The Kosher Ibex
The Platonic ideal of a ‘New York Times’ article
January 20, 2011
The Obama Seder, another Very Emailed Article.(NYT)
For my money, the New York Times article most immaculately tailored to ride the Most Emailed List was The Obama Seder piece (written by Friend-of-Tablet-Magazine Jodi Kantor).
It is fitting, then, that The Awl’s altogether brilliant parody of Times link-bait contains plenty of Jewish mentions.
It’s not all manual labor and pinyin at Yael. After three summers in the Catskills, Anna Williams has also become an authority on Borscht Belt comedy. Anna’s interest in 1930s Yiddishkeit led her directly to Rebecca Smythe, a blogger from Brooklyn.
On a once-gritty block in Canarsie, Smythe is opening what she says will be New York’s first coffeehouse inspired by Yiddish musicals.
There is also mention of the West Bank, the Book of Deuteronomy, kosher, and, um, a rabbi from Buenos Aires. Plus, animals. Bravo.
The Most Emailed ‘New York Times’ Article Ever [The Awl]
Related: Next Year in the White House: A Seder Tradition [NYT]
In Treatment [Tablet Magazine]
Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.
