Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdogan conferred at the White House on May 16 to discuss what is surely the most contentious irritant in the prickly U.S.-Turkish bilateral relationship — the arming of Syrian Kurdish rebels by the United States. Turkey, a key U.S. ally and a member of NATO that shares a volatile border […]
Slawomir Grunberg’s documentary, Don’t Cry When I’m Gone, eulogizes Wanda Sieradzka, a Jewish woman whose life was a mirror reflection of the turmoil that engulfed Poland after Germany’s 1939 invasion and occupation. Premiered at the Polin Museum in Warsaw last year, this absorbing film has since made the rounds of movie festivals and various forums. […]
In the very first scene of Azazel Jacobs’ quiet and quirky movie, The Lovers, which opens in Canada on May 19, an unmarried middle-aged woman, Lucy (Melora Walters), cries as her married lover, Michael (Tracy Letts), tries to console her. Michael’s wife, Mary (Debra Winger), is having an affair, too. Her paramour, Robert (Aidan Gillen), is […]
Joan Nathan, the renowned cookbook author, has travelled to some 15 countries on five continents in search of material. Her newest book, King Solomon’s Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from Around the World, published by Alfred A. Knopf, is an impressive showcase of her knowledge and expertise. She begins her journey in Kochi, […]
A discussion about food in the United States would be incomplete without a long and appreciative nod to James Beard. A cook, author, syndicated newspaper columnist, consultant and teacher, he’s the subject of a forthcoming PBS profile, American Masters — James Beard: America’s First Foodie, which will be broadcast on May 19 at 9 p.m. […]
I understand Robert D. Kaplan’s fascination with Romania. A Balkan nation which experienced the extremes of both fascism and communism within one generation, Romania was forged on the anvils of the Byzantine, Ottoman, Habsburg and Russian empires. Today, it has reverted back to what it was hundreds of years ago — a frontier state of […]
Confusion has arisen over whether a member of the British royal family will pay an official visit to Israel this year, the centenary of the historic Balfour Declaration. An invitation was extended to Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, when Israeli President Reuven Rivlin met British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in London about two […]
U.S.- Russian relations are in free fall today, the worst they’ve been since the bad old days of the Cold War. Seven decades ago, however, the United States and the Soviet Union were allies, locked in mortal combat against a common enemy, Nazi Germany. This theme is explored by Frank Capra in his rousing 1943 […]
Exposed as a forgery by the Times of London 96 years ago, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion has proven to be a remarkably resilient and influential antisemitic text. Outlining a diabolical Jewish plot to achieve global hegemony by means of subversion and manipulation, it validates the wild and unregulated fantasies of antisemites and conspiracy theorists. First […]
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) carved out a niche for himself not only as a composer but also as a conductor and pianist, a feat few of his contemporaries would match. A child protege, he made his debut as a pianist in 1818 and composed his first symphony for full orchestra when he was 15. In 1829, […]