Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Good morning, New York, and Happy Valentine’s Day. Sure, V-Day is decidedly not a Jewish holiday — in fact, according to our colleagues at My Jewish Learning, it has Christian roots. Nonetheless we love love here at the New York Jewish Week — and chocolate, too.

An ahead-of-its-time klezmer album will be performed live for the first time

The klezmer album “Tanz” was released in 1956 and barely made a splash. But over the years, it gained a reputation as a pioneering recording, embraced by a later generation of klezmer revivalists. Now, for the first time ever, the entire album will be performed live: Brooklyn-based clarinetist Michael Winograd will lead a band of klezmer all-stars who will play every song on “Tanz” at Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan on Thursday. Jon Kalish has the story.

We're also talking about...

Still standing: Our friends at The Nosher pay a visit to Liebman’s, the last Jewish deli in the Bronx. 

Notes from the underworld: Haaretz reports on a documentary airing on Amazon Prime, “Last Man Standing: The Chronicles of Myron Sugerman,” which explores the relationship between New York mobster Sugerman and Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal. 

Spin city: New York magazine profiles public relations maven Risa Heller, “the crisis-communications warrior of choice for the city’s most cancellable elites,” who got her start as an intern at the Anti-Defamation League.

Correction: A newsletter item last Wednesday about Judge Rachel “Ruchie” Freier, who was appointed Acting New York State Supreme Court Justice in December and is believed to be the first Hasidic woman to hold this role, linked to the wrong CBS New York story. You’ll find the correct one here.

Tweet of the day

Mazel tov, Grandpa Chuck! New York Sen. Charles Schumer — the Jewish Senate Majority Leader —  welcomed his third grandchild, Henry, last week. 

Around the Jewish world

Israel’s home demolitions after terrorist attacks, explained (JTA)

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who claimed Jewish heritage, instead reportedly had a grandfather who fought for the Nazis (JTA)

13 Jewish romance novels that will warm your heart (Kveller)

What's on today

Schmaltz: A Comedy Show!
Tuesday, Feb. 14, 8:00 p.m. In person.
Emily Fury Daly hosts an evening of kosher pizza and Jewish comedy. 270 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn. $15.  

Get tickets here. 

Today in NYC history

On this date in 1980, the Broadway revival of “West Side Story” premiered at the Minskoff Theater — eventually running for 333 performances. The iconic musical, an update of “Romeo and Juliet,” was conceived by a legendary quartet of Jews: choreographer and director Jerome Robbins, composer Leonard Bernstein, lyricist Stephen Sondheim and book-writer Arthur Laurents. Pictured here is Bernstein flanked by Debbie Allen — who played Anita in the 1980 revival — and Chita Rivera, who originated the Broadway role in 1957. (Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images)

Have a lovely day!

- The New York Jewish Week team

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JTA / My Jewish Learning / Kveller / The Nosher / Hey Alma / The New York Jewish Week