The first report on Assad\’s death caught me by surprise. It was from Eric Silver, our Jerusalem correspondent (see page 20), and it recounted his interview with the former chief rabbi of Syria, Avraham Hamra, who now lives in Israel.
There is a grimy Arabic sign high on the wall of the imposing new building rising on a rocky, ragged hillside in the West Bank village of Abu Dis.
Renowned Israeli director Amos Gitai acknowledges that his film, \”Kadosh,\” raises ire in segments of the observant community. \”It\’s critical of certain elements of Jewish tradition that I consider to be reactionary,\” says the filmmaker, whose movie tells of two oppressed Orthodox women in Jerusalem\’s Mea Shearim. \”But it\’s not a total denial. It\’s precise.\”
An edgy moodiness pervades \”Kadosh,\” Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai\’s jaundiced examination of haredi Jerusalem women oppressed by religious extremism.
\”There really has not been a dramatic shakeup here in a long time,\” Tom Rose said, talking about plans to streamline the financially troubled newspaper. \”The issue is really grow or die — and we choose the former.\”
The blind boy, who agrees to talk so long as I don\’t identify him, is one of a floating population of 100-150 homeless, English-speaking teenagers living rough around Zion Square in the center of town: the unsung failures of aliyah and Jewish studies tours.
Last week, one hour and 15 minutes peeled away 12 years of presumption.
Ehud Barak, Israel\’s prime minister, has been smiling a lot lately, and it\’s driving many people crazy.
Melodic harmonies echo through Dominus Flevit, a small-but-quaint church on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, as a group of 30 Christian Bible scholars and pastors sing \”Hallelujah to the Lord,\” first in English, then Hebrew.
Built in 1955 on the ruins of an ancient church, the teardrop-shaped structure commands a breathtaking view of the eastern walls of Jerusalem\’s Old City. According to Christian tradition, Jesus, knowing his prophetic message would be rejected, wept here as he viewed the illusion of a tranquil city that, in fact, was bitterly divided, its Jewish population suffering under a brutal Roman occupation.
Just last month, Walt Disney World appeared to be right in the path of a bona fide hurricane. Hurricane Floyd was headed for Florida\’s eastern coast, and Walt Disney World was forced to close its doors for the first time in its 28-year history. But Mickey\’s luck held out. Floyd veered north, and Walt Disney World was saved from potential devastation.
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