The Music of Mourning: Tisha B’Av and the Soundtrack of Grief
On Tisha B’Av, as we remember the destruction of the past, we also sit with our present pain. In that stillness, music can be a companion.
Jazz in Nazi Germany: The Music That Wouldn’t Die
The war on jazz in Nazi Germany was never just about music. It was about control—of thought, of identity, of expression. It was a warning then, and it is a warning now.
Music as Survival: Trumpeter Louis Bannet’s Chilling Ultimatum at Auschwitz
Arrested and sent to Auschwitz, Louis Bannet faced a chilling ultimatum: Pass an audition for the camp orchestra or die.
It’s Time to Talk about Kanye West’s Antisemitism Again
Is Kanye West's outrageous, antisemitic behavior now just part of a cycle in which we call him out and then move on?
No, Chappell Roan Is Not Jewish
Is Chappell Roan Jewish?
Lately, it seems like everyone is talking about Chappell Roan. The singer, whose real name is Kayleigh Amstutz, has recently shot to...
Verdi’s Nabucco in the Aftermath of October 7
Watching Verdi's Nabucco and its story of Jewish persecution and pervasive violence against a Jewish community in exile may as well have been taken from recent headlines.
A Nadine Epstein Interview with Max Weinberg
E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg sits down for an in-depth interview with Moment Editor-in-Chief Nadine Epstein. Weinberg is the 2022 recipient of the “Moment Creativity Award.”
Moment’s 2022 Benefit & Awards Gala
Moment 2022 Gala honoring Ambassadors Lipstadt and Markarova, Mindy Weisel, Max Weinberg, Emily Bazelon, Cynthia Ozick, and Connie Krupin
The Intersection of Music and Prayer with David Broza and Amy E. Schwartz
To internationally renowned Israeli singer-songwriter David Broza, music is a platform for dialogue and tolerance. Themes of social justice and peace are embedded in his music and are integral to his humanitarian work. Now Broza, known for his dynamic guitar performances, has put his prodigious talents to work creating new music for the Shabbat service. He is in conversation with Moment books and opinion editor Amy E. Schwartz about his new album, Tefila—prayer in Hebrew—which reimagines the service with genres such as pop, jazz, gospel, folk and classical for a fresh and engaging Shabbat experience.
From 2004 | Rhythm & Blues, Blacks & Jews
In the 1940s and 1950s, an upstart group of Jewish records producers helped launch many of the biggest names in blues and R&B music, paving the way for the rock 'n' roll revolution.
Blacks, Jews, Jazz & Blues with Loren Schoenberg, Eric K. Ward and Nadine Epstein
In the 19th century Black spirituals were inspired by biblical stories in the Old Testament, especially those we remember during Passover. In the early decades of the 20th century, Black and Jewish musicians, often living side by side in the same impoverished neighborhoods, connected through legacies of oppression. With the music industry one of the few fields open to them both, it’s no surprise that blues and jazz became rich, crossover genres. Join Loren Schoenberg, senior scholar at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Eric K. Ward, executive director of Western States Center and Nadine Epstein, Moment editor-in-chief, for a conversation about these musical connections, the bonds and tensions, and a taste of the music itself including Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho and Go Down Moses to Bei Mir Bist Du Shein.
God, Sex and Politics in the Lyrics of Leonard Cohen with writers Erica Jong, Marcia Pally and Letty Cottin Pogrebin
Five years after singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen’s death, his lyrics and legacy still speak to us with special urgency. Marcia Pally, author of From This Broken Hill I Sing to You: God, Sex, and Politics in the Work of Leonard Cohen, and Erica Jong, author of Fear of Flying, is in conversation with Moment columnist Letty Cottin Pogrebin, a founding editor of Ms. magazine, about Cohen’s probing of Jewish theology and his doctrine of relationship and personal responsibility and its relevance for the present moment. They also explore his legacy through a Jewish, feminist lens.