Gideon Raff’s ‘Homeland’ prize

Terrorist threats may be a headache for law enforcement, but they make good TV. At least, that was the lesson on Sunday night when Showtime’s “Homeland” won six Emmys, including the prize for best drama. If you haven’t heard by now, the man behind the show about a POW’s triumphant-yet-suspicious return home is Israeli Gideon Raff, who created and directed the Israeli show on which “Homeland” is based, “Hatufim.” Raff, who also took home an Emmy for co-writing “Homeland,” couldn’t have done it without Claire Danes, who won a lead actress Emmy for playing bipolar CIA agent Carrie Mathison. She also was recently featured in The New York Times style magazine exploring Tel Aviv in some very chic attire. Season two of “Homeland” premiers this Sunday. 

Seth Goldstein races to the rescue

Jewish day schooler Seth Goldstein finished last in a recent cross-country race but received a hero’s welcome — and rightfully so. The 17-year-old senior from Cooper Yeshiva High in Memphis, Tenn., stopped mid-race to help an opponent from another school who suddenly collapsed. Goldstein, a lifeguard, called for someone to dial 911 and get ice as the stricken athlete began having seizures. “He had bitten his tongue and was bleeding pretty bad,” Goldstein recounted to the Commercial Appeal in Memphis. “I feared he was going to choke on his blood. I rolled him on his side so he wouldn’t asphyxiate.” EMTs came to take over. Then Goldstein, the only runner who had stopped to help, finished the race.

Peter Kurz’s field of dreams

He may have done it with a bunch of American Jewish ringers, but Peter Kurz turned Israel’s team at the World Baseball Classic into a legitimate contender at this week’s qualifiers in Jupiter, Fla. Kurz’s all-star squad of Jewish ballplayers donned Star of David hats and notched two strong wins before falling in a 10-inning nail-biter to Spain, ending Israel’s chances to advance to the March 2013 tournament. Though the team stirred Jewish hearts (minor league first baseman Nate Freiman homered twice in back-to-back games), the real test for Kurz, secretary general of the Israel Association of Baseball, lies ahead: Can he jump-start baseball’s popularity in Israel with a new stadium in the Holy Land?

Ahmadinejad unites Bibi and Obama

In the run-up to the U.N. General Assembly, the bumpy relationship between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again was on full display. Bibi, why so high maintenance? Obama, why so stingy with the love? But leave it to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, with his anti-West, anti-Israel remarks this week (including his U.N. speech on Yom Kippur!), to remind us of the importance of the two leaders focusing on the greater goal: stopping Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.

N.Y. Post Ahmadinejad gag gift thwarted

Bagels, whitefish and some shtick might not stop Iran from getting nukes, but the editors at The New York Post sure made the most out of these Jewy staples as they sought to focus attention on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his anti-Israel rhetoric when the Iranian leader arrived in town for the U.N. General Assembly. The Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid put together a Jewish-themed gift basket for Ahmadinejad, but his security entourage turned it down (not sure what scared them off — no computer viruses, just some nosh, tickets to “Old Jews Telling Jokes” and a brochure for the Holocaust-heavy Museum of Jewish Heritage). Oh, and did we mention that “Peace of Sh!t” front-page headline accompanying the photo of Ahmadinejad flashing the peace sign?