Who is the Real Jack Warner?

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Unschooled Jewish immigrant. Brilliant businessman. Cultural innovator. "Scumbag?" Learn more about how Jack and his brothers forever changed Hollywood in our latest biography, Warner Bros: The Making of an American Movie Studio by eminent film critic David Thomson.

"Jack [Warner] is lucky to have a man...who has thought so deeply...and ultimately so brilliantly about him. We, his readers, are lucky too."—The Wall Street Journal

An Affair Immortalized

© Frida Kahlo/WikiArt.org

Did you know that Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky had an affair with Mexican painter Frida Kahlo? The painting pictured is titled “Self Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky” (1937) and provides a glimpse into Trotsky's rich cultural legacy. Read more about his dramatic life and times in the Jewish Lives biography, Leon Trotsky: A Revolutionary's Life.

Video: Lin-Manuel Miranda on Lillian Hellman

Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda credits the pioneering playwright Lillian Hellman with giving him his first "big break." Check out this video and learn more about the daring screenwriter herself in the Jewish Lives biography of Lillian Hellman.

President Bill Clinton recommends "Yitzhak Rabin: Soldier, Leader, Statesman"

President Bill Clinton recommends our biography of Yitzhak Rabin by Itamar Rabinovich on #NationalBookLoversDay. Order your copy today!

Explore the Peggy Guggenheim Collection Online

The Guggenheim Museum hosts an exceptional collection of Surrealist paintings and sculpture. Learn more about the extraordinary woman behind this collection in the Jewish Lives biography of Peggy Guggenheim.

Freud's Fascination with Jewish Humor

What's in a joke? Freud believed Jewish humor helped the Jewish people overcome oppressive social conditions by laughing at them. Watch a brief video about Freud’s life and learn more about the joke-loving founder of psychoanalysis with Jewish Lives.

Free Excerpt: Yitzhak Rabin’s Mission to Washington

Read a selection from the latest addition to the Jewish Lives series, Yitzhak Rabin: Soldier, Leader, Statesman by Itamar Rabinovich, in Tablet Magazine.

Video: Keep it "Cool" with West Side Story

Stay "Cool" this summer with a video from West Side Story. Learn more about the man behind the music in the Jewish Lives biography of Leonard Bernstein.

Jewish Life of the Month

Name
King Solomon

Dates
10th century BCE. Some scholars question whether Solomon existed.

Best Known For
King David's son with Bathsheba. Building the First Temple in Jerusalem. 1,000 wives. Ancient Israel's wisest and wealthiest ruler.

Famous Quote
"Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who attains understanding."

Adventure and Absurdity in New Kafka Video Game

Explore a new puzzle adventure video game based on Kafka's writings and learn more about the wildly dark, imaginative author with Jewish Lives.

Free Podcast: Rabbi Akiva's Legacy

Free Podcast: Rabbi Akiva's Legacy
Listen to author Barry W. Holtz explain why we should approach the Talmud as a “multi-volume, postmodern experimental novel" on Tablet Magazine's Unorthodox podcast, and explore the life of Rabbi Akiva in the latest addition to the Jewish Lives series.

Jewish Life of the Month

Name
Emma Goldman

Date
1869-1940

Best Known For
Radical anarchist activism. Fiery speeches about free love, atheism, prison conditions, and more. Deported from the U.S. to Russia in 1917.

Famous Quote
"The most violent element in society is ignorance."

Video: The Wonderful Wit of Groucho Marx

Enjoy a video of the comedic legend's greatest hits and learn more about the man behind the mustache.

Hipster Jewish Lives

Ever wonder what world leaders like Ben-Gurion or Moshe Dayan would look like as hipsters? Explore the imaginative art of Amit Shimoni, and learn more about Ben-Gurion and Dayan with Jewish Lives.

Yale Books Blog: Crisis in Syria

Itamar Rabinovich revisits the Israeli-Syrian peace negotiations of the 1990's led by Yitzhak Rabin, providing a backdrop to the current Syrian crisis.

Video: Somewhere

Enjoy the celestial music video for Barbra Streisand’s “Somewhere" and learn more about the celebrated singer and actress with Jewish Lives.

TV to Watch: Genius

Check out the acclaimed new series "Genius" by National Geographic, and learn more about Einstein with Jewish Lives.

Free Excerpt: Rabbi Akiva

Read a selection from the latest addition to the Jewish Lives series, Rabbi Akiva: Sage of the Talmud by Barry W. Holtz, in Tablet Magazine.