The Reading List: Gentile (and some Jewish) comedians love AJWS

By Ben Sales October 29, 2010

Everyone from Tracy Morgan to Triumph the Insult Comedy Dog loves the Jewish international aid group. [AJWSTV] Meanwhile, two Pakistani-American Muslim students are going all over their campuses to promote dialogue and understanding between Muslims and Jews. [Forward] The Israeli university students’ protest of the yeshiva stipends bill continues… [JTA] A Jewish college basketball coach…

Read More...

What to Do about Maimonides

By yschwartz October 29, 2010

On the first day of the semester, a certain professor of mine unreservedly characterized the great 12th-century Rabbi Moses Maimonides as “the most influential figure in Jewish rabbinic history.” While there certainly might be other contenders for that distinction, the fact that my professor was willing to make that claim is telling. Maimonides’s groundbreaking theological…

Read More...

The Reading List: Let me in, pro-Israel community

By Ben Sales October 28, 2010

When you verbally abuse students and shut them out of your community, bad things can happen. [JW] Former New Voices head honcho Mik Moore channels FDR ahead of the election: Do not fear! [HuffPo] Yeshiva students are getting funding from the Israeli government? OK, give it to university students too. [Vos Iz Neias] And don’t…

Read More...

Jews and the Rebirth of the Cool

By bspringer October 28, 2010

A friend of mine coaches soccer for tween boys in Boulder. One day during practice, she noticed one of the boys had a water bottle with the inscription “Hebrew High.” “Wait, are you Jewish?” my friend asked (she’s not a Jew). The boy responded in the affirmative. My friend proceeds to exclaim: “That’s so cool!”…

Read More...

Russian Jewish activism dominates “Jewish Community Hero” finalists

By Ben Sales October 28, 2010

As Jewish organizations across the country have found out through a stream of emails during the past couple months, the Jewish Federation’s Jewish Community Hero Award competition is in its final round. Out of hundreds of nominees ranging from Chabad rabbis to social justice workers, judges have picked five finalists, one of which will win $25,000 for his…

Read More...

Masa Israel Opening Event

By bbarer October 28, 2010

I was invited to live-blog the event in addition to offering some thoughts afterwards, and while it was tempting for someone of my generation to withdraw from the experience that I was a part of and dispassionately describe it for those who could not be there, I felt like it was a really great opportunity…

Read More...

Between Hillel and the Synagogue

By David A.M. Wilensky October 28, 2010

Moishe House provides a shared space and programming for post-college Jews. But is the organization another set of Jewish communal training wheels, an attempt by the Establishment Jewish community to defer adulthood for these 20-somethings?

Read More...

Reading List: Even Religious Kids Light Up

By jmerkin October 27, 2010

Even the MOrthos engage in cannabis creations in Berkeley. [Tablet] New federal guidelines may protect Jewish college students against bullying. [Baltimore Jewish Times] StandWithUs launches a special password-protected website to help students fight campus BDS campaigns. [JTA] IDF soldiers find a new war: convincing U.S. college students that the Israeli-Arab conflict is not black-and-white. [JW] In…

Read More...

Got Faith?

By akinman October 27, 2010

Microsoft. Apple. You name it. I probably know it. Each week I try to come up with topics that relate to technology and Judaism, from the Kindle to BibleMap. Sometimes coming up with unusual ideas can be a challenge. After all, in some ways, technology contradicts the ways of Judaism. Nevertheless, I try to find…

Read More...

Help Me Get Money

By David A.M. Wilensky October 27, 2010

Remember that time when I said rich people should give me money so I can continue my Jewish education? It turns out that anyone, regardless of how much money they have, can help me out with this. I applied for a blogging scholarship. Yes, it seems there are people who will give me a big…

Read More...

Justice, Israel and Everyone I Know

By Ben Sales October 26, 2010

Going to the New Israel Fund‘s New Generations benefit last week was like walking into a party where you’re friends with everybody and close friends with almost no one. It was, for me, an enjoyable night of endless catch-up conversations and introductions to friends of friends: I ran into the son of my family synagogue’s rabbi, a…

Read More...

Quality Conduct

By jcohen October 26, 2010

October’s chilly fingers creep into coat collars, and a rainbow of falling leaves spirals down from the trees. Students cradle steaming mugs of coffee and walk close to one another. It is a lovely image. Lively, beautiful, and inviting, worthy of entire volumes of poetry, but it is not what I have chosen to write…

Read More...

JFNA, JCPA partner in national anti-BDS campaign

By Ben Sales October 26, 2010

The Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs are teaming up to launch a national campaign against efforts advocating boycott, divestment and sanctions of Israel, according to an article by the JTA: The JFNA and the rest of the Jewish federation system have agreed to invest $6 million over the…

Read More...

The Reading List: Party like it’s… 1914?

By Ben Sales October 26, 2010

Some things never change… According to the New York Times archive, frats have been hosting loud and obnoxious parties since before World War I. [EV Grieve] Are you scared of gentile baby-sitters? Fear not! Your troubles are over. [Heeb] Here’s an entertaining list of American Jewish communities–with comments and reflections–where one man has spent Shabbat. Find…

Read More...

Hatikvah

By bspagat October 26, 2010

Bailey Spagat is participating in Career Israel, one of Masa Israel’s 180 programs.

Read More...