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Matthew Perry, the beloved actor who starred as Chandler Bing on “Friends,” has died. “We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry. Matthew Perry at the 2022 GQ Men Of The Year Party on November 17, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. (l-r) Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry (second row) Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston. Reisig & Taylor/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty ImagesOn “Friends,” Perry starred alongside Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow in the comedy about a tight knit group of friends living in New York City.

Persons: Matthew Perry, Chandler Bing, ”, Perry, Matthew, Warner, Brian Humphrey, Humphrey, Gregg DeGuire, Perry’s, Robert ”, “ Charles, Tracey Ullman, Jimmy Reardon, ’, Chandler, Joe Quincy, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Reisig, ” Perry, Doctors, “, haven’t, ’ ”, ” Matthew Perry, Mark J, Terrill, Molly Hurwitz, Molly, Matthew Perry’s, ” Maggie Wheeler, Chandler’s, Janice, Mathew Perry, ” Selma Blair, Matty, ” Michael Rapaport, Gary, Yvette Nicole Brown, Perry “ Organizations: Police, CNN, Los Angeles Times, Warner Bros . Television Group, ” Los Angeles Fire Department, Party, Getty, Warner Bros . Television, Warner Bros ., NBCU, Bank, Perry’s, “, CBC Locations: Los Angeles, West Hollywood , California, Williamstown , Massachusetts, Ottawa, Canada, Beverly Hills, New York City, Pasadena , California, American

☆ Israel Tries to Part the Fog of War
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Peggy Noonan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Peggy Noonan is an opinion columnist at the Wall Street Journal where her column, "Declarations," has run since 2000. She has been a fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, and has taught in the history department at Yale University. Before entering the Reagan White House, Noonan was a producer and writer at CBS News in New York, and an adjunct professor of Journalism at New York University. She was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up there, in Massapequa Park, Long Island, and in Rutherford, New Jersey. In November, 2016 she was named one of the city's Literary Lions by the New York Public Library.

Persons: Peggy Noonan, ”, ” Noonan, Ronald Reagan, Noonan Organizations: Wall, Journal, NBC News, The, Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, Yale University, Reagan White House, CBS News, Journalism, New York University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Lions, New York Public Library Locations: New York, Brooklyn , New York, Massapequa Park, Long, Rutherford , New Jersey, Rutherford, New York City

☆ ‘The Great Gatsby’ Review: A Musical Take on Tragic Desire
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Brittani Samuel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” requires no critical endorsement. His slim 1925 novel still takes up permanent residence in the book bags of students across the nation. “The Great Gatsby,” now playing at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, N.J., replicates its literary prototype. Jay Gatsby (Jeremy Jordan) is the elusive seigneur of a mansion in West Egg, a fictional Long Island town. Though the musical remains largely faithful to that plot, Kait Kerrigan, the book writer, takes liberties with the point of view.

Persons: Scott Fitzgerald’s “, ”, Jay Gatsby, Jeremy Jordan, Eva Noblezada, Tom Buchanan, John Zdrojeski, Nick Carraway, Noah J, Ricketts, Daisy, Kait Kerrigan, Nick Organizations: Metropolitan Museum of Art Locations: Millburn , N.J, West, Manhasset Bay, New York

☆ Who Decides Penn’s Future: Donors or the University?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Stephanie Saul | More About Stephanie Saul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

“The conference became a vehicle.”It is not unusual for donors, unhappy with student activism, to pull back giving. “It’s essential that the university remains independent from donor pressure or influence on the content of work that’s done in the university,” said Ms. Lieberwitz, who is also general counsel for the American Association of University Professors. “Very broadly, I am deeply committed to academic freedom,” Ms. Magill had told The Daily Pennsylvanian, the campus newspaper. Alumni Donors Push BackOne day after the Indigenous Peoples’ Day post, Ms. Magill issued her first statement condemning the Hamas assault. Some Wharton alumni had been unhappy with the university’s direction for a long time.

