BOSTON (JTA) — James Schamus remembers the block he faced while writing the screenplay for Ang Lee’s 1994 film “Eat Drink Man Woman.” Creating the right voices for the film’s Taiwanese characters was not going well “and Ang Lee was getting very nervous.” In a desperate effort to turn… Read more »
Arts and Culture
7 books to make your summer more summery — and Jewy, too
(JTA) — Summer’s here, and whether from the heat or the humidity or the harrowing election cycle, we bet you could use an escape. So take our advice: Whether you’re lucky enough to be lazing on a beach or packed in like a pickled herring on a subway car, take… Read more »
SEEKING KIN In Little Rock, a woman finds her true faith and then Jewish family
The “Seeking Kin” column aims to help reunite long-lost relatives and friends. (JTA) – Discovering a Jewish past of which she was wholly unaware, Danette Devlin of Little Rock, Arkansas, has also found family. Devlin was raised without any religious affiliation. As an adult she attended Catholic and Episcopalian… Read more »
Chimichurri Cod with Potatoes and Squash Recipe
(The Nosher via JTA) — I come from a family of hunters and gatherers, and the younger generations are no exception. My grandfather owned and operated a farm in Cuba, and to this day enjoys reaping what he sows. This love of farm-to-table delicacies doesn’t end in the garden,… Read more »
Barbecue Brisket and Beans Recipe
(The Nosher via JTA) — If a sweet pulled brisket married a can of baked beans, this dish would be their delicious baby. I love baked beans, right out of the can, all summer long for cookouts and backyard parties. It reminds me of my childhood, not to mention it’s… Read more »
It’s not a bird – it’s SuperMeat: Israeli startup aims to grow meat without the animal
TEL AVIV (JTA) – The founders of an Israeli food tech startup want you to enjoy your meat without the guilt — in fact, without the animal. SuperMeat, which launched in December and began an online crowdfunding campaign Monday, is developing a method for bioengineering “cultured meat” from animal cells.… Read more »
Sid Brodkin
SID BRODKIN, born on July 4, 1926 in Brooklyn, N.Y., celebrated his 90th birthday with family in Tucson.… Read more »
Horwitz mixes magic and mystery at local dinner theater
Ross Horwitz, who bills himself simply as “Ross the Magician,” has been practicing magic since he was 7 years old. He spent his early life in Chicago and attended a Jewish summer camp in Michigan, where he got his first taste of making the impossible possible from a camp… Read more »
Bestselling author followed sun to Tucson
Author and publisher Arthur Naiman has no time for those without humor or creativity. The Chicago-born Tucson transplant by way of New York, Paris and the Bay Area has published more than 30 nonfiction books and started two publishing companies. A philosophy major at Brandeis University, he had no… Read more »
Writer Calvin Trillin dishes about civil rights, Judaism and the art of reporting
(JTA) — Writer Calvin Trillin may be most famous today for his humorous musings on food, family, travel and love. But before he won the Thurber Prize for Humor in 2013; before “Uncivil Liberties,” his humor column for The Nation — he has lovingly called it “a pinko magazine published… Read more »
Tucson reputation as ‘world-class destination’ gets boost from new murals
Eight colorful new murals scattered around downtown will do more than beautify Tucson — they’ll provide an economic boost by helping to brand Tucson as an exotic, world class destination, and by reducing the money spent on graffiti abatement, says Michael B. Schwartz, director of the nonprofit Tucson Arts… Read more »
Tucson J gallery will feature ‘Monsters Under the Bed’
Curt Kiwak will exhibit “Monsters Under the Bed,” works on paper, in the Fine Art Gallery of the Tucson Jewish Community Center, July 8-Sept. 6. An artist’s reception will be held on Sunday, Aug.28 from 2-4 p.m. Born in Chicago, Kiwak attended the Art Institute in Chicago. He moved… Read more »
Have WiFi? You can explore the story of the Jewish people anywhere you go
TEL AVIV (JTA) — When Benny Daon entered the Israeli high-tech scene in 1993, the Jewish state was just beginning to earn its reputation as a global hub of cutting-edge technology. He worked his way up the ladder, first at other people’s companies and then as CEO of his… Read more »
Cold Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables Recipe
(The Nosher via JTA) — I have a neighbor who makes the best cholent in New York, possibly in the tri-state area. (Sorry, Mom!) He makes it with beer, beef cheeks and a host of secret ingredients, and the result is a stew that tastes rich, spicy and almost like it… Read more »
Tzofim troupe of Israeli Scouts to perform free concert at the J
The Weintraub Israel Center and the Tucson J, with the support and cooperation of members of Catalina Council, Boy Scouts of America, announce a free performance bythe Israeli Scouts on Monday, June 20 at 6 p.m. in the ballroom of the Tucson J. The troupe of 10 Israeli Scouts are… Read more »
The 9 best Jewish food trucks in the US
(JTA) — Summer is upon us. And that means swimsuits, summer camps, sticky temperatures — and food trucks. True, many of these trendy restaurants-on-wheels are known to ply their wares in the depths of winter. But as the weather warms, everyone from office workers to tourists find themselves beckoned… Read more »
‘Weiner’ candid exposé of political meltdown
Congressman Anthony Weiner, for those who don’t remember or have a talent for tuning out the wavelength or bandwidth by which scandals are disseminated, represented Brooklyn and Queens for seven terms before resigning in 2011 following revelations of sexting. Two years later, the liberal Democrat announced that he was… Read more »
Sweet Ricotta & Strawberry Bourekas Recipe for Shavuot
(The Nosher via JTA) — I’m a cheese and dairy fanatic. So for obvious reasons my favorite holiday is Shavuot. This is when spring has sprung and my family makes a whole spread of cheese and dairy-filled foods and desserts. There is always a ton of different cheeses, spreads, breads,… Read more »
Covered-up chic: Modest swimwear is having a moment
(JTA) — Sara Wolf was running around a water park in an oversized T-shirt when she became acutely aware of the need for a “less frumpy” yet covered-up swimwear option. So she and Daniella Teutsch, a former fashion industry colleague, launched HydroChic, a swimwear company for women who want… Read more »
French Jews react to first screening of buzzy, irreverent comedy on anti-Semitism
PARIS (JTA) — When the French-Jewish film director Yvan Attal titled his much-hyped comedy about anti-Semitism “They Are Everywhere,” he did so in reference to how some anti-Semites feel about Jews and vice versa. But the French-language title applies in another way, too: Though the film has yet to… Read more »