Beki İkala Erikli shot dead outside her apartment building; motive of killing unclear By Times of Israel staff Beki İkala Erikli (LinkedIn) A Turkish Jewish writer was murdered at her Istanbul home Thursday by an unknown shooter, local media reported. Beki İkala Erikli was shot at the entrance to her building in the Kabataş neighborhood […]
Turkish Jewish author murdered in Istanbul Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Several years ago I read The Pianist of Willesden Lane written by Mona Golabek about the experiences of her mother, Lisa Jura, first in Vienna and then in London. She had been sent there at the age of fourteen in the framework of the Kindertransport, the undertaking that
In praise of Mona Golabek, author and performer Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish History, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual ArtsBy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – As the widow of billionaire Carnival Cruise Lines founder Ted Arison, Lin Arison has had the chance to travel wherever she wants to around the world. The Carnival Corporation owns not only Carnival Cruise Lines, but such other cruise lines as Princess Cruises, Cunard Lines, Holland-America, Seabourn Cruises,
A travel case filled with love for Israel Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, Travel and FoodIn 1915, the Aaronsohn siblings founded an espionage group in their village of Zichron Yaakov to help the Brits defeat the Turks. Outside of Israel, why was their tale whitewashed from history? By JP O’ Malley On December 11, 1917, the British imperial governor, General Sir Edmund Allenby, entered Jerusalem, placing the city under military
With spy Sarah Aaronsohn’s suicide, Israeli history was rewritten, claims author Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Middle EastThere are a lot of great opening lines in literature. But this one by the late Gabriel Garcia-Marquez is among the best: “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.” That’s the way he starts the book
As we stare headlong into the approaching holiday season, the 1946 James Stewart classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” is set to make its annual television appearance Saturday on NBC. It was the first movie Stewart made when he returned home after serving as a pilot in World War II, an experience that left him adrift
How Jimmy Stewart’s war service affected ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USANobel Prize-winning author Wole Soyinka said Thursday that he fulfilled his promise to throw away his United States green card and relocate if Donald Trump won the presidency. “I’ve done it,” the Nigerian author told news channel eNCA on the sidelines of an education conference at the University of Johannesburg, Reuters reported. “When I was
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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, USAThe newly expanded 2016 product line celebrates strong female role models with history and humor CINCINNATI, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — The pop culture icon, THE MENSCH ON A BENCH has not only expanded his Mishpacha, but also continues to solidify his presence as a meaningful holiday presence for Jewish and interfaith families. Neal Hoffman,
By Joe Spier CALGARY, Alberta, Canada — Spider-Man is Jewish At the risk of boring devotees of the flagship character and corporate mascot of Marvel comic books and of the hugely successful Spider-Man movie franchise, those who know the origin story much better than I do, the Spider-Man narrative begins with Peter Parker who becomes
Spider-Man’s web of Jewishness Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Theatre, Film & BroadcastSPIES IN PALESTINE: LOVE, BETRAYAL AND THE HEROIC LIFE OF SARAH AARONSOHN By James Srodes Counterpoint, $24, 203 pages By Joseph C. Goulden In more than half a century of reading intelligence literature, seldom have I encountered an operative with the raw courage of Sarah Aaronsohn. Whatever spy tradecraft the woman knew was self-taught. She
BOOK REVIEW: ‘Spies in Palestine: Love, Betrayal and the Heroic Life of Sarah Aaronsohn’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Middle EastA poem handwritten by one of the Holocaust’s most famous victims, diarist Anne Frank, sold for 140,000 euros (roughly $148,000) on Wednesday at a Dutch auction house. The sum, which doesn’t include the auctioneer’s commission, greatly exceeded the expected sale price of 30,000 to 50,000 euros. Thijs Blankevoort, director of the Bubb Kuyper auction house
Handwritten Anne Frank Poem Auctioned for $148,000 Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish HistoryColson Whitehead won the National Book Award in fiction on Wednesday for his bestselling novel and Oprah Book Club pick The Underground Railroad. His fellow winners that evening were Ibram X. Kendi in nonfiction for Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America; Daniel Borzutzky in poetry for The Performance of
Colson Whitehead Wins National Book Award in Fiction Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, USASupporters of President-elect Donald Trump are using online retailer Amazon to attack Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly through harsh reviews of her new book. More than 100 negative one-star reviews appeared on the Amazon page selling Kelly’s memoir “Settle For More,” within hours of its Tuesday release. Many of the comments came through a link
1606, Shakespeare and the Year of Lear by James Shapiro published by Faber and Faber, 2015. By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — When I picked this book up at Luton airport, as I was about to board a plane, I thought I was going to read a historical novel. I couldn’t have been more
Did the Bard crib from another book on King Lear? Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Theatre, Film & Broadcast