Persons: —, Lauder, Jon Huntsman, Dick Wolf —, Rowan, ”, Robert Vitalis, “, George W, Bush, Penn, Risa L, Lieberwitz, Magill, Ms, Amy Wax, Penn Hillel, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Israel, Roger Waters, Susan Albuhawa, Critics, ” Mr, Wharton, Jonathan S, Jacobson, Lia Thomas, Erika James, Ross Stevens, University of Chicago’s Booth, Stevens, Booth Organizations: “, East Center, University of Texas, Austin, University of Denver, Palestinian, U.N, Cornell, American Association of University, Edge, University of Virginia, Daily, university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Penn, Pink Floyd, Indigenous Peoples, Wharton, HighSage Ventures, Management, University of Chicago’s Locations: Utah, Penn, Israel, Yom Kippur, Nazi, Berlin

NEW YORK (AP) — Tens of thousands of books are being banned or restricted by U.S. prisons, according to a new report from PEN America. In its report, PEN found parallels between the frequency of prison bans and book bannings in schools and libraries. Texas, another frequent site of library bannings, had more than 10,000 prison book bans, second only to Florida. "Prison book programs have mostly tried to raise awareness locally when prisons implement new censorship restrictions for communities they serve," the report reads. In Idaho, Amazon and Barnes & Noble are not among the nine approved sellers, which include Books a Million and the Women's Prison Book Project.

Persons: Elmore Leonard, ”, Moira Marquis, Marquis, Michigan's, Frederick Forsyth's “, Charles de Gaulle, Amy Schumer’s, ” Barrington Barber's, Robert Greene's, Greene, ” Marquis, Noble, —, “ Organizations: PEN America, PEN, Michigan Department of Corrections, ”, Power, Barnes, Idaho Department of Correction, AP, Marshall Locations: Cuba, Spanish, Florida, Texas, Kentucky, New Mexico, Maine , Michigan, Idaho, Amazon, United States, State

☆ Columbia University postpones major fundraiser amid tensions over Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Columbia University has postponed its massive Giving Day fundraising event scheduled for Wednesday amid simmering tensions on campus over the Israel-Hamas war. At Columbia, school officials took the rare step earlier this month of shutting the campus down to the public as two simultaneous rallies were held on school grounds. That decision came after the assault of a Columbia student who was hanging up posters on campus in support of Israel. In a statement on Tuesday, the alumni club of Israel said it is now “formally disengaged” from UPenn. We are reviewing this incident and will take any appropriate steps with respect to the individuals involved in accordance with university policies,” the university said.

Persons: “, Samantha Slater, ”, Minouche Shafik, Shai Davidai, Shafik, it’s, ” Davidai, “ Ben Franklin, Doc Hoch, Dalia Hope Levine, Liz Magill, Dick Wolf, Jon Huntsman, Cliff Asness, Marc Rowan, Rowan, Emil Woods, Magill, “ Penn, Penn, ” Woods, Rowan . Woods Organizations: New, New York CNN — Columbia University, Columbia, University, Columbia Business School, University of Pennsylvania, Penn Alumni Club of Israel, Ivy League, Palestine, CNN, “, George Washington University Locations: New York, Israel, Columbia, Gaza, America, UPenn, New Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Palestine, Washington , DC

☆ UPenn donors were furious about the Palestine Writes Literature Festival. What about it made them pull their funds?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

Gottheimer criticized UPenn for including Waters and Hill as festival speakers in a letter posted the day after the University released its statement. “Situating those individual Palestinians and our allies in league with actual antisemites is wholly irresponsible and dangerous.”At the festival, speakers acknowledged the allegations of antisemitism and denied them. It said they were notified 48 hours before the event Waters wished to show up in person, but that would have required additional security unavailable at short notice. ‘Felt like home’Planning the Palestine Writes Literature Festival took endless hours, according to Abulhawa. Susan Abulhawa, a Palestinian-American writer and human rights activist, speaks at a 2014 Palestine Festival of Literature event at Qasr al Qassem on June 4, 2014 in Beit Wazan, near Nablus, West Bank.

