The film "Babe" was released in Israel despite concerns from some religious groups about its main character being a pig. The film's distributors said the delay in releasing it was due to dubbing it into Hebrew, not religious objections. When it was released in Tel Aviv, some in the audience reacted negatively to scenes of pig innards due to kosher dietary restrictions. Rabbis noted pigs are no more unkosher than cows, though some Israelis feel taboos against pigs. It remains to be seen how long the film will run in Israeli cinemas given audiences there can be fickle.
"Constellations in the night sky": Mobile Media & the Landscapes of CinemagoingCharlotte Crofts
Presentation given at the International Screen Conference, Glasgow 2014 on how mobile heritage apps can bring the landscape of cinemagoing to life - using the example of the Lost Cinemas of Castle Park app which features over 100 years of cinemagoing in Bristol City Centre from 1896 to the present day. The presentation argues that mobile location-based technology can raise awareness of the practice of moviegoing through different technological eras of cinema, as well as inform us about the recent history, culture and society. The presentation situates this micro history within the wider landscape of developments in new cinema history, audience research and cultural geography.
The video embedded in the powerpoint is the demo video used for publication on app store to demonstrate the location-based dimension of the app: https://vimeo.com/53189913
Throughout the Torah and the Old Testament, Yahweh time and time again reminds the Jewish people, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,” and reminds us that we, too, should be compassionate towards the exile, the slave, the servant, the widow, the orphan, the poor, the sick, anyone who is in need and suffering
Although the Bible and stoicism tolerated slavery as a labor system for the lower classes, they both encouraged society to view both slave and free men as equal before God, and taught that all men should be treated with dignity and respect. The Stoic Philosophers urged greater compassion for slaves. After Roman Empire became a Christian Empire, the teachings of the Church Fathers became more critical of slavery. We also make some comparisons to the system of slavery in the Confederate Deep South before the Civil War. We also speculate on how the Roman slaves transitioned into the serfs of Medieval Europe.
Were slaves the employees of the ancient world? To understand the role of slaves in the ancient world we have a totally distorted picture when we only focus on the moral wrong of owning another person, treating servants like talking draft animals. The other aspect of slavery is paying someone such low wages that they cannot feed their family with dignity, that they feel like they live forever on the edge of the abyss, where the slightest crisis could force them to live in the streets. Someone who earns a minimum wage that is a starvation wage is very much a modern-day slave.
We review the following Bible stories in our discussions:
• The first Passover in Egypt, and Moses leading his people through the Red Sea to safety from Pharaoh’s chariots.
• Babylonian and Assyrian exiles.
• The trust Abraham shows in his servant Eliezer, who transports the dowry across the desert to Laban, and returns with his daughter Rebekah to be Isaac’s bride.
• The story of Ruth and Boaz, which suggests that the largest landowners did not employ gangs of slaves as was common in Rome.
• Hosea, who buys his runaway wife Gomer at the slave market, where she was sold to pay her debts.
• The Jubilee system in the Torah, which mandated that slaves would be freed in the seventh year of captivity.
We discuss the types of slavery in ancient Israel and Judah:
• Household servants or slaves.
• Concubines captured in war.
• Debt slavery.
We discuss the writings and/or anecdotes of:
• St Paul in Galatians, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians and Philemon.
• Aristotle in his work, Politics.
• The Cynic Philosopher Diogenese of Sinope.
• The Stoic Philosophers Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca.
• The Church Fathers St Gregory of Nyssa, St Ephrem, St John Chrysostom, St Augustine in the City of God and other writings.
One of PRINCESS DORCAS' fairy godmother, BATTLEAXE, concocts an excellent idea for hiding the infant Sleeping Beauty from DAISY the evil fairy -- transport her to another time and place, a place where she'd definitely blend in. Circa 2000, Malibu, California, and now Dorcas is sixteen and it's time to go back to Fantasy Land. Oh, she doesn't mind the 'marry the prince' thing, but this modem girl would like to pack a few necessities (like her car and her computer). Plus commute between worlds through a magic portal controlled by Battleaxe (there is a mutual tolerance) so that she can show off her PRINCE HUBBY to her high school friends. The befuddled KING SIMON and prudish QUEEN PRUDENCE, who still act very medieval, aren't sure if they like their new modem daughter and her addiction to twenty first century toys. The Queen is constantly heard asking, "Are you sure this is our daughter?" Modem conveniences in a primitive society? Somebody's going to have to either wake up or grow up!
Sex in the Boardroom Excerpt (Chapter 19 – The Long & Short of it) Jon Hansen
Sex in the Boardroom Book Excerpt (Chapter 19 - The long & Short of it)
Be sure to mark Tuesday, June 30th on your calendars as the PI Window on Business Show will be joined by a guest panel of four internationally acclaimed/best selling authors who have appeared on major networks such as CNN and Fox to discuss (perhaps even debate) the attributes that the 21st Century business leader will need to possess to navigate the complex and challenging waters of the emerging global marketplace.
