fbpx
ADVERTISE
pick up locations
donate

Jewish Journal

Connect. Inform. Inspire.

Category

January 1, 2004

Israeli Novel of Ideas Overpowers Story

Donna Rifkind January 1, 2004

Can a work of fiction be important without being successful? If so, it would look pretty much like \”Foiglman,\” by the distinguished Israeli author, Aharon Megged.

\”Foiglman\” was originally published in Israel in 1988 and is being issued here for the first time in English by Toby Press, a Connecticut-based firm with an active editorial office in Jerusalem that has been busily acquiring backlists of leading Israeli writers.

Megged\’s book is a novel of ideas in which ideas completely overpower the novel itself.

Folk Singer Observes a Pensive ‘Holiday’

Naomi Pfefferman January 1, 2004

Some years ago, folk diva Chava Alberstein discovered the rundown immigrant neighborhood around the south Tel Aviv central bus station. For the Israeli superstar, the area became a refuge, a place to stroll or sip coffee unmolested by fans. The residents were foreign workers from countries such as China, Thailand, Nigeria and Romania.\n\nBut as their numbers swelled to replace Palestinians after the intifada, Alberstein — considered Israel\’s Joan Baez — saw conditions deteriorating.\n\n\”These people are brought to Israel, their passports are confiscated so they can\’t go anywhere and they\’re forced to live in the worst situations,\” she said. \”You see people crawling out of the most unbelievable hovels. It\’s bothered me for a long time.\”

The Doctor Is In

Bill Boyarsky January 1, 2004

Listening to Howard Dean reminds me of going to a doctor who starts out the visit by saying, \”Bill, you really look sick.\”

Maybe I do, but I don\’t want to hear it expressed quite so bluntly. Just like I didn\’t want to hear Dr. Dean saying in Los Angeles Dec. 15, \”The capture of Saddam has not made America safer.\”

Dean\’s pessimism was hard to take, especially right after the bearded villain was hauled out of the ground by American troops.

The Headache of Resolutions

Jane Ulman January 1, 2004

Blame it on the Mesopotamians. About 4,000 or 5,000 years ago, they came up with the meshuggeneh idea of New Year\’s resolutions.

And what was their most common pledge? To return borrowed farm equipment. \”That would be a pickax or a sickle,\” says Danny, 12, who studied the Mesopotamians last year in his ancient civilization class.

But today we can\’t simply return some borrowed tool, toy or casserole dish. No, we North Americans feel compelled to annually reinvent ourselves as perfect physical, intellectual and emotional beings. We feel compelled to promise to shape up, to learn Aramaic or read the 100 top English-language novels, to be more patient.

Religions Hold Mix of Justice and Mercy

Reuven Firestone January 1, 2004

Religion did not begin with compassion. The gods of the ancient Near East were not exactly epitomes of goodness.

In the flood story of the Gilgamesh Epic, the gods destroyed humanity not because they were reacting to unbridled violence and sin, as in the biblical (and quranic) versions, but because humans were making too much noise and disturbing them.

The ancient gods were worshipped but not out of love. They were worshipped out of fear.

How Will Saddam’s Capture Affect Vote?

Raphael J. Sonenshein January 1, 2004

What does the capture of Saddam Hussein mean for Jewish voters in 2004? Will it shift the preferences of Jewish Democrats as they weigh the party\’s presidential contenders? Will it push Jewish voters closer to supporting President Bush for re-election?

Finished

J.D. Smith January 1, 2004

It has been said that a man is not complete until he is married. Then, he is finished.

Well, I got married.

When last we visited these pages, I was on my way to the altar. My long-suffering girlfriend — lets call her Alison, although I can\’t see why we should, when her name is and always was Amy — agreed to the terms. She has since told me there was nothing in the ceremony about \”obey,\” and you can only imagine how much I wish I had paid more attention before the rings were exchanged.

7 Days In Arts

Jewish Journal January 1, 2004

7 days in the Arts, around Los Angeles.

Why Are We Jews?

Rabbi Asher Brander January 1, 2004

\”Biblical stories are in our present — in the cheder [Easter European elementary school] we cried when we learned of the sale of Joseph — and we rejoiced in his ascendancy to power. There was a freshness, a vigor, a nearness, which we felt in that drama.\” — Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveichik

Jews Aid in Quake Despite Iran Rebuff

Rachel Pomerance January 1, 2004

Beggars apparently can be choosers — or so the Iranian government seems to believe.

The Islamic fundamentalist regime in Iran, which is struggling to recover from the Dec. 26 earthquake that killed at least 20,000 people and damaged an entire region, has announced that it will not accept humanitarian aid from the \”Zionist entity.\”

However, U.S. Jews and Israelis still are finding ways to help the victims. And one of the few U.S. nongovernmental organizations running relief on the ground is led by an Iranian American Jew.

New Articles

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

Jewish Journal

Connect. Inform. Inspire.
© Copyright 2024 Tribe Media Corp • Powered by Lightdrop

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.