Your daily spiel for Wednesday, May 4

10th grader makes 20 square-foot wooden model of Auschwitz-Birkenau FACEBOOK PHOTO
10th grader makes 20 square-foot wooden model of Auschwitz-Birkenau FACEBOOK PHOTO

Your Daily Spiel is The CJN‘s daily roundup of trending stories in the Jewish world. Sign up to receive it in your inbox by clicking here.

Recording history to teach future generations. Leading up to Yom HaShoah (which begins tonight) Carleton University’s Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship (CHES) has announced its intention to record stories of local Holocaust survivors for a new and innovative teaching tool. “If we can create something short, that teachers can use in the classroom… they will be able to hear the voices of the actual survivors telling their own stories, even after they are gone,” said CHES director Mina Cohn.

Student creates mini Auschwitz – to honour his great-grandfather. A 10th-student has constructed a 20 square-foot wooden replica of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp as a homage to the great-grandfather he never got to meet. In an essay for the Forward, Andrew Altman writes that his parents were skeptical of his decision at first, but became immensely proud once they saw the finished work, complete with Nazi guards, military vehicles, and inmates.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyYszWHriAA

Jews for Trump? Fat chance. After Donald Trump’s monumental win last night, forcing Ted Cruz to bow out of the presidential race (John Kasich is rumoured to suspend his campaign sometime today) prominent Jewish Republican Ari Fleischer tweeted his support for Trump, prompting a backlash in the Jewish community, amongst Republicans and Democrats alike. At this point, all one can do, it seems, is #VoteHillary.

BDS is BS. Such were the sentiments (though not exactly in those words) voiced by revered Canadian film producer Robert Lantos at an event hosted by the Canadian Friends of Haifa University earlier this week. Lantos dedicated his address to the need to combat the BDS movement, which he argues masquerades as a humanitarian movement but really only has one goal: to eliminate Israel.

The New England Rabbis. Staunch Israel supporter and owner of the New England Patriots Robert Kraft revealed that his father actually wanted him to become a rabbi, but he decided to choose his own path. Looks like he made the right choice. Kraft single-handedly brought the sport of American football to the Holy Land after funding the Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem.

Until TIFF, there’s TJFF. The Toronto Jewish Film Festival will be underway tomorrow, running until May 16. This year, the 24th edition of the festival, will screen four world premieres, 11 North American and 31 Canadian premieres – including a wide selection of dramas, comedies, documentaries and special features. Notable films include Natasha, Einstein in the Holy Land, Black Jews, the Roots of the Olive Tree, and others.

Very special challah. Another Jewish-themed film getting media attention (though it won’t premiere at TJFF) is called Dough, and follows a kosher baker who enlists the help of a young Muslim man who moonlights as a weed dealer. When the man’s stash falls into a batch of challah dough, it leads to a huge rise in sales from oblivious customers who don’t seem to catch on that they’re getting high. However, as this review puts it, this is far from a stoner movie, and captures the nuances of cross-cultural relations.

And you thought your iPhone was expensive. An Israeli-founded company, Sirin Labs, is looking to introduce a new sophisticated phone to the market that blows its competitors out the high-tech waters. But there’s a catch: it’ll likely be sold from anywhere between $10,000 and $20,000 (US). “Unlike mainstream technology companies where price is paramount, Sirin Labs doesn’t need to wait a couple of years before bringing the most advanced technology to its customers. We can offer them tomorrow’s technology, today. Cost doesn’t influence our decision-making; optimal functionality and quality do,” says CEO Tal Cohen. The phone will be marketed to the ‘uber-wealthy’ and businesspeople with very specific needs.

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