U.S.
Neil Simon: 'adventurous' mind of stage and screen
Playwright Neil Simon, known for such Broadway hits as “The Odd Couple,” “Barefoot in the Park” and “Lost in Yonkers,” may be most remembered among his…
Talking With ...
A radio producer whose call letters are Ph.D.
Devon Strolovitch, 43, of San Francisco has an unusual background for a radio producer. His Ph.D. in linguistics included the study of medieval…
Music
Cantor takes center bimah as synagogue’s ‘rebbe’
As Linda Hirschhorn stands on the bimah at Temple Beth Sholom in San Leandro, she sometimes flashes back to being relegated to the balcony of her father’s…
Books
'Plot Against America' across the Bay
The surprising success of Donald Trump’s candidacy in 2016 brought a number of literary works out of the woodwork, but none so much as Philip Roth’s “The…
Celebrity Jews
Criminal puppets, non-criminal Mila Kunis
“The Happytime Murders,” opening Friday, Aug. 24, is a cross between a Muppets movie and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” The director is Brian Henson, the son…
Fashion
Dressing the diaspora: centuries of Jewish fashion
A visitor to the upcoming exhibit at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, “Veiled Meanings: Fashioning Jewish Dress, from the Collection of the Israel Museum,…
Film
Spike Lee's cautionary tale for today's Jews
In 1965, two young Jewish men, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, were murdered along with black activist James Chaney by Ku Klux Klansmen in a…
Opinion
The price of Jewish ‘Blindspotting’
A Jewish boy grows up poor. He goes to Hebrew school. Excels in academics and sports. Attends a prestigious college. He sees himself as a storyteller and…
Photography
Overflowing with photos of California’s oldest synagogues
The subtitle of the book says it all: “Architecture, community and history.” In Julian H. Preisler’s latest book, “America’s Pioneer Jewish…