The Queen of Procrastination

These are stressful days. The heat in Modena seems more oppressive than ever before, and relentless. They say it may break tomorrow. We certainly need a break of some kind.

Meanwhile, the new year is just a couple of weeks away, and there is so much yet to prepare. I talk about the heat having boiled my brain, and escape into genealogy explorations. But I have paperwork to complete. Numbers and words await my collection and arrangement. People await my attention and support. My dear ones await my cheshbon nefesh. It's time to face the things I fear instead of hiding.

I'm sure I say this every year, and each time I intend to do better. Will this be the year that I fulfil that promise?

 

One Of Those Days

Sometimes you just have one of those days, y'know? Hopefully an early night can help to reset things. A domani.

The Jew in the Box

I don't know if you have come across the phrase "The Jew in the box"recently, but it has been all over. The mother of ravaj is proud to note that CNN, Time magazine, The New York Times and NBC's Today show have all shown an interest in the latest exhibition at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. It is actually called "The Whole Truth:  Everything you always wanted to know about Jews". A sister of ravaj happens to be one of the curators. We are proud of her. While it is a pity that the media have fixated on one element out of thirty showcases in the exhibition, at the same time the international exposure has probably helped the profile of the museum. If you wish to form an opinion of your own, and are unable to visit Berlin before September, here are a number of links for various commentaries to help out:


Museum defends 'Jew in a Box' exhibit by CNN_International

version viewable by American viewers may be found here.

A story from the New York Times is here. This is a quote from it:

"Michal S. Friedlander, a curator at the museum and an American-born German Jew, said that most of those who criticized the show had not actually seen it. 'That's the whole point, what's appropriate and what's inappropriate and letting people come to their own conclusions.'"

btw, having always considered this sis to be a bit of a Luddite, I was delighted today to discover that she has at least one blogpost to her name!

Benjamin Weinthal's report and review in Foreign Policy may be found here.

Time magazine online

Criticism in the Jewish Daily Forward

Last for now, a link to an interview on the Today Show in the USA on the NBC channel. If you want more, you're on your own!