By Guido Vitale* This 5778 which is now to begin is the year of some decisions that will leave their mark on the Italian Jewish institutions. The whole Jewish world is confused: it isn’t ready enough to act in a context where old divisions between conservatives and progressives have little relevance and where the essencial …
Guido Vitale “I am a great fan of Israeli cinema, which is a symbol of freedom of expression and the strength of Israeli democracy. Israeli cinema is one of the most important ambassadors of Israel in the world because of its quality, and because of the way it reflects different aspects of life in Israel, …
Guido Vitale “There’s good news about the Jewish people and bad news. The good news is we’re amongst the greatest speakers in the world. The bad news is we’re among the world’s worst listeners.” (rav lord Jonathan Sacks)
Guido Vitale “Unless we can flip the devastating message that Israelis don’t have the same tolerance and commitment to human rights that Americans do, we lose”. (Fern Oppenheim, Herzliya Conference – June 2017)
Guido Vitale “(…) Auch diese Ideen reichen in das 19. Jahrhundert zurück. Die Vorstellung von Amerika als einer Nation beruhte in ihrer konservativen Variante auf dem Gedanken des Ausschlusses. Die Begründung hierfür basierte auf religiös-ethnischen Argumenten. Diese Argumente waren immer präsent, erlangten aber nie politische Wirkmächtigkeit. Die katholische Immigration schürte bei protestantischen Gruppen Angst vor …
Guido Vitale “If I live to be one hundred, there will still be so many things unsaid” (Kirk Douglas to his wife, Anne, 1958 – “Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood”)
Guido Vitale (…) “Mr. Trump isn’t the first presidential candidate to promise an embassy move — former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush made similar comments as candidates that went unfulfilled. But some officials and diplomats took Mr. Trump’s pledge more seriously, as he continued to keep the possibility open once he took office. …
By Guido Vitale* “Three old men who are better known for being young men stood on Wednesday morning where they had 50 years earlier: in Jerusalem’s Old City at the limestone retaining wall that is one of the holiest places for Jews. In a moment frozen in a famous photo, the three men, who were …
By Guido Vitale “Countries with a modern energy infrastructure and energy-efficient buildings will lead the way in the future. Therefore, we are doing the right thing if we readjust our energy supply and demand accordingly. Energy is essential for any modern society. So, we must take the local production and supply of energy into our …
By Guido Vitale “In Pirkei Avot we are taught, Al Tadun Et Chaveircha Ad Shetagia Limkomo, ‘Don’t judge others until you come to their place’ – which means we should always appreciate the pressures, the influences, the extenuating circumstances in the lives of others. Those very people, whom we wish to criticise, might very well …
By Guido Vitale Harold Bloom considered Gershom Scholem “not less than a prophet,” declaring that for many contemporary Jewish intellectuals, “the Kabbalah of Gershom Scholem is now more normative than normative Judaism itself.” And yet many people haven’t heard of him. George Prochnik aims to change this with his book “Stranger in a Strange Land: …
Guido Vitale Dans le Coran, il y a un credo très puissant contre les Chrétiens et les Juifs, dont la plupart sont «pervers» et «maudits». (Daniel Sibony – “Coran et Bible” – Editions Odile Jacob)
By Guido Vitale Ken Livingstone, who has been suspended from holding office in the Labour Party following his claims that Adolf Hider supported Zionism, is a provocateur. That is to say: he doesn’t care about the truth. To respond to him is already to elevate him; to debate him is a waste of time. Self-pitying, …
By Guido Vitale I remain committed to both Israel and South Africa, and I straddle both societies. I am acutely aware of Israel’s problems and faults, but it is nothing like South Africa before 1994. Those who accuse Israel of apartheid — some even say, “worse than apartheid” — have forgotten what actual apartheid was, …
Guido Vitale Le Mouvement de la résistance islamique (Hamas), qui s’est Juré de détruire israel et contrôle depuis 2007 la bande de Gaza, espère atténuer son isolement en publiant dans les prochaines semaines une nouvelle plateforme politique. (Le Figaro, 27-3-2017)
Guido Vitale “(…) En Polonia aún sobrevive una testigo del horror de Chlaniów. Una anciana de 92 años a cuyo padre mataron. En Minneapolis, la ciudad del ciclo azul cuchillo, ha sido localizado el hombre que supuestamente ordenó la aniquilación. La hora del juicio ha llegado. El Lobo ya no tiene donde huir. Por delante …
Guido Vitale “Un jour je me suis dit que je ne l’avais jamais remercié. Pourtant, je lui devais mes lectures. Et que serais-je sans lire et sourtout sans avoir lu? Comme je me preparais au depart, une petite voix m’avait soufflé: ‘Deux mille ans que le planète et le papier cohabitent” . (Eric Orsenna)
By Guido Vitale “The longest palindrome in the Torah is ‘Venatnu’ – vav, nun, taf, nun, vav – spelling the same backwards and forwards, showing that when you give, you receive in turn.” (Ephraim Mirvis, Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth)
Guido Vitale “Trump hat keine Ahnung” (Amos Oz, Der Spiegel 25-2-2017)
Guido Vitale Bei der Premiere in Berlin sagten Sie, dass Sie geweint hätten, als Sie sich das erste Mal auf der Leinwand sahen. Es sind die Menschen im Kino, die mich bewegen. Jedes Mal lachen sie an anderen Stellen und verstehen auch Szenen, bei denen man es nicht erwarten würde. Und manchmal weine ich auch …