Persons: Liz Magill, Magill, Penn, Roger Waters, Pink Floyd, Rogers, “, Anne Frank, ”, Waters, Andreas Arnold, demagogue, ” Waters, Tala, Fahmawi, Josh Gottheimer, Marc Lamont Hill, Gottheimer, UPenn, ” Hill, Hill, Susan Abulhawa, Amer Zahr, Abulhawa, Ronald Lauder, Marc Rowan, Rowan, Scott Bok, ” Abulhawa, Dalia Al, Ahmad, Palestine — Ibrahim Nasrallah, Elias Khoury, Mahmoud Shukair, Habayeb, Salman Abu Sitta, Mahmoud Darwish, it’s, ” Dalia Al, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer, Gary Younge, Nguyen, Younge, Israel, Bernard Schwartz, 92NY, ” Nguyen, ‘, Rob Stothard, ” UPenn, David Magerman, Cliff Asness, Lauder, Dick Wolf, Jon Huntsman, Elizabeth Magill, John Jackson , Jr, ” Rowan, Ed Rendell Organizations: New, New York CNN, The University, Ivy League, CNN, Defamation League, ADL Philadelphia, Jewish Federation of Greater, Pink, US State Department, ADL, Democratic New Jersey Rep, University, Apollo Global Management, ” CNN, The Daily, UN, Assembly, Jewish Chronicle, New York, New York City Jewish, New York Times, Palestine, Palestinian, Facebook, West Bank, Student, Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn, Twitter, Venture, Law, Renaissance Technologies, University of Pennsylvania, CNBC Locations: New York, UPenn, Philadelphia, Israel, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, Magill, Germany, Nazi, Frankfurt, “ Palestine, Palestine, The, Europe, Canada, British, New, New York City, Palestinian, American, Qasr, Qassem, Beit Wazan, Nablus, West

☆ Ed Rendell: UPenn president Liz Magill made a 'mistake' but shouldn't be forced out
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“I don’t think she is going to step down.”Magill did condemn antisemitism broadly before the Palestine Writes festival and noted that some speakers had a history of making antisemitic remarks. Indeed, some members of the UPenn faculty and even the UPenn Jewish community criticized Magill prior to the Sept. 22 Palestine Writes festival for being too critical of the event. Still, Magill’s handling of the Palestine Writes festival triggered a backlash from powerful donors in a campaign led by private-equity billionaire Marc Rowan. Organizers of the Palestine Writes festival denied that it embraced antisemitism, according to UPenn student newspaper The Daily Pennsylvanian. Given the controversy over the Palestine Writes festival, Rendell is calling for the creation of an independent commission that would approve whether outside groups can access the UPenn campus.

Persons: Ed Rendell doesn’t, Rendell, Liz Magill, ”, Magill, ” Rendell, “, ” Magill, Marc Rowan, Dick Wolf, Jon Huntsman, David Magerman, Cliff Asness, ” Wolf, Ronald Lauder, Lauder, UPenn, Huntsman Organizations: New York CNN Business — Former, University of Pennsylvania, Ivy League, UPenn, CNN, Israel, “, Wolf Humanities Center, Daily, University Locations: Palestine, UPenn, Israel, Utah, Pennsylvania

☆ Opinion | With War in Israel, the Cancel Culture Debate Comes Full Circle
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Michelle Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Today, with people still struggling to understand the contours of this deeply complicated conflict, the book seems essential. “Because that was absolutely the ambition of the book, to depict real people” rather than villains and saints. Because I admire “A Day in the Life of Abed Salama” so much, I agreed to moderate a talk with Thrall this Thursday in Brooklyn. And in a time of war, particularly a war shrouded in fiercely competing narratives, free speech is more important than ever. And supporters of Israel are hardly alone in creating a censorious atmosphere; particularly on college campuses, it is Zionists who feel silenced and intimidated.

Persons: Nathan Thrall’s, Abed Salama, ”, Thrall, Salama, Beber Vanunu, Dany Tirza, Jamal Khashoggi, ” Thrall, “, Abed Salama ”, I’ve, it’s, ” Andrea Grossman, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Nguyen, gestured, ” Nguyen, didn’t Organizations: New York, West Bank, Crisis, The Guardian . American Public Media, Israel, Boston Palestine Film, Hilton, U.S . Campaign, Palestinian, University of California Locations: Israel, Saudi, Brooklyn, United States, Britain, Angeles, The, 92NY, Manhattan, Palestine, ”, Houston, Gaza, Davis

