LABA 
LABA Fellow Mark Katz writes about his uncle Stanley’s birthday–which also happens to be Hitler’s birthday. Many April 20ths ago, I realized that my favorite uncle shared a birthday with a notorious despot. And just like that, a new family tradition began: the annual phone call to my Uncle Stanley for a rousing rendition of
Iris Bahr, one of LABA’s visiting fellows, has a few alter egos. In this video, Iris introduces us to her Israeli alter ego Shosh, who engages in classic Jewish text study a la LABA, showcasing the intersection of comedy and prostitution. And check out Iris’s upcoming show DAI 2.O, which runs at the Theater at the 14th
What’s so funny about nudity in Judaism? LABA Fellow Charles Gershman digs in. I can’t remember how many times I dreamt this, but it happened at least once and I’ve never forgotten: in this dream, I am in my grade school, walking around in a very public place, and I realize suddenly I have no
An investigation into foolishness, magic, and perception from current LABA Fellow Ari Wolff. Once upon a time, nestled deep in the meadows and Pine forests of Eastern Poland, lay a little town called Chelm. It was a magical place– the streets were filled with laughter and the houses were painted to match the brilliant wildflowers
Current LABA Fellow Sarah Sigal offers a fascinating and very personal look into the role of American Jewry in Prohibition. January 2020 marks the 100-year anniversary of the activation of the Volstead Act, which kicked the 18th Amendment into gear, banning alcohol in the United States until 1933. The Progressive movement of the day thought
Current LABA Fellow Rokhl Kafrissen recalls a late winter shabes memory of a dinner that never happened and a tradition that never was, but should have been. SHORT FICTION I admit that I’ve fallen into a rut. So much of what I write these days is polemical and issue driven. Polemics get clicks. Personal confessions
Current LABA Fellow Liba Vaynberg writes about Christmas trees and assimilation–and other features of growing up Russian and Jewish in the U.S. Who doesn’t love a Christmas tree? It’s objectively beautiful. Twinkly lights and capitalism and sometimes even a manger… I don’t really know what a manger is, but why not. Manger away. And then
LABA Fellow Willie Zabar writes about fire safety surrounding Hanukkah. We as Jews are defined by our traditions. My favorite of these is survival. As the oft-told summary of most Jewish holidays goes, “they tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat!” On Hanukkah in particular we celebrate by lighting candles and cooking fried foods.
Former LABA Fellow Alex Weiser writes about Zionist leader Theodor Herzl’s legacy–and about using this legacy as the basis for a new opera. Early one evening last Spring, I entered a classroom on the 4th floor at the 14th Street Y to find a big table in the center filled with all sorts of my
Current LABA fellow Mark Katz describes his time working on Michael Dukakis’s 1988 presidential campaign. Election Day. November 1, 1988. A crisp sunny Boston day, maybe 45 degrees. If memory serves, it was a Tuesday. And because I has spend the previous twelve months as a campaign staffer who set an alarm clock for 5 am and