Movies

Multifocals and the wisdom of Inside Out

August 21, 2015

“Let me take care of him. He’s very sensitive,” my optometrist Nadine whispered to her coworker in Hebrew behind the counter as she brought out my new glasses. “I heard that!” I snapped back, indicating that, while my Hebrew is famously fragile, I had command of enough basics to know when I was being insulted. […]

Read the full article →

Culture Clash at Cinema City

September 16, 2010

I am not particularly fond of going out to the movies here. The audience jabbers away incessantly, cellphones never cease to ring and the infamous movie theater hafsaka breaks the film into two parts, often cutting for intermission while the main character is delivering a critical monologue and always in the middle of an intense […]

Read the full article →

What’s in Name? For Ethiopian Immigrants, a Lot

February 19, 2010

Mequonent, Kenubish, Dawit, Workenesh. These are some of the names given to Ethiopian Jews before they arrived in Israel between 1984-1991. Their names after immigration authorities got involved? Asher, Ilana, David and Zahava. The story of how Israel changed the names of thousands of Ethiopians – and the pain and alienation that such a seemingly […]

Read the full article →

Fact and Fiction: Beit Avi Chai Launches Film Series

February 10, 2010

Beit Avi Chai has launched a fascinating new lecture series at its Jerusalem headquarters. The program is called “Fact and Fiction: Diversity Within” and features documentary films followed by one-on-one discussions between the film director and Amy Kronish, a long-time movie maestro and critic who’s put together the series. Monday night was the opening session […]

Read the full article →

Israeli Sci Fi and Fantasy Fans Get Beamed Up

January 18, 2007

Whether their taste was Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, or just good old aliens, there was something for every Sci Fi fan at the tenth annual ICON Festival held recently in Israel. Bringing together more than 5,000 young enthusiasts to the Tel Aviv Cinemateque, the festival was a four-day celebration for fans of science fiction, fantasy […]

Read the full article →