My introduction to the exotic flora of Saguaro National Park, in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona, was inauspicious, to say the least. My daughter, Lauren, my occasional travelling companion, had convinced me that a visit to this immense, unspoiled park would be a worthwhile experience due to its signature attraction — the majestic saguaro […]
Technicolor was all the rage when it was introduced in Hollywood films decades ago. Moviegoers who had grown accustomed to the reality of black and grey gladly embraced the rainbow of vibrant colors. In a tribute to this ground-breaking technology, which revolutionzed the industry, the Toronto International Film Festival is presenting Dreaming in Technicolor, a […]
Vera Brittain’s memoir, Testament of Youth, struck a chord when it was published in 1933, just 15 years after the end of World War I, supposedly the war to end all wars. Brittain, a smart, spunky, independent spirit born in an epoch when women were expected to be meek, mild and submissive, elaborated upon themes […]
For more than 500 years, between the 10th and 15th centuries, Spanish Christians, Jews and Muslims coexisted in what Jeffrey Gorsky calls “unparalleled harmony.” This period, known by some as the convivencia, a word which means living together in Spanish, ended tragically in persecution, forced conversion and expulsion. Gorsky’s masterful account of this golden era […]
Reshef Levi’s Hebrew-language film, Hunting Elephants, is a non-stop exercise in farce. Scheduled to open in Toronto theatres on June 12, it’s set in Jerusalem and revolves around a nerdy 12-year-old boy and his grumpy, tough-as-nails grandfather. Jonathan (Gil Blank), whip smart but socially awkward, is the butt of jokes and pranks at his school. […]
The anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions movement is gaining ground at a fairly rapid pace. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, some pro-Israel supporters who had previously downplayed this clear and present danger to Israel’s well-being have pressed the alarm button with alacrity. The most recent lover of Zion to do so is the outspoken […]
Two years ago, as Islamic State swept through northern Iraq in a rampage of conquest, pillage, rape and murder, the fighters under its ominous black banner singled out Christians and Yazidis for maltreatment. Members of these ancient minorities were killed and compelled to convert to the Sunni variant of Islam, while their women were subjected […]
Standing on the cusp of becoming Israel’s first former prime minister to be packed off to jail and stamped with the infamy of a criminal record, Ehud Olmert is making history for entirely the wrong reason. On May 25, a district court in Jerusalem sentenced him to eight months imprisonment on charges of breach of […]
The chicken was nowhere to be seen, but it didn’t matter. Even without it, I was on the cusp of experiencing a different and exhilarating kind of bus ride. Something to be remembered long after it’s ended, a trip on a Guatemalan chicken bus is a giddy dip into local color. Chicken buses, gaudily painted […]
With the six major powers struggling to meet an end-of-June deadline for attaining a comprehensive and historic nuclear deal with Iran, two formidable issues remain to be settled — the timing of sanctions relief and the extent to which international monitors would have unrestricted rights to inspect Iran’s nuclear facilities. Judging by the rhetoric emanating […]