culture
And then, they came for the rock star …
By Jeffrey Salkin — February 22, 2024
(RNS) — It happened to Matisyahu. It could happen to any Jewish performer. And, any Jew.
How is this Holocaust movie different from other Holocaust movies?
By Jeffrey Salkin — February 14, 2024
(RNS) — ‘The Zone of Interest,’ a nominee for best picture, makes the propensity for evil quite plain — and relevant.
Why I miss Norman Lear
By Jeffrey Salkin — December 7, 2023
(RNS) — A television producer, director, cultural hero — and a religious thinker.
How should Jews think about war?
By Jeffrey Salkin — November 28, 2023
(RNS) — As the old rock song put it: ‘War — what is it good for?’ It is a very old question and it is not easy to answer.
The thing about Bradley Cooper’s nose
By Jeffrey Salkin — August 21, 2023
Bradley Cooper playing Leonard Bernstein? No big deal. The nose thing? Meh. Let's all get a grip.
Robbie Robertson, the Band, and a song of exile
By Jeffrey Salkin — August 9, 2023
I already miss Robbie Robertson of the Band. Ah, but there is one song....
Why the movie ‘Exodus’ still matters
By Jeffrey Salkin — July 13, 2023
(RNS) — On the 75th anniversary of Israel’s birth, the blockbuster movie still raises serious questions.
The hidden Torah of Steely Dan
By Jeffrey Salkin — May 24, 2023
Listen closely, dig deeper. There is far more to Steely Dan than meets the ear. Just like our sacred texts.
Why I am saying kaddish for Al Jaffee of Mad magazine
By Jeffrey Salkin — April 12, 2023
(RNS) — A childhood literary hero has died — the man who taught me the art of snark.
When Israelis protest, it is music to my ears
By Jeffrey Salkin — April 11, 2023
(RNS) — Israel's soundtrack isn't just the hora and sentimental songs. It is deeper and cooler. A podcast with Yossi Klein Halevi.
Remembering Chaim Topol — and how ‘Fiddler’ reflected American Judaism
By Jeffrey Salkin — March 14, 2023
(RNS) — The inside story of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ reveals some deep truths about American Judaism.
What “Tar” gets totally right
By Jeffrey Salkin — February 14, 2023
Why are we so eager to be offended?
David Crosby was my first Bible teacher
By Jeffrey Salkin — January 24, 2023
(RNS) — He lived hard, played well, sang beautifully and died in a good old age. What else could you ask for?
Bob Dylan’s new book is a Jewish masterpiece
By Jeffrey Salkin — December 7, 2022
(RNS) — ‘How does it feel?’ Bob Dylan actually tells us, in 66 songs.
Spielberg tells his — and Hollywood’s — Jewish story
By Jeffrey Salkin — November 30, 2022
(RNS) — Understanding his new film as a history of Jews and the entertainment business.
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