The Arts and Letters section of the New Vilna Review highlights some of the most exciting things happening in modern Jewish literature and Jewish contemporary art. This section of the site is focused on showing the rest of the world how artists are making use of Jewish themes and ideas in the American Jewish community, in Israel, and elsewhere in the Diaspora, to explore what it means to be Jewish in a modern world.

Success Has Many Parents, a Review of A Safe Haven, Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel by Allis and Ronald Radosh

by Daniel E. Levenson
May 9, 2010 

The period immediately after World War II was a time of great political change across the globe, and an ascendant America found itself grappling with the implications of an increasingly aggressive Soviet Union amidst the waning of several traditional colonial powers, chief among them, Great Britain. At the same time, the world was becoming more and more aware of the scale of the horrific acts perpetrated by the Germans and their allies throughout war-time Europe and the Middle East. The majority of the Jewish survivors of these unspeakable acts of barbarism wanted to leave Europe and go to Mandatory Palestine, but with the balance of power shifting dramatically between nations, the plight of the Jews seemed likely to go unheeded. There were a number of important figures who played a key role in ensuring that the Zionist dream would become a reality, ranging from David Ben-Gurion to former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

A Review of the film Where I Stand, the Hank Greenspun Story

by Daniel E. Levenson, ALM

April 18, 2010

In the film, Where I Stand, the Hank Greenspun Story, Director Scott Goldstein presents the dramatic and engaging story of Hank Greenspun, a man who wore many hats in his lifetime, from gunrunner for the Haganah, to Las Vegas casino and publisher, to social activist.

An interview with Charles London,
author of Far From Zion

January 26, 2010

Charles London recently took some time to answer a few questions for the New Vilna Review via email. His most recent book, Far From Zion, offers a portrait of different Jewish communities around the globe, and was a finalist for the 2009 National Jewish Book Award. His first book, One Day the Soldiers Came, dealt with issues surrounding the impact of war on youth, including child soldiers.

A (Rather Disturbing, but Definitely Funny) Look Inside the Israeli Government

November 8, 2008 

Book Review by Daniel E. Levenson

In Shut Up, I’m Talking,  And Other Diplomacy Lessons I Learned in The Israeli Government (Free Press, New York, 2008), author Gregory Levey, has written a hilarious, if at times slightly disturbing, memoir about his experiences working as an English-language speech writer for the Israeli government. While it may not be the most politically deep or lyrical of prose, Levey has written a very engaging and highly-readable memoir about the ups and downs of working for the Israeli government, first as a speechwriter at the Israeli mission to the United Nations in New York and then as a speechwriter in the offices of Israeli Prime ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert.

Interview with Emily Mello, Director of Education at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University

July 25, 2008

Emily Mello, Director of Education at the Rose Art Museum recently took some time to answer a few questions from the New Vilna Review by email. In this interview she talks about the history of the museum, as well as upcoming exhibitions.

NVR: Can you tell us a little about your own background in education and the museum world?

I studied art history at Mount Holyoke College and knew that I wanted to pursue a career in arts that involved engaging diverse audiences. I was particularly interested in the way that the art of our time engaged directly with the issues and ideas of our time and felt that access to this work should be shared by all. After interning at the RISD Museum of Art I got my Masters in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. I was attracted to pedagogical approaches that privileged process over product and I think that mirrors much of the art and readings of art that I am also drawn to. From Harvard, I went on to be a Curator of Education at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati Ohio for over 4 years. There I managed and directed our tour, school and community programs as well as developing public programming that included music, film, and performance. I came back to New England to work at the Rose as Director of Education in January.

Inside Yoav Liberman's Studio: Etrog Boxes and American Beauty

June 30, 2008

         Etrog                American Beauty

Artist Statement

Found objects and discarded wood serve as both the literal and the metaphorical “raw material” for all my work: they provide the actual physical basis out of which a new piece will be formed; but just as crucially, they provide the conceptual inspiration for that new piece.

  • Arts & Letters Archive