"Elizabeth The Queen"

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Book Review

From the moment of her ascension to the throne in 1952 at the age of 25, Queen Elizabeth II has been the object of unparalleled scrutiny. But through the fog of glamour and gossip, how well do we really know the world's most famous monarch? Drawing on numerous interviews and never-before-revealed documents, acclaimed biographer Sally Bedell Smith pulls back the curtain to show in intimate detail the public and private lives of Queen Elizabeth II, who has led her country and Commonwealth through the wars and upheavals of the last 60 years with unparalleled composure, intelligence and grace.

In "Elizabeth The Queen," we meet the young girl who suddenly becomes "heiress presumptive" when her uncle abdicated the throne. We meet the 13-year-old Lilibet as she falls in love with a young navy cadet named Philip and becomes determined to marry him, even though her parents prefer wealthier English aristocrats.

We see the teenage Lilibet repairing army trucks during WWII and standing with Winston Churchill on the balcony of Buckingham Place on V-E Day. We see the young Queen struggling to balance the demands of her job with her role as the mother of two young children. Sally Bedell Smith brings us inside the palace doors and into the QUeen's daily routines--the "red boxes" of documents she reviews each day, the weekly meeting she has had with 12 prime ministers, her physically demanding tours abroad and the constant scrutiny of the press--as well as her personal relationships with Prince Philip, her husband of 64 years and the lover of her life; her children and their often-disastrous marriages; her grandchildren and friends.

Compulsively readable and scrupulously researched, "Elizabeth The Queen" is a close-up view of a woman we've known only from a distance, illuminating the lively personality, sense of humor and canny intelligence with which she meets the most demanding work and family obligations. It is also a fascinating window into life at the center of the last great monarchy.

One in five young Germans have never heard of Auschwitz

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

A survey conducted two days ahead of International Holocaust Memorial Day revealed today that 21% of Germans between the ages of 18-29 do no know that Auschwitz was a Nazi death camp, French news agency AFP reported.

Nearly a third of the 1,000 people questioned were unaware that Auschwitz, possibly the most notorious of the Nazi concentration camps was even located in today's Poland.

The poll comes just ahead of the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops on January 27 1945. Traditionally, Germany marks this anniversary with official memorial ceremonies for the victims of the Holocaust.

The survey also showed that of people aged 30 and older, 95% had heard of Auschwitz and the atrocities committed there, but fewer than 70% were able to name the country it lies in.

The British Daily Mail also reported that almost half of the Germans polled stated that they had never visited the site of a concentration camp, despite the fact that Germany has turned all the camps on its soil into memorials for the victims.

Azerbaijan foils assassination attempt on Israeli ambassador

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Diplomatic Circles Report

Security officials in Azerbaijan arrest three men suspected of being sent by Iranian intelligence officials to assassinate Israeli ambassador Michael Lotem. Some reports say a nearby Chabad house was also targeted. Suspicious letters reportedly sent to several Israeli consulates in the U.S. and Europe.

The suspects allegedly purchased weapons and explosive materials and claimed their aim was to avenge recent assassinations of Iranian scientists. Iran has accused Israel and the West of a string of mysterious explosions in Iran that have killed several nuclear scientists and damaged arms depots in an effort to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions. Israeli officials have neither confirmed nor denied involvement, while Western officials have vehemently denied involvement.

According to some reports about the alleged plot the target was not the embassy but a nearby Chabad house and rabbis who run the Ohr Aner School in Baku. In 2008, an attempt was made to detonate a car bomb near the embassy, reportedly in an effort to avenge the death of Hezbollah mastermind Imad Mughniyeh, who had been killed in a bomb blast in Damascus earlier that year. Hezbollah accused Israel of murdering Mughniyeh. Israel has never admitted responsibility for the incident.

"At this time when our enemies in the north are refraining from offensive activity for fear of harsh retaliation, we are seeing an effort on the part of Hezbollah and other hostile groups to carry out vicious terrorist attacks far from Israel's borders," IDF Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz said today. "I suggest they don't test our resolve."

