Anti-Semitism
Rose-Colored GlassesMonday, February 20, 2012 by Allan Arkush | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Jacqueline Rose, a noted professor of English in the United Kingdom and the author of many works of literary criticism, has stepped beyond the academic precincts where she first made her name to produce, over the past decade or so, a substantial opus dealing with Zionism and Israel.
Mensch in the MoonTuesday, February 14, 2012 by Josh Gelernter | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Right now there are two Americans aboard the International Space Station, and their only way home is to hitch a ride in the Russians' Soyuz capsule, a ramshackle remnant of the 1960s. There's no space shuttle to bring them home because the shuttle's been retired; also retired are plans for an American return to the moon.
Toward an Archeology of HellTuesday, February 7, 2012 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Remembrance is a contradictory imperative. Respectful preservation of the past, especially the remains of those who have gone before us, stands at odds with the need to understand the same past, especially through means like archeology.
Hear, O Friends of IsraelThursday, February 2, 2012 by Daniel Johnson | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
In 1987, exactly a quarter-century ago, the appearance of a work of Jewish history caused a stir. For one thing, the author was not Jewish; for another, the book was unashamedly supportive of the State of Israel, which even then was enough to provoke hostility, especially on the Left.
Bloomsbury’s RabbiTuesday, January 31, 2012 by Matthew Ackerman | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
A translator stands between two languages and between the two worlds that the languages represent. If he does his job well, he may belong in neither place. Such was the fate of Samuel Koteliansky, an emigré Russian Jew who translated Chekhov, befriended D.H. Lawrence and Katherine Mansfield, and circulated on the fringes of the Bloomsbury group.
Rematch!Monday, January 30, 2012 by Elliot Jager | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
London—Europe's biggest city, with 5.8 million eligible voters—goes to the polls on May 3rd to elect a mayor. Like any big city mayoral campaign, the contest will revolve mainly around local issues. But the race also has the potential to return a vitriolic anti-Zionist to City Hall.
Whose Holocaust?Friday, January 27, 2012 by Margot Lurie | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
For much of Europe, today is the UN-designated International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has dedicated his address this year to children murdered by the Nazis, with the message that "the best tribute to the memory of these children is an ongoing effort to teach the universal lessons of the Holocaust, so that no such horror is visited upon future generations."
Whither the AlawitesFriday, January 20, 2012 by Elliot Jager | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Time does not appear to be on the side of Syria's minority Alawite-led regime. President Bashar Assad has reportedly been offered asylum in Moscow, which wants an orderly transition that will preserve Russian strategic interests. Other stories have Assad and his loyalists preparing mountain strongholds for a last-ditch stand.
Jerusalem’s Ego and IdThursday, January 19, 2012 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Biography is not the same as history. Biography charts the outer and inner life of a person—character, spirit, morality, emotion, perhaps even soul. History, by contrast, incorporates different narratives and pieces of evidence, seeks out new data, then rises above all the fragments with a synthesis.
Our Defenders at the CIAWednesday, January 18, 2012 by Jonathan Neumann | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
News flash: Top-secret intelligence memos written during the last years of the Bush administration describe covert activities—in intelligence parlance, a "false flag" operation—by Israeli Mossad officers, posing as American CIA agents.
Editors' Picks
Hollande Takes the Hard Line Bruce Crumley, Time. After a series of attacks against Jewish targets in France, Sunday’s anti-terror raids show that François Hollande is prepared for a fight with the country’s Islamists.
Marching in Malmo Cnaan Liphshiz, Times of Israel. Facing a hostile population and an unsympathetic mayor, anti-Semitic attacks have become a matter of course for the Jews of Malmo, Sweden. But now they are fighting back.
Math and Anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union Edward Frenkel, New Criterion. A leading mathematician recalls anti-Semitic university admissions in the USSR.
“More Loathsome” , Commentator. The Palestinian Authority’s newspaper routinely compares Zionism to Nazism, while at the same time denying the Holocaust—all thanks to funding from the U.S. and the EU.
Romania’s Final Solution Michael Gesin, H-Net. Romania’s wartime leaders were so enamored of Nazi Germany that they developed their own Final Solution. So, why did half of Romania’s Jews manage to survive?
Drawing a Line Sarah Glidden, Jewish Quarterly. Angoulême is proud of its history as the center of France’s comics and animation industry. The city is less keen to acknowledge the role it played during the Second World War. (Comic)
Libya Murders, One: What They Meant Christa Case Bryant, Christian Science Monitor. Were the riots in Libya and Egypt a spontaneous expression of popular rage at a video’s contemptuous insult to sincere religious beliefs? Not bloody likely.
Libya Murders, Two: What They Said , New York Times. U.S. Embassy in Egypt condemns efforts to “hurt the religious feelings of Muslims.” Mob murders U.S. Ambassador to Libya. Embassy says its statement “still stands.” Administration begins walking it back.
Was Bach an Anti-Semite? David Conway, Jewish Chronicle. His St. John Passion has anti-Jewish passages, and Hitler loved him. But in light of Bach’s life, it is no surprise that his work was preserved by Jews.
Swedes Wear Kippot—with Police Protection Ilya Meyer, Jerusalem Post. Sweden recently saw a striking event: Swedish Jews, normally invisible, demonstrating by wearing kippot en masse. They needed the police guard to protect against Islamic extremists.