Category: Culture

((JR)) — In January, 25 alumni of the Union for Reform Judaism’s Kutz Camp gathered on their former campus. Although the historic summer camp known for fostering Reform leadership and leaving a mark on modern Jewish music had shuttered in 2019, the alumni were back for a preview screening of “Theater Camp,” a comedy film […]

((JR)) — Broadway gave out its Tony Awards last month, and as I kept whispering to my wife, it was “a big night for the Jews.” “Leopoldstadt,” Tom Stoppard’s Holocaust drama, won best play. “Parade,” about the lynching of a Jewish man in the American South, won best musical revival. Miriam Silverman (“The Sign in […]

((JR)) — The announcement this week that Katerina McCrimmon would star as Fanny Brice in the national tour of “Funny Girl,” the Broadway musical about a trailblazing Jewish comedian, has ignited criticism from some Jewish actors who say the role should be played only by someone who identifies as Jewish. The casting, announced on Tuesday, […]

A version of this article was published on Hey Alma. Light spoilers for “Jewish Matchmaking” ahead. For Cindy Seni, the idea of getting engaged was surreal. “You go to all these weddings, you hear about all these things, but it happens to other people,” the star of “Jewish Matchmaking” told Hey Alma. “You never really […]

JERUSALEM ((JR)) — Helen Mirren will soon become linked with Golda Meir in the minds of many viewers when she plays the late Israeli prime minister in a new film. But the award winning actress has another, real-life connection to Meir: the two are related, Israeli genealogical researchers revealed on Thursday. Mirren was in Jerusalem for […]

(New York Jewish Week) — For the last 15 months, the undeniably Jewish musical “Funny Girl” has held court at the August Wilson Theater on Broadway. When the show closes in September, it won’t be long until the theater once again hosts a show with Jewish themes and characters. A revival of “Cabaret,” the 1966 […]

(New York Jewish Week) — One spoke of using binoculars to watch TV through a neighbor’s window. Another talked about an abusive rabbi. Another said that, as a student, he would draw swastikas when he was upset — but he didn’t know what they looked like, so he wound up repeatedly writing Z’s in his […]

((JR)) — Barbie the doll has a deep Jewish history. Now, the creator of “Barbie” the movie hopes watching the film will also evoke a deep Jewish experience. Greta Gerwig, who conceived and directed the buzzy live-action film released this month, told The New York Times that she hopes watching the movie will be a […]

(New York Jewish Week) — After a successful month-long showing in Los Angeles, “Transparent” is headed to Broadway in 2024, according to Amazon producers. From the same duo who created the acclaimed TV series, “A Transparent Musical” is a musical adaptation of the dramatic comedy that follows a Jewish family navigating a parent’s coming out […]

(New York Jewish Week) — Israeli celebrity chef Eyal Shani is expanding his footprint in New York again — this time with an outpost of his trendy Tel Aviv restaurant, Port Sa’id. A Manhattan version of the music-focused eatery is set to open at 350 Hudson St. on Wednesday. Port Sa’id joins Shani’s other five restaurants […]