To Cut or Not to Cut …

By bspringer November 19, 2010

It may be time for San Francisco’s mohels to, ahem, cut and run from the City by the Bay. I’ve been reading the various, uh, clips and snippets on the proposed circumcision ban and criminalization and I am outraged! (not really) OK, silly puns aside (promise, I fulfilled my prurient adolescent urges), I am feeling…

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The Reading List: Columbia J-Street U group did withdraw sponsorship of Ging event

By Ben Sales November 18, 2010

According to a Forward article, J Street U affiliate Just Peace did withdraw its sponsorship of UNRWA Gaza Director John Ging’s speech at Columbia. [Forward] Call me cheesy, but I think this is what we need in order to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [Indexed] Volunteering, conviction and partying: 600 students at the GA. [JTA Telegraph]…

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Texts and the Subjectivity of Language

By bbarer November 18, 2010

Being constantly surrounded by texts, and basing the vast majority of my education this term at Pardes on those texts, has made me think a lot about issues of how we understand texts. Specifically, I have reflected on just how much is lost from a traditional Jewish text (Chumash, Talmud, etc.) when it is read…

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What does it mean, “Are Jewish presidents of colleges ready for Birthright alumni?”

By David A.M. Wilensky November 18, 2010

Crossposted to Jewschool On Tuesday, Nov. 23 Hebrew College is hosting a conversation with four Jewish presidents of Boston-area colleges: Rabbi Daniel L. Lehmann of Hebrew College, Leonard A. Schlesinger of Babson College, Jehuda Reinharz of Brandies University and Lawrence S. Bacow of Tufts University. I’ve got universities on the brain lately as my own…

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Love and Death in the Time of Matzah

By David Krantz November 18, 2010

In the Mexican film “Nora’s Will,” suicide and religion strain a family’s bonds. With a protagonist who’s a mix of Tevye and Nietzsche, the movie uses discussions of love and God to explore how a family deals with death

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Kicking Ass for Israel

By Alisha Kinman November 18, 2010

The University of Florida Hillel has begun offering classes in Krav Maga, the official martial art of the Israeli army. The result? A bunch of Jewish students in a room–kicking, punching and slapping each other in the face.

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Jeffrey Goldberg Asks: “Do You Know How Many Testicles There Are in America?”

By jmerkin November 18, 2010

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c TSA Full-Body Scanners – Jeffrey Goldberg www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election March to Keep Fear Alive This week, Jeffrey Goldberg appeared on the Colbert Report to discuss a problem he has recently taken issue with: “useless airport security that needlessly humiliates American citizens.” New…

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The Reading List: Can a Shabbat Dinner Go By Without People Gettin’ Crunked?

By Ben Sales November 17, 2010

Observant Jewish students may not go out on Friday night, but that doesn’t mean they stay sober. [Mitzpeh] Another from UMD’s JewPaper: You can’t have a college party without beer, but is that beer kosher? [Mitzpeh] In Toronto, the rabbi of a community Jewish high school refused bribes to persuade students to study at a…

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Season of Giving Kicks Off

By akinman November 17, 2010

With the season of giving just around the corner, UF Hillel kicked it off with a bang. UF Hillel hosted the first annual Mitzvah Day on Sunday. Students and nonprofit organizations joined from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to work on different service projects. While waking up to a horrible loss the night before at…

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A Jewish-Latino Beat

By Carly Silver November 17, 2010

Jewish tradition has started to mix with Latin flavors in hip-hop, creating a dynamic mixture of urban vibes. The poster-boys for this Latin-Jewish movement are the Hip-Hop Hoodios (“judios” are “Jews” in Spanish), who mash together all sorts of genres to create a uniquely eclectic listening experience. Combining the self-mocking tone of Weird Al Yankovic…

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Campus Recap

By jmerkin November 16, 2010

• The competition for Alternative Spring Break trip spots has begun! Pittsburgh’s joint Hillel — after paring down their offerings from four to two trips — has announced a JNF trip to Israel and an AJWS trip to Guatemala. (JUC) • Even Boulder’s small Jewish community, has its own Klezmer musician. The Boulder Klezmer Consort…

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AJWