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New Netflix Holocaust Series Shines Bright Light During a Dark Time
A bartender must give up the location of a blind girl who is making illegal radio broadcasts, or be shot in 10 seconds. It’s 1944, and the Nazis know they are losing the war in a new Netflix miniseries All The Light We Cannot See. As the Nazi, Lars Eidinger (Reinhold von Rumpel) appears to be impersonating Christoph Waltz’s Oscar winning role in Inglourious Basterds.
In the French Saint-Malo, Marie (Aria Mia Loberti) is a blind girl who risks her life to transmit radio messages. She reads the novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Seas, but, as instructed by her uncle Etienne (Hugh Laurie), it serves as codes to help the Allied bombers. Mark Ruffalo plays her father, Daniel. Werner Pfennig (Louis Hofmann) hears the girl’s broadcast, and is assigned to find her.
The cinematography gives the needed foreboding feeling, and Loberti is fantastic as Marie. She is legally blind, and it’s hard to believe this was her first role, and that she’d never even auditioned for anything before.
Von Rumpel is trying to track down a piece of jewelry called the Sea of Flames, and he’s willing to kill for it. Meanwhile, Marie’s father warns her about the danger of the jewelry, and a curse associated with it.
Ruffalo delivers a slightly above average performance, while Hofmann and Loberti’s acting styles are natural and unforced.
In a flashback scene where she says goodbye to Werner as he joins the Nazis, Luna Wedler is excellent as Jutta, his sister, who warns him not to be impressed or convinced by them. Ed Skrein is fantastic as Herr Siedler, and deserved more screen time. Hugh Laurie does a fine job as Etienne, who has a dramatic life saving moment.
A number of scenes lack tension, including one in a bakery and one with someone being tortured, as we have no doubt what his decision will be.
The fourth and final episode is the strongest, in which Reinhold asks Daniel: “Is pain stronger than love?”
Though some of the writing is stilted, a line delivered by an unlikely hero is brilliant. The series lacks action or much character development, but it gets better as it goes on. The plot is simple and there are few surprises. It is beautifully shot but lacks meaningful music, though the flashbacks are well done and are not disruptive. The symbolism is a bit too on the nose.
Though there are some cliches, the series is worth watching for the acting of Loberti and the inspiring story of good vs. evil. Based on the book by Anthony Doerr, it is an intriguing tale of resistance, and the series adaptation could have been brilliant with a few touches to make the plot and the characters richer.
If you’re a fan of World War II related stories and can be satiated with only a few action scenes, you will enjoy the series.
The author is a writer based in New York.
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Iran Attacks US Base in Qatar With Missiles, Doha Says No Casualties
Traces are seen in the sky after Iran’s armed forces say they targeted The Al-Udeid base in a missile attack, as seen from Doha, Qatar, June 23, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stringer
Iran launched multiple missiles against the Al Udeid US airbase in Qatar on Monday, retaliating for American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend.
In a post on X, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced the country had successfully intercepted Iranian missiles, noting there were no casualties, but condemned the strikes as “brazen aggression.”
“The State of Qatar strongly condemns the attack that targeted Al-Udeid Air Base by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. We consider this a flagrant violation of sovereignty,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said in a statement.
“We reassured that Qatar’s air defenses successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles,” he continued.
Shortly after the attack, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council also released a statement confirming it had carried out the strike on Qatar.
“The base that was targeted in the attack by the powerful Iranian forces was far from urban facilities and residential areas in Qatar,” the statement reads. “This action did not pose any threat to our friendly and brotherly country, Qatar, and its noble people.”
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Daycare Run by Israel’s Oldest and Largest Food Charity Damaged in Iranian Missile Attack
Illustrative: Israeli soldiers work at an impact site following Iran’s missile strike on Israel, in Be’er Sheva, Israel, June 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
A daycare center that is part of the oldest operating charity in Israel and the country’s largest food security non-governmental organization was among the sites damaged by the series of cluster bombs Iran launched at the Jewish state on Friday morning.
Colel Chabad’s daycare center in Be’er Sheva with hit with shrapnel that resulted in glass being scattered across the facility’s play areas and torn classroom walls, among other damage seen in photos shared on the daycare’s website. Colel Chabad said the building “suffered serious damage.” The daycare center was empty at the time and has been closed since the Iranian missile attacks began on June 13.
No one was injured in the missile strike. Surveillance camera footage shared by Colel Chabad show the exact moment the Iranian missile hit the daycare center.
Chabad is a Hasidic movement within Orthodox Judaism that operates globally and is headquartered in New York City.
