Ljuba Davis Ensemble bringing life to growing Ladino music scene

October 18, 2013

By TALIA LAVIN

NEW YORK (JTA) — Avraham Pengas, a veteran bouzouki player, says few Ashkenazic musicians can make Sephardic music come alive.

Ljuba Davis, he says, is “absolutely” one of them.

Davis (her first name is pronounced LYOO-bah) is...

Hungarian blood libel inspires Jewish composer to write opera

October 10, 2013

(JTA) — The story of Hungary’s most infamous anti-Semitic show trial is set to hit the stage as an opera composed by the renowned Hungarian Jewish composer Ivan Fischer.

Fischer, a musician and brother of the conductor and campaigner against...

‘NCIS’ farewell to Ziva David?, Portman’s Israel direction, Sasha the spider

October 09, 2013

BY SIX DEGREES (No Bacon) STAFF

HOLLYWOOD, CA (JTA) — Of all of the Jewish characters on TV these days, few can be described as tough. In fact, few can be described as non-kvetchy. So we are sad to report...

Italians rip Gordon-Levitt, Ivanka’s walk to shul (maybe), Drake’s Raptors venture

October 02, 2013

By SIX DEGREES (No Bacon) STAFF

NEW YORK (JTA) — Apparently lots and lots of sex isn’t the most potentially offensive thing about Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s latest film, “Don Jon.”

The Italian American One Voice Coalition has accused the Jewish actor-director of...

‘Bethlehem’ wins six Israeli Oscars

September 30, 2013

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israeli film “Bethlehem” won six Ophir Awards and will represent Israel at the Academy Awards.

Israel’s equivalent of the Oscars was held Saturday night.

The film received Ophirs from the Israeli Academy of Film and Television...

Israel-born sculptor Omri Amrany carves out a niche in American sports

September 30, 2013

By HILLEL KUTTLER

BALTIMORE (JTA) – Needing a gift for retiring New York Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera, the Baltimore Orioles pitched their idea for a sculpture to the Israel-born artist Omri Amrany.

No surprise there, even though Amrany knows nothing...

Phillip Roth awarded France’s highest honor

September 29, 2013

(JTA) — American-Jewish author Philip Roth was awarded France’s highest honor, the Legion of Honor.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius presented the award to Roth on Friday in New York.

The award recognizes civilians and soldiers. Roth was granted the...

TV Review: ‘The Goldbergs,’ then and now

September 25, 2013

By JANA BANIN

HOLLYWOOD, FL (JTA) — Some were psyched for the nostalgia of “The Goldbergs,” a new ABC sitcom about a boisterous, outspoken American family set in the 1980s.

But Wednesday’s premiere was a little too loaded with references...

Sarah Silverman’s cross, Andy Samberg weds, Mayim Bialik mentors

September 25, 2013

By SIX DEGREES (No Bacon) STAFF

NEW YORK (6NoBacon) — Sarah Silverman revealed in a recent appearance on W. Kamau Bell’s show “Totally Biased” that she was hurt by the jokes made about her age at the Comedy Central roast...

Debut Jerusalem festival aims to put Jewish art on the map

September 18, 2013

By BEN SALES

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The reader opened with a recitation of Psalm 48 followed by a contemporary poem before yielding the floor to five male dancers, all wearing the standard haredi Orthodox uniform of black pants and white...