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Mar 30, 2015

On Documenting Jewish Fiction Writers & How It Inspired A New Book

Jewish Book Council, Visiting Scribe Series

Years ago the literary theorist Geoffrey Hartman, who was working with a documentary filmmaker from Hebrew University, contacted me about a very unique and worthy project. A donor had emerged who wanted to film the world’s great Jewish fiction writers in conversation with other writers. The idea was to pair up two writers (who might also be friends), and film them in conversation, shot over two days, discussing the books and lives that were the subject of each film.
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Mar 25, 2015

Barack Vs. Bibi Round, __

Times Of Israel

Forgive me for wondering whether the daily dealings between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are taking a page from the Rocky Balboa vs. Apollo Creed playbook — without the Marquees of Queensberry Rules. Actually, now that the Israeli election is over, this bilateral bickering more resembles a tawdry soap opera — Dallas with a Wild, Wild West Bank plot twist. Here’s the Hollywood pitch: The saga of an American President and an Israeli Prime Minister, world leaders and longtime allies from democratic nations who simply can’t get along despite having far more important things to worry about in a world, and region, that is in complete disarray.
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Mar 18, 2015

Ucla, Oklahoma And Campus Bias

Jewish Week

The feature film “Selma” and the fickle nature of identity politics have reminded Jews that it’s easy to be forgotten in the struggle for civil rights. With movie magic, Jewish participation was edited out, left on the cutting room floor like an inconsequential plot.
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Mar 3, 2015

At Aipac, A Cheering Squad For Netanyahu

Tablet Magazine

This year’s AIPAC Policy Conference had all the pomp of a coronation and uncritical love of a bar mitzvah as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was bathed in the adoring partisan embrace of 16,000 pro-Israel supporters on Monday.
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