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Throughout Israel’s embattled history, it has been a badge of honour to serve in the country’s armed forces. For obvious reasons, public expressions of conscientious objections, draft dodging or anti-war sentiments have been virtually non-existent. While objections to the draft remain relatively marginal, there has been a change among Israeli [...]
Your mother scared the daylights out of you last week. She said she was going for a quick walk but when she didn’t return three hours later, you went looking for her. You were frantic, she was confused, you were embarrassed. She has early-stage Alzheimer’s and you’re trying to cope [...]
In upheavals that convulsed the Arab world over the past two years, Saudi Arabia seemed immune. It is the last absolute monarchy in the world, and enormous wealth, profligate spending and political power is in the hands of the Al Saud family. Its princes control every important agency. Slavery was [...]
Life in Montreal would be a lot more boring if we didn’t have Josh Freed poking fun at its vagaries. In his inimitable style, Freed has a way of turning commonplace activities into sources of joyful absurdity. Josh’s column in The Gazette is the first thing many of us turn [...]
Montrealers following sensational headlines linking Muslims to terrorism or honour killings experience a range of reactions. Some become convinced that Muslims are different and threatening. Others, such as new Canadian Muslims, experience dread. Like the Jewish community, Montreal Muslims have been targeted by hate crimes. Mosques in Verdun, Dorval and Gatineau [...]
A year ago, North America was in the throes of the Occupy movement, Quebec’s student boycott was being mapped out, and the Arab Spring was reaching a crescendo. What to make of it all? One of the most perceptive analyses comes from the brilliant and voracious mind of Slovenian philosopher [...]
by Irwin Block Sir Martin Gilbert is a most prolific historian with more than 50 books to his credit, an established and popular writer whose work is crafted for and marketed to the general reader. Ishmael’s House, A History of Jews in Muslim Lands (McLelland & Stewart, 424 p., $35) [...]
BY: IRWIN BLOCK Many of us are obsessed by the Second World War and the unprecedented devastation unleashed by the German killing machine until the great battles that turned the tide. But there is more to the stories of Stalingrad and Kursk, El-Alamein and D-Day than stamina, strategy and over-extended [...]
BY IRWIN BLOCK As surely as lilacs bloom in spring, gas prices in Montreal soared above $1.33 a litre in May, and for economist Jeff Rubin, that may not be all bad. There is little we can do about the growing demand for petroleum, especially in the new consumer economies [...]
BY IRWIN BLOCK There are many inspiring moments in this gripping personal story of how one of Canada’s toughest, most courageous and successful journalists fell into the dark hole of workplace depression. Told with honesty when it comes to revealing her weaknesses and many character strengths, we are reminded how [...]
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