February 11th, 2010 by Shana Goldberg
Add a comment Rockies versus Alps. No, I’m not referring to the baseball team, but to two of the world’s most famous and beautiful mountain ranges. A brief excursion to the Engadine valley in southeast Switzerland got me wondering: which range is more spectacular?
This week saw me in Sils Maria, a small village close to the well-known and tourist hotspot St. Moritz but infinitely more peaceful and rejuvenating. It’s clear why Friedrich Neitzsche spent time here. For those looking for activity, Sils is also well-situated for skiing adventures and summertime hikes.
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January 29th, 2010 by Rocky Mountain Jew
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The latest release from filmmaking auters Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man, tells the story of Larry Gopnik, a physics professor living in 1967 Minneapolis. His story closely parallels that of the book of Job; a seemingly good person is afflicted by a deluge of misfortunes. His wife leaves him; his health is questioned; his brother, who is incapable of taking care of himself, is involved in gambling and perhaps sexual troubles; an anti-Semitic and racist neighbor is encroaching on his land.
Like all Coen brothers’ films, A Serious Man intertwines details large and small to create a complete story; however, as in most Coen Brothers’ films, the larger picture is not always immediately obvious. One such example is the opening sequence, which portrays the encounter of an Old World couple with a dybbuk. The theme of dybbuk does appear later in the main feature and the vignette does question the viewers’ perception of reality, and truth and fiction, but how the vignette relates directly to Larry Gopnick’s story? We’re not sure. A Serious Man, again like most Coen Brothers’ movies, surely requires repeated viewings. [More...]
November 10th, 2009 by Rocky Mountain Jew
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The story of the Bielski Brothers, and Jewish partisans in general, was largely unknown before the release of the film Defiance. Here in our own community we had two survivors of the Bielski group living among us – but who knew their story? In the last year, since the release of the film, we’ve been privileged to hear local artist Paula Burger recount her experiences of living in the forest among the Bielski group. Her brother, long-time Denver cantor Isaac Koll was with her, as well as their father, Wolf, who fought alongside the Bielski brothers.
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