There’s a strong possibility that Iran and the world’s major powers may fail to convert an interim accord, signed last November, into a permanent agreement on drastically curbing Iran’s covert, militarized nuclear program. On Nov. 24, the two sides acknowledged that they had failed to bridge the gaps in their respective positions and announced a […]
In accordance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent promise that security in Jerusalem will be restored, following an upsurge of violence in Israel’s capital in the past month or so, the Israeli government has resurrected its policy of demolishing the homes of terrorists. On Nov. 19, only a day after two Palestinian cousins from East […]
The American entertainer Bing Crosby was a ball of fire. He was a singer of style and distinction who’s still the most recorded performer in history. He was also a Hollywood film actor, ranking behind only Clark Gable and John Wayne as the most popular male actor of all time. Crosby, who died 37 years […]
What’s your favorite city? New York? San Francisco? Montreal? Vancouver? London? Paris? Hong Kong? Tokyo? Rio de Janeiro? Buenos Aires? Shanghai? Jerusalem? Istanbul? Cape Town? It’s a tossup, of course. I’ve visited all these cities and each one offers something special and different. So, no, I can’t rate them like cars or cafes. But if […]
Who is a Russian? In everyday conversation, people speak of “Russia,” but the country is actually the “Russian Federation.” Even today, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, only 81 percent of its almost 144 million people are ethnic Russians. So who is a “Russian?” And who is not? In English, we sometimes differentiate between people’s […]
Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher, which opens in Toronto and Vancouver on Nov. 28, leaves you perplexed, stunned and horrified. It’s a film that snares and entraps you in its iron grip. An American billionaire summons a 27-year-old wrestling champion to his mansion in the Pennsylvania woods, and life is never the same again for either of them. […]
The Israeli government recently decided it would not cooperate with a United Nations commission charged with investigating allegations that war crimes were committed by Israel and Hamas during their 50-day war in the Gaza Strip last summer. This comes as no surprise. Last August, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, […]
The rise and fall of totalitarianism in Italy is spelled out in elaborate detail in Fascism in Colour, now available on the Netflix streaming channel. Produced and directed by Chris Oxley, this two-part film charts Benito Mussolini’s path from fiery socialist to arch nationalist. Mussolini, the world’s first fascist dictator, turned his back on socialism after Italy’s disastrous defeat […]
Bite into a sweet, juicy California navel or valencia orange and a tantalizing aroma will instantaneously envelop you. The effect is particularly potent during the long, cold winter months, when days are short and sunlight is fairly scarce. For more than a century now, California has been synonymous with the orange, which originated in Asia […]
I discovered the Sinai Peninsula in the summer of 1967, shortly after Israel had conquered it in the Six Day War. Like so many other North Americans whose head had been turned by that war, I had come to Israel to be a volunteer on a kibbutz. A month or so into my stay, the […]