· previous page
6 March 2008
Terrorist Attack in Jerusalem
About an hour and a half ago, at 8:30 PM (Israel time), at least 2 terrorists entered Yeshivat Merkaz haRav and shot tens of students.
News reports are reporting between 6 and 8 dead, (plus the terrorists), as well as 6 evacuated, and another 20 35+ injured.
Merkaz haRav, located in Jerusalem, is the flagship yeshiva [...]
continue reading... » 6 Comments
4 March 2008
The Israeli “Limpieza de Sangre,” or, Are You Jewish Enough to Read This?
What is a Jew? And why does it matter?
The number one article emailed over the last day from the NY Times is a piece from the magazine entitled “How Do You Prove You’re a Jew?” written by Gershom Gorenberg.
Intrigued by the title, I read on. If you have not yet read this article, I highly [...]
continue reading... » 8 Comments
27 February 2008
Japan and Israel, Strikingly Logical Bedfellows
In the weeks following Spielberg’s snubbing of China on humanitarian grounds, and the Israeli Knesset’s recent decision regarding Asian Chefs in Ethnic establishments, we bear witness to an historic meeting of two countries: Japan and Israel.
Iran’s nuclear capabilities and desires have led their former business partner, Japan, to seek greener pastures. Indeed, Japan is [...]
continue reading... » 0 Comments
27 February 2008
Illegal Questions to Ask: America vs. Israel
I live between two distinct cultures. One part of me lives in America. I consume American culture by the boatload, I try to keep abreast of the politics, economics, news, and mass media. In ideology I empathize most closely with an open democracy, in which religion does not have a part (while it has a [...]
continue reading... » One Comment
14 February 2008
About the Impending Israeli Sushi Strike and the Implications and Ramifications upon the Future of the Israeli Society
Strikes are inevitable. Certain things can be done without. (I am not, God forbid, referring to House, Scrubs, Desperate Housewives, Prison Break, Heroes, 30 Rock, or any other TV shows affected by the recently-ended WGA Writer’s Strike in the US. That was hell, and should not be experienced by anyone.)
In the long time that [...]
continue reading... » 2 Comments
14 February 2008
Spielberg’s Advisory Message to Beijing
The term “Never Again” is not just empty rhetoric for Steven Spielberg.
Spielberg, the Oscar-winning director of “Schindler’s List” and “Munich”, withdrew as an artistic adviser to the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The withdrawal is in direct response to China’s financial support, weapons trade, and inaction with respect to its [...]
continue reading... » 3 Comments
30 January 2008
Aimless in Jerusalem
Snow is Jerusalem.
The Holy City shuts down. I am not talking about a blizzard, 3 feet of white joy, I am talking about slush.
One sees smiles on people’s faces when they see the snow falling down, whilst warm in a bar or gym, and the outside holds the possibility of becoming a winter wonderland.
No one [...]
continue reading... » 0 Comments
28 January 2008
Religion vs Theology, Or, The Silver Screen vs The Written Word
Last night, while I was eating dinner, my roommate turned on Eretz Nehederet (A Wonderful Country). I watched, laughed, and laughed some more. But immediately after the program was over, a thought-provoking interview came on, Ilana Dayan interviewing Joseph Cedar, the American-born Israeli director of the Oscar-nominated movie Beaufort.
As I had seen Beaufort [...]