Who Owns Bruno Schulz?

You might not have heard of Bruno Schulz, the Polish Jewish writer who became the personal artist of a Nazi SS officer during World War Two before his tragic death days before a planned escape, but the story of his artistic heritage is certainly a curious one. When some of Schulz’s famed frescos surfaced in 2001, researchers from the Israeli holocaust memorial were dispatched to the Ukraine with a simple mission: bring them to Jerusalem at all costs. So, who owns Bruno Schulz?

You might not have heard of Bruno Schulz, the Polish Jewish writer who became the personal artist of a Nazi SS officer during World War Two before his tragic death days before a planned escape, but the story of his artistic heritage is certainly a curious one. When some of Schulz’s famed frescos surfaced in 2001, researchers from the Israeli holocaust memorial were dispatched to the Ukraine with a simple mission: bring them to Jerusalem at all costs. So, who owns Bruno Schulz?

The Gecekondu of Istanbul

There is no denying the current speed of urbanisation in Istanbul. From new airports to new bridges, the city is transforming at a dizzying rate and not without protest. The roots of urban planning in modern Istanbul can be found in informal housing units known as Gecekondu, which blossomed in the city during the population boom of the 1950s and 60s. Over the years, Gecekondu neighbourhoods have developed tight knit communal bonds and demonstrated successful bottom up urban planning but now developers are targeting them for redevelopment. Monocle’s Joseph Dana reports on how the Gecekondu have gone from being the darling of Istanbul’s urbanisation to the target of New Istanbul’s land desires.

There is no denying the current speed of urbanisation in Istanbul. From new airports to new bridges, the city is transforming at a dizzying rate and not without protest. The roots of urban planning in modern Istanbul can be found in informal housing units known as Gecekondu, which blossomed in the city during the population boom of the 1950s and 60s. Over the years, Gecekondu neighbourhoods have developed tight knit communal bonds and demonstrated successful bottom up urban planning but now developers are targeting them for redevelopment. Monocle’s Joseph Dana reports on how the Gecekondu have gone from being the darling of Istanbul’s urbanisation to the target of New Istanbul’s land desires.

The American Colony Hotel, Jerusalem’s hidden landmark

The Israeli government recently authorised hundreds of tenders for the construction of new hotels in Jerusalem and Israeli settlements ringing the city. Aside from creating a tricky tourist situation since the bulk of new hotel construction will be on territory deemed occupied by the international community, the move demonstrates the city’s need to expand its aging hotel infrastructure. One hotel, the American Colony, in the eastern part of the city, has a storied history of diplomatic intrigue and luxury not usually associated with the city’s limited hotel options.I visited the hotel this week for Monocle 24 and found a place from another time. The American Colony is perhaps a remnant of a forgotten era in which journalism and diplomacy was marked by intimate conversation, not the constant buzzing of mobile phones and impersonal social media. An afternoon coffee in the hotel’s comfortable lobby still evokes the intrigue and glamour of newspapers’ golden age. Original air date: 23 August 2012

The Israeli government recently authorised hundreds of tenders for the construction of new hotels in Jerusalem and Israeli settlements ringing the city. Aside from creating a tricky tourist situation since the bulk of new hotel construction will be on territory deemed occupied by the international community, the move demonstrates the city’s need to expand its aging hotel infrastructure. One hotel, the American Colony, in the eastern part of the city, has a storied history of diplomatic intrigue and luxury not usually associated with the city’s limited hotel options.I visited the hotel this week for Monocle 24 and found a place from another time. The American Colony is perhaps a remnant of a forgotten era in which journalism and diplomacy was marked by intimate conversation, not the constant buzzing of mobile phones and impersonal social media. An afternoon coffee in the hotel’s comfortable lobby still evokes the intrigue and glamour of newspapers’ golden age. Original air date: 23 August 2012