☆ 92NY Halts Literary Series After Pulling Author Critical of Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Jennifer Schuessler | More About Jennifer Schuessler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

The reading, organized by 92NY’s Unterberg Poetry Center, instead moved to a bookstore in downtown Manhattan, without any sponsorship from the Y. 92NY confirmed afterward that the decision not to go ahead with the event stemmed from Nguyen’s public statements about Israel. On Saturday, as news of the cancellation of Nguyen’s event spread, writers began announcing they would withdraw from upcoming appearances. The poet Paisley Rekdal and the critic Andrea Long Chu also wrote on X that they were pulling out of their events. The turmoil at the Y is part of continuing cultural repercussions over the war between Israel and Hamas.

Persons: Viet Thanh Nguyen, 92NY’s, 92NY, ”, Israel, “, Dylan Thomas, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Philip Roth, Salman Rushdie, Toni Morrison, Richard Ford, John Edgar Wideman, Roxane Gay, Christina Sharpe, Saidiya Hartman, Dionne Brand, Paisley Rekdal, Andrea Long Chu, ” Rekdal, ” Chu, Chu, Sarah Chihaya, Sophie Herron, Nguyen, Min Jin Lee, Bernard Schwartz, Schwartz Organizations: Young, Hebrew, Jewish, Yorkers, Academy of American, London, divesting, McNally Jackson Locations: Israel, Manhattan, States, Gaza, Lower Manhattan

NEW YORK (AP) — On the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's First Folio, rare originals are being displayed and publishers are offering collectors editions of Shakespeare's plays, including one that sells for $1,500. The British Museum is collaborating with Rizzoli Books in New York on “Shakespeare’s First Folio: 400th Anniversary Facsimile Edition,” contained within a slipcase cover. Besides Doran's introduction, the Folio Society release includes a foreword by Dame Judi Dench. “In an era when everything seems disposable, I feel like there's a good market for fine editions of classic books,” says Folio Society publishing director Tom Walker. “You can buy a Ben Jonson folio for a few thousand dollars; a Shakespeare folio will cost you millions.

Persons: Shakespeare's, Mr, William Shakespeares, Shakespeare, “ Macbeth, ”, ” Gregory Doran, Adrian Edwards, George R.R, Martin's, Dame Judi Dench, Neil Packer, “, Tom Walker, Chris Laoutaris, Ben Jonson, Benjamin Jonson ”, Henry, Emily Folger, Sir George Grey, ” Laoutaris, ’, James Shapiro Organizations: Royal Shakespeare Company, British Museum, New York Public Library, British, Rizzoli Books, Folio Society, Folio, Shakespeare Institute, Avon, Columbia University Locations: New York, London, playwright's, Stratford, British, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, France

☆ Billionaire donors are loudly boycotting Ivy Leagues. It may not hurt the schools as much as you think.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But the lost donations might not hurt the schools as much as you might think — at least when taken in isolation. The donors blasting Penn also have given sums that, by any standard, are enormous. Schools could battle a reputational blowUnless the pile-on keeps coming, which it very well might, these schools' bottom lines could be just fine. "As prominent donors withdraw support, other donors may take that as a signal of the loss of institutional focus on education, and these many smaller donors may decide that they too should withdraw support," he added. AdvertisementAdvertisementAt the same time, schools that shift their policies or statements in response to the backlash may be accused of pandering to donors.

Persons: —, Marc Rowan, alums, Huntsman, David Magerman, Clifford Asness, Ronald Lauder, Victoria's, Les Wexner, Michael Hemesath, Penn, Rowan, Lauder, Elizabeth Magill, Hemesath, Max Cavitch Organizations: Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Service, Ivy League, Penn, Wexner Foundation, Carleton College, Saint John's University, Harvard Kennedy School of Government Locations: Israel, Wharton

