British children’s author omits ‘Merchant of Venice’ from Shakespeare anthology, citing anti-Semitism as one reason

January 05, 2021

(JTA) — A popular British children’s author omitted “The Merchant of Venice” from his adaptation of William Shakespeare plays for young audiences.

One reason: anti-Semitism.

“Yes, there was some worry that this might be the first time an 8-year-old reads...

Prince and the Jews: The late rock star’s best Jewish friend tells all in new memoir

October 18, 2020

By STEPHEN SILVER

(JTA) — In the late 1960s, when Neal Karlen was not even 10 years old, he would spend time at the home of his grandparents, one of the few Jewish families that remained on the north side...

Jewish poet Louise Gluck wins Nobel Prize in Literature

October 08, 2020

(JTA) — Louise Gluck, the American granddaughter of Hungarian Jews, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday.

Gluck, 77, was awarded “for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal,” the Nobel committee wrote...

Natalie Portman’s debut children’s book makes 3 classic tales ‘gender-safe’

September 23, 2020

(JTA) — Actress, director and Academy Award winner Natalie Portman can add another title to her resume: children’s book author.

The Israeli-American movie star rewrote three classic children’s stories — “The Tortoise and the Hare,” “The Three Little Pigs” and...

The real history behind Seth Rogen’s ‘An American Pickle’

August 07, 2020

By LIOR ZALTZMAN

(JTA) — Seth Rogen’s “An American Pickle” is one of the most Jewish Hollywood films ever.

In it, Rogen plays two Jewish family members separated by a century: Ben Greenbaum, a young app developer who lives in...

Inaugural N.O. Book Festival canceled for 2020

March 11, 2020

Citing concerns over the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, organizers of the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University canceled their inaugural event for 2020 scheduled to take place March 19-21 on the Uptown Tulane campus. Festival organizers, including co-chairs Walter Issacson...

Publisher axes Woody Allen memoir

March 08, 2020

(JTA) — Hachette Book Group announced it will not publish Woody Allen’s memoir after its employees staged a walkout in protest of the company’s deal with the acclaimed filmmaker.

Hachette announced the decision to cancel the publication of “Apropos of...

The first ‘Harry Potter’ book is now available in Yiddish

February 07, 2020

(JTA) — As of today, the first book in the Harry Potter series is available in Yiddish.

“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” — or “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” as it is known in the United States —...

Jodi Kantor on what’s changed since her Weinstein story unleashed a wave of #MeToo

October 10, 2019

By EMILY BURACK

NEW YORK (JTA) — When New York Times journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey broke the Harvey Weinstein story on Oct, 5, 2017, it started a #MeToo revolution: Women began sharing personal experiences of the sexual harassment...

Best-selling novelist Judith Krantz dies at 91

June 24, 2019

(JTA) — Best-selling novelist Judith Krantz, whose first novel “Scruples” was published the year that she turned 50, has died.

Krantz died on Saturday at her home in Bel Air, California at the age 91, Deadline reported.

According to the...