European film festivals hit with controversies over Israel-Hamas war

(JR) — The war between Israel and Hamas continues to divide the cultural world, as two European film festivals this week found themselves embroiled in controversy over their handling of both Israeli and pro-Palestinian filmmakers. The Stockholm International Film Festival, in Sweden, apologized Monday for what it said was a “misunderstanding” surrounding a planned guest, […]

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Jewish sponsor withdraws from National Book Awards after learning of authors’ plans for Israel ceasefire statement

((JR)) – At least one Jewish sponsor of one of the oldest and most prestigious literary awards in the United States is pulling out of Wednesday’s ceremony after learning that some of the nominated authors plan to issue a statement urging a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, drawing yet another line in the sand at […]

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At a Jewish comic book festival, fans and creators take time to celebrate joy

(New York Jewish Week) — More than 400 comic book lovers flocked to Manhattan’s Center for Jewish History on Sunday for the first-ever Jewish Comics Experience, a pop culture convention that was billed as the “ultimate comics and pop culture event.” Some 35 comics creators participated in the inaugural JewCE, including “Sin City” creator Frank […]

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In New Yorker doc ‘Nina & Irena,’ a director helps his grandmother open up about the Holocaust

((JR)) — Daniel Lombroso sees “Nina & Irena,” his documentary short film about his grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, as a coda to his 2020 documentary “White Noise,” in which he followed leaders in the “alt-right” movement. For the four years during the making of “White Noise,” he was surrounded by neo-Nazis, who were on the […]

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UK cabinet member Suella Braverman fired after saying police are more lenient with pro-Palestinian protesters

(JR) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak fired his home secretary, Suella Braverman, on Monday, days after she published an op-ed arguing that British police are more lenient with pro-Palestinian protesters than they are with far-right ones. The article, published without Sunak’s approval, highlighted how divisive pro-Palestinian protests have been in the United Kingdom and […]

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Mass rallies in France to oppose antisemitism contrast with wave of pro-Palestinian marches worldwide

(JR) — An estimated 180,000 people in France marched in rallies against antisemitism on Sunday that brought together political leaders from most of the country’s major parties, a display that stood in contrast with major pro-Palestinian marches held worldwide throughout the weekend. Among the marchers in Paris were Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne, the daughter of […]

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Melbourne synagogue evacuated on Shabbat as tensions over Israel-Hamas war flare in Australia

(JR) — A synagogue in the Australian city of Melbourne was evacuated on police order on Shabbat as pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated nearby. The Friday evening Shabbat services were halfway over at Central Shul in Caulfield, a heavily Jewish neighborhood, when the police and synagogue security team advised everyone to leave as a precaution, according to […]

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