☆ 92nd Street Y cancels talk by Pulitzer-winning author who backs Palestinians
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Writing on Instagram, Nguyen said he learned at 3 p.m. that the event had been canceled by the 92NY. "Their language was 'postponement,' but no reason was given, no other date was offered, and I was never asked," Nguyen wrote. "I spoke about my book, yes, but also about how art is silenced in times of war and division because some people only want to see the world as us vs them," Nguyen wrote on Saturday. And writing is the only way I know how to grieve." Reporting by Lucia Mutikani, David Ljunggren and Joseph Ax; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Christopher Lightfoot Walker, Nguyen, I've, 92NY, Lucia Mutikani, David Ljunggren, Joseph Ax, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, New York City, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Palestine, Israel, Palestinian, Mineola , New York, U.S, New York, Gaza, Nguyen, American, Manhattan

☆ 'Law & Order' creator Dick Wolf threatens to pull funding from UPenn unless president resigns amid Israel-Hamas response backlash, CNN reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dick Wolf threatened to stop funding UPenn amid backlash over the school's Israel-Hamas response. Wolf, an alumnus, is calling on the school's president and chair of the board of trustees to resign. His main criticism stems from a Palestinian literature festival held at the school before the war began. Wolf also expressed dismay at the notion that the Wolf Humanities Center "contributed to this hate fest," CNN reported. Representatives for Wolf and the Palestine Writes Literature Festival did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.

Persons: Dick Wolf, Wolf, —, Liz Magill, Magill, Scott Bok, Clifford Asness, Marc Rowan, I've, Israel, Bill Ackman, Les Wexner, Idan Ofer Organizations: Service, University of Pennsylvania, CNN, Ivy League, Daily, Wolf Humanities Center, Wolf Humanities, Apollo, Harvard, Harvard's Kennedy School of Government Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Palestine

☆ Israel Needs to Dig Deep and Fortify
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Peggy Noonan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

☆ A Cannes Winner Asks: What if the Powerful Woman Isn’t Punished?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Beatrice Loayza | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In “Anatomy of a Fall,” Sandra and Samuel’s literary rivalry, and their process of culling their own lives for inspiration, is used against Sandra in court. Triet and Harari treated the feature “as a playground, as well as a nightmare vision of what will never happen to us,” wrote Harari in an email. “Justine is and was more “successful” than I am, but I’m very far from Samuel. Her parents were enthusiastic moviegoers —her father once worked as a projectionist — but her desire to make movies came relatively late. Triet began her filmmaking career making chaotically expressionistic documentary shorts about contemporary politics, including one about the 2007 presidential election in France.

Persons: ” Sandra, Sandra, — Triet, Harari, Samuel, ”, Justine, ” Triet, Frederick Wiseman, Shirley Clarke, Allan King, Raymond Depardon, Triet, chaotically Locations: Samuel, France

☆ Law & Order creator Dick Wolf implores UPenn president to quit
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN Business —Dick Wolf, the creator of “Law & Order,” wrote a letter to Liz Magill pleading with her to step down as president of the University of Pennsylvania. “President Magill, I implore you and [chair of the board of trustees] Scott Bok to step down from your UPenn positions before any more unnecessary damage to UPenn,” Wolf wrote in the letter, obtained by CNN on Friday. Organizers of the Palestine Writes festival denied that it embraced antisemitism, according to UPenn student newspaper The Daily Pennsylvanian. In the days before the Palestine Writes festival, Magill was not just facing pressure from Lauder, Wolf and others who wanted the event scrapped. Three dozen members of the UPenn faculty also wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian in support of the Palestine Writes festival.

Persons: New York CNN Business — Dick Wolf, ”, Liz Magill, Wolf, UPenn’s, Magill, Scott Bok, ” Wolf, UPenn, Bok, Israel, Marc Rowan, Jon Huntsman, David Magerman, Cliff Asness, Ronald Lauder, Lauder, ” “, ” Magill, ” Bok Organizations: New York CNN Business, “, University of Pennsylvania, UPenn’s Wolf Humanities, Ivy League, CNN, Wolf Humanities Center, Daily, University, Penn, Greenhill & Co Locations: Palestine, UPenn, Israel, Irish

☆ Wall Street cues a lesson in Ivory Tower finance
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Lauren Silva Laughlin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

NEW YORK, Oct 20 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Wall Streeters are trying to teach universities a lesson, but may provide them with a broader understanding of economics instead. The median family income for Harvard students is nearly $169,000, or about 2.5 times the U.S. average. Stockpiles of cash donated by Rowan, Ackman and other alumni also should theoretically make such institutions more accessible, but haven’t. Elite universities funnel many graduates to lucrative careers in finance and consulting, and studies have shown that social class often predetermines success. Ideally, Ivory Towers would price education closer to its actual value rather than what people are willing to pay.

