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February 1, 2008

Hollywood gets lessons in the nuances of Hebrew

Etgar Keret February 1, 2008

Some time ago, I was invited to a dinner here in Israel attended by a delegation of film people from Los Angeles. During the meal, one successful documentary director asked me a question: Could I think of any Hebrew words that have no equivalent in English?

An excellent question, and even though I was sure there were many such words, the only two I could think of actually do have English equivalents, except that in Hebrew — or maybe it would be more accurate to say \”in Israeli\” — they carry completely different values.

What to do when the high price of higher education keeps getting higher

Audrey Kahane February 1, 2008

As high school seniors scramble to finish college applications and anxiously await admission decisions, their parents may be more worried about how they\’re going to pay the bill.

The average annual cost for tuition, room and board, books and personal expenses at a UC campus is about $24,000. Many private colleges are twice as expensive. Tuition has been increasing faster than the rate of inflation and there is concern in the higher education community that only students from the most affluent families will be able to attend private colleges.

UCLA Shoah class attracts large number of Asian students

Peter L. Rothholz February 1, 2008

\”The Holocaust in Film and Literature\” is one of many UCLA classes that draws in undergraduate students looking to fulfill general education requirements. German 59, as it\’s listed in the university catalog, has attracted 241 students this quarter.

The course demands are strenuous. Among the required readings are Elie Wiesel\’s \”Night,\” Primo Levi\’s \”Survival in Auschwitz\” and \”The Reader\” by Bernhard Schlink. Additionally, students read selected works by authors such as Hannah Arendt and Nelly Sachs, as well as poetry, memoirs, encyclopedia entries and original documents. Assigned films include \”Schindler\’s List,\” \”Night and Fog\” and several documentaries.

Lessons I learned from ‘Mein Kampf’

Tammy Shel February 1, 2008

Reading \”Mein Kampf\” was no simple task for me. Growing up in Tel Aviv, I learned from a young age that the book was taboo. More than that, it felt like forbidden fruit; as if bringing it home would have contaminated my apartment. Even checking out the book from the library was no simple task. However, as a scholar, a philosopher of humanistic education and a curious human being, an urge grew inside me over the years to read Hitler\’s own words — to learn his view of the Jews and why he was consumed with hatred that resulted in the destruction of so many people.

Law and Order

Rabbi Daniel Bouskila February 1, 2008

In his magnum opus on the history and development of Jewish civil law, \”Ha-Mishpat Ha-Ivri\” (\”Jewish Law\”), Israeli Supreme Court Justice Menachem Elon remarks that basing a viable modern legal system on Jewish Law is no easy task — \”it calls for great intellectual effort, creativity and boldness.\”

While the questions associated with incorporating Jewish civil law into Israel\’s legal system are complex and beyond the scope of this column, I do wish to pose one modest question: Is it possible, in select instances, for the principles and spirit of Mishpat Ivri to serve as a quasi-legal and moral guide on certain matters of Israeli policy?

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