On the 11th of April, our family has for many years celebrating my father’s liberation from Buchenwald, in 1945. My mother would prepare a lavish banquet for the whole family. The menu was hearty, rather than fancy – in direct contrast to the hunger my father experienced during the war and his time in various concentration camps. My father would speak, and tell us stories of the past: of experiences that defy description, of relatives we never met, and of pre-war…
David Werdiger writes about the media reaction to Israeli PM Netanyahu’s comments about Hitler and the grand mufti, which has descended into a silly debate over who did more to hurt Jews [Times of Israel and J-Wire].
In this parody thought experiment, David Werdiger looks at a school debate exercise that debated whether the Holocaust actually happened, and considers what might be if the school had debated if the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki actually happened [Times of Israel].
In the first piece, following a celebration of anniversary of the Buchenwald liberation, David Werdiger looks to the past and to the future and considers the wonders of grandparent-hood [Times of Israel]. Reflecting on Yom Hashoa – Holocaust Memorial Day – David Werdiger paints a picture of a tree ravaged by a storm and then slowly replenishes, and considers the perspective of a leaf. [Times of Israel and J-Wire]
The Menorah is one of the most enduring Jewish symbols we have – instantly recognizable, and adopted as part of the emblem of the state of Israel. The menorah lit in ancient times was symbolic of the Temple, and Judaism, being a source of light to the entire world. Facebook friends are posting many moving photos of Chanukah celebrated after WW2 and in other dark times – a much-needed source of light and inspiration. Here’s…
Imagine this: a radio shock jock does some humourous talkback, and the jokes progress to an anti-gay slur. The cyberspace reaction builds in momentum, and in a moment of arrogance, the DJ responds to a tweet with something like “if you don’t like my program, then don’t listen”. After about 36 hours, the station issues an unreserved apology on its web site. But instead of “thanks for dealing with this”, the apology triggers a further spate…
I know when my birthday is. I know the date, the year, and the time of day – I even know what music was playing in the radio on the way to the hospital (Louis Armstrong). My mother’s birthday is more like a machlokes achronim. For years we celebrated Lag Ba’omer because that’s what my late grandmother said it was. But when we visited her hometown of Kharkov some years ago, the local Chabad shliach…