Link to Live interview with Merydith Willoughby (June 30, 2009): http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Jon-Hansen/2009/06/30/21st-Century-Leadership-An-Evolutionary-Profile
"Constellations in the night sky": Mobile Media & the Landscapes of CinemagoingCharlotte Crofts
Presentation given at the International Screen Conference, Glasgow 2014 on how mobile heritage apps can bring the landscape of cinemagoing to life - using the example of the Lost Cinemas of Castle Park app which features over 100 years of cinemagoing in Bristol City Centre from 1896 to the present day. The presentation argues that mobile location-based technology can raise awareness of the practice of moviegoing through different technological eras of cinema, as well as inform us about the recent history, culture and society. The presentation situates this micro history within the wider landscape of developments in new cinema history, audience research and cultural geography.
The video embedded in the powerpoint is the demo video used for publication on app store to demonstrate the location-based dimension of the app: https://vimeo.com/53189913
Throughout the Torah and the Old Testament, Yahweh time and time again reminds the Jewish people, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,” and reminds us that we, too, should be compassionate towards the exile, the slave, the servant, the widow, the orphan, the poor, the sick, anyone who is in need and suffering
Although the Bible and stoicism tolerated slavery as a labor system for the lower classes, they both encouraged society to view both slave and free men as equal before God, and taught that all men should be treated with dignity and respect. The Stoic Philosophers urged greater compassion for slaves. After Roman Empire became a Christian Empire, the teachings of the Church Fathers became more critical of slavery. We also make some comparisons to the system of slavery in the Confederate Deep South before the Civil War. We also speculate on how the Roman slaves transitioned into the serfs of Medieval Europe.
Were slaves the employees of the ancient world? To understand the role of slaves in the ancient world we have a totally distorted picture when we only focus on the moral wrong of owning another person, treating servants like talking draft animals. The other aspect of slavery is paying someone such low wages that they cannot feed their family with dignity, that they feel like they live forever on the edge of the abyss, where the slightest crisis could force them to live in the streets. Someone who earns a minimum wage that is a starvation wage is very much a modern-day slave.
We review the following Bible stories in our discussions:
• The first Passover in Egypt, and Moses leading his people through the Red Sea to safety from Pharaoh’s chariots.
• Babylonian and Assyrian exiles.
• The trust Abraham shows in his servant Eliezer, who transports the dowry across the desert to Laban, and returns with his daughter Rebekah to be Isaac’s bride.
• The story of Ruth and Boaz, which suggests that the largest landowners did not employ gangs of slaves as was common in Rome.
• Hosea, who buys his runaway wife Gomer at the slave market, where she was sold to pay her debts.
• The Jubilee system in the Torah, which mandated that slaves would be freed in the seventh year of captivity.
We discuss the types of slavery in ancient Israel and Judah:
• Household servants or slaves.
• Concubines captured in war.
• Debt slavery.
We discuss the writings and/or anecdotes of:
• St Paul in Galatians, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians and Philemon.
• Aristotle in his work, Politics.
• The Cynic Philosopher Diogenese of Sinope.
• The Stoic Philosophers Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca.
• The Church Fathers St Gregory of Nyssa, St Ephrem, St John Chrysostom, St Augustine in the City of God and other writings.
One of PRINCESS DORCAS' fairy godmother, BATTLEAXE, concocts an excellent idea for hiding the infant Sleeping Beauty from DAISY the evil fairy -- transport her to another time and place, a place where she'd definitely blend in. Circa 2000, Malibu, California, and now Dorcas is sixteen and it's time to go back to Fantasy Land. Oh, she doesn't mind the 'marry the prince' thing, but this modem girl would like to pack a few necessities (like her car and her computer). Plus commute between worlds through a magic portal controlled by Battleaxe (there is a mutual tolerance) so that she can show off her PRINCE HUBBY to her high school friends. The befuddled KING SIMON and prudish QUEEN PRUDENCE, who still act very medieval, aren't sure if they like their new modem daughter and her addiction to twenty first century toys. The Queen is constantly heard asking, "Are you sure this is our daughter?" Modem conveniences in a primitive society? Somebody's going to have to either wake up or grow up!
Sex in the Boardroom Excerpt (Chapter 19 – The Long & Short of it) Jon Hansen
Sex in the Boardroom Book Excerpt (Chapter 19 - The long & Short of it)
Be sure to mark Tuesday, June 30th on your calendars as the PI Window on Business Show will be joined by a guest panel of four internationally acclaimed/best selling authors who have appeared on major networks such as CNN and Fox to discuss (perhaps even debate) the attributes that the 21st Century business leader will need to possess to navigate the complex and challenging waters of the emerging global marketplace.
Link to Live interview with Merydith Willoughby (June 30, 2009): http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Jon-Hansen/2009/06/30/21st-Century-Leadership-An-Evolutionary-Profile
Comme une feuille morte se détache à l'automne de l'arbre qui l'a nourrie, le trentième numéro de Contemporasciences vient s'ajouter à la longue collection des Surprises du Monde Vivant.
