Jewhooing the sixties : American celebrity and Jewish identity ; Sandy Koufax, Lenny Bruce, Bob Dylan, and Barbra Streisand

357 Pages·2012·3.939 MB·English

by  David E. Kaufman

Jewhooing the Sixties
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brandeis series in
American Jewish History, Culture, and Life
Jonathan D. Sarna, Editor
Sylvia Barack Fishman, Associate Editor
For a complete list of books that are available
in the series, visit www.upne.com
David E. Kaufman
Jewhooing the Sixties: American Celebrity and Jewish Identity—
Sandy Koufax, Lenny Bruce, Bob Dylan, and Barbra Streisand
Jack Wertheimer, editor
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Susan G. Solomon
Louis I. Kahn’s Jewish Architecture: Mikveh Israel and the Midcentury
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Amy Neustein, editor
Tempest in the Temple: Jewish Communities and Child Sex Scandals
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Learning and Community: Jewish Supplementary Schools in the
Twenty-first Century
Carole S. Kessner
Marie Syrkin: Values Beyond the Self
Leonard Saxe and Barry Chazan
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Jack Wertheimer, editor
Imagining the American Jewish Community
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Jewhooing
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brandeis university press
An imprint of University Press of New England
www.upne.com
© 2012 Brandeis University
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Designed by Eric M. Brooks
Typeset in Sabon and Futura by Passumpsic Publishing
University Press of New England is a member of the
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For permission to reproduce any of the material
in this book, contact Permissions, University Press
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The publication of this book was generously supported
by the Lucius N. Littauer Foundation.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kaufman, David, 1959–
Jewhooing the sixties: American celebrity and Jewish
identity; Sandy Koufax, Lenny Bruce, Bob Dylan, and
Barbra Streisand / David E. Kaufman.
p. cm. — (Brandeis series in American Jewish history,
culture, and life)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-1-61168-313-4 (cloth : alk. paper)—
isbn 978-1-61168-314-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)—
isbn 978-1-61168-315-8 (ebook)
1. Jews in the performing arts—United States. 2. Jewish
athletes—United States. 3.  Jewish entertainers—United
States. 4. Jews in popular culture—United States.
5. Popular culture—United States—History—20th century.
6. Nineteen sixties. I. Title.
pn1590.j48k38 2012
791'.089'792073—dc23 2012014014
5 4 3 2 1
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The book is dedicated to
SANDY (b. Brooklyn, New York, 1935)
LENNY (b. Mineola, New York; 1925–1966)
BOB (b. Duluth, Minnesota, 1941)
BARBRA (b. Brooklyn, New York, 1942)
and Barbra’s fellow Erasmus High alum,
ARNIE (b. Brooklyn, New York; 1932–2007),
my father
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C
O
N
Preface xi
T
E
1 INTRODUCTION
N
Jews, Celebrity, and the Early 1960s 1
T
2 SANDY KOUFAX S
Super Jew 49
3 LENNY BRUCE
Dirty Jew 99
4 BOB DYLAN
Wandering Jew 155
5 BARBRA STREISAND
Hollywood Jew 213
6 EPILOGUE
Jewhooing into the Twenty-first Century 265
Notes 297
Index 333
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