The Arts

This unexpected indie Israeli film inspired the first Palestinian fatwa in decades

A drama about three young women trying to figure it all out in Tel Aviv, director Maysaloun Hamoud’s ‘In Between’ is a charming jab at the patriarchy By Jordan Hoffman NEW YORK — The cinema cognoscenti got a peek at something special at New York’s Museum of the Moving Image. While Maysaloun Hamoud’s “In Between”

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Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Israeli-Americans bask in the Gal Gadot effect

The Wonder Woman star’s breakthrough is already making a small but real impact on the lives of Israeli-Americans, particularly those in show biz. By Orli Santo Yonatan Gutfeld has an Israeli accent. Now that he’s singing for American audiences, Gutfeld — a Brooklyn-based, Israeli-born singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist — has been working hard to tone down

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Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Actress Marlee Matlin teaches tolerance — and how to sign ‘Tel Aviv’ — during Israel tour

The Oscar winner, the recipient of a prestigious award from the Ruderman Foundation, explains how Judaism stresses inclusion By Yaakov Schwartz TEL AVIV – Actress Marlee Matlin lifted her hand beside her face in the shape of an “L” and tapped her fingers together a couple of times. “That’s it?” a shocked reporter asked. “That’s

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Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Reflections on the Lipinsky S.D. Jewish Festival

By Mimi Pollack SAN DIEGO — The 24th Annual Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts festival, directed and produced by Todd Salovey, was a learning and poignant experience for me. I learned about the art of Boris Malkin [1908-1972] a talented painter, graphic artist, and book illustrator from Belarus. His dark work reflected the anti-Semitism

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Mimi Pollack, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA

Robert De Niro is in the title, but not in the play

  By Cynthia Citron HOLLYWOOD, California — Even as you giggle continuously through Sy Rosen’s delightful chronicle of his journey into “old age” you are also continually aware of how skillfully he has mounted his gentle stories.  Rosen’s play Robert De Niro Is Older Than Me is a one-man show for three people and a slide

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Cynthia Citron, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

A double premiere for Michael Roth

By Eileen Wingard SAN DIEGO — Michael Roth is an accomplished composer, with over 250 scores for theater productions throughout North America to his credit. This outstanding local Jewish artist had two of his compositions featured as part of the 24th Lipinsky Jewish Arts Festival at the Lyceum Theatre. The works not only utilized Roth’s

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Supreme Court rules band may trademark its name, strikes down law banning offensive terms

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court extended trademark protection on Monday to words and names that may be offensive, ruling that the First Amendment right to free speech allows an Asian-American band to call itself The Slants. The unanimous decision will also likely preserve the trademarked and controversial name of the Redskins, Washington’s NFL team. In

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA

Wonder Woman kindles controversy in the Arab world

She may be 76 years old, but Wonder Woman is stirring passions like never before. The controversy surrounding the Amazonian superhero began last October, when more than 1,000 UN staffers signed a petition protesting at her being named an Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls because they thought her image was “overtly

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International, Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast