Women in the Performing Arts: Molly Picon by J.D. Arden, M.L.I.S. candidate, Reference Services Research Intern, Center for Jewish History The transition of the performance industry of America from stage to film was difficult for many to manage. One of the most beloved Jewish American actresses who managed that transition successfully was Molly Picon. We all remember her as the elderly but impish Yente in…
Reflecting on Memorial Dayby J.D. Arden, M.L.I.S. candidate, Reference Services Research Intern, Center for Jewish History Above image: National Jewish Welfare Board Records, 1952, Passover in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Dave Starr, 1575 Federal. Pfc. Morton Gutstadt of Fitzsimons Army Hospital tried out the gefilte fish of Mrs. Starr. From the Collections of the American Jewish Historical Society. Honoring the memory and sacrifice…
National Poetry MonthOn a Poem by Leyb Kvitkoby J.D. Arden, M.L.I.S. candidate, Reference Services Research Intern, Center for Jewish History Inscrutable Catby Leyb Kvitko (c.1890-1952), translated from Yiddish by A. Mandelbaum & H. Rabinowitz This poem is taken from The Penguin Book of Modern Yiddish Verse, published in 1987, and is one of many such books available in the Lillian Goldman Reading Room at the…
National Poetry MonthOn a Poem by Yehudah Amichaiby J.D. Arden, M.L.I.S. candidate, Reference Services Research Intern, Center for Jewish History The poem “First Resurrection” (תחייה ראשונה) is from the poem cycle “Four Resurrections in the Valley of the Ghosts” by Yehudah Amichai (יהודה עמיחי 1924-2000), read in Hebrew above by writer Leon Wieseltier as part of the “CultureBuzz” Amichai poetry series on YouTube. The…
3Wj8RpthptwSQ0lz1nnQNJ Theodore Bikel Sings “Mu Asapru”by J.D. Arden, M.L.I.S. candidate, Reference Services Research Intern, Center for Jewish History Click here for audio. Here is a classic Passover song which can be a fun challenge in counting backwards in Yiddish after drinking wine. מה אספּרה, מה אדברה אותךװער קען זאָגן, װער קען רעדן װאָס די 1 באַטײַטאיינער איז גאָט, און גאָט איז איינער, און װײַטער…
“Yo Quiero” Sephardic Matzah Cookies!by J.D. Arden, M.L.I.S. candidate, Reference Services Research Intern, Center for Jewish History This Passover season, I invite you to try your hand at some sweet recipes from the Sephardic community of Turkey. For over 500 years since the expulsion from Spain, the Sephardic Jewish community in Turkey has maintained a cultural heritage of Ladino language, music—and tasty cookies and…
Women in the Performing ArtsBertha Kalich: Star of the New York Stageby J.D. Arden, M.L.I.S. candidate, Reference Services Research Intern, Center for Jewish History Above image: Yiddish theater poster for Bertha Kalich in Midway at Irving Place Theatre. c/o American Jewish Historical Society. Bertha Kalich was born in 1874 in Lemberg in the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia, what is today Lvov, Ukraine. Her father…
Holiday Hamentaschenby J.D. Arden, by J.D. Arden, M.L.I.S. candidate, Reference Services Research Intern, Center for Jewish History Reading up on the history of Purim in this previous blog post “Chag Purim!” may inspire a healthy appetite or even an interest in trying out some holiday recipes yourself. Here are a couple suggestions: classic hamantaschen, of course (with some illustrations to help you make a…
American Presidents Between the Two World Warsby J.D. Arden, M.L.I.S. candidate, Reference Services Research Intern, Center for Jewish History On this Presidents’ Day, in the wake of one of the most heated political campaigns of recent memory, it is interesting to look back at how the interests of American Jews figured into the presidential scene of three presidents—Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert…