Jews, Christians and Muslims in medieval Spain practically invented the concept of multiculturalism. For hundreds of years, long before it crumbled under the weight of the Inquisition, they lived together in comparative harmony and shared a common culture. This golden era of coexistence, known as La Convivencia, took place in what the Muslims called Al-Andulus. […]
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany has not flinched from the historically vital task of confronting the ghosts of her country’s ugly Nazi past. In accordance with this steadfast spirit, Merkel visited Auschwitz-Birkenau on December 6. At this former German concentration camp in southern Poland, she spoke eloquently about the Holocaust and its legacy, Germany’s enduring […]
Yuval Adler’s spy thriller, The Operative, turns on Israel’s shadow war with Iran, its strongest and most resourceful enemy. Now available on the Netflix streaming service, it stars Diane Kruger as a Mossad agent who’s sent to Tehran to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program. An Israeli-German co-production, this somber film unfolds in Germany, Israel and Iran in […]
Good riddance to a carnival that shamelessly crossed the red line into the odious swamp of antisemitism. Last March, the famous carnival in the Belgian town of Aalst, recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization nine years ago, caused outrage by allowing a clearly antisemitic float into its parade. Composed of effigies […]
Martin Scorsese has translated his fascination with the American Italian mafia into memorable movies like Goodfellas and Casino, both of which were rich in atmosphere, dialog and character. His latest film in the genre, The Irishman, based on Charles Brandt’s book, I Heard You Paint Houses, conforms to this winning formula, and is now available on the […]
McGill University in Montreal has been at the center of an ugly storm for the past few weeks. In recent years, the image of this world renowned institution has been blemished by the unwarranted actions of a small minority of anti-Israel students who cannot tolerate ideas other than their own. Lamentably, this toxic phenomenon is […]
Netflix’s ten-part series, Greatest Events of World War II in Color, is comprehensive and sweeping in scope, a definitive treatment of a conflict that revolutionized modern warfare, caused the deaths of millions of soldiers and civilians, and brought with it unparalleled atrocities against the Jewish population of Europe. The expertly restored and colorized footage is graphic, […]
Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 2017 through 2019, had a special place in her heart for Israel. Like two of her predecessors, Jeane Kirkpatrick and Daniel Patrick Moynihan, she constantly stood up to the UN’s “anti-Israel bias.” This is a theme that runs through her heart-felt and forthright memoir, With […]
Could Israel rely on the United States in a crunch? That was the burning question Israelis doubtless asked themselves after a series of recent events in the Middle East. President Donald Trump has hewed to a strong pro-Israel policy since his election three years ago. But the Israeli government was unnerved by Trump’s unwillingness to […]
An assortment of stereotypes pop up in Michael Stein’s farce, The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch, which is now available on Netflix. Unfolding in a smattering of German, Yiddish and Hebrew, this light, amusing film lampoons two well-worn tropes — the overbearing Jewish mother trying to rein in her rebellious son, and the young Jewish man lusting […]