From Tel Aviv by way of NYC, jazz quintet reunites for SF run By Andrew Gilbert Jan 10, 2022 A swanky nightclub tucked into a Tenderloin basement that once served as a Chinese gambling den, Black Cat has become San Francisco’s most vital showcase for artists emerging on New York City’s creatively fecund jazz scene. In recent months, the venue’s owner and presiding spirit, restaurateur Fritz Quattlebaum, has presented the headlining acts as part… Read More
Celebrity Jews Drake nixes Grammys; Jon Stewart talks Harry Potter; etc. Drake nixes Grammys Everyone’s favorite Canadian Jewish singer and rapper, Drake, has withdrawn himself from the Grammys, which will be held Jan. 31 in… By Maya Mirsky Jan 4, 2022
Cultured ‘Band’s Visit,’ Fran Lebowitz and Nissim Black will go on — omicron permitting Let’s start 2022 off with some good culture news: Most venues that were closed this time last year are now open, and big shows and acts are coming to town… By Andrew Esensten Jan 3, 2022
Celebrity Jews Gabby Giffords has bat mitzvah; Haim goes to the movies; etc. It’s never too late Former House of Representatives member Gabby Giffords never had a bat mitzvah growing up, even though she’s descended from a long line… By Maya Mirsky Dec 7, 2021
Music Hallelujah! It’s time for a Hanukkah-themed Leonard Cohen sing-along Have you missed the unique joy of singing with others during these isolating pandemic times? If so, you may want to warm up your vocal chords in… By Andrew Esensten Dec 1, 2021
Music Adam Sandler’s ‘Chanukah Song’ gets hip-hop remix on streets of NYC Two leading Jewish hip-hop artists have adapted Adam Sandler’s 1995 breakout hit, “The Chanukah Song,” for the present moment. Nissim Black and Kosha… By Philissa Cramer, JTA Dec 1, 2021
First Person How Stephen Sondheim helped me find my gay Jewish sensibility If I had to identify my first self-actualizing gay experience, it would be back in high school in the mid-1970s. A friend and I nervously got in the car… By Rabbi Irwin Keller Nov 30, 2021
Theater The last and greatest gift Stephen Sondheim gave us This piece first appeared at the Forward and is reprinted with permission. The thing about Stephen Sondheim is that there is almost nothing meaningful to… By Talya Zax, Forward Nov 29, 2021
Celebrity Jews Paul Rudd is sexy; Batsheva Haart is separated; etc. One sexy Jew Paul Rudd, the 52-year-old Jewish movie star whose original family name was Rudnitsky, has been named People magazine’s “sexiest man alive”… By Maya Mirsky Nov 22, 2021