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Sundown: Gaza’s ‘Planned’ Economy

Plus Mama Streisand, Judah Magnes, and more

by
Marc Tracy
January 05, 2011
Barbra Streisand in November.(Mike Coppola/Getty Images for National Museum of American Jewish History)
Barbra Streisand in November.(Mike Coppola/Getty Images for National Museum of American Jewish History)

• In 2008, according to a new WikiLeaks cable, Israel told the United States it deliberately was keeping Hamas-ruled Gaza’s economy near, but not at, the brink of collapse. [Reuters]

• Barbra’s got the stuff? Streisand may play Mama in a Gypsy movie. [Arts Beat]

• Did not know much about Judah L. Magnes, but a new book seems a great occasion for his rediscovery. Fascinating figure. [Forward]

• The spying vulture, and four other nefarious Mossad plots. [Foreign Policy]

• Here’s a hint: If you click “Unsubscribe,” even Hamas will let you off its listserv. [The Onion]

• Some interesting thoughts on Jewish parochialism in the context of the narrow, self-contained band of secular Israel. [Economist]

Speaking of secular Israel, below is “Secular Quarter #3,” the winner of the Israel-based Association of Planning and Conservation’s contest to depict Jerusalem 100 years from now on film.

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.