Benjamin Ivry is a frequent Forward contributor.
Benjamin Ivry
By Benjamin Ivry
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Culture Norman Lear deserves his Golden Globe award — does America deserve him?
A lifetime achievement award will be presented to the American Jewish TV producer Norman Lear at this year’s Golden Globes ceremonies on Feb. 28, and it may be time to wonder whether Lear’s fierce optimism was fully deserved by the nation he has devoted himself to for almost a century. Born in 1922, Lear was…
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Culture ‘Lift Ev’ry Voice’ honors the history of the Black-Jewish alliance
U.S. Representative James Clyburn recently proposed that the African-American anthem “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” should become the national hymn, to join Francis Scott Key’s national anthem. James Weldon Johnson (1876–1938), who wrote “Lift Ev’ry Voice” with his brother, composer J. Rosamond Johnson, was a poet, novelist, Broadway lyricist, civil rights activist, and diplomat. Johnson…
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Culture The Jewish visionary who defended Allen Ginsberg and warned of Trump’s Trojan horse
The American poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who died on Feb. 22 at age 101, drew on Jewish culture and history for inspiration in celebratory odes and at times of tragedy. The Yonkers-born Ferlinghetti, whose mother, Clemence Mendes-Monsanto, was of Sephardic Jewish origin, was an avid painter in addition to his accomplishments as writer and editor. One…
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Culture For more than a century, Ruth Dayan dreamt of harmony in Israel
Ruth Dayan, the Israeli social activist and fashion entrepreneur who died on Feb. 5 at age 103, played well with others with matchless fortitude. She exemplified the belief that meaningful human interactions require recognizing the suffering of others and trying to do something to help. She was born in Haifa, then part of the Ottoman…
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Culture Christopher Plummer — admirer of Jewish culture, theater and cuisine
Last year, America was reminded of the anti-Nazi onscreen activism of Canadian actor Christopher Plummer, who died on Feb. 5 at age 91, after the previous occupant of the White House’s State of the Union address. After that event, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tore up a copy of the speech in a filmed image which…
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Culture Cicely Tyson, longtime ally of Jews, occasional speaker of Yiddish
The actress Cicely Tyson, who died on Jan. 28 at age 96, was justly celebrated for her roles honoring African-American experiences in “Sounder” (1972), “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” (1974), and “Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All” (1994), among others. But less has been said about her early work with stellar Jewish performers, and…
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Culture How an Orthodox Jewish refugee became a theater and opera legend
The Australian opera and theater director Elijah Moshinsky, who died on Jan. 14 of COVID-19 complications at age 75, was celebrated for his onstage collaborations with superstar singers from Luciano Pavarotti to Plácido Domingo, and stage legends from Helen Mirren to Judi Dench. Yet Moshinsky’s most ardent lifelong inspiration was arguably drawn from his Jewish…
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Culture Walter Bernstein — a writer who outlived the Hollywood blacklist knew how to choose his battles
The American Jewish screenwriter Walter Bernstein, who died Jan. 23 at the age of 101, knew how to choose his battles. Perhaps most celebrated for “The Front” (1976), a semi-autobiographical evocation of his experiences during the Hollywood Blacklist, Bernstein fought for social progress while astutely side-stepping some life-threatening conflicts. Bernstein was born in Crown Heights,…
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Fast Forward Why neo-Nazis marched in Ohio this weekend, and almost every weekend in the US
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News Texas schools want to add Queen Esther to the curriculum. Here’s why Jews (and many Christians) are opposed.
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