Colel Chabad was established in 1788 by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Rebbe of Chabad. The daycare is part of the Ohr Chaya and Larisa Blavatnik chain of daycares and is one of 18 early childhood centers for underprivileged families across Israel that is operated by Colel Chabad.
“In our 230-year history, we have faced many challenges. Through our faith in G‑d, we find the strength to continue. This daycare will be repaired and reopened as soon as it is safe to do so,” said Colel Chabad Director, Rabbi Sholom Duchman, according to Chabad.org. “This building will once again be filled with laughter, learning, and the strength it provides to families in Be’er Sheva. It is our sacred duty — and we will not falter.”
Leaders at Colel Chabad are working to secure a different site for the daycare in anticipation for when security conditions allow it to reopen, Chabad.org reported.
“To see it torn apart by an act of war is devastating,” said Leah Blau, who is the director of the damaged daycare center. “We thank G‑d that no one was injured, but our work must continue — rebuilding not just walls, but a sense of security for our children.”
Colel Chabad’s soup kitchens have been closed since the Israel-Iran war began on June 13 due to safety concerns, but it has expanded its meal delivery services, particularly for elderly residents. The organization has also distributed emergency relief cards, which act like debit cards, worth 4,000 shekels each ($1,100) to those impacted by the war to help them buy basic necessities such as clothing and food. Colel Chabad said some 3,000 families have been displaced in areas including Ramat Gan, Bat Yam, Tel Aviv, and Rishon Letzion.
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‘Not Appropriate’ for Scottish Band Accused of Hezbollah Support to Perform at Glastonbury, Says British PM
Liam O’Hanna, also known as Liam Og O hAnnaidh and performing under the name of Mo Chara, walks outside the Westminster Magistrates’ Court, in London, Britain, June 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Chris J. Ratcliffe
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer admitted he does not think it would be “appropriate” for the Scottish hip hop trio Kneecap to perform at the upcoming Glastonbury Festival after one band member was charged for allegedly expressing support for the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization.
The Belfast-formed band is scheduled to perform on Saturday at the music festival, which takes place from June 25-29 at Worthy Farm in Pilton, located in Somerset, England.
In May, Kneecap member Liam O’Hanna – who goes by the stage name Mo Chara – was charged with a terrorism offense in the United Kingdom for displaying a flag in support of Lebanon-based Hezbollah during a concert in November 2024. During the same show, the 27-year-old also shouted “up Hamas, up Hezbollah,” allegedly expressing support for both UK-designated terrorist organizations in violation of the UK’s Terrorism Act of 2000.
Wearing a keffiyeh around his neck, O’Hanna appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court earlier this month along with his band members. Together they urged supporters to watch their performance at Glastonbury and declared “free, free Palestine.” O’Hanna was released on unconditional bail until his next court hearing on Aug. 20. Kneecap claimed they have “never supported” Hamas or Hezbollah.
When asked over the weekend by The Sun if he thought Kneecap should still perform at Glastonbury, Starmer replied: “No, I don’t, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this. I won’t say too much, because there’s a court case on, but I don’t think that’s appropriate.”
Kneecap responded to the prime minister’s remarks on Saturday in a social media post.
“You know what’s ‘not appropriate’ Keir?! Arming a f–king genocide,” they wrote, referring to Israel’s military campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza. Anti-Israel activists have falsely accused the Jewish state of perpetrating a genocide during its efforts to dismantle Hamas and rescue the hostages kidnapped by the terrorist group.
In its statement, Kneecap used an expletive against The Sun and expressed support for a group called Palestine Action, which describes itself on Instagram as a “direct action network dismantling British complicity in Israeli apartheid.” British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she will proscribe Palestine Action under anti-terror laws after members of the group on Friday broke into a Royal Air Force base in central England, where they damaged and vandalized two planes used for refueling and transport.
On Saturday, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch urged the BBC not to air Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury. “The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda,” she wrote in a post on X. “One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act. As a publicly funded platform the BBC should not be rewarding extremism.”
Several UK government leaders and Members of Parliament, Jewish organizations, and pro-Israel supporters in the entertainment industry have also urged Glastonbury organizers to remove Kneecap from the festival’s lineup of performers because of their anti-Israel comments at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in May, alleged support for Hamas and Hezbollah, and incitement of violence against British MPs. The controversy surrounding Kneecap during the last several months has resulted in a number of their concerts being cancelled by organizers.
A BBC spokesman said decisions about what it will and will not broadcast from Glastonbury “will be made in the lead up to the festival,” as cited by The Sun.
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