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May
4
2023

Thursday Newsletter 5/04/2023

Dear Reader,

Last week, Barbra Streisand was awarded the Genesis Prize—the “Jewish Nobel” formerly funded by Russian oligarchs who stepped down from the board of Genesis Philanthropy Group in 2022. The 81-year-old icon is reportedly donating the $1 million purse to nonprofits working on environmental protections, women’s health, combating media disinformation, and aiding the people of Ukraine.

Today, we’re bringing you another kind of Babs story—exploring the 1983 movie Yentl, in which Streisand plays a woman who wants so badly to study Torah that after her father’s death, she decides to attend yeshiva dressed as a man. This comic by Jett Allen movingly traces the temptation and frustration of claiming the film as a trans narrative, while also examining the sadness of looking for communion with your ancestors, knowing they likely would not approve of you as you are.

Best,
Arielle Angel
Editor-in-chief