Culture

The history and creativity that define Jewish Philly: food, literature, arts and entertainment.

Is Barbie Jewish? The Complex Jewish History of the Doll, Explained

Long before the craze over the upcoming “Barbie” movie ...
Paul Farber is wearing a suit jacket, jeans and sneakers and is sitting on the PMA steps, the museum looming in the background.

You Should Know…Paul Farber

As co-founder and director of Monument Lab, a Philadelphia-based public art and history studio nonprofit, Paul Farber is concerned with memory. According to Farber, 40,...
Large rectangular windows are covered in decals with pictures and descriptions.

Science History Institute Details Story of Chemist’s Holocaust Survival

If asked to conjure an image of a Jewish German scientist who came to America to escape Nazi clutches, many think of Albert Einstein....
A man wearing a kippah and tallit is looking up with his arms in the air, exasperated.

Players Club’s ‘Indecent’ ‘Wrestles’ with Judaism, Queerness, Censorship

Paula Vogel’s 2015 play “Indecent” is both retrospective and prescient.  The Tony Award-winning show explores the real-life controversy that followed the early 20th century Yiddish...
Director Jennifer Childs stands between the two actors with her arms outstretched in front of her, with both actors looking at her.

Walnut Street Theatre Honors Neil Simon Through the Ages

At the end of the Walnut Street Theatre’s 1961 season, 34-year-old Neil Simon debuted his first full-length play, “Come Blow Your Horn,” a comedy...
Mordechai Rosenstein points to one of his paintings, which shows Hebrew letters in black with red and blue sections in between.

Calligraphy Artist Pays Tribute to the ABCs of Judaism

While studying at the Philadelphia Museum School of Art, Mordechai Rosenstein learned figure drawing and color theory, which he calls the “ABCs” of fine...

Weekly Kibbitz: Adam Sandler to Receive Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

The eight crazy nights of Chanukah came early for Adam Sandler.

The Chanukah Merch Market Has Exploded. But Are Jews Feeling More Represented?

It was early November when Nicholas Wymer-Santiago walked into his local Target ...

‘Soulful Shul’ Not Just a Tagline for Beth Am Israel

Visitors to the Beth Am Israel website may notice the phrase “BAI: the soulful shul of the Main Line” ...