Persons: Marc Rowan, Bill Ackman, Ackman, Rowan, Israel, grads, Liz Magill, Scott Bok, David Magerman, Estee Lauder, Ronald Lauder, Jon Huntsman, Larry Summers, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: Reuters, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Rowan, Ivy League, Reuters Graphics Investment, Apollo Global Management, Ackman’s, Palestine, Literary, Renaissance Technologies, Pershing, Harvard University, Thomson Locations: Cambridge , Massachusetts, Wharton

☆ ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’ Review: Decoding John le Carré
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

David Cornwell, aka writer John le Carré Photo: Apple TV+If someone were going to tell you their life story, the ideal someone would be one of the world’s great storytellers—John le Carré, for instance, the celebrated spy novelist, literary archivist of the Cold War, spinner of tales of diaphanous morality. And what better conduit than Errol Morris , a filmmaker fascinated by people who delude themselves, or defend the indefensible, or become pawns in a system that eventually devours them—just like those in a Le Carré novel?

Persons: David Cornwell, John le Carré, — John le Carré, Errol Morris Organizations: Apple

☆ Opinion | Taking Sides in a War Shouldn’t Mean Taking Sides on Literature
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Pamela Paul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Last week the literary association Litprom canceled a celebration for the Palestinian author Adania Shibli’s book “Minor Detail” at the Frankfurt Book Fair, one of the publishing world’s biggest international book fairs. A panel that Shibli, who splits her time between Jerusalem and Berlin, was to be on with her German translator, Günther Orth, was likewise canceled. Others may side with Hamas or with the Palestinian people, now under fire by Israeli forces. But taking a side in a war does not require taking positions on a work of fiction — no matter the subject matter or the author’s nationality — and that is the effect of the fair organizers’ decision. Canceling a celebration of an author may not be the same thing as banning a book, but the organizers’ decision amounts to demonizing a fiction writer and stifling her viewpoint.

Persons: Litprom, Adania, International Booker, Günther Orth, “, Israel ”, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Organizations: International Locations: Frankfurt, Jerusalem, Berlin, Israel, Palestinian

☆ ‘Deeply ashamed.’ Another major UPenn backer halts donations and calls on other Jews to do the same
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The donor backlash has been driven by a Palestinian literary festival that was held on campus last month, before the Hamas terror attacks on Israel. UPenn leaders acknowledged well before the start of the Palestine Writes Literature Festival that the event would feature speakers with a history of making antisemitic remarks. “Jews have played an extraordinary role in the history and legacy of the University of Pennsylvania. Billionaire Ronald Lauder, another powerful financial backer of school, is threatening to do the same if more isn’t done to fight antisemitism. Organizers of the Palestine Writes festival denied that it embraced antisemitism, according to UPenn student newspaper The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Persons: David Magerman, UPenn, Magerman, Liz Magill’s, ” Magmeran, Magill, Scott Bok, ” Magerman, Penn, Wharton, Marc Rowan, Jon Huntsman, Ronald Lauder, Susan Abulhawa, ”, ” Magill, “, ” UPenn, Magill’s Organizations: CNN — Venture, University of Pennsylvania, Ivy League, Renaissance Technologies, Penn, Venture, Daily, CNN Locations: Palestinian, Israel, Palestine, Penn, UPenn

☆ The major donor revolt at University of Pennsylvania over its response to the Israel-Hamas war is getting worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The megadonor revolt at the University of Pennsylvania is getting worse as the Israel-Hamas war intensifies. Penn isn't the only school facing backlash after the Hamas attacks; Harvard University and Cornell University have also drawn scrutiny. As the war with Israel intensifies in Gaza, UPenn's benefactors are slamming the school for its response and actions before and after Hamas' terrorist attacks in Israel. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe billionaire Ronald Lauder followed suit, threatening to stop donating to the university if it doesn't mount a stronger response to antisemitism. And at Cornell University, students are calling for a history professor to be fired after he described the Hamas attacks as "exhilarating" and "energizing."

