Born about 1620 in Ostrog, Volynia, Rabbi Nathan Hanover and his family were among the countless Jews in Ukraine and eastern Poland whose lives were disrupted by the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648 and the intermittent attacks that continued for years afterwards. Hanover travelled extensively over the region of devastation, speaking with many affected people and…
Moored in Morocco: tale of an 18th-century Jewish traveller
by •
From the earliest days of Hebrew printing to the present, Jewish readers have found great favor in literary accounts of Jewish travellers, especially those who, like the famed 12th-century Benjamin of Tudela, provided first-hand descriptions of the holy city of Jerusalem. One of the acknowledged classics of the genre is Travail in an Arab Land,…
Obit: Mordecai Richler (1931-2001); and IFOA Tribute (2000)
by •
Mordecai Richler, the acclaimed Canadian novelist who died July 3, 2001 at the age of 70, will be remembered for his various novels that brought the Jewish life of Montreal to vibrant and often hilarious life on the page. An irreverent satirist who honed his wit on diverse targets from the Jews to Quebec’s protective…
The Producers generates squirms, laughs
by •
It’s been more than 40 years since comedy writer Mel Brooks first conceived of the idea for what would become The Producers, the $10-million musical that opened December 11, 2003 at Toronto’s Canon Theatre, courtesy of real-life theatre producers Ed and David Mirvish. In town for the opening, Brooks appeared on stage at the show’s…
Obit: William George Poy (1907-2002)
by •
William George Poy, the father of Canada’s Governor General, died in Toronto on Sunday Feb. 3, 2002, at the age of 94. A onetime employee in the Canadian Trade Commission in Hong Kong, Mr. Poy and his young family came to Canada as war refugees after Hong Kong fell to the Japanese in 1942. Continuing…
Port Hope filled with architecture, history
by •
Port Hope, an attractive lakefront town an hour’s drive east of Toronto, has much to offer travellers who stray (either by accident or design) from nearby Highway 401. With a picturesque main street known for its antique shops, the town of roughly 12,000 is a Mecca for antique shoppers. But there’s also an abundance of…
Old woman is last Bedouin in Petra
by •
We left Aqaba at dawn. Squat buildings and palm trees receded into the desert behind us as our jeep spat up clouds of dust. Travelling the King’s Highway, we reached Petra in two hours, and took a light breakfast at the Petra Forum, a local hotel. Afterwards, we hired two fine horses — Ruba a…
Patricia Paddey: a Christian’s view of Israel
by •
Toronto-area journalist Patricia Paddey, who writes for several Christian magazines and newspapers in Canada, says that a recent trip to Israel (2005) reinforced her faith in ways she couldn’t have anticipated. “It’s almost as though I was reading my bible in black and white before and now I’m reading it in colour,” she said of…
A sensational Toronto murder from 1894
by •
Eighteen-year-old Frank Westwood had gone out with friends about 7.30 that Saturday evening, October 6, 1894. By the time he returned to his family’s Jameson Avenue mansion about 10:30, his father, sister and brother had already retired upstairs; his mother, seeing he was safely in, shortly went up, too, leaving him on the stairs. The…
Conversations with Woody Allen
by •
Woody Allen once famously quipped: “I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying.” Whether or not he achieves his wish, his name has already attained the poetic equivalent of immortality due to his extraordinary film career. Although the celebrated writer-director has often portrayed himself on screen…
