Categories
Arts

The Bronze

Bryan Buckley’s dark comedy, The Bronze, which opens in Canada on March 18, is a rollercoaster of a ride, rife with emotions and replete with an engaging cast of characters. At its center is Hope Ann Greggory (Melissa Rauch), an American gymnast who lives on her laurels and can’t adjust to her mundane life after […]

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Jewish Affairs

When Will They Learn?

It is sickening and disheartening that European governments and individuals collaborated with Nazi Germany in the mass murder of Jews during the Holocaust. But it is downright revolting that collaborators with blood on their hands are still being honored by their native lands. This adds insult to injury. The problem is exemplified by two recent incidents. […]

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Jewish Affairs

Canada Post Aids and Abets Racism

Why is Canada Post, a Canadian government agency, delivering a newspaper that defames Jews and denies the Holocaust? I asked myself that troubling question yesterday after the postman delivered a batch of mail. Among the letters and flyers stuffed into my mailbox was Your Ward News, a quarterly which claims to be “the world’s largest […]

Categories
Arts

Dying With Dignity

Medically-assisted suicide finally may be legalized in Canada, following a unanimous Supreme Court ruling last September that Canadian adults have a right to end their lives with the help of physicians. With this historic verdict, Canada’s parliament may yet enact legislation allowing terminally ill Canadians to end their lives in dignity. Kathy Wardle, I’m certain, would […]

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Jewish Affairs

American Jews Distancing Themselves From Israel

Though generally supportive of Israel, Jews in the United States are distancing themselves from it, claims American scholar Michael Barnett. “American Jews are losing their love for Israel,” he said in a speech yesterday at the University of Toronto’s Monk School of Global Affairs. “It’s palpable and everybody is talking about it.” As American Jews […]

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Jewish Affairs

Hate Speech Is Not Free Speech

University professors enjoy the benefits of academic freedom and free speech. These cherished concepts are essential ingredients in the unhindered exchange and flow of ideas. Joy Karega, a non-tenured assistant professor of rhetoric and composition at Oberlin College, a liberal arts institution in the state of Ohio, made an utter mockery of these hallowed principles […]

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Middle East

Cultural Destruction Is A War Crime

Much to its credit, the International Criminal Court in The Hague has set an important precedent, having laid charges against a jihadist accused of destroying historic properties in a legendary African town on the edge of the Sahara desert. It’s the first time the ICC has addressed the issue of cultural destruction as a war […]

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Middle East

Israel’s “Red Lines” In Syria

Current efforts by the United States and Russia to achieve a “cessation of hostilities” in Syria’s five-year-old civil war hang by a thread. Periodic clashes are still breaking out. Two of the major combatants, Islamic State and the Al-Nusra Front, have been excluded from the partial ceasefire and presumably will keep on fighting. The uncertainty […]

Categories
Arts

The Life And Death of A Radicalized Muslim

Anwar al-Awlaki was a lucky guy, at least until his luck ran out. Born into an elite Muslim family from Yemen, he was a member of the lucky sperm club. His father, Nasser, was a government minister and president of a university. Anwar, his son, was superbly educated and possessed the gift of the gab. […]

Categories
Middle East

Iran’s Policies Will Remain Despite Elections

Reformers and middle-of-the-road conservatives in Iran have won majorities in parliament and the Assembly of Experts, the body which selects Iran’s supreme leader. But it’s doubtful whether their victories will soften Tehran’s hardline policies, particularly as they relate to Israel. Iranians who back the presidency of Hassan Rouhani — an Iranian-style pragmatist who seeks engagement […]