The Reading List: Crazy, disappointing days in the Holy Land

By Ben Sales October 11, 2010

Every day it seems bleaker, and the true moderates in Israel’s society seem weaker. These nasty developments speak volumes. Consider: The Palestinians refuse to recognize Israel as a Jewish state in return for an extension of the settlement freeze, putting another nail in the peace coffin. [JJ] The Israeli cabinet approves a required loyalty oath…

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Your Mileage May Vary: Shabbat Observance

By lcmoore October 9, 2010

Obviously, judging from the posting date/time on this, you’re going to see I’ve got just a few issues to deal with regarding the above topic. But I promised you uncomfortable food for thought, so I’m out on the net with the rest of the folks who are up at 9:00 (PST) 12:00 (EST) and for…

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Outreach!

By yschwartz October 8, 2010

“No, really, please, seriously, explain to me the difference!” The fireworks were flying in a meeting staged last week at Yale Hillel prefacing the search for a new Orthodox campus rabbi. Yale Hillel, like many Hillels across the country, are in a state of change, shifting and adapting to make room for new priorities, and…

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From “Community” to the World

By Carly Silver October 8, 2010

Since E!’s The Soup premiered a few years back, I’ve enjoyed watching thirty-something comic Joel McHale give Hollywood stars slaps-upside-the-head for being idiots. I’ve recently gotten into Community, a comedy on NBC about a disbarred lawyer who has to return to community college to get his degree, starring McHale. Like everywhere else, the issue of…

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And sometimes it means being excluded…

By David A.M. Wilensky October 8, 2010

I wrote recently that the holiest day of the University of Texas year and the holiest day of the Jewish year would coincide next fall when the Red River Rivalry (the big game to end all big games) will be played on Yom Kippur. One story I somehow missed until now about this was an…

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The Reading List: Why did Norman Mailer hate masturbation?

By Ben Sales October 8, 2010

Like the dwindling Christine O’Donnell, he condemned self-flagellation, but back then no one cared… kind of like no one cared about his mayoral candidacy. An amusing article from the Forward. [Forward MitzVote] Speaking of masturbation, the very Jewish Columbia  University ranks number one in terms of sexual health! [PR Newswire] Speaking of smart Jews, well, there are lots…

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Questioning the Objectivity of Text Interpretation

By bbarer October 7, 2010

I would like to position my post as following in the footsteps of the theme outlined by another post here on New Voices, by Max Moncaster on October 5th: exploring Judaism on my own terms. Much of the new positive thinking that I have engaged in since beginning my semester at Pardes -– that, on…

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The Reading List: Israelis love Palestinian Beer, fear Palestinians?

By Ben Sales October 7, 2010

It’s possible: Reportedly, Israelis are making their way to the Palestinian Oktoberfest in the Christian town of Taybeh… [Forward Schmooze] And meanwhile, the Israeli government is advancing a bill requiring all Palestinian-Israelis to take a loyalty oath to the state. The shandas for the goyim never stop… [YNet] As long as we’re on the topic…

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Roger Waters Defends Against ADL Attacks

By jagross October 7, 2010

Roger Waters responded Monday to the ADL’s claim that his performance of “Goodbye Blue Sky” in The Wall Live tour was anti-Semitic in an open letter to The Independent, a U.K. newspaper. Waters, the bassist for Pink Floyd, was accused of having anti-Semitic video imagery projected on to a backdrop during his show by the…

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Dangerous Areas

By hdilman October 7, 2010

When I first moved to Israel I lived in the student dorms in Mount Scopus, at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. For those unfamiliar with the area, the Mount Scopus campus of Hebrew U is located in north-east Jerusalem. Therefore there are many Arab neighborhoods around the University. The location never much mattered.  However, soon…

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It Doesn’t End with the Jewish Standard

By bspringer October 7, 2010

So, the New Jersey Jewish Standard has admitted that it has made a mistake last week when they apologized to homophobes who were upset with their publishing of a gay wedding announcement and agreed to never again publish one. Excuse me if I’m not overwhelmed with glee. I am certainly pleased that the individuals who…

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The Other Miliband

By Ben Sales October 6, 2010

Internal British party politics don’t usually have implications for the American Jewish press, but the election of Ed Miliband to the Labour party’s top post at the end of September recalls Moment Magazine’s cover story a few months ago, featuring his brother, David Miliband. David served as foreign secretary under Gordon Brown and was the…

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Memo to Jewish college students: BDS is not your enemy

By Harpo Jaeger October 6, 2010

Ben Sales offers a reasoned and fair critique of BDS – namely, its sacrificing of longer-term practical goals for the sake of a (completely defensible and just) moral standpoint.  This is a tactical choice that the movement has made.  It’s one with which I disagree, but have no problem accepting as a valid and respectable…

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Interview with the Groom

By Ben Sales October 6, 2010

Avi Smolen and Justin Rosen announced their upcoming nuptials in the New Jersey Jewish Standard, and what followed in quick succession were: complaints from the Orthodox community, a Jewish Standard ban on future same-sex announcements, complaints from the rest of the community and a second note from the Standard retracting the original ban. Now, New Voices bypasses the commotion and goes straight to the source: Avi Smolen, one of the grooms.

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Kol hakavod to the New Jersey Jewish Standard for doing the right thing

By David A.M. Wilensky October 6, 2010

Crossposted to Jewschool. Yesterday, I posted my letter to the editor of the New Jersey Jewish Standard, chastising them for what I believe I said was pusillanimous journalism. If you haven’t been following this, they printed an announcement of a gay wedding last week. This week, under pressure from a cabal of Orthodox rabbis, they apologized to…

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