This is the Forward’s coverage of Israel, the Jewish state in the Middle East founded in 1948.
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Fast Forward Natalie Portman Breaks Silence On Prize Snub — And BDS
Natalie Portman says she refused to visit Israel to receive a $2 million prize as a protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and because of Israeli “atrocities” — but insisted she doesn’t back the boycott of the Jewish state. The Hollywood superstar said she didn’t want to seem to be endorsing the escalating violence against…
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Fast Forward Mossad Eyed In Assassination Of Hamas Engineer In Malaysia
Two unidentified men shot dead a Palestinian man in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, Malaysian and Palestinian authorities reported, and Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister said the suspects were believed to be linked to a foreign intelligence service. Kuala Lumpur police chief Mazlan Lazim said two men on a motorcycle fired 10 shots at the 35-year-old victim,…
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Culture Why The Idea Of An Egalitarian Kibbutz Was Always A Myth
The Mystery of the Kibbutz: Egalitarian Principles in a Capitalist World By Ran Abramitzky Princeton, $29.95, 360 pages It’s funny to think of kibbutzim as an experiment in radical social equality, since they excluded nonskilled and non-Ashkenazi Israeli Jews. That paradox is not totally lost on Stanford University economist Ran Abramitzky, who writes, in the…
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News Natalie Portman Says ‘Jewish Values’ Caused Her To Scrap Israel Visit For Genesis Prize
Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman has refused to travel for Israel to accept a $2 million award, citing her “Jewish values” as an imperative to stand up for justice amid an increasingly deadly conflict with the Palestinians. The Hollywood superstar said she did not want to be seen as endorsing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom she…
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Fast Forward After Snub, Genesis Prize Will Choose Where Natalie Portman’s $2M Prize Goes
(JTA) — Natalie Portman will no longer get to choose where her $2 million Genesis Prize will be donated after saying she will not travel to Israel to receive the award. Instead, the Genesis Prize Foundation will decide where the money goes. Portman is refusing to travel to Israel to receive the prize because “[r]ecent…
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The Schmooze Brad Pitt’s New Girlfriend Is A Supersmart Israeli MIT Professor
It was late April 2018, and the soul of the people of Israel was stretched to the breaking point. Actress Natalie Portman, long thought of by Jews as God’s emissary here on earth, was taking a vague and confusing stance on Israel that was probably well intended but felt like the snuffing out of 1,000…
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The Schmooze Ruth Bader Ginsburg Still Plans To Attend Genesis Gala That Natalie Portman Is Snubbing
Natalie Portman, it was announced on Thursday, will not attend the ceremony to accept the Genesis Prize in Israel, citing “recent events in Israel” that are “extremely distressing to her.” But as the news of Portman’s shocking stand ripples across the globe, the question remains: will Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the inaugural winner…
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The Schmooze Natalie Portman’s Complete History With Israel, Annotated
Israeli-born actress Natalie Portman will not travel to Israel to accept the prestigious Genesis Prize, the organization announced on Thursday. A representative told the prize committee on the actress’ behalf: “Recent events in Israel have been extremely distressing to her and she does not feel comfortable participating in any public events in Israel.” The representative…
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