Persons: Penn, —, Clifford Asness, Asness, Liz Magill, Steve McGuire, Marc Rowan, Rowan, Magill, Scott Bok, Dick Wolf, Jon Huntsman, Ronald Lauder, David Magerman, I've, Bill Ackman, Israel Organizations: University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, Cornell University, Service, Pennsylvania's, Ivy League, Penn, American, of Trustees, Apollo, Daily, Huntsman Foundation, Pershing Locations: Israel, Gaza, Penn, Palestine

☆ Scholastic says state book bans are causing an 'impossible dilemma' for its iconic book fairs
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Scholastic's iconic school book fairs are facing an "almost impossible dilemma." There'll now be a separate section for books dealing with race and gender at elementary school fairs that schools can opt out of. AdvertisementAdvertisementChildren's book publisher Scholastic says that state efforts to ban literary works that discuss gender or race are causing an "almost impossible dilemma" for the iconic book fairs that it has hosted at elementary schools across the United States for decades. AdvertisementAdvertisementSchools in all 50 states have already opted to include the "Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice" collection in their book fairs, according to Sparkman. Meanwhile, PEN America — a nonprofit that advocates for free expression — urged Scholastic to explore other options instead of partitioning book titles.

Persons: There'll, —, it'll, Ketanji Brown Jackson, John Lewis, Anne Sparkman, Sparkman, Cailey Myers, Myers, PEN America —, We're Organizations: Service, Scholastic, Republican, Supreme, Fairs, Florida's Department of Education, Florida Department of Education, PEN America, PEN Locations: United States, Georgia, Florida

☆ Billionaire Ronald Lauder threatens to pull funding if UPenn doesn’t do more to fight antisemitism
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Even before the Palestine Writes Literature Festival started, UPenn leaders acknowledged it would include speakers with a history of making antisemitic remarks. “You are forcing me to reexamine my financial support absent satisfactory measures to address antisemitism at the university,” Lauder wrote. The Palestine Writes festival has created a backlash that prominent donors, including billionaire Marc Rowan and former US Ambassador Jon Huntsman, who have vowed to cut off funding. “We know who they are and what they did.”Magill, UPenn’s president, conceded over the weekend that the response to the Palestine Writes Literature Festival was inadequate. Talk about resistance, talk about politics and power and culture and song and books and food and all of these things,” Susan Abulhawa, executive director of the Palestine Writes Literature Festival, told CNN.

Persons: Ronald Lauder, Lauder, UPenn, “, ” Lauder, Liz Magill, Marc Rowan, Jon Huntsman, Rowan, Magill, Vahan Gureghian, ”, ” Magill, Susan Abulhawa Organizations: New, New York CNN, University of Pennsylvania, CNN, Daily, Forbes, World Jewish Congress, UPenn, Lauder Institute, Wharton, Department of Arts and Sciences, The Lauder Institute, UPenn’s, Penn, “, University Locations: New York, Palestinian, Israel, Palestine, Austria, Philadelphia, American

☆ Malaysia pulls out of Frankfurt Book Fair citing organisers' pro-Israel stance
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Visitors are seen at the world's largest book fair in Frankfurt, Germany, October 21, 2021. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Malaysia's education ministry has withdrawn from participating in this year's Frankfurt Book Fair, accusing the organisers of taking a pro-Israel stance, amid growing global divisions over the ongoing conflict between Israeli and Palestinian forces. The fair's organiser also said on Facebook it would be making Jewish and Israeli voices "especially visible" at this year's edition. "The decision (to withdraw) is in line with the government’s stand to be in solidarity and offer full support for Palestine." Muslim-majority Malaysia has long supported the Palestinian cause, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim saying this week that he did not agree with Western pressure to condemn Hamas.

Persons: Kai Pfaffenbach, Litprom, Anwar Ibrahim, Anwar, Ismail Haniyeh, Rozanna Latiff, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Hamas, Facebook, Palestine, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, KUALA LUMPUR, Israel, Malaysia, Palestinian, Palestine, Gaza

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