It was impossible not to fall in love with Ed Koch at first sight. Frank, insightful, wise, he was always opinionated and not afraid to push back hard when he didn’t agree with you. But he was open, charming and a treasure to New York, if not the entire country. Chutzpah was fortunate to speak [...]
Born to a conservative family living in Newark, NJ, the wry Koch, known affectionately as “Hizzoner” during his three terms as New York City mayor (’78-’89), still carries a huge cachet with Jewish voters nationally, despite his often highly controversial stances. Koch, who succeeded another Jewish NYC mayor, Abraham “Abe” Beame, is a lifelong Democrat [...]
Based on the Jewish concept of repairing the world, the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards, presented by The Helen Diller Family Foundation, recognize teens who are exceptional role models in their communities and beyond, have demonstrated remarkable leadership and are actively engaged in projects which embody the values of tikkun olam. by benefiting the Jewish [...]
Robert Klein gives great phone. And for those not lucky enough to dial him up for an interview, he gives even better stand-up. Chutzpah talked to the legendary comedian in advance of his one-night only performance at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, CT on Saturday October 27. The iconic Jewish comedian is funnier than ever, [...]
The Philadelphia Theatre Company opens its 2012-2013 season with the world premiere of the new musical song cycle Stars of David from October 17 to November 18 at Philadelphia Theatre Company’s home, the Suzanne Roberts Theatre at Broad and Lombard Streets in Philadelphia. Stars of David is a musical stage adaptation of Abigail Pogrebin’s highly-acclaimed [...]
In 2010, Dr. Isadore “Izzy” Lieberman, an orthopedic surgeon from Plano, Texas, was on his yearly volunteer medical mission in Uganda when he discovered something remarkable. After an exhausting five and a half hour drive, he arrived in Putti, also known as the Abayudaya Jewish Community, a small village of approximately 250 people who practice [...]
A Champion For Our Time By Laura Goldman Lynne Honickman, founder and president of the Honickman Family Foundation, has always been a woman ahead of her time. Honickman started collecting photographs 40 years ago when most people thought the only place for them was in a photo album. Today, her photography collection is one of [...]
In the business world, Larry Phillips is synonymous with the fashion conglomerate Phillips-Van Heusen where he was chair and chief executive until he retired in 1995. While the company, originally started by his grandfather, still thrives today, his greatest legacy is arguably the American Jewish World Service, the global organization he co-founded in 1985. Now [...]
As the Israeli people face their greatest threat in years, the US premiere of the French masterpiece, La Rafle (The Roundup) from Menemsha Films opens in cities across the country and serves to remind us of why Israel was created and why it must be defended. With a script based on extensive research and first-hand accounts, writer/director Rose [...]
By: Julie Sugar With back-to-school season upon us, Julie Sugar reminisces on what she learned at college…as an educator, not a student. Julie’s reflections remind all of us, in turn, about the immense, powerful, and sometimes under-appreciated role allies play in creating inclusive space for everyone. I found my voice in college—though not as a [...]
“My passion as a sculptor involves a technique I uncovered more than 20 years ago—the precise art of creating ‘virtual records’ of contemporary culture—capturing common, everyday items in stone,” explains artist Robin Antar. “Essentially, I replicate these items on a real life scale, complete with meticulous detail. I achieve this absolute realism by incorporating parts [...]
By Len Canter On Friday June 1st, history was made when the New York Mets played the St. Louis Cardinals. As much of the Big Apple audience was on the edge of its collective seats as Mets pitcher Johan Santana took the mound in the ninth inning, the adrenaline was also coursing through the veins [...]
From This You Can Make a Living? Part II: The Jewish Invasion By Len Canter Photography by Janet Macoska Part I of Chutzpah’s essay on the history of Jewish Rock and Roll found Jews cultivating the Black sound and then dominating the infant artform as songwriters, disk jockeys, cutting-edge producers and risk-taking record executives in [...]
From this you can make a living? Part I – In The Beginning By Len Canter Music always seemed to be playing somewhere in our house. We all had our little niches carved out—my mom had an unbelievable collection of Broadway show tune LPs (for you younger readers, those were the vinyl discs that came [...]
SUMMER PLEASURES, PART 1 Our friends at PopBar know we feel less guilty when taking just one bite. Enter popBites, pralinesized popSorbetto and popGelato on-the-go. Get them at Popbar, 5 Carmine Street in New York City. popBites come in a 15-pack gift box featuring three of their top flavors, Vanilla popGelato, Strawberry popSorbetto, and Hazelnut [...]
By Nancy Resnick Hendrickson Kim Katz Alvarez knew she was going to be chef back in elementary school. Already familiar with how to roast chickens, make matzo balls for soup and grind up chopped liver from watching her mom, she started her “training” at age 7 when she took cooking classes at Bloomingdale’s in Jenkintown, [...]
