Author Christopher Hitchens discusses his views on the May, 2010 Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. He argues that while the Gaza occupation is unjust, the activists on the flotilla most likely had ulterior motives.

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Christopher Hitchens, tackling nearly everything with unmatched enthusiasm, erudition and, at times venom, has up to now barely touched upon one subject: his own life.

After many years writing about world issues and traveling to some of the most dangerous places on the planet, comes his memoir Hitch-22. Though Hitchens can navigate any argument with great dexterity, his memoir focuses on those whom he has loved, those he has abhorred, and those who have helped shape him throughout his life. The memoir answers this question: How the did Christopher Hitchens become Christopher Hitchens?

With tenderness he writes about his parents — his mother Yvonne, in particular, “a beautiful woman who loves me” and about his father, Commander Hitchens, whose “liver was that of a hero.” In a form that is anything but shy, Hitchens describes his complex and warm relationship with his mother, whose Jewish heritage he discovered only after her suicide.

The memoir naturally touches upon friendships, both lost and found over the course of his life. Hitchens’ many sketches of friendships and ex-friendships from Martin Amis to Noam Chomsky, Edward Said to Gore Vidal are delivered in a style that is at once ironic, witty and tough-minded. A legendary bon vivant with an unquenchable thirst for literature, Hitchens has at times ridiculed those who claim the personal is political, even though he has often seemed to illustrate that very idea.

Paul Holdengräber, in conversation with Hitchens, will goad him to help bring into focus the many sides of Hitch, thereby illustrating Robert Frost’s dictum that “a liberal is a man too broad-minded to take his own side in a quarrel.” – New York Public Library

Duration : 0:2:49

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Tishri 22, the day after the seventh day of Sukkot, is the holiday Shemini Atzeret. In Israel, Shemini Atzeret is also the holiday of Simchat Torah. Outside of Israel, where extra days of holidays are held, only the second day of Shemini Atzeret is Simchat Torah: Shemini Atzeret is Tishri 22 and 23, while Simchat Torah is Tishri 23.

These two holidays are commonly thought of as part of Sukkot, but that is technically incorrect; Shemini Atzeret is a holiday in its own right and does not involve some of the special observances of Sukkot. We do not take up the lulav and etrog on these days, and our dwelling in the sukkah is more limited, and performed without reciting a blessing.

Duration : 0:4:40

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Duration : 0:9:48

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The Sabbath (or Shabbat, as it is called in Hebrew) is one of the best known and least understood of all Jewish observances. People who do not observe Shabbat think of it as a day filled with stifling restrictions, or as a day of prayer like the Christian Sabbath. But to those who observe Shabbat, it is a precious gift from G-d, a day of great joy eagerly awaited throughout the week, a time when we can set aside all of our weekday concerns and devote ourselves to higher pursuits. In Jewish literature, poetry and music, Shabbat is described as a bride or queen, as in the popular Shabbat hymn Lecha Dodi Likrat Kallah (come, my beloved, to meet the [Sabbath] bride). It is said “more than Israel has kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept Israel.”

Duration : 0:5:57

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Duration : 0:5:31

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Duration : 0:1:9

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Theyre even exempt from the ban on alcohol, although discretion is advised. Irans Jews have been here nearly 3,000 years. In 1979 most fled the Islamic Revolution to the US, fearing a pogrom which never came. Robert, a real estate agent has come back from LA to look for an Iranian wife and Shabbat prayers on a Friday night is the place to be. But times have changed. Hes looking to marry young, and most girls think his age too high a price to pay for a ticket to the US and freedom. Behind closed doors Jews throw off Islamic dress and party freely to celebrate the birth of a boy. Soraya, baby Ramtins aunt, says he can still expect a life of discrimination. They prefer to have Muslim people in their universities or in their factories. But for many Jews here, Iran is in their blood and Islamic fundamentalism will not drive them out.

Duration : 0:11:47

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Duration : 0:3:14

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Sukkot is the last of the Shalosh R’galim (three pilgrimage festivals). Like Passover and Shavu’ot, Sukkot has a dual significance: historical and agricultural. Historically, Sukkot commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. Agriculturally, Sukkot is a harvest festival and is sometimes referred to as Chag Ha-Asif Chag Ha-Asif
(in Hebrew), the Festival of Ingathering

Duration : 0:8:21

Technorati Tags: Blog, Festival, Holiday, israel, Jewish, jews, judaism, People, sukkot

Duration : 0:10:0

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