CULTURE
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The Baker’s Wife ★★★★ — Jewish Renaissance
Concorde turns out to be a bit of a misnomer. In no time, the apparently neighbourly residents are squabbling, led by Denise, the café owner’s wife (Josefina Gabrielle), mistress of the put down. Perhaps they have an excuse – this is a village with no baker after all – equivalent to a British pub with no beer; everyone is on…
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Visit from an Unknown Woman ★★★★ — Jewish Renaissance
Now, playwright Christopher Hampton has written a stage drama based on the story, adding to the tension by moving most of the action to the 1930s, though it shifts backwards and forwards in time. He also gives the male protagonist (‘R’ in the novella) the name Stefan, making the play more directly autobiographical. It opens in 1934, when it was…
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30 years on from the Argentinian bombing that shocked the world — Jewish Renaissance
I interviewed many of the protagonists who had emerged in the first month of investigations, among others, the then judge Juan José Galeano, the main Argentine suspect Carlos Telleldín, the Jewish community leader Rubén Baraja, the former minister Carlos V Corach, the former vice chancellor Fernando Petrella, the former AMIA president Alberto Crupnicoff, agents of the Argentine secret service, the…
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Special commendations — Jewish Renaissance
Ahead of announcing the winner of JR’s inaugural Emerging Journalists Award, Dani Silver speaks to four of the candidates who received special commendations Last November, JR launched a six-week online journalism programme for aspiring journalists. The series, supported by Jewish News and the Union of Jewish Students, was made up of masterclasses and lectures covering everything from news reporting and…
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2nd Prize — Jewish Renaissance
When arriving at international airports, you’ll see posters about ‘modern slavery’. Jews know all about slavery – every Passover we tell the story of how we were slaves. For most, that’s where the story ends. But not for all Jews. The Bible (Genesis 24) tells how Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for his son Isaac. Laden with riches,…
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1st Prize — Jewish Renaissance
Last December, two days after assuming office as Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei attended a Chabad Hanukkah menorah lighting in Buenos Aires. The next day, Argentinian media was full of images of the president wearing a kippah, a rabbi by his side, reaching out to light a candle. Although raised Catholic, the president has been enthusiastic about his love of…
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Michael Graubart 1930-2024 — Jewish Renaissance
The Austrian-born conductor and composer has died aged 93 Michael Graubart was born in Vienna in 1930 and came to England as a Jewish refugee in 1938. He studied physics at Manchester University, but spent most of his time there composing and playing the flute. He also studied composition with Mátyás Seiber, flute with Geoffrey Gilbert and conducting with Lawrence…
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Rabbi Sacks’ archive to be digitised — Jewish Renaissance
Much of the work, notes and more once belonging to the renowned religious leader and philosopher has been acquired by Israel’s National Library The personal archive of the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020) was received this week by the National Library of Israel (NLI) in Jersusalem. Comprising around 50 boxes of material – including sermons, books, notes, correspondence and…
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Jewish Connections in Unexpected Places — Jewish Renaissance
On our way back to London we’ll stop at another little-known but fascinating location: St Matthew’s Church on the outskirts of Northampton, which, thanks to the intervention of Dean Walter Hussey in the 1940s, is home to two impressive artworks: Henry Moore’s serene Mother and Child, and Graham Sutherland’s tortured Crucifixion, which was, by the artist’s own admission, partly inspired…
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Questioning belief — Jewish Renaissance
Shimon ben Azzai was a second century rabbinic scholar, who would walk up and down the bustling market in Tiberius declaring, “I welcome anyone asking about the Torah and I’m ready to respond”. He typified the positive attitude of our sagest of questions. They wanted to discuss what we believe and practice. They relished challenges, not just to help the…
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