\”My work was driven by a sense of imminent loss,\” writes Frédéric Brenner in the introduction to his new book, \”Diaspora: Homelands in Exile.\” \”Two thousand years of history were about to vanish. I felt a desire and a responsibility to document these permutations of survival in exile before they disappeared…. As I began my journey, I realized how much loss had already taken place.\”
Can California\’s new Republican governor make inroads among traditionally Democratic Jews?
\”The harm done by Jayson Blair in The New York Times newsroom may, in the end, be offset by a bit of good it does elsewhere. The incident is serving as a wake-up call for journalism, prompting many papers … to redouble efforts at accuracy and accountability,\” wrote Christine Chinlund, the Boston Globe ombudsman, in a soul-searching column on media accountability.
Californians have reached new levels of accommodation for cultural and other differences, but some of our officials still speak unashamedly in stark racial and ethnic terms.
What was that all about?\n\nThose on the left will say the recall election we just survived was a sneaky Republican power grab. Those on the right will say it was a citizen revolt against a sleazy and ineffectual governor.\n\nThose in the middle will say, \”Are we done yet?\”\n\nIt\’s not clear, this early on, who wins and who loses in this process. If Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger succeeds in balancing the state budget while improving California\’s business climate, educational system and environment — just as he promised — then we all win.
First a disclaimer: I have never met Arnold Schwarzenegger, have never spoken to him, was never contacted by his political people, no one ever asked me to support him, or offered me money to do so. I supported him because I respect him and because I am convinced that he will be good for California. In fact, if I may brag just a little, I started predicting that he would be the next governor of California many months ago, when only a few hard-line nuts seriously considered that a recall could be successful. I didn\’t think/hope that Gray Davis would be recalled. I just was sure that Arnold would run and win the next race.
Why are you single?\” The woman who recently hurled this accusation at me, I suppose, intended it as a compliment: how could someone as ________ as me not have a husband?
To fast on that Yom Kippur day was an act of defiance. It was to prove to myself that in spite of all the German atrocities, I still controlled at least one aspect of my life. They took away my family, they took away my freedom, but they could not take away the Yom Kippur fast.
