HarperCollins to publish book of conversations with Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Chabad emissary slain in Sydney

A book featuring testimony from Rabbi Eli Schlanger, the Chabad emissary who was killed in December in an antisemitic terror attack in Sydney, will be published this spring, HarperCollins Publishers announced on Thursday. Schlanger, who moved to Bondi Beach as an emissary of the Chabad movement 18 years ago, was the father of five children, […]

Continue Reading

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival apologizes for selecting anti-Zionist juror to judge human rights films

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival apologized and announced it would review its internal processes after the Israeli consulate withdrew its support over an anti-Zionist juror. The Israeli Consulate in the Southeastern United States withdrew its support for the annual festival Friday after learning one of the student jurors in the human rights category “shared antisemitic […]

Continue Reading

The real Holocaust history behind ‘Papillon,’ the Oscar-nominated short about a star Jewish swimmer

At first glance, “Papillon” (Butterfly), the 15-minute Oscar-nominated animated short by veteran French filmmaker Florence Miailhe, may appear like a meditative journey through water and memory. An elderly man swims in a hand-painted sea, flashing back to childhood memories of being bullied and a loving mother who makes it all right.   As he cuts through […]

Continue Reading

Hugh Laurie rejects ‘Zionist’ label after his tribute to Israeli ‘Tehran’ producer sparks social media firestorm

British actor Hugh Laurie pushed back against being labeled as a “Zionist” after facing a wave of online criticism for posting a tribute to the Israeli producer of the hit television show “Tehran.” “Dana Eden, who co-created and produced ‘Tehran’, died on Sunday, seemingly by her own hand,” Laurie, who played a nuclear inspector in […]

Continue Reading

At Berlin screening, former Israeli hostages see film about their captivity rewritten after redemption

BERLIN — They stood outside Berlin’s Babylon theater, bundled against the cold, laughing and dragging on cigarettes: the Cunio twins David and Eitan, and their younger brother Ariel. David and Ariel were among the last Israeli hostages released in October from Hamas captivity, after 738 days. Their presence in Berlin — for a screening of […]

Continue Reading

South Africa pulls out of Venice Biennale — because its selected artist wanted to focus on Gaza

South Africa will not participate in this year’s Venice Biennale following a dispute between its culture ministry and the artist it had selected, whose planned installation focused on Gaza. Gabrielle Goliath, a South African artist selected to represent the country at the international culture exhibition, had planned to showcase a performance piece titled “Elegy” that […]

Continue Reading

U2’s first album in a decade includes Yehuda Amichai poem and a song about the slain Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen

U2 frontman Bono delivered sharp criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and lavish praise on Jewish tradition in an interview released Wednesday alongside the band’s new EP, titled “Days of Ash.” The album — the first from U2 in TK years — includes a song memorializing Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen, who was killed by […]

Continue Reading

Spike Lee says his pro-Palestinian NBA All-Star Game outfit wasn’t meant as a dig against Deni Avdija

The director Spike Lee says he was not targeting the first Israeli NBA All-Star when he wore a pro-Palestinian outfit to the All-Star Game on Sunday. Lee’s outfit featured a keffiyeh-patterned sweater and a bag strap with images of the Palestinian flag. Some of his critics charged that he had chosen the outfit especially because […]

Continue Reading

Eli Sharabi’s ‘Hostage’ memoir named Jewish book of the year

Eli Sharabi’s memoir “Hostage,” recounting his experience in Hamas captivity after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, has been named Book of the Year by the National Jewish Book Awards, organizers announced Wednesday. The awards, presented by the Jewish Book Council and considered among the most prestigious honors in Jewish literature, recognize outstanding English-language books of […]

Continue Reading