This piece originally appeared on Alma. Contrary to popular belief, summer is not only for the lighter things in life. It can be the best time for luxurious nostalgia and dark rumination. Like Lana Del Rey, I’ve often got that Summertime Sadness. This may be the reason why, without fail, as soon as the weather…
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Books
Off the Shelf
Books on books: uncovering the role of libraries in Jewish history
J.’s books coverage is supported by a generous donation from Anne Germanacos. With such a radical shift in how we access ideas and information, it is…
Art & About
1,200 San Franciscans in one giant digital mural
A culture editor gets invites from across the spectrum of Bay Area arts. Cultural events that reflect Jewish identity abound — from religious to secular,…
Bay Area
Why Jewish cartoonist Eli Valley is sparking controversy at Stanford
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…
Off the Shelf
Two new books give Zionist feminists a well-deserved place in history
J.’s books coverage is supported by a generous donation from Anne Germanacos. As women have all too often been written out of history, I am always pleased…
Books
Michael David Lukas wins $100k Jewish literature prize
Oakland writer Michael David Lukas, an assistant professor of creative writing at San Francisco State University, has won the 2019 Sami Rohr Prize for…
Yom HaShoah
Why Holocaust fiction is still so popular
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…
Books
Turn-of-the-century actor who changed the way people saw Jews
J.’s books coverage is supported by a generous donation from Anne Germanacos. A Berkeley historian who spent two decades researching a nearly forgotten…
Books
Legendary screenwriter made pre-state Israel his cause célèbre
J.’s books coverage is supported by a generous donation from Anne Germanacos. Ben Hecht was a triple threat. A Chicago newspaperman who co-wrote “The…