Oded brenner biography of william shakespeare

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THE SHAKESPEAREAN WORLD

The Shakespearean World takes a global view of Shakespeare and his works, especially their afterlives. Constantly changing, the Shakespeare central to this volume has acquired an array of meanings over the past four centuries. “Shakespeare” signifies the historical person, as well as the plays and verse attributed to him. It also signifies the attitudes towards both author and works determined by their receptions. Throughout the book, specialists aim to situate Shakespeare’s world and what the world is because of him. In adopting a global perspective, the volume arranges thirty-six chapters in five parts: • • • • •

Shakespeare on stage internationally since the late seventeenth century; Shakespeare on film throughout the world; Shakespeare in the arts beyond drama and performance; Shakespeare in everyday life; Shakespeare and critical practice.

Through its coverage, The Shakespearean World offers a comprehensive transhistorical and international view of the ways this Shakespeare has not only influenced but has also been influenced by diverse cultures during years of performance, adaptation, criticism, and citation. While each chapter is a freshly conceived introduction to a significant topic, all of the chapters move beyond the level of survey, suggesting new directions in Shakespeare studies – such as ecology, tourism, and new media – and making substantial contributions to the field. This volume is an essential resource for all those studying Shakespeare, from beginners to advanced specialists. Jill L. Levenson is Emeritus Professor of English at Trinity College, University of Toronto, Canada, and is an honorary vice president of the International Shakespeare Association. Robert Ormsby is Associate Professor of English at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada.

THE ROUTLEDGE WORLDS THE CELTIC WORLD Edited by Miranda Green

THE VICTORIAN WORLD Edited by

Shakespeare is a hearty beverage to quaff, even at his lightest, as in The Comedy of Errors, currently running at the Cameri Theatre, in a Hebrew version by Dori Parnes, directed by Moshe Kepten. The cup over-full with images, associations, and ideas; one might sip or swim, plunging headlong into that ocean of words.

Kepten helms this voyage with a knowing smile, letting the story of two sets of identical twins separated in infancy become as raucously funny as it was meant to be, while revealing its hidden depths. Parnes carouses through the play with the intoxicating freedom that comes from a lifetime of knowledge and playing in the Shakespearean fields. It’s a ribald, bawdy, fast-paced, bold and utterly contemporary translation, inspiring an almost illicit pleasure in the listener.

Reading the cast list is excellent preparation for the play, as one is likely to emerge as confused as the protagonists of this farcical comedy. Antipholus of Syracuse (Dan Shapira) and his servant Dromio of Syracuse (Yaniv Biton), while searching for the twin from whom Antipholus was separated at sea, arrive in Ephesus, which unbeknownst to them is the home of their twins (Iftach Ophir and Ido Mosseri respectively). Seasick, anyone? It sounds a lot more confusing on paper, live onstage the antics of the two pairs of twins as they muddle their way through mix-ups and mishaps is thoroughly entertaining. Mysteriously, they never encounter one another as they gallivant through this small town, and some things just don’t make sense – didn’t Shakespeare find it a bit much to give these boys identical names? Yet one willingly accepts the nonsense, in the spirit of the all-out, crazy fun of this production. Emblematic is a scene between the Syracuse Antipholus and Dromio extolling the ample attributes of Luce (Aya Granit-Shva), servant to Adrianna, wife of the Ephesus Antipholus. It’s a comic sketch that can and does stand alone, audaciously crude, witty and hilarious. The anything-go

In Memoriam

• • • Rachel Feldhay Brenner

Rachel Feldhay Brenner, the Elaine Marks WARF Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, died on Thursday, 4 February in Madison, Wisconsin. She was Brenner was a devoted teacher, a prodigious and wide-ranging scholar, and a valued colleague and friend. She served the Association of Israel Studies (AIS) tirelessly, sitting on innumerable committees, serving as Vice President from –, and as President from – During her term she oversaw the transformation of the AIS into the large, well-organized, and academically influential organization it is today. As Ian Lustick recalls,

That meant dealing with personal and political issues within the organization, as it grew, that were difficult and sometimes awkward and painful. Rachel was not someone who relished the spotlight or the exercise of authority. Yet she trusted in herself, and in those who asked her to serve, myself included, that she was up to the job and could help lead the Association toward the amazing success it has had. I remember, and will always remember, her for her honesty, her devotion, her warmth, and, though she would deny it, for her leadership.

Born in Zabrze, Poland, Brenner moved to Israel with her family in She studied at the Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, and the University of York in Toronto before coming to Madison, where she joined the Department of Hebrew and Semitic Studies in In addition to chairing the department from to , Brenner was an active member of the George L. Mosse/Laurence A. Weinstein Center for Jewish Studies, the Middle East Studies Program, and the Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

An internationally recognized scholar of Hebrew, Polish, and Canadian literatures, Brenner published on a wide range of subjects, including the ethics of witnessing, the literature

The real agenda of the BDS movement

Ahron Shapiro

Foreign Minister Bob Carr announced on September 13 that the Australian Government &#;fiercely, unequivocally, strongly oppose&#; the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. This followed a Government decision the previous day to oppose supporting a Senate anti-BDS motion advanced by Opposition Senator Arthur Sinodinos (Lib., NSW) on the grounds that it singled out individuals in the Greens party. But Carr&#;s statement reinforced the broad national consensus against the destructive, anti-peace BDS campaign.

When Australian Greens federal parliamentary leader Christine Milne distanced her party from BDS on the Senate floor and reiterated support for &#;a two-state solution&#; for Israelis and Palestinians, the fringe nature of the movement was fully exposed. It lacks public backing from a single federal member of parliament or significant political party in Australia.

In the aftermath of the NSW Greens&#; ill-fated Marrickville Council foray of &#; a disastrous attempt to impose BDS upon a local council which led to a voter backlash arguably still being felt today &#; the Greens continue to flee from BDS with the understanding that it alienates potential supporters.

Yet the pariah status of BDS in the halls of Parliament has not deterred its advocates from pressing forward with noxious protests, both here and abroad. And while the protesters serve up any number of contrived excuses to the media why a particular artist or company should be boycotted, it is essentially a smokescreen to obfuscate their true agenda &#; to target anything and everything Israeli. This article seeks to examine the flimsy and often contrived excuses commonly advanced by the BDS movement for boycotting or protesting specific companies and organisations.

Boycott them all

In Australia, the various pro-Palestinian and radical socialist groups associated with BDS have more famou