Ce sera sans doute notre dernière édition (mais sait-on jamais ? La Nature n'a jamais terminé de nous surprendre...) et nous voyons avec quelques regret de terminer une année riche en découvertes, surprises et acquisitions de connaissances superflues et fondamentales.
Nous vous souhaitons une agréble marche sur les chemins accidenté du vivant,
emplissez vos poumons d'air frais et vos yeux de erveilles,
tant que votre esprit est assez jeune encore pour s'étonner de vivre.
1. Can Israelis swallow an Oscar-nominated, traif film star? (8-23-1996) http://www.jewishsf.com/bk960823/etbabe.htm
1 of 2 8/27/07 11:13 PM
August 23, 1996
Can Israelis swallow an Oscar-nominated, traif
film star?
KAREN SULKIS
Bulletin Correspondent
After months of porcine previews, the Australian film "Babe" arrived in the Holy Land.
Despite post-election fears that the Knesset's powerful new religious bloc might impose such untold
horrors as head-to-toe modesty on the beaches of Tel Aviv, the film's Israeli distributors say the delay of
its premiere had little, if anything, to do with the shape of the star's hooves.
It was all a matter of marketing, said Dorit Ishay, manager of the Yoram Globus Group, which is
handling the Oscar-nominated porker's foray into Israel.
"We wanted to release it in the summer," said Ishay. It would take that long for the film's voice-overs to
be dubbed into Hebrew. And summer is an optimum time to release films aimed at young audiences.
"Babe," which opened in July at a Tel Aviv multiplex near the Mediterranean, did draw mostly
youngsters. During the opening credits, audience reaction swelled to an audible "Iccchhh" as images of
pigs' innards rolled across the screen.
You don't get much of a chance to view pig innards in Israel. Not even in Tel Aviv.
Oh, in scattered shops the determined sleuth can find fancy imported foods and various pork cuts. But if
major supermarket chains want to avoid boycotts by ultrareligious Israelis and their sympathizers -- and
they do -- they won't carry traif. "Krab" with a K and fake shrimp are OK. The bona fides are not.
On the other side of the country, in the holy city of Jerusalem, "Babe" opened in the cineplex at Malcha,
the Middle East's largest mall, and the only mall with separate meat and dairy dining areas. As the
distribution company had anticipated, in Jerusalem "Babe" drew early receipts noticeably lower than
those of other films playing around town.
All of which begs the question: Is there something inherently unkosher about a movie with a pig in the
title role?
"Some people might have their sensibilities offended," offers Rabbi Artie Fisher, an observant Jewish
educator and head of Midreshet Rachel, a women's yeshiva in Jerusalem.
But, Fisher says, halachically speaking "a pig is no more unkosher than a horse. And I don't think there
was any outcry over `Mister Ed.'"
2. Can Israelis swallow an Oscar-nominated, traif film star? (8-23-1996) http://www.jewishsf.com/bk960823/etbabe.htm
2 of 2 8/27/07 11:13 PM
Still, Fisher says many Israelis feel there is "something beyond unkosher" about pigs. There are taboos
regarding the sale of pork in Israel that do not apply to other meats.
Ishay learned this the hard way. This past spring she spent months trying to arrange "Babe" product
tie-ins with fast-food restaurants, and was rebuffed.
Still, Fisher maintains that there is nothing more forbidding about pigs than about any other living
creatures. A live pig may be unkosher; "but...so is a live cow. Jewish law prohibits eating both."
Ishay and Fisher agree that for residents of "certain neighborhoods," mainly in Jerusalem, billboards
showing Hoggett Farm's favorite little porker surrounded by Hebrew letters might be a bit much.
While Fisher freely adds that his own kids loved the novel "Charlotte's Web" (which features a
loquacious pig named Wilbur), he notes that some Jewish sects do forbid their young people from
playing with toys in the shape of unkosher animals.
Right now, it's anybody's guess how long "Babe" will run. Some distributors use Israel as a test market
for films headed to Europe, but audiences here are notoriously fickle. Even in supposedly sophisticated
Tel Aviv, for example, Laurence Fishburne's star turn in "Othello" came and went in two weeks, while
the lurid and lowbrow "Showgirls" hung on for months until it was finally kicked out on its G-stringed
tuchis by the latest addition to the Roberto Begnini oeuvre.
And for every twisted little indie film like "Denise Calls Up" that enjoys a longer run in Israel than it
does in many U.S. cities, there is an "Ace Ventura II: When Nature Calls" that will not leave.
For now, Israelis can rest easy knowing that there is one less film the whole world has seen that they
haven't. And kosher or not, that's what counts.
Copyright Notice (c) 1995, San Francisco Jewish Community Publications Inc., dba Jewish Bulletin of
Northern California. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without
permission.