By Julie Canter I’ve been wild about the French masters ever since I went to grade school with the son of the owners of Dumas Patisserie in New York (while other kids brought brownies to parties, Charles would walk in with a stack of bakery boxes—can you say dacquoise?). Ever since then I’ve been on [...]
Philadelphia-Born Larry Fine teams up with three Brooklyn brothers to create a classic comedy team. By Len Canter Could a nice, talented (a trained classical violinist) Jewish kid, indeed a favorite son of the City of Brotherly Love, become the raucous middleman of one of the legendary, and violent, comedy acts of all time? Why [...]
By the late ‘80s, Jews had almost disappeared from MLB…now suddenly the bases are loaded. By Len Canter Global warming being what it is, distinctions between the seasons are seeming to disappear, but there will always be the traditional signals that it’s time to shed the grey shades of winter and herald the Jewish rites [...]
Will Eisner (1917-2005). A legend in the industry and arguably the godfather of the modern comic book, Eisner created many familiar comic book characters including Blackhawk and Sheena, but his greatest contribution may have been the masked crime fighter, The Spirit. Eisner is regarded as the originator of the graphic novel; his seminal A Contract [...]
We’ve finally got wines worthy of this occasion. By Tina Isen Fox Bar and bat mitzvahs aside, if ever there was a rite of passage for young Jews, it’s that first sip of wine at the Passover seder. Most of us can remember the first time we were allowed the real thing instead of a [...]
How to find the essence of the holiday…fast. I was raised in a conservative Jewish family. Traditions were upheld and formed the foundation of our Jewish upbringing. I remember with great fondness driving south on Route 1 to my aunt’s home for Passover seder every year when I was a kid. My mother’s family was [...]
By Marc Kaye When experiencing a difficult situation, it helps to keep a journal. But given all the sweeping of Matzah crumbs I have been doing, who has time for that. As a substitute, I’ve taken past journal entries and taken out the most salient leanings to create “The 8 Tweets of Passover.” Don’t [...]
By Marc Kaye Moses may have parted the Red Sea but I’m pretty sure he never had to contend with the super awesome Easter Egg Hunt next door. Take my word for it - he’d have to fight a lot harder for that sort of coverage on CNN. This basically comes down to a marketing [...]
The journey of an editor-turned-campaign-volunteer, from cold calling to the Inaugural Ball. By Hope Breslauer Campbell “I just wanted to make a few phone calls.” Every time I look back on the last six or so months of my life, that is all I can think. I knew as the 2012 presidential election approached that [...]
November 22 The news of a cease-fire has been received with both joy and anger by Israelis; some relieved that their sons, husbands and grandchildren will come home safely, and others wanting the IDF to totally wipe out the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza. The cease-fire agreement is the first signed arrangement between Israel and Hamas. [...]
For 24 years, The Boston Jewish Film Festival, a not-for-profit arts organization, has been presenting the best contemporary Jewish-themed films from around the world at its annual November Festival and throughout the year. Through features, shorts, documentaries and conversations with visiting artists, The BJFF explores Jewish identity, the current Jewish experience and the richness of [...]
By Marc Kaye When experiencing a difficult situation, it helps to keep a journal. But given all the sweeping of Matzah crumbs I have been doing, who has time for that. As a substitute, I’ve taken past journal entries and taken out the most salient leanings to create “The 8 Tweets of Passover.” Don’t [...]
The Passover Marketing Problem
By Marc Kaye Moses may have parted the Red Sea but I’m pretty sure he never had to contend with the super awesome Easter Egg Hunt next door. Take my word for it - he’d have to fight a lot harder for that sort of coverage on CNN. This basically comes down to a marketing [...]
The game of basketball was invented in 1891 by a minister, James Naismith, who believed that it would promote “muscular Christianity.” That game would be unrecognizable today with its peach baskets, players passing the ball but never dribbling (a minor adjustment never envisioned by Naismith) and final scores like 5-4. It wasn’t until Jewish immigrants [...]
As the Israeli people face their greatest threat in years, the US premiere of the French masterpiece, La Rafle (The Roundup) from Menemsha Films opens in cities across the country and serves to remind us of why Israel was created and why it must be defended. With a script based on extensive research and first-hand accounts, writer/director Rose [...]
Legends of Rock Final Countdown: Son of a Russian gangster and lifetime sufferer from various compulsive disorders, Warren Zevon http://www.chutzpahmag.com/archives/2165 learned to play the piano under no less than Igor Stravinsky. Zevon prospered as one of rock’s great singer/songwriters known for his often dark, slightly humorous and always sardonic take on almost everything. Check out [...]
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