Curt Schleier is a freelance writer and author who covers business and the arts for a variety of publications. Follow him on Twitter at @tvsoundoff.
Curt Schleier
By Curt Schleier
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Music How A Jewish Kid From The Upper West Side Became The World’s Best Banjoist
Arguably the best banjo player in the world is — wait for it — a Jewish kid from the Upper West Side of Manhattan. His name is Béla Anton Leoš Fleck, and reached by phone at his home in Nashville, he agreed that what may at first seem an unlikely pairing of man and instrument…
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Culture How A Runaway Trapeze Artist-Turned-Surgeon Saved The Big Apple Circus
It’s a scene out of a Norman Rockwell painting: A boy carries a stick on his shoulder with a bandana tied to one end. It contains his next meal; he’s running away from home to join the circus. That’s what Neil Kahanovitz did — with just a few minor differences. For one, there was no…
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Culture ‘Oslo Diaries’ Tells Tragic Story Of What Might Have Been
“The Oslo Diaries,” an HBO documentary that will debut on September 13, is a heartbreaking retelling of the events surrounding the making and breaking of the Oslo Accords. The documentary, which reflects on the Accords for the 25th anniversary of the signing of the initial agreement, makes effective use of archival footage, material from previously…
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Life Hasidic Judge Ruchie Freier Is Starring In A New Film
(JTA) — Like many heavily Orthodox sections of Brooklyn, Borough Park has been served for decades by an all-male volunteer ambulance corps called Hatzalah. The corps caters to a religious Jewish community with particular needs and customs — including one custom that can increase the tension for patients in already stressful emergency situations. The strict…
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Culture ‘GI Jews’ Didn’t Just Fight Nazis— They Battled Anti-Semitism In The Ranks Too
(JTA) — “GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II” begins as many Holocaust documentaries do, with a history of the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany mixed with what is now standard archival footage of Brownshirts and Kristallnacht. Throw in interviews with some Jewish celebrities — in this case, Carl Reiner and his friend…
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The Schmooze ‘Jessica Jones’ Creator Melissa Rosenberg Speaks Out About Sexual Harassment
(JTA) — For those unfamiliar with the Marvel Comics universe, Jessica Jones is one of its darkest characters. The troubled superhero, also the star of a Netflix show whose second season debuted earlier this month, is a heavy drinking private investigator prone to fits of rage living in New York City. The viewer learns that…
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Culture All About Itzhak Perlman’s Musical Journey — And His Delightful 50-Year Marriage
(JTA) — Itzhak Perlman, arguably the most famous violinist in the world, has heard plenty of questions in his 50-year career. But when asked if his religious heritage has affected his playing, he sounds stumped. “I’m a violinist. I’m Jewish, so that makes me a Jewish musician,” he tells JTA on the phone recently from…
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Culture Jewish Refugee Reunites With Neighbor — 80 Years Later
“We’ll Meet Again,” which begins airing on Tuesday January 23, on PBS, hosted by Ann Curry, offers a new spin on the popular genealogical series, “Finding Your Roots.” Instead of searching a family’s history, the hunt is on to reunite long-lost friends or people who somehow impacted the guest’s life. There are a half-dozen episodes…
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