CULTURE
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The Last Word ★★★★ — Jewish Renaissance
The text of Narinskaya’s play comprises fragments of ‘last words’ made by nine women daring to speak truth to power, but they symbolise every female voice, so one woman plays them all: Alisa Khazanova, on whose idea the play is based. As it opens, she stands enclosed in a cage represented by the walled confines of the stage. Video projections…
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New listening for a new season
Winter Spring, an audio drama about Judaism, identity and storytelling, launches this Friday. Creator Dr Rachel Knightley reveals the wheres, whats and why-nows behind the project In approximately 1997, when I would have been 15 or 16, I put up my hand at a prominent author’s Q&A and asked why being Jewish wasn’t ever just one aspect of characters’ lives.…
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The Commandant’s Shadow ★★★★★ — Jewish Renaissance
An extraordinary film of truth and reconciliation from director Daniela Volker that was highly deserving of this year’s Yad Vashem Award for outstanding Holocaust-related documentary The Commandant’s Shadow is a remarkable documentary that brings together the son and grandson of Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz, with survivor Anita Lasker-Wallfisch and her daughter Maya. Jonathan Glazer’s film The Zone of…
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The Worst Jew ★★★★ — Jewish Renaissance
The quick-witted Brit takes audiences on a personal journey via identity, self-discovery and a very un-PC pudding In the mid-2020s, Jewish actor and comedian David Ellis auditioned for Joshua Harmon’s soon-to-be-hit play Bad Jews. He didn’t get the part, but questioning the reasons why led him to this very stage in a room in Edinburgh, which looks like a budget…
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After the Levoyah ★★★★★ — Jewish Renaissance
Acclaimed playwright Nick Cassenbaum presents an astounding new piece of theatre Twins Dan and Lauren (“Not identical, obviously”) sit either side of a lace cloth-covered dining table. They’re both dressed in black and wear stern expressions on their faces. It’s an odd but arresting sight to behold as the sold-out audience filters into Summerhall’s old operating theatre. We soon discover…
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Between the Temples ★★★★ — Jewish Renaissance
Between the Temples is, at its core, a film that questions the essence of Judaism. Is it a rules-based religion, built on doctrine? Or is it something more flexible, more musical, based on faith, nature and human emotions? Interestingly, the character who espouses the orthodox viewpoint most fervently is one of Ben’s mothers, Judith, a convert to Judaism. The film…
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Cuddle Slut ★★★ — Jewish Renaissance
A sincere yet amusing take on the somewhat needy nature of humanity It’s a quiet Tuesday night at the Fringe and there are only two of us in the stuffy upstairs room at The Counting House. Tough crowd doesn’t even begin to cut it. Thankfully two more stragglers wander in, but not until Henry Ginsberg is half way through his…
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Jew-O-Rama ★★★★ — Jewish Renaissance
Not sure what comedians to see at this year’s Fringe? This showcase provides a satisfying taster of the Jewish (and Jew-ish) acts performing For a show that’s been running at the Fringe for the past eight years, you’d think it’d start getting a bit old by now. Far from it. The award-winning Jew-O-Rama maintains its freshness thanks to a rotating…
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Rebels and Patriots ★★★★★ — Jewish Renaissance
A powerful, hard-hitting drama that tells the vital story of the affect of the IDF on young minds Upon entering the dimly lit, intimate theatre room at Pleasance Courtyard, each member of the audience is handed a slip of paper and a pen. We’re asked to write down one thing we know about the Israel/Palestine conflict. At the end, we’ll…
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A Chip off the Gold Block ★★★★ — Jewish Renaissance
A fun debut show from the American expat comic Hailing from New Jersey, Jewish comedian Leslie Gold now resides in the UK. In fact, she’s been here so long that when she first moved, “YouTube didn’t exist, Jimmy Saville was still a national treasure and everyone thought George W Bush was going to be the dumbest US president”. This snappy…
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