Jewniverse Articles Archive - Page 29 of 174

The Ancient Belief in Jewish Bones Tunneling to Jerusalem on Judgment Day

Life in ancient Palestine was rough. The Jews who left for Babylonia tended to have it easier, living under kinder rulers than those in Roman and Byzantine Palestine. But those Palestinian Jews had an advantage: According to the prophet Joel, they would reap the eternal benefits of the last judgment and the resurrection that would […]

By Ilana Sichel

The Jewish Lyricist Behind Brian Wilson And The Beach Boys

It’s been fifty years since the Beach Boys released the pop masterpiece Pet Sounds. The album contained brooding, intensely romantic ballads like “God Only Knows,” “Caroline, No” and “You Still Believe In Me” — a far cry from their reputation for singing carefree tunes about sun, surf and cars. It was a commercial flop and […]

"The Merchant of Venice" Goes Jewish and Black, in 1870s D.C.

See “The Merchant of Venice” Go Jewish and Black, in 1870s D.C.

Thought you knew The Merchant of Venice? Veteran playwright/director Aaron Posner’s reconstruction (lolz) of Shakespeare’s notorious Jewish play might make you reconsider. District Merchants, Posner’s uneasy comedy, fast-forwards to Reconstruction-era D.C., exploring religious, racial, and gender conflicts still relevant to America today. The play unpacks the religious, racial, and gender conflicts of Shakespeare’s original. Shylock, […]