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A history of Mel Brooks as a ‘disobedient Jew’

JL;DR SUMMARY The biography "Mel Brooks: Disobedient Jew" by Jeremy Dauber, as reviewed by Andrew Silow-Carroll, delves into the life and legacy of the legendary Mel Brooks, who famously infused his Jewish identity into American entertainment. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

HolocaustJewish IdentityParodyMel BrooksJewish ComedyCultural HeritageJeremy DauberFilm IndustryJewish Lives SeriesAmerican Entertainment

Places mentioned

Brooklyn, New York, United States
"Born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn in 1926, Brooks channeled the Yiddish accents and Jewish sensibilities of his old neighborhoods into characters like the 2000 Year Old Man a comedy routine he worked up with his friend, the writer and director Carl Reiner."
Hollywood, California, United States
"He wasnt part of that. He was part of Hollywood. He was trying to make it in network television."
New Jersey, United States
"Andrew Silow-Carroll is editor in chief of the New York Jewish Week and senior editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. He previously served as JTAs editor in chief and as editor in chief and CEO of the New Jersey Jewish News."
New York, United States
"Andrew Silow-Carroll is editor in chief of the New York Jewish Week and senior editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency."
Manhattan, New York, United States
"While you note that Woody Allen in Manhattan makes almost the opposite argument: that the way to fight white supremacists is with bricks and baseball bats."

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Retrieved 2025-12-02 05:31:42 UTC
Curated 2025-12-02 08:31:13 UTC