It’s no secret that The New York Times, the preeminent daily newspaper in the United States, downplayed the Holocaust as it unfolded in real time in Europe. Scholars and journalists have written reams of articles and monographs about its abject and unforgivable sin of omission. The Times’ failure was all the more shocking because it’s […]
A plane touches down at Ben-Gurion Airport in September of 1990. The passengers are Russian Jews starting a new life in Israel. Victor and Raya Frenkel, an elderly childless couple, are among these immigrants. And so begins Golden Voices, an endearing Israeli drama by Evgeny Ruman about displacement and adjustment. Infused with comedic touches, it […]
November is a revered month in Poland, marking the restoration of Polish independence. Poland lost its sovereignty following the partitions of 1772, 1793 and 1775. Having been successively swallowed up by the Habsburg monarchy, Prussia and the Russian Empire, Poland ceased to exist for 123 years until the advent of the Second Polish Republic on […]
Ehud Barak, nearing 80 years of age, can look back at a rewarding career in public service. He was prime minister of Israel from 1999 to 2001. Prior to his ascent to the premiership, he held three cabinet portfolios, having been interior minister, foreign minister and defence minister. Subsequently, he was the leader of the […]
Switzerland is renowned for its delectable chocolate bars and candies, precision-made watches, exquisite ski resorts and magnificent alpine scenery. Having visited the country several times, I can attest to its superlative qualities. Switzerland’s dark side is far less evident, but it emerges compellingly in Mike Shaerer’s six-part television series, Labyrinth of Peace, which will be screened […]
Arabs comprise 21 percent of Israel’s population, yet almost half of the players on the Israeli national soccer team are Arabs. Shuki Guzik’s interesting 52-minute documentary, A Common Goal, examines this curious phenomenon. It will be screened online by the Calgary Jewish Film Festival on November 17 at 7 p.m. The festival, now in its […]
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett wants the best of both worlds. He seeks to enlarge Israel’s footprint in the West Bank by expanding Jewish settlements while, paradoxically enough, reducing friction with the Palestinians. Bennett’s policy is contradictory, aimed at consolidating Israel’s occupation of the contested West Bank, encouraging the Palestinians to accept autonomy rather than […]
The recreational use of cannabis is currently illegal in Israel, but medical marijuana is perfectly legal. Working within these parameters, Assaf Abiri and Mattan Guggenheim present Greener Pastures, a feature-length Hebrew-language movie that deals comedically with this contentious issue. Scheduled to be screened online by the Toronto Jewish Film Foundation from November 18-21, it stars […]
Ranked academically above all other secondary schools in San Francisco, Lowell High School is known as an “Asian excellency school.” Its relentless competitive environment forces its majority Asian student body to study hard and achieve high marks as to gain entry into the top universities in the United States. Debbie Lum’s interesting and sometimes heart-wrenching documentary, Try […]
The Gaza Strip, a densely-populated and impoverished enclave ruled by Hamas and blockaded by Israel and Egypt, evokes a sense of grimness and desperation. To outsiders, the everyday lives of its inhabitants are a blank, except when they’re filmed sorting through the ruins of buildings bombed by the Israeli Air Force after yet another cross-border […]