arts&life

“This amazing mosaic of fact and fiction
will hold readers in its grip
from the first to last page.”

celebrity jews

—Library Journal, starred review

NATE BLOOM
COLUMNIST

AT THE MOVIES

M Y M O T H E R ’ S S O N

BY DAV I D H I R S H B E R G

“Readers will find connections here to Michael
Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of
Kavalier & Clay. . . .”
—Booklist (ALA), starred review

“Spiced with dark family secrets, historical
references, dirty politics, and poignant
immigrants’ tales.”
—Jewish Book Council

“Only occasionally does a novel like this
come along—one that sculpts a vivid,
irresistible portrait of a life and times.”
—Mitch Markowitz, screenwriter of
Good Morning, Vietnam

Blindspotting, which got rave reviews
at the most recent Sundance Film
Festival, co-stars Daveed Diggs, 34,
and Rafael Casal, as two poor guys
in Oakland, Calif. It follows them as
they cope with crime, police violence
and gentrification. Casal and Diggs,
who are from Oakland, co-wrote the
film. Diggs, the son of an African-
American father and a Jewish mother,
is best known for winning a 2016
Best Supporting Actor (musical) Tony
for playing Thomas Jefferson and the
Marquis De Lafayette in Hamilton. His
first name is based on the Hebrew
pronunciation of “David” and Diggs
seems comfortable in embracing both
his Jewish and his black background.
(Opens July 27.)

Daveed Diggs

OVER ON NETFLIX

On July 24, Netflix began streaming
a new, one-woman stand-up special
starring Iliza Shlesinger, 35. I’ve seen
Shlesinger before and her humor is in
the vein of Amy Schumer, if a notch
or two less clever. Still, she’s worth
watching. Nice to note: On May 12,
Shlesinger wed Noah Galuten, 35,
(the wedding photos show a particu-
larly lovely chuppah). The groom is a
Los Angeles restaurant owner, food
critic and food book writer (and James
Beard-award nominee). Actress Mayim
Bialik, 42, attended.

@FigTreeBks
FigTreeBooks.net

Daily Special Soup or Salad Sandwich and a Salad for $8.00

Noah Galuten and Iliza Shlesinger

SADLY NOTED

7/31/18

7/31/18

“For 40 years, Gallery Restaurant has served up masterpieces”

~ Danny Raskin

THE GALLERY RESTAURANT

Daily Special to choose from for lunch & dinner…

Dinner specials come with complimentary rice or chocolate pudding or jello

OPEN 7 DAYS:

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Now Serving
Beer & Wine

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www.thegalleryrestaurant2.com

34

July 26 • 2018

jn

Henry Morgenthau III died on July 10,
age 101. It is hard to briefly encapsu-
late his long life — Google the New
York Times or Washington Post obits for
a fuller picture. He was third of three
great men who bore his name. His
grandfather, the ambassador to Turkey
during WWI, tried to get the world to
act on his reports of the Armenian
genocide. His father, FDR’s Treasury
secretary, did more to prod FDR to help
Jews during the Holocaust than any
other FDR appointee. Henry III was a
decorated WWII combat veteran and
after the war he become an acclaimed
PBS producer (mostly documentaries)
and TV executive who turned the
Boston public TV station into a great
station. He became an observant
Jew after his 1962 marriage to Ruth
Schacter, an observant Jew whose
family fled Vienna in 1938. He recount-
ed his life’s journey, and the story of
his whole family, in his 1991 book
Mostly Morgenthaus: A Family History.
His brother is Robert Morgenthau, 98,
the Manhattan D.A. for decades and

Henry Morgenthau III

the model for the Jewish character
Adam Schiff, the first head D.A. on TV’s
Law and Order.
Eloise Saperstein Berkley died on
July 15, age 81. She was the daughter
of Abe Saperstein, who founded the
famous Harlem Globetrotters. After his
death in 1966, Eloise ran the team for
about 10 years. She became a beloved
figure in Chicago, where she created
a foundation that sponsored extensive
youth leagues and free summer camps.
She also was the first woman certified
as an agent for NBA players. •