Forward.com

Sacred Objects on Display“This wooden crate holds a tremendous soul, the soul of the Jewish people!” — with these words of Hebrew poet Chaim Nachman Bialik, Grace Cohen Grossman begins the first chapter of her magisterial, visually stunning new volume, a review and overview of the world’s Jewish museums. The choice of phrase is telling, for it describes not only the many meanings of the museums featured, but also the multiple layers of the book itself.…Read more

Neutrals, Caught in the CrossfireGannit Ankori chairs the art history department at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Her specialties include gender studies, Diaspora Jewish art and Palestinian art. Two years ago she published a book, “Palestinian Art,” described on the cover as the first comprehensive book on the topic in English.…Read more

For Once, It’s the Thoughts That CountCitizens of Jerusalem were hopping mad in the days leading up to Shimon Peres’s lavish Israeli Presidential Conference, a gala international talkfest held this past week to celebrate Israel’s 60th anniversary. With 3,500 guests coming from 50 countries, including foreign leaders, titans of business and Nobel laureates, streets had been blocked off and security checkpoints thrown up all over downtown.…Read more

Israel, Through the DecadesTo honor the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel, the Forward asked a number of prominent Israelis to reflect on the six decades of history they have lived through. Their narratives provide a fresh, startlingly honest look at the history of the Jewish state, as seen through the eyes of those who lived it and helped to shape it.…Read more

In Jerusalem, Where Many Tongues CleaveJournalists, like crewmembers on the Starship Enterprise, are not supposed to participate in the events they’re observing. Still, when you’re invited to an international gathering in Jerusalem with an imposing title like the Conference on the Future of the Jewish People, it’s hard to say no. Confused, I phoned a friend who edits another newspaper, Ha’aretz, to sound him out on the ethics of taking part. His reply: “Come on. I’m going. It’ll be fun.” So I went.…Read more