Adam Rovner

National News

Community News

International News

Israel News

Arts & Culture

Fast Forward

The Shmooze

Forward Forum

Editorial

Spanish Fly

By Adam Rovner

No one strums more sexuality from a banjo than Dan Saks. And no one squeezes more soul out of a Glockenspiel than Amy Crawford. The duo, two-fifths of Brooklyn-based alt-Sephardi indie band DeLeon, flew through an energetic set on September 24, the gig that started their 18 nights opening for Tropicália psych-rockers Os Mutantes. Too bad the crowd in Denver was sparse, because those in attendance at the Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom got to witness DeLeon’s passionate take on al-Andalus music revamped for the 21st century.Read More

Shake a Family Tree And a Jew Falls Out

By Adam Rovner

On a Thursday morning, I stop by the restaurant Shoarma Tel Aviv on the way to visit an ancient Jewish cemetery. Friday night, I attend services at an 18th-century synagogue. The restaurant is owned by a Hindustani, and the floor of the synagogue is covered with sand. Where am I? If you guessed Suriname, congratulations — you’ve probably been there. The size of Georgia, but less populous than Atlanta, this former Dutch colony sits along the Caribbean coast of South America. The country is mostly covered by rainforest. It is green, empty and hot. Hot like sitting in a car with the windows rolled up on a humid summer’s day. Until the rains come. Then, an afternoon in Suriname feels like sitting in a car on a summer’s day with the windows down while going through a carwash.Read More

Aharon Appelfeld on Living and Dying in Jerusalem

By Adam Rovner

Though he recently turned 77, Aharon Appelfeld remains one of modern Hebrew literature’s freshest voices. His work has been celebrated in Israel and around the world by prize committees, critics and other writers, including his friend Philip Roth. The nearly three dozen books to his name have been translated into numerous languages, making him one of Israel’s most read authors. His latest work to appear in English, “Laish” (Schocken), centers on the eponymous protagonist’s adventures among a wandering band of Jewish pilgrims bound for the Promised Land.Read More


     

    Most Read Articles