Klezmer, bluegrass and Christmas star in Bay Area Hanukkah concerts By Andrew Gilbert Dec 1, 2022 While Jews played an essential role in writing America’s holiday songbook, Tin Pan Alley doesn’t have much to offer when Hanukkah rolls around. Jewish tunesmiths such as Irving Berlin, Sammy Kahn and Mel Tormé wanted to go big, and catering to a tiny niche didn’t offer much of a path to the Hit Parade at… Read More
Theater ‘Shoshana in December’: New queer Hanukkah musical hits S.F. stage In the first scene of Rose Oser’s new musical, “Shoshana in December”, a Jewish character sings: “I want to have the thing that everyone else had in… By Lillian Ilsley-Greene Nov 8, 2022
Music Protesters make noise before Israel Philharmonic’s S.F. concert A group of protesters chanted anti-Israel slogans outside Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco on Sunday evening before a performance by the Israel… By Andrew Esensten, Lillian Ilsley-Greene Nov 7, 2022
Art Jewish art 'laboratory' LABA gets a new home at the Firehouse in S.F. LABA East Bay, the Jewish culture “laboratory” that supports local artists through its annual fellowship program and hosts live showcases, is now LABA… By Andrew Esensten Nov 3, 2022
Music ‘How are you supposed to enjoy music by somebody that hates you?’ Simon Vozick-Levinson has followed Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, for his entire career. He became a fan after hearing the rapper’s first… By Andrew Esensten, JTA Oct 28, 2022
Music Israel Philharmonic returns to Bay Area with young, energetic maestro The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra will perform a guaranteed crowd-pleaser at its upcoming Bay Area concerts: Gustav Mahler’s ever-popular, klezmer-tinged… By Dan Pine Oct 18, 2022
Music Joey Weisenberg coming to S.F. to help build 'singing communities' Anyone who tried singing with a group live on Zoom during the pandemic knows just how chaotic and deeply unsatisfying such an experience could be. Zoom… By Andrew Esensten Oct 14, 2022
Analysis The historical origins of Kanye West’s inflammatory comments In 1892, an Oklahoma preacher born into slavery received a series of divine revelations that compelled him to launch a new church and, with it, a new… By Andrew Esensten, JTA Oct 12, 2022
Music RIP Coolio, who breathed new life into a familiar psalm Coolio, the Grammy-winning rapper and producer who rose to prominence in the 1990s, died Wednesday at the age of 59. Among his many achievements was… By PJ Grisar, Forward Sep 29, 2022