Why Do Jews Love The Godfather?
Harlan Lebo, Rich Cohen
Five decades on, Francis Ford Coppola’s adaption of Mario Puzo’s novel remains at the top of numerous greatest movies ever lists. What is it about this very Italian-American film series that has captured the imaginations of generations of Jewish men in particular? Jonathan Freedland is joined by Vanity Fair contributing editor Rich Cohen, author of Tough Jews and co-creator alongside Martin Scorsese of HBO drama Vinyl, and Harlan Lebo, whose The Godfather Legacy was the official companion book to the trilogy.
In Association with the Rabin Chair Forum, George Washington University
Click here to purchase copies of Tough Jews by Rich Cohen and The God Father Legacy by Harlan Lebo
Harlan Lebo is a senior fellow at the Center for the Digital Future in the USC Annenberg School of Communications and Journalism; a communications consultant; and a non-fiction author who writes on issues in the sciences, the humanities, society, and digital technology. He has written four books on the making of a trio of America’s finest films: The Godfather Legacy (Simon & Schuster), Casablanca: Behind the Scenes (Simon & Schuster), and two books on Citizen Kane: a coffee-table book for the film’s 50th anniversary (Doubleday); and a comprehensive narrative for the 75th anniversary titled Citizen Kane – A Filmmaker’s Journey, which was published by St. Martin’s Press in April 2016. His most recent book is 100 Days: How Four Events in 1969 Shaped America, published by Rowman & Littlefield.
Jonathan Freedland is an award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster. He writes a weekly column for The Guardian and is the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s contemporary history series The Long View as well as the co-host (with the Israeli journalist Yonit Levi) of Unholy, a weekly podcast. He has written twelve books, the latest of which is The Escape Artist: the Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World.
New York Times bestselling author Rich Cohen is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone and the author of Israel Is Real, Tough Jews and the widely acclaimed memoir Sweet and Low. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine and Best American Essays. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, three sons and dog.