A senior defense official told "Israel Hayom" today that several factors were behind the recent wave of attempt to attack Israelis abroad, which had included the discovery of a terror cell in Thailand and a failed attempt to attack Israelis in Bulgaria. As well as retaliation for the recent spate of mysterious attacks on Iranian scientists, another motive might be the fourth anniversary of Mughniyeh's death. The official also cited anti-Israeli sentiments stirred by the Arab Spring uprisings as a possible motive for terrorist organizations to attack Israelis. According to the official, there have been other attempts to harm Israelis outside the country that have not yet been publicized.

Meanwhile, the FBI said a suspicious letter containing a white powder was found at the Israeli consulate in Atlanta, similar to letters found at other Israeli consulates during the past two days, according to a report in the Atlanta Journal Constitution today. "There are a lot white-powder letters that are going to Israeli consulates around the country. There may be more out there," FBI spokesman Chris Allen said.

Israeli film 'Footnote' to tread Oscar red carpet

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Israeli director Joseph Cedar will make his second trip to the Academy Awards with his movie "Footnote." The nomination marks the 10th time an Israeli film has been up for Best Foreign Language Film. Cedar: "I feel like the luckiest guy."

Four years after stepping on to the red carpet of the Academy Awards for his film "Beaufort," Israeli director Joseph Cedar will be returning this year with his new movie "Footnote." The film was officially nominated in the category of Best Foreign Language FIlm and will compete for a golden statuette at the 84th Academy Awards in Los Angles on Feb. 26.

"Footnote" is a family drama about a father and son who are both Talmudic scholars at the Hebrew University, and involves a rivalry surrounding the acceptance of the Israeli Prize. It stars legendary Israeli comedic actor Shlomo Bar-Aba as the father and Lior Ashkenazi of "Walk on Water" fame as his son. In September, "Footnote" clinched the Ophir Award--the Israeli equivalent of the Oscar--for best picture as well as eight other trophies. The film also won Best Screenplay award at the Cannes International Film Festival in May and was snapped up by Sony Pictures Classics for North American distribution.

Only minutes after it was announced that "Footnote" was nominated for an Oscar contender, a press conference was hurriedly organized in Tel Aviv. Cedar looked bewildered at the sight of the masses of camera crews surrounding him.

"It must be a slow news day," the director said with a smile. "I feel like a lucky guy. There's is no other way to say it. Despite expectations to the contrary, the film was able to garner fans and that is a major source of satisfaction. We were aware that initial screenings had been warmly received, but still we were very surprised," Cedar said.

"Higher Ground" (2011)

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

The same intelligence, wit and mature spirit that actress Vera Farmiga ("Up in the Air") brings to her performances is richly apparent in her directorial debut as well, the inquisitive spiritual drama "Higher Ground."

Based on Carolyn Briggs' memoir "This Dark World," and adapted by Farmiga with Briggs and Tim Metcalfe, the film depicts the journey of Midwesterner Corinne from godly wonderment to roiling dissatisfaction. As a teenager, literary-minded, curious Corinne (played in these scenes by Farmiga's youngest sister, Taissa), bristles at the disintegrating union of her mother and father.

When her own blissful romance with a long-haired rock guitarist named Ethan quickly settles into a workaday marriage, young parenthood and near-tragedy, the pair double down on their bond by turning to the Bible as a way to make sense of their changing lives.

Farmiga and Joshua Leonard pick up the roles of Corinne and Ethan as adults, when they've settled into a tightly knit, rural evangelical Christian community marked by hippie-ish conventions (folk-tined song circles, sexual happiness chatter) and ultra-conservative attitudes about gender roles. So while Ethan can find fulfillment as a musician for Jesus, Corinne's attempt at self-expression in church is reprimanded as "preaching to men."

As doubt creeps in Corinne's mind with each twist of life, Farmiga's beatific features tighten ever so slightly, her character discovering the importance of self-determined strength in a world where dogma and uncertainty don't easily mix.

At a time when the country seems willfully divided into camps of believers and nonbelievers, "Higher Ground" treads an in-between area with admirable compassion and insight.

