Jimmy, Saul or David? How ‘Better Call Saul’ upends a biblical rivalry
Names matter in the world of “Better Call Saul” — especially the title character's
Hebrew
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Books ‘What she’s doing is anti-translation.’ Why Israeli translators are upset about Rooney’s boycott.
Sally Rooney’s decision to refuse the translation rights of her latest novel to “Israeli-based” publishers has implications not just for BDS, but for the greater dialogue across languages. While Rooney clarified her position to state that she is not boycotting Hebrew, the prospect of a widely-available Hebrew translation not published in Israel seems unlikely. In…
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Culture James Carville tells Democrats to ‘start speaking Yiddish’
James Carville thinks Yiddish should be the language of voter outreach. Well, kind of. In an interview with Vox, the longtime political consultant and “Muppets” cast member expressed his concern about “jargon-y language” surrounding subjects like race, suggesting a more accessible form of messaging for Democrats. “I always tell people that we’ve got to stop…
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Culture This traditionally trained scribe is bending the rules — literally
Kalman Delmoor is a classically trained Hebrew scribe, or sofer, who sits in the Yochanan Ben Zakai historic synagogue, one of the Four Sephardi Synagogues in the Old City of Jerusalem. But he doesn’t spend his days writing tefillin or mezuzot. Instead, he turns passages from Torah or liturgy into artwork — some colorful, some…
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Culture This pastor translated Biden’s name to Hebrew. He won’t like his own Hebrew name.
Every so often, fringe Christian figures look to Hebrew to impute Satanic inspiration. Sometimes, it backfires tremendously. One-upping this woman who slammed Monster energy drinks with the sign of the beast, right-wing pastor Perry Stone has translated President Joe Biden’s name into Hebrew. When you break it down — eliding some vowels and looking into…
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Fast Forward ‘Amen and a-woman’ leaves Republicans and Democrats squabbling and Hebrew scholars scratching their heads
Hebrew etymology is trending on Twitter after Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, a Missouri Democrat, ended his opening prayer to the 117th Congress with the phrase “amen and a-woman.” “May the lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us and give us peace — peace in our families, peace in this land and there I…
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Community When Tinder and Hinge become Ulpan: How I learned Hebrew through dating apps
Three weeks ago I packed up my life and moved from New York to Israel. During a pandemic. “You’re very brave,” people told me. “I could never do that.”. And for some reason, that felt less like a compliment and more like a prayer for my reckless behavior. A backhanded, Good luck, but you’re crazy….
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Fast Forward Hebrew Biden merchandise is now at a Web store near you
The race for President of the United States can officially begin. Not because Sen. Joe Biden finally selected a running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris. But because now both sides have their complete line of Hebrew-language campaign swag, ready to go. Hebrew Trump-Pence buttons, kipas and caps have been around since 2016. The 2020 edition, available…
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