March 9th, 2010 by Rocky Mountain Jew
Add a comment Despite three Jewish-themed films being nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards, we went home empty-handed.
Oh, but you know who did win? “The Jew Hunter,” or Christopher Waltz for his turn as Nazi officer Hans Landa in Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds.
The Israeli contingent was also dissed. Over the years our Israeli brethren have had 9 films nominated. How many took home the Oscar? None.
Should we take it personally?
The answer depends on whether the particular films were worthy of claiming the trophy in their respective categories. While we enjoyed the mix of comedy and sobriety of A Serious Man, was it the year’s Best Picture? Underdeveloped concepts, such as the dybbuk theme, left us wanting more from this Coen Brothers’ movie. An Education, which explores anti-Semitism in 1960s Britain, is well crafted, but probably too small of a picture to catch such a big fish of an award.
Since gratuitous, violence doesn’t turn us on, we stayed away from Inglorious Basterds - despite it being a Jewish wet dream. Readers will have to fill us in on the Oscar-worthiness of Tarantino’s latest efforts.
February 5th, 2010 by Rocky Mountain Jew
Add a comment Rumblings of a most strange kind of being heard across Europe. Italy’s prime minister, the infamous Silvio Berlusconi, earlier this week called for Israel to join the European Union.
Is this just a somewhat crazy man’s fantasies, or is there some merit in his proposal?
In certain areas, such as sports competitions, Israel has always been classified as part of Europe. (Though this is due to rejection from its Arab neighbors rather than a sense of belonging to the European continent.) Many Israelis are European by descent; however upon arrival, most immigrants assimilated quickly into the burgeoning Israeli society without looking back. [More...]
January 22nd, 2010 by Rocky Mountain Jew
2 Comments The catastrophic effects of the earthquake in Haiti on January 12 are being deeply and keenly felt. Something that makes this crisis so difficult to combat effectively is the instability of the Haiti prior to the earthquake. Despite it being the first independent state in the West Indies, Haiti has consistently had a hard time gaining its footing as a nation. According to Wikipedia, the country has experienced 32 coups in its 200-year history. Plagued by the cycle of dictatorship - [military] coup - installation of a new unilateral leader, up until last week Haiti was characterized by civil unrest and dire poverty. Now, of course, the earthquake will hold a pivotal place in the country’s story.
How is medical and humanitarian aid received, processed and doled out in such a country? Haiti had little functioning infrastructure prior to the earthquake; can it even deal with the deluge of aid coming its way?
But despite the logistical nightmares facing those wanting to help, Israel has managed not only to deliver aid, but even to build a makeshift hospital. This week’s IJN includes coverage of Israel’s efforts, alongside an IJN editorial with commentary on Israel’s humane - and effective - actions.
The lesson? Where there’s a will there’s a way.
