The second season of The Crown, a Netflix presentation, is a heady, entertaining mixture of drama and melodrama crowned by sharply nuanced performances and lavish sets, judging by the first six episodes. Like the introductory season, Peter Morgan’s series hangs on the shoulders of one indomitable character, Queen Elizabeth II, the capable sovereign who still commands the destiny […]
She’s supposedly the world’s strongest girl, a weightlifter who broke a powerlifting record at a remarkably young age, and who still holds three records in her masculine sport. “I love being strong, it’s empowering, ” says Naomi (Nahama) Kutin in Jessie Auritt’s fly-on-the-wall documentary, Supergirl, which will be broadcast on the PBS network on Monday, […]
Israeli cuisine is a kaleidoscopic amalgam of tastes, flavors and aromas from every conceivable corner of the globe, matching the national origins of its diverse Jewish, Muslim and Christian population. The typical Israeli, if there is such a person, will most probably like a Polish-style kugel — a baked noodle pudding — as much as […]
An award-winning Israeli television series is coming to Toronto. The first season of Your Honor, a 12-part crime drama, is being presented by the Toronto Jewish Film Foundation and the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies on November 5 and November 12 at 2 p.m. at Innis Town Hall, University of Toronto. Created by Shlomo Mashiach and […]
The ultra-Orthodox Hassidic community is extremely tight-knit and takes care of its own in a cradle-to-grave arrangement. Conformists who abide by the rules and obey the commandments of the rebbes can expect a reasonably stable, fairly predictable life. Rebels who opt out for the secular world are treated as outcasts and often pay a price […]
Nazi Germany, in the greatest theft in modern history, plundered Europe of priceless paintings, drawings, etchings, tapestries, sculptures, rare books and priceless furniture. The collections of Jews, in particular, were targeted. To this day, hundreds of thousands of stolen pieces remain unaccounted for. Where they might be could be anyone’s guess. Hunting Nazi Treasures, an […]
The trial of Adolf Eichmann in Israel in 1961 was an historic event. For the first and only time, a major Nazi war criminal would face justice in the Jewish state. Recognizing its importance, the international media sent correspondents to cover it. Israel considered the possibility of filming the trial for posterity, but there was one […]
The Vietnam War was my war, so to speak. Let me explain. As it inexorably escalated from an insurgency in the 1950s into a full-blown conflict in the 1960s, prompting anti-war protests in the United States and other countries, I watched it unfold from the safety of my home in Montreal. I read David Halberstam’s […]
The third season of Narcos, the taut crime thriller from Netflix, draws a viewer into its vortex of intrigue, skullduggery and violence. It’s set in Colombia, a South American country where drug cartels loom large and where corruption at the highest levels of government and law enforcement is an endemic and recurring problem. During the […]
Much to my surprise, I’m still watching Surviving Escobar — Alias JJ, the 60-part Netflix series. In the past two weeks, I’ve watched 41 episodes. Yesterday, I binged on two. Tonight, I’ll watch two more. I never thought I’d make that kind of commitment to a television show, but it’s that addictive. I tuned in to […]