The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

"The Life of Emile Zola" is a biographical film about French author Emile Zola. Set in the mid through late 19th century, it depicts his friendship with noted painter Paul Cezanne, and his rise to fame through his prolific writing, with particular focus on his involvement in the Dreyfus affair. The film had its premiere in Los Angeles and was a great success both critically and financially, contemporary reviews cited it as the best biographical film made up to that time. It is still held in high regard by many critics. It also won the Oscar for Best Picture.

Struggling write Emile Zola (Paul Muni) shares a drafty Paris attic with his friend, painter Paul Cezanne. A chance encounter with a street prostitute hiding from a police raid leads to his first bestseller, "Nana," an expose of the steamy underside of Parisian life.

Other successful books follow. Zola becomes rich and famous, he marries ALexandrine and settles down to a comfortable life in his mansion. One day his old friend Cezanne still poor and unknown, visits him before leaving the city. He tells Zola that he has become complacent, a far cry from the zealous reformer of his youth.

Meanwhile, a French secret agent steals a letter addressed to a military officer in the German embassy. The letter confirms there is a spy within the top French army staff. With little thought, the army commanders decide that Jewish Captain Alfred Dreyfus is the traitor. He is courtmartialed and imprisoned on Devil's Island in French Guyana.

Later, Colonel Picquart, the new chief of intelligence, discovers evidence implicating Major Esterhazy as the spy, but he is ordered by his superiors to remain silent, as this revelation would embarrass them. He is quickly reassigned to a distant post.

Years go by. Finally, Dreyfu's loyal wife Lucie pleads with Zola to take up her husband's cause. Zola is reluctant to give up his comfortable life, but the evidence she has brought him piques his curiosity. He publishes a letter in the newspaper accusing the army of covering up a monstrous injustice. Zola barely escapes from an angry mob incited by agents provocateurs employed by the military.

As he had expected, he is brought to trial for libel. His attorney does his best but the presiding judge refuses to allow him to bring up the Dreyfus affair and the military witnesses all commit perjury with exception of Picquart. Zola is found guilty and sentenced to a year is prison. He reluctantly accepts the advice of his friends and flees to England, where he continues to write on behalf of Dreyfus.

A new administration finally admits that Dreyfus is innocent those responsible for the coverup are forced to resign or are dismissed and Esterhazy flees the country. However, Zola dies of carbon monoxide poisoning due to a faulty stove the night before the public ceremony in which Dreyfus is exonerated.

The film won three Academy Awards and was nominated in another seven categories.

One in five Germans still harbors anti-Semitic feelings, a new study shows

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Report commissioned by German parliament says anti-Semitism still rooted in German society. Many Germans agree with anti-Semitic statements such as "Jews have too much power in business."

More than 60 years after the end of WWII, anti-Semitism is still rampant in Germany, a new study by an independent committee of experts appointed by the German parliament has revealed. The study, released Monday, ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan 27, shows that 20% of Germans harbor "latent" anti-Semitic feelings.

The study--which draws on several different surveys and other research--puts Germans in the middle of the pack in Europe, with a German university survey showing more latent anti-Semitism in countries such as Poland, Hungary and Portugal and less in Italy, Britain, the Netherlands and France.

"Anti-Semitism in our society is based on widespread prejudices, deeply rooted cliches and on sheer ignorance about Jews and Judaism," one of the author, London-based German history professor Peter Longerich told reporters at a press conference to unveil the report in Berlin.

The study shows that about one-fifth of Germans agree with anti Semitic statements such as "Jews have too much power in business." It also shows that anti-Semitism runs deep in mainstream society, citing children's frequent use of the word "Jew" as an insult in playgrounds. The report also cited chants from crowds at soccer matches where Jewish teams play shouting "Jews to the gas chamber," or "Bring back Auschwitz."

The rise of the internet has made this a particularly volatile problem, the study's author's add, because it provides a platform for extremists to spread their hateful messages. The report did say, however, that the vast majority of anti-Semitic crimes are committed by right-wing extremists who number only about 26,000 of Germany's more than 80 million residents.