Balkan BeautyIn her new novel, “People of the Book,” Geraldine Brooks compresses six centuries of history and transforms them into a fast-moving mystery novel. Brooks’s engaging, intensely researched historic tale is based on the story of the Sarajevo Haggadah, a book that originated in pre-Inquisition Spain and lives today under lock and key in Sarajevo, Bosnia.…Read more
‘Friends,’ Tel Aviv-styleThe quickest way to summarize Eytan Fox’s new film, “The Bubble,” is to describe it as an Israeli version of “Friends.” But unlike the characters in the American television show, these 20-somethings collide with reality in a dramatic fashion. Also, it’s not exactly a comedy.…Read more
Preaching Peace and Love, Armed With Just a Guitar‘I’m here as a soldier of love,” reggae star Ziggy Marley proclaimed last Thursday, as he performed at Ra’anna’s municipal park in a suburban-style city in the center of the country, far from the katushyas that are hitting in Israel’s north and from the Qassam rockets falling in the south. It was the same message he had given at a pre-concert press conference: “I have no fear. I believe in what I do, good vibes, love, release of tension, negative energy… love is my religion.”…Read more
Top Barghouti Ally Holds Court In City Abuzz With DiplomacyRamallah, when I arrived, was abuzz with diplomatic activity, the likes of which it hadn’t seen in months, since the Hamas electoral victory that led much of the international community to shun the Palestinian Authority. This past week, an American congressional delegation came to visit P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas, followed by the…Read more
In Israel’s Largest Muslim City, Strife Stirs Complex EmotionsThe mayor of Umm El Fahm, Sheikh Hashem, interrupted our interview to take a call. He spoke in Hebrew, asking about the safety of the children of the person on the other end of the phone line. Afterward, he explained that the mayors of Arab villages were meeting tomorrow with Jewish regional councils to discuss security and that’s why he had…Read more
‘Friends,’ Tel Aviv-styleThe quickest way to summarize Eytan Fox’s new film, “The Bubble,” is to describe it as an Israeli version of “Friends.” But unlike the characters in the American television show, these 20-somethings collide with reality in a dramatic fashion. Also, it’s not exactly a comedy.…Read more
Preaching Peace and Love, Armed With Just a Guitar‘I’m here as a soldier of love,” reggae star Ziggy Marley proclaimed last Thursday, as he performed at Ra’anna’s municipal park in a suburban-style city in the center of the country, far from the katushyas that are hitting in Israel’s north and from the Qassam rockets falling in the south. It was the same message he had given at a pre-concert press conference: “I have no fear. I believe in what I do, good vibes, love, release of tension, negative energy… love is my religion.”…Read more
Top Barghouti Ally Holds Court In City Abuzz With DiplomacyRamallah, when I arrived, was abuzz with diplomatic activity, the likes of which it hadn’t seen in months, since the Hamas electoral victory that led much of the international community to shun the Palestinian Authority. This past week, an American congressional delegation came to visit P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas, followed by the…Read more
In Israel’s Largest Muslim City, Strife Stirs Complex EmotionsThe mayor of Umm El Fahm, Sheikh Hashem, interrupted our interview to take a call. He spoke in Hebrew, asking about the safety of the children of the person on the other end of the phone line. Afterward, he explained that the mayors of Arab villages were meeting tomorrow with Jewish regional councils to discuss security and that’s why he had…Read more
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