Author: Jesse Orine

On this day in 1849, Jewish writer and activist Emma Lazarus was born in New York City. Lazarus is, of course, most famous for “The New Colossus,” the sonnet with the famous lines “Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” that’s practically synonymous with the Statue of Liberty. The poem […]

The Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, Radio City Music Hall. One thing these iconic New York buildings all have in common: They’re all built in the art deco style, which is characterized by geometric forms, bold colors and lavish ornamentation. These famous buildings may be timeless, but as it happens, the art deco movement […]

Walter Zev Feldman, 76, is an authority on Ottoman Turkish music, Yiddish dance and klezmer music. An accomplished musician and a respected academic who has taught at elite universities, Feldman was a key player in the 1970s klezmer revival — and, in fact, it was Feldman who popularized the term “klezmer” to describe the traditional instrumental […]

What do yoga, pasta-making and Shabbat dinner have in common? Admittedly not much — aside from the fact that they have all been centerpiece activities for events organized by Bianca Kisin, creator and founder of Nice Jewish Girls, a New York City-based social group for Jewish women in their 20s and 30s. Kisin, 23, is […]