‘Stunning alphabet of Yiddish poetry’ wins top prize

We’ve gone truly global with this week’s world Jewish round-up, with Polish Yiddish poetry to Madonna’s Purim costume, and everything in between.

Germany

A new book has been released recounting how a young Jewish lady in Berlin managed to survive the war by living as a ‘U-boat,’ submerged beneath the surface of Nazi Germany. Untergetaucht (Submerged) is based on 77 tapes of conversations between Marie Jalowicz Simon and her son, Hermann, a historian.

United States

Madonna caused a Twitter sensation on Saturday by dressing up as a character from the popular TV series ‘Game of Thrones’ for Purim. The 55-year-old pop star dressed up as Mother of Dragons, complete with leather corset and lacy top, before posting the photo to Instagram, saying: ‘Happy Purim!!!!!’

Italy

A Polish Jewish group is celebrating success after winning a prestigious children’s literary award in Italy for what judges said was ‘a stunningly produced alphabet of Yiddish poetry.’ The book, ‘Majn Alef Bejs,’ won the Bologna Children’s Book Fair prize for the poems of Jehoszua Kaminski, who was born in 1884.

Ukraine

A Christian-funded group has pledged over $1 million in emergency assistance to Jewish groups in Ukraine to help the country’s Jews make aliyah. The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews sent money to the Jewish Agency for Israel following the overthrow of corrupt former president Viktor Yanukovich.

The Netherlands

A new theatre dedicated to the story of Anne Frank is to open in Amsterdam ahead of the 70th anniversary of the Jewish teenage diarist’s deportation and death. It will seat 1,100 people and royalties from ticket proceeds will go toward educational work and charity projects for Jewish and non-Jewish causes.

Tunisia

Tunisia has discovered that race discrimination can by costly after Norwegian Cruise Lines dropped the North African country from its itineraries after port authorities refused to allow a group of 20 Israeli citizens to disembark. ‘We want to send a strong message,’ said the group’s chief executive Kevin Sheehan.