Category: Culture

(New York Jewish Week) — Last fall, when Binyumen Shaechter started putting together the 2023 repertoire for the Yiddish Philharmonic Chorus, he thought an apt theme and title would be “Chutzpah! Yiddish Songs of Defiance” to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising as well as the 75th birthday of the State of […]

(New York Jewish Week) — In 1974, three men — Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw — spent countless hours together aboard the Orca, a converted fishing boat docked in the open ocean east of Martha’s Vineyard. The trio, all actors, were filming “Jaws,” the Steven Spielberg-directed blockbuster whose filming schedule famously went 100 […]

((JR)) — It took less than four days for 92NY to go from having a packed calendar of literary events and a full team to a depleted schedule and staff resignations. The dramatic shakeup at the venerable New York Jewish cultural center came after the institution scrapped a planned talk Friday by Pulitzer Prize winner […]

((JR)) — The Boston Red Sox have reportedly hired former Team Israel pitcher Craig Breslow to lead their baseball operations department. Breslow, 43, replaces Chaim Bloom, a fellow Jewish Yale University graduate who was fired by the team last month. The Boston Globe first reported Breslow’s hire Tuesday, and MassLive reported that Breslow will hold […]

((JR)) — As the NBA’s only Israeli player, Deni Avdija has had a lot on his mind as his home country navigates a war with Hamas. But as the new NBA season tips off on Tuesday, the 22-year-old is poised for his most impressive year yet on the court. On Monday, Avdija and the Washington Wizards […]

((JR)) — Writers Guild of America West, a branch of the screenwriters union that is fresh off of a months-long strike, has come under fire from many of its members over its refusal to issue a statement about the Israel-Hamas war. After complaints about the lack of reaction, WGA West President Meredith Stiehm wrote an […]

((JR)) — A strikingly long list of celebrities launched a campaign called #NoHostageLeftBehind on Monday, aimed at pressuring President Joe Biden to continue to work to secure the release of the more than 200 hostages taken captive by Hamas on Oct. 7. Some of the dozens of stars involved include Amy Schumer, Adam Sandler, Chris […]

(New York Jewish Week) – A rising star in the world of piano opened a performance at New York City’s Carnegie Hall on Thursday evening with Israel’s national anthem as the country wages war against Hamas in Gaza.  Footage circulating on social media showed Kevin Chen, 18, sitting at the piano bench and, without introduction, […]

((JR)) — When it comes to Jews and sports, baseball often reigns supreme — both in terms of Jewish fan interest and the number of high-profile Jewish professional players. But as some Jewish sports fans may recognize, the NHL has long had a large roster of Jewish players that seems to grow each year. With […]

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. ((JR)) — When he heard that Hamas had called for a global day of protest last week to accompany its deadly attack on Israel, Alex Edelman’s mind turned, naturally, to jokes. Riffing on the traditional Hebrew holiday greeting “chag sameach,” the Jewish comedian wondered aloud to a packed room of Hollywood industry […]