A community built out of hummus?

By ckessler January 29, 2010

A few weeks ago, I wrote about community, specifically the Jewish one amongst the colleges and universities in Pittsburgh. While the University of Pittsburgh’s community is flourishing (at least, that’s how it appears on the outside), the sense of community at Carnegie Mellon University is waning. As I talk to friends, both Jewish and goyim,…

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Never Again

By hdilman January 29, 2010

Wednesday January 27th, 2010, marked the 65th year since the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet forces. Each year, leaders from around the world make their way to Germany in order to commemorate the day. This year, photo ops showed Bibi in Auschwitz and Shimon Peres giving a speech in the German parliament. People all over…

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Why Is Challah Often Braided?

By kseeger January 27, 2010

Challah seems to be the first food that runs out at the Shabbat dinners at Franklin & Marshall’s Hillel. While the rest of the meal is catered, the challah is handmade by students and faculty earlier in the day. Each table gets one plain challah and one sprinkled challah, both of which are braided. It…

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Putting You in a (Good) Pickle

By Carly Silver January 27, 2010

I wish I lived in Idaho. It’s not often that I say that. I don’t think I ever have before. Not that there’s anything wrong with Idaho, but I’ve never been there and, thankfully, like where I live. But Boise now has something that New York City desperately needs: Rabbi Pickle. For those of you…

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Whither Alicia Silverstone?

By Ben Sales January 27, 2010

She was Natalie Portman before Natalie Portman was Natalie Portman, Isla Fisher before Isla Fisher was Jewish and definitely before she married Borat. She was the Jewish “it” girl of the mid-to-late ’90s, the time of my pubescence. She was the Semitic goddess, Alicia Silverstone. You know how a lot of guys secretly love “Mean…

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Mud: A Life-Long Love Affair

By dbarmash January 27, 2010

I am in a deeply committed relationship with mud. Like most relationships, it caught me unexpectedly. One day, I was working on a farm, learning about whole-systems and planting some kohlrabi, when bam! It happened. Mud came into my life and somehow I am now specializing in mud building at Chava v’ Adam Ecologit. But…

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The Global Citizen- Anti Semitism in the flesh

By arandel January 26, 2010

  The Global Citizen is a joint project of New Voices and the American Jewish World Service (AJWS). Throughout the year, a group of former AJWS volunteers will offer their take on global justice, Judaism and international development. Opinions expressed by Global Citizen bloggers do not necessarily represent AJWS. Yesterday I had one of those…

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Shabbes in the West Bank

By meuriarte January 26, 2010

My heart hastened its pace as we our bus passed through the security check point and crossed into the West Bank. The guards stared at the tinted windows and held fast to their M-16s. We, my friend Deb and I, were on our way to Karnei Shomron, a Jewish settlement a half hour north of…

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Using Evil to Get to Peace

By hdilman January 21, 2010

Last week, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to have a traditional Shabbat in the Old City of Jerusalem, with a group of my friends. Together, we were 5 North Americans, and we were all hoping the same thing: to get some of that “sparkle and spirit” that one always hears about from…

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Does Sustainability Mean Sacrificing Comfort?

By dbarmash January 20, 2010

Each morning, I wake up to the playful sound of “RooCoo!” The crowing alerts the group of Americans and our madrich, or counselor, that breakfast is ready. I emerge from my cocoon of blankets and sleeping bag and peel off one of my several layers. I stumble from my geodesic dome and step out into…

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Let Hip-Hop Lead the Way

By Carly Silver January 20, 2010

Anyone who knows me is aware of the fact that I love hip-hop. Old-school, new-school, white, black, Filipino, Canadian—it’s all good to me. R&B chimes in with its sultry melodies and catchy hooks to complement the harder sound of rap, creating a musical dynamic with soft and street edges. Even though rap is a game…

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The Global Citizen: The Human Right to Food, Not Food-Like Substances

By feabdelhak January 20, 2010

The Global Citizen is a joint project of New Voices and the American Jewish World Service (AJWS). Throughout the year, a group of former AJWS volunteers will offer their take on global justice, Judaism and international development. Opinions expressed by Global Citizen bloggers do not necessarily represent AJWS. In 1977, there was a famous boycott…

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Ernst Cramer, influential German-Jewish journalist, dies

By kseeger January 19, 2010

As young people of this generation are often reminded, we should appreciate speaking to survivors of the Holocaust while they are still around. While it may be common for people to know about the Holocaust from their history classes over the years, there are those of us who are fortunate enough to have heard first-hand…

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Germans in the Holy Land

By meuriarte January 19, 2010

It was a beautiful sunny day with a crystal clear sky. Outside the airplane’s window we could see Gaza and the ocean beyond. The jump instructor asked my friend, Regina, where she was from; she had such a pretty accent, but he couldn’t place it. Germany, she told him. Alright, her instructor shouted, just like…

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Israel’s Haitian Crisis

By bzalcman January 18, 2010

I have to admit, I wasn’t at all up to date with the unfortunate situation in Haiti until this morning. I knew that there had been a catastrophic earthquake with a tremendously high death toll, but I must admit that I didn’t really pay it much mind (I know, there’s no excuse, I’m a political…

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