Entertainment

That Spaniard’s mad or drunk. But that can’t be, or else in his one case our old Mogul’s fire-waters are somewhat long in working.

A Love Letter to Jonathan Richman: The Punk Rock, Nice Jewish Boy

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7JoikWz5i62uwvidMTjRuM– playlist In a dizzying era of hedonism and bloated art-rock, Jonathan Richman’s music was “A Plea for Tenderness.” Finding joy in little pleasures is a cornerstone of Richman’s lyricism. “New England” celebrates Maine’s magnificence just as the sweet, nostalgic…

Rocking it from the Casbah to CBGB’s: How Jews Pioneered Punk Rock

Playlist to accompany- https://open.spotify.com/playlist/169oIfuoRJ1HVBo0AxE8lN  With its blaring power chords, anti-establishment overtones and do-it-yourself fashion, the early punk scene is the last place you’d expect to find angsty Jews. Yet from Sylvian Mizrahi and Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls…

Valley Of Tears: A Somber Look at the Yom Kippur War

Earlier this year, as I was doing my patriotic duty by socially distancing and scrolling through HBO Max, I found myself watching an Israeli war series titled Valley of Tears. The show focuses on the Yom Kippur War, a traumatic…

Jewish Representation in Hollywood

Midge Maisel, Schmitt, and Larry David have all found their ways into our homes. I watched Seinfeld as a kid on my television and streamed “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “New Girl” on my laptop, like many others. I learned…

Media to Watch and Look Forward to in 2021

New year, new media. As we wait for the fate of the world, new movies and books are being released and TV shows renewed. Here is a list of some Jewish related media to look out for: Movies:  “Wonder Woman…

Jews Behind the Scenes

Jewish minds have been shaping history for as long as we have written records and they continue to shape the modern world, including our own city of Los Angeles. You’ve likely seen films produced by Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,…

The American-Jewish Songbook: Love Songs

When I think back to my earliest Jewish experiences, it’s hard not to think about music. Passover was the euphoria of “Dayenu”, Yom Kippur the devastating elegance of “Avinu Malkeinu”. I remember birthdays and bar mitzvahs and weddings–lots and lots…

TV Shows that Celebrate Judaism

With so many Jews prominent in the entertainment world, Jewish themes, characters, and holidays are bound to come up in TV shows. As a fellow Jew, it is joyous to see my religious background expressed on television. By foregoing the…

The American-Jewish Songbook: The Civil Rights Movement

When I think back to my earliest Jewish experiences, it’s hard not to think about music. Passover was the euphoria of “Dayenu”, Yom Kippur the devastating elegance of “Avinu Malkeinu”. I remember birthdays and bar mitzvahs and weddings–lots and lots…