Britain’s left-of-center Labour Party continues to be haunted and torn apart by the checkered record of its former leader, Jeremy Corbyn, in confronting the specter of antisemitism within its ranks. Jonathan Ashworth, the party’s current shadow health secretary, was exactly right when he described Corbyn’s handling of it as “a shameful period in our history.” As […]
Germany was a liberal democracy until Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. After his appointment as chancellor in January of 1933, Germany fell into the hands of a murderous fascist clique that persecuted dissidents and Jews, destroyed democratic institutions and invaded neighboring countries. Germany’s descent into dictatorship is explored in Rise of the Nazis, which starts […]
During his second and final televised debate with Joe Biden last month, President Donald Trump claimed to be ignorant about QAnon, an unfounded American conspiracy theory that fosters racial and religious prejudice and poses a potential terrorist threat, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “I hate to say that I know nothing about it,” […]
Thousands of young Jewish men and women from all walks of life and countries visit Israel every year free of charge thanks to the Birthright program. Inbar Horesh’s Israeli short film, Birth Right, explores it from a singularly Russian angle. Currently being screened online at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival, it unfolds over the course […]
The specter of radical Islam looms large in France and presents the French government with a complex challenge of monumental proportions. Less than a month after President Emmanuel Macron delivered a speech warning that Islamic radicalism and “Islamist separatism” pose serious problems and that legislation is necessary to address them, a jihadist identified as a […]
I don’t know how to play chess, but I was riveted by Netflix’s new seven-part series, The Queen’s Gambit, a mesmerizing drama revolving around a young American woman who wins acclaim as an international chess champion. Created by Scott Frank and Allan Scott, it held me in thrall from start to finish. Isla Johnston plays […]
When Donald Trump assumed the American presidency on January 20, 2017, he declared, “I would love to be the one who made peace with Israel and the Palestinians. That would be such a great achievement.” Nearly four years on, with the presidential election less than a week away, Trump has yet to implement his fondly-held […]
My wife and I have just finished watching the 12th and final episode of Apaches on Netflix, a crime series that is easily one of finest dramas we’ve seen in a long time. I don’t normally write about such shows, but this one is so good that it deserves public praise. The story line is […]
During the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Chinese city of Shanghai was home to more Jews than any other metropolis in Asia. Congested, cosmopolitan and utterly exotic, its population exceeded three million, of whom 49,000 were foreigners, including about 20,000 Jews. Shanghai’s Jewish community was extremely diverse, consisting of Middle Eastern, Russian and Central […]
I missed Sacha Baron Cohen’s first Borat film, so I have no way of comparing it to the sequel, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, which was released late last week. Judged on its own merits, the second one is sophomoric. With the exception of a few punchy scenes, I watched it with a straight face, disappointed by […]