Wake-Up Call
The leftist Israeli magazine +972 wants to sound the alarm on a Jewish state it believes is destroying itself
Useful Fiction
Newt Gingrich says the Palestinians are an “invented people.” They are, like many others in the Middle East. It’s a useful myth the U.S. must support.
Unrepentant
Two Palestinian prisoners released in the Shalit deal, now home in the West Bank, express no regrets and view prison time as service to their cause
Martyrologies
Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish created a poetry of martyrdom for his people—and a political coup for the idea of the nakba
Is Oakland Palestine?
The left sees Occupy Wall Street and the Palestinian cause as common
Father Figure
Shimon Peres, Israel’s president, has written a new Nextbook Press biography of David Ben-Gurion, its first prime minster and his mentor
In Diplomatic Theater, Is Europe the Audience?
How the past several days of nutsiness may help Israel at the U.N.
Remembered
Raja Shehadeh’s new memoir joins a growing list of literary works on Palestinian life before Israel. But do they tell the whole story?
Promises to Keep
Jonathan Schneer’s history of the Balfour Declaration frames a still-unfolding struggle
Ben-Gurion
Cheap Eats
An entrepreneur opened a Jewish-themed restaurant in Lviv, Ukraine. Chopped liver is on the menu, but not its price—diners get to haggle over it.
Grace Notes
Orthodox klezmer and bluegrass virtuoso Andy Statman and evangelical country star Ricky Skaggs cross genres and faiths to form a mighty duo
Goodbye to All That
For generations, the Jews of Caracas had idyllic weather, prosperity, and vibrant communal organizations. Things have changed under Hugo Chávez.
