The Jewish Lives Podcast

Latest Episodes:

BERNARD BERENSON Aug 26, 2021

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Son of a tin peddler, art adviser to Gilded Age Millionaires. Join us as we learn more about Bernard Berenson’s incredible self-transformation through the first half of the twentieth century - through two world wars and persistent anti-Semitism - with Rachel Cohen, author of Bernard Berenson: A Life in the Picture Trade. Music in this episode: Edvard Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46, III. Anitra's Dance Frédéric Chopin - Waltz Op. 64 No. 2 in C Sharp Minor

JULIUS ROSENWALD Jul 29, 2021

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Julius Rosenwald was a humble retail magnate whose visionary ideas about charitable giving transformed the practice of philanthropy in America and beyond. Hasia R. Diner, author of the Jewish Lives biography Julius Rosenwald: Repairing the World, discusses the life and legacy of one of the founders of Sears Roebuck whose philanthropy supported Jewish and Black causes.

MARK ROTHKO Jun 25, 2021

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How did a little boy from Latvia become one of the greatest and most original painters of the 20th century? Annie Cohen-Solal, author of the Jewish Lives biography Mark Rothko: Toward the Light in the Chapel, offers a fascinating exploration of the life and work of one of America’s most enigmatic postwar visual artists. Music in this episode: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Divertimento in E flat, K. 563 - II. Adagio

HANK GREENBERG Apr 26, 2021

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Hank Greenberg was a baseball legend. Mark Kurlansky, author of the Jewish Lives biography Hank Greenberg: The Hero Who Didn’t Want to Be One, offers a robust exploration of the slugger's Bronx boyhood, his spectacular discipline as an aspiring ballplayer, and the cultural context of virulent anti-Semitism in which his career played out.

BEN-GURION Mar 31, 2021

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David Ben-Gurion is a Zionist icon. Anita Shapira, author of the Jewish Lives biography Ben-Gurion: Father of Modern Israel, explores the inner life of the Zionist leader responsible for the creation of the state of Israel.

BUGSY SIEGEL Feb 24, 2021

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Bugsy Siegel was a notorious Jewish gangster who ascended from impoverished beginnings to the glittering Las Vegas strip. Michael Shnayerson, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Bugsy Siegel: The Dark Side of the American Dream, sets out not to absolve Siegel but rather to understand him in all his complexity.

PROUST Jan 28, 2021

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Marcel Proust was one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Benjamin Taylor, author of the Jewish Lives biography Proust: The Search, explores how despite momentous historical and personal events, Proust became—against all expectations—one of the greatest writers of any era. Music in this episode: Camille Saint-Saëns - The Swan Claude Debussy - Clair de Lune

BEN HECHT Dec 21, 2020

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Ben Hecht was one of America’s greatest screenwriters. Adina Hoffman, author of the Jewish Lives biography, Ben Hecht: Fighting Words, Moving Pictures, provides a vibrant portrait of one of the most accomplished and quick-witted writers in Hollywood.

HEINRICH HEINE Nov 18, 2020

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Heinrich Heine (1797–1856) was one of Germany’s most important, world-famous, and imaginative writers. George Prochnik, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Heinrich Heine: Writing the Revolution, offers a window into the dynamic life story and strikingly original writing of the virtuoso poet. Music in this episode: Felix Mendelssohn - Lieder ohne Worte, Op.67: No. 2. Allegro leggiero in F sharp minor "Lost Illusions" Felix Mendelssohn - Auf Flugeln des Gesanges

PEGGY GUGGENHEIM Oct 22, 2020

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Peggy Guggenheim was one of 20th century America’s most influential patrons of the arts. Francine Prose, author of the Jewish Lives biography Peggy Guggenheim: The Shock of the Modern, offers a spirited portrait of the colorful, irrepressible, and iconoclastic American collector who fearlessly advanced the cause of modern art.

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