Books

A Site to Order Kaddish for Your Loved Ones Takes a Page from Nathan Englander’s Latest Book

by Josefin Dolsten, JTA | May 17, 2019 | Arts & Life, Books, The Arts

NEW YORK (JTA) — In his most recent novel, “kaddish.com,” Nathan Englander imagines a website that a character — encumbered by Jewish guilt — uses to hire someone to say the traditional mourner’s prayer for his late father. In interviews, the author has said the idea...

Herman Wouk, Legendary Author who Brought Judaism into the Mainstream, Dies at 103

by JTA | May 17, 2019 | Arts & Life, Books, The Arts

By Rachel Gordan BOSTON (JTA) — Herman Wouk, the Orthodox Jewish author whose literary career spanned nearly seven decades and who helped usher Judaism into the American mainstream, died May 17 at the age of 103. His agent confirmed the news to The Associated Press....

Jewish Cartoonist Eli Valley’s Work has Sparked an Angry Debate About Anti-Semitism

by Ben Sales, JTA | May 10, 2019 | Arts & Life, Books, The Arts, Visual Arts

NEW YORK (JTA) — Is Eli Valley a brave Jewish artist speaking truth to power at a moment of national crisis? Or is he a self-hating Jew spreading anti-Semitic caricatures and slandering the state of Israel? Judging by those who’ve stoked the Twitterstorm that’s raged...

Posed to Succeed

by Simone Ellin, Associate Editor | May 7, 2019 | Arts & Life, Books, The Arts, Wellness

A local author mixes yoga and art into stories to help children with conflict resolution. As a counselor and dance therapist, Sharon Mond knows that talk therapy isn’t the only way to help children express their emotions and resolve conflicts. With her new book, “Yoga...

Leonard Bernstein’s Daughter to Speak at Sinai Event

by Simone Ellin, Associate Editor | May 7, 2019 | Arts & Life, Books, Music, Performing Arts, The Arts

What’s it like to live in the shadow of arguably the most celebrated composer/conductor of the 20th century? In her new book “Famous Father Girl: A Memoir of Growing Up Bernstein” (HarperCollins), Jamie Bernstein offers an intimate and intriguing portrait of her late...

Why Every Jewish Millennial Should Read These DIY Jewish Books from the ’70s

by JTA | May 4, 2019 | Arts & Life, Books, The Arts

By Elena Gormley This article originally appeared on Alma. During the 1970s, Michael Strassfeld, Sharon Strassfeld and Richard Siegel were a trio of young Jewish adults who felt isolated from mainstream Jewish life and wanted to find ways to make Judaism relevant to...

Why is Holocaust Fiction Still So Popular?

by Emily Burack | Apr 26, 2019 | Arts & Life, Books, The Arts

This article originally appeared on Kveller. If you take a look at bookstore shelves and best-seller lists, it seems that readers continue to seek out stories about the Holocaust. This is in no way a bad thing — more people should learn about the Holocaust, not fewer....

Bernie Sanders Gets the Buff Comic Book Hero Treatment

by Ron Kampeas, JTA | Apr 23, 2019 | Arts & Life, Books, The Arts, Visual Arts

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Many of his supporters see Bernie Sanders as a hero, but this comic book publisher took that idea to a new level. The left-leaning comics outfit that brought you “Barack the Barbarian” and “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez And The Freshman Force” is back,...

Myla Goldberg’s New Novel Portrays Illegal Abortions in an Incredibly Honest Way

by Emily Burack | Apr 19, 2019 | Arts & Life, Books, The Arts

This article originally appeared on Kveller. Author Myla Goldberg is back with “Feast Your Eyes,” a beautiful and compelling novel about a female photographer who grapples with being a mom and an artist. The novel is structured as catalog notes from an exhibition at...

Memoirist Dani Shapiro to Headline CityLit Festival

by Simone Ellin, Associate Editor | Apr 17, 2019 | Art, Arts & Life, Books, The Arts

For most of her life, Dani Shapiro’s identity was inextricably bound to coming from a modern Orthodox Jewish background. Shapiro, a New York-born best-selling novelist and memoirist, was always proud that members of her father’s family were prominent leaders in...