For much of my life, I hated Ukraine. As the son of Soviet Jewish immigrants, I grew up with stories of antisemitism, discrimination, and the Holocaust that gave the rationale for immigration. These stories made me despise all of Europe — but my mother’s birthplace, Ukraine, along with my father’s native Belarus, were the focus […]
Corey Stoll is the Jewish everyman actor can sink into just about any ensemble you put him in. Hopefully you caught his amazing portrayal of a young Junior Soprano in The Many Saints of Newark on HBO Max, but he is getting a bigger role this month on Showtime. After having a supporting role in the […]
Disclaimer: This is a review of a slasher/horror movie, full of gore, blood, violence, gratuitous nakedness, and levels of swearing even those of us who are sailors would blush at. TL;DR for the love of all that is holy (and your sanity) do not watch this movie. This review is as PG as possible, written […]
Happy Hanukkah Jewfolk! Let’s talk latkes and let’s get real. We all love them, but we hate to make them. We love the smell of freshly fried latkes, but we hate the smell that permeates every nook and cranny of our homes for many more than 8 nights. We love the traditions associated with mincing […]
It’s almost Hanukkah which can only mean one thing: The Maccabeats latest holiday parody. This year, the a cappella group performs Illuminating, their version of Dua Lipa’s hit Levitating. Past iterations have been inspired by Hamilton or a variety of pop songs. Not surprisingly, it’s incredibly catchy. Enjoy!
It’s been a good run Of late summer fun But fall is creeping in As I sit by my place I start beginning to trace Signs of the new season As it begins The breeze feels amazing The leaves’ colors are changing Then finding their way To the ground The nights are much colder The […]
Wendy Shragg had no reason to meet local golf pro Bryan Skavnak in early 2020. But when a mutual friend mentioned that Shragg should check out Skavnak’s uplifting Instagram feed Be The Nice Kid, it laid the foundation for a project that recently came to fruition. Shragg, a “multi-passionate creative” who works in multiple mediums, […]
As an American with both Persian and Jewish roots, I have the privilege of celebrating new beginnings three times each year on New’s Year’s Eve, Nowruz, and Rosh Hashanah, marking each occasion with its unique traditions. Much like Rosh Hashanah, Nowruz incorporates various symbolic foods to welcome sweetness, prosperity, health, love and other desired attributes […]
When Allison Norlian was a little girl, she didn’t realize that her family was different. With a loving mom and a great big sister, Norlian felt lucky and surrounded by love. While that’s still true, as an adult she knows that the world doesn’t necessarily see her family the way she does. The rude awakening […]
The birds woke me up at 4:30 a.m. Too early to get up, even for this early bird. At 5 a.m., when I had not fallen back asleep at all, I got up and grabbed the book I had been too tired the night before to even pretend to read. With freshly brewed coffee, I […]