Roger Grunwald was on a roll. For years, he had been touring the globe with his Holocaust-themed, one-man, multiple-character play, performing it at synagogues throughout North America, Israel and the U.K. and at universities such as Oxford, Penn State and Ben-Gurion. But right when he was all set to take the expanded version of that play…
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Culture
Music
Phil Spector, rock legend and murderer, dies at 81 in California prison
Phil Spector, the massively influential rock composer and producer who murdered a woman and spent his declining years in jail, died at 81. Spector died…
Off the Shelf
Two new books burrow into Yiddish and the ‘language of thieves’
Books coverage is supported by a generous grant from The Milton and Sophie Meyer Fund. As languages have lives of their own, with arcs that dwarf the…
Film
East Bay Jewish film fest serves up food films to up your cravings
OK, so the vaccine is now making its way through our ranks, but we still have to protect ourselves from the virus for who knows how long. You’re all…
Comedy
‘Lockdown Comedy’ offers post-inauguration humor
Nobody knows exactly what to expect this Inauguration Day, Jan. 20. Tension and mystery abound. But the day after? Post-inaugural humor is a good bet. On…
Art
Rare chance to ‘tour’ two art exhibits in Haifa, SF’s sister city
San Francisco and Haifa make for obvious sister cities for a number of reasons — and their mutual affinity for art is one of them. They’ve officially been…
Bay Area
About to retire, Michael Krasny reflects on an iconic career in radio
Something strange is coming to the airwaves in early 2021. KQED radio’s weekday news show “Forum” will begin as usual the morning of Feb. 16, but Michael…
Celebrity Jews
A big honor for Shira Haas; Ed Asner is still working; etc.
Rockin’ in the new year What did you do on New Year’s Eve? Celebs were working, or some of them were. Paula Abdul and Doja Cat performed on “Dick Clark’s…
Film
Gal Gadot to star in third 'Wonder Woman' film
Just two days after the debut of “Wonder Woman 1984,” Warner Bros. announced that it’s not through with the Gal Gadot superhero just yet: A third movie in…