electronica. Reggae. Hip-Hop. Yoga. And God. For Mikey Pauker, it was only natural...
October 14, 2013 9:26 am
New Jewish Holiday Toy: ‘Mensch on a Bench’
JNS.org – When his son asked for The Elf on the Shelf—the famed Christmas toy that...
October 9, 2013 1:38 pm
Jerusalem Biennale Celebrates Contemporary Art
JNS.org – Jerusalem’s role in Israel’s start-up culture just got a boost: this...
October 7, 2013 11:04 am
Israeli Novelist Oz Given Bookie Odds to Win Nobel This Year
Israeli novelist Amos Oz is being given 16/1 odds of winning the Nobel Prize in literature...
October 4, 2013 2:49 pm
Jewish Artists Celebrate Nelson Mandela in New London Exhibit
Several Jewish artists are participating in a new art exhibit in London that celebrates...
October 4, 2013 12:35 pm
Fox International, Warner Bros Acquire Israeli TV Shows ‘False Flag’, ‘Girlfriends’ For U.S. Market
After the success of Showtime Network’s “Homeland,” based on Israeli series...
October 3, 2013 10:40 am
Jewish Pop Rock Band Haim’s Much Anticipated Album Released to Ecstatic Reviews
The much anticipated Jewish pop rock band Haim’s debut album ‘Days Are Gone’...
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Book Reviews Commentary
Kosher Lust: Love is Not the Answer (REVIEW)
Kosher Lust, by Shmuley Boteach (Gefen Publishing House, 2014). You really do want to find something positive to say about Shmuley Boteach. He is a phenomenon; very bright, an articulate bundle of energy and self-promotion. Anyone who has the chutzpah to describe himself as “America’s Rabbi” deserves ten out of ten for effort. I believe that along with most Chabad alumni, official and unofficial, he does a lot of good and is a sort of national treasure. In this world [...]
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Jewish Identity Theater
Hollywood’s Revisiting of Passover’s Exodus Story a Part of Throwback ‘Year of the Bible’
JNS.org – In a throwback to the golden age of cinema, Hollywood has declared 2014 the “Year of the Bible.” From Ridley Scott’s Exodus starring Christian Bale as Moses, to Russell Crowe playing Noah, Hollywood is gambling on new innovations in technology and star power to revisit some of the most popular stories ever told. “It’s definitely a throwback to the 1950s and early ’60s,” Dr. Stephen J. Whitfield, an American Studies professor at Brandeis University, told JNS.org. Starting with The [...]
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Arts and Culture US & Canada
‘Jewish Giant’ Headlines New York Jewish Museum Exhibit
Eddie Carmel, dubbed “The Jewish Giant” by American photographer Diane Arbus, is the centerpiece of a new exhibit opening April 11 at The Jewish Museum in New York. Arbus met Carmel, who was billed “The World’s Tallest Man,” at Hubert’s Dime Museum and Flea Circus in 1959 but waited until 1970 to photograph him at his parents’ home in the Bronx, according to the museum. The son of immigrants from Tel Aviv, Carmel posed for Arbus with his head bowed to [...]
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Music US & Canada
Disney Hit ‘Frozen’ Gets Passover Themed Makeover With ‘Chozen’ (VIDEO)
A Passover themed cover of hit songs Let It Go and Do You Want to Build a Snowman? from Disney’s Frozen has attracted tons of media buzz and a cool 65,ooo views on YouTube within days of going online. The work of Jewish a capella group Six13, the track is aptly named Chozen. We are celebrating “our freedom, our favorite festival, our fabulous fans, and aspiring Disney princesses everywhere” the group said. The Chozen music video tells the story of [...]
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Arts and Culture Jewish Identity
Retreat Gives Young Artists New Platform to Engage With Jewish Ideas
JNS.org – Many young Jewish artists struggle to define who they are personally, artistically, and religiously. Against the backdrop of that struggle, the recent Asylum Arts International Jewish Artists Retreat provided a space for some 70 young Jewish artists to explore Jewish ideas, to build community and a culture of reciprocity, and to learn skills to assist their career development. “We are trying to encourage and excite people to engage in Jewish themes,” says Rebecca Guber, director of Asylum Arts. [...]
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Arts and Culture Jewish Literature
Darren Aronofsky Adds Psychological Depth, Little Else to ‘Noah’
JNS.org – Has the era of large-scale biblical epics returned? Not since “The Ten Commandments” has there been so much torrential water on the big screen (not counting weather-related disaster films such as “The Impossible”) than in “Noah,” the latest blockbuster from writer and director Darren Aronofsky. “Noah” takes the traditional tale and splices it in an eco-friendly and psychologically driven plot. After Adam and Eve got booted out of the Garden of Eden and after Cain killed Abel, mankind [...]
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Food Israel
Israeli Arab Microbiologist Wins on Israel’s ‘MasterChef’ Reality Show
JNS.org – An Israeli-Arab microbiologist and mother of three won the fourth season of Israel’s most popular reality TV show, “MasterChef.” Nof Atamna-Ismaeel, 32, who holds a PhD in microbiology and is from the Israeli-Arab town of Baqa al-Gharbiyye, described winning as the “the most exciting moment in her life.” She said she plans to use the prize money to open up an Arab-Jewish cooking school. MasterChef is a popular reality TV show that originated in the U.K. It is [...]
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Europe Theater
Play About Muslim Man Who Discovers His Parents Are Jewish Seeking Funds
Jewish comedian and writer David Baddiel is seeking public support to help produce a musical based on his film about a British Muslim man who discovers his parents are Jewish. London’s Theatre Royal Stratford East is in development to premiere The Infidel in October, London’s Evening Standard reported on Wednesday. However, the theater needs another £55,000 on top of around £200,000 already raised in order to produce the show. Baddiel, 49, retained the stage rights to the story when he wrote the [...]
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