The Jewish Lives Podcast

Irving Berlin has been called—by George Gershwin, among others—the greatest songwriter of the golden age of American popular song. James Kaplan, author of the Jewish Lives biography Irving Berlin: New York Genius, underscores Berlin’s unique brilliance as a composer, his witty, wily, and tough Jewish immigrant experience, and his continued relevance in American popular culture today. Music in this Episode: Ethel Merman - There's No Business Like Show Business Fred Astaire - Puttin' on the...

Anarchist par excellence, Emma Goldman is one of the memorable political figures of our time. Vivian Gornick, author of the Jewish Lives biography Emma Goldman: Revolution as a Way of Life, draws a surpassingly intimate and insightful portrait of a woman of epic proportions.

No figure looms larger in Jewish culture than Moses, and few have stories more enigmatic. Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, author of the Jewish Lives biography Moses: A Human Life, offers an unprecedented portrait of Moses's inner world and perplexing character.

Karl Marx is one of the most influential and revolutionary thinkers in modern history, but his Jewish background is either overlooked or misrepresented. Shlomo Avineri, author of the Jewish Lives biography Karl Marx: Philosophy and Revolution, puts Marx’s Jewish background in its proper and balanced context.