AitN: January 14, 2019

Robert Kraft '63

Robert Kraft '63

Courtesy of the New England Patriots/David Silverman

Robert Kraft ’63, the owner of New England Patriots football team, was announced as The 2019 Genesis Prize Laureate on January 9. From the press release: “The annual $1 million Genesis Prize, dubbed the ‘Jewish Nobel’ by Time Magazine, honors extraordinary individuals for their outstanding professional achievement, contribution to humanity, and commitment to Jewish values and Israel. The Prime Minister of Israel will present the award to Robert Kraft at a gala ceremony in Jerusalem in June. In keeping with the Genesis Prize tradition, Kraft has chosen to forgo the $1 million monetary award so that funds can be granted, in his honor, to initiatives combatting anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice as well as attempts to de-legitimize the State of Israel.”

Robert Alter ’57 was profiled in a December 20 article in The New York Times around the release of his new translation of the Hebrew Bible. Alter spent nearly 25 years on the work, and is the first person to translate the Hebrew Bible on his own. From the Times: “The final product bears out one of Alter’s critical insights about the text: the theory of the bible’s ‘composite artistry.’ Despite his publisher’s carefully worded marketing materials — the first-ever single-author scholarly translation of the entire Hebrew Bible! — the work itself feels relevant precisely for the way it builds on its predecessors, openly conversing (and sometimes singing duets) with its contemporaries.”

Joanna Parker ’05 and her husband, David Parker SEAS’04, successfully pitched their kid-friendly meal delivery service, Yumble, on an early December episode of Shark Tank. The pair received $500,000 from investor Bethenny Frankel (founder of the Skinnygirl low-calorie mixed drinks company) to grow Yumble nationwide.

President Barack Obama ’83 posted his annual year-end list of his favorite books, movies and music on Facebook at the end of 2018. Check out all his favorites — including Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (book), Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (movie) and “Make Me Feel” by Janelle Monáe (song).

Anna Boden ’02, director of the upcoming Captain Marvel movie (the 21st installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) appeared in a behind-the-scenes teaser that aired during the January 7 College Football Playoffs. Boden and co-director Ryan Fleck talk about bringing the character of Carol Danver to the big screen.