Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman has not exactly forged a reputation as a pragmatist, yet he recently called for a “pragmatic approach” to deal with the simmering Palestinian problem. “I wish pragmatism dominated the political discourse in Israeli society,” he said the other day. “We are torn between … pragmatism and fanaticism.” Calling on Israel […]
The Holocaust has generated a long list of feature films, and Remembrance, unfolding in Polish, German and English, is one of the latest ones. Now available on the Netflix streaming network, it takes place in the past and the present, cutting back and forth in time. Based on a true story by Jerzy Bielecki, Remembrance shifts between a […]
Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Japanese-owned conglomerate, has cravenly caved in to terrorism by cancelling plans to release The Interview, a satirical film portraying the assassination of Kim Jong-un, the dictatorial, clownish leader of North Korea. In the past few days, Sony has dropped the Christmas day release of the $44 million movie, co-directed by Seth Rogen […]
The American constitution enshrines the principles of democracy and egalitarianism for all citizens. Yet for much of its history, the United States was not the land of freedom and opportunity for African-Americans. The injustices and humiliations they endured are presented with laser-like precision, intensity and emotion at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The […]
A man riding a motorcycle recently attacked Israel’s embassy in Athens, spraying the building with more than 50 rounds of gunfire. Greek police believe the assailant probably belonged to a far-leftist group. Following the incident, Greek Public Order Minister Vassilis Kikilias said, “No one is going to affect the relations between Greece and Israel.” It […]
By re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba after an almost 54-year break, U.S. President Barack Obama will be putting an end to a policy that long ago became pointless. Cuba may be no democracy, but Washington enjoys diplomatic relations with at least 20 countries whose regimes are more repressive than that of the Castro brothers. Yet […]
He was the master of the brush — a painter of light. He was Joseph Turner (1775-1851), the British landscape artist whose moody oils, watercolours and drawings guaranteed him a place of immortality in the pantheon of great European painters. Mike Leigh’s biopic, Mr. Turner, which opens in Toronto on Dec. 25, covers the last […]
The 2011 British census provides a snapshot of the country’s Muslim population, which now stands at almost 2.8 million — 4.4 percent of the country’s overall total. Most live in cities like Birmingham, Bradford, and, of course, London, whose Muslim population, at a bit over one million, is 12.4 percent of the city’s people. Philip […]
Israeli cuisine is a fusion of culinary tastes. Jewish immigrants from Muslim lands brought their traditional, time-honored dishes to Israel, as did Jews from Europe and the rest of the world. Through what Israeli food maven Janna Gur describes as a “process of natural selection,” Israeli society adopted them. Gur, in Jewish Soul Food: From […]
Julius Avery’s crime thriller, Son of a Gun, crackles with energy and tension. A new director, he has made a tightly-wound film turning on the theme of honor among thieves, if there is such a thing. Scheduled to start its run in Toronto on Dec. 19, it opens as Jesse (Brenton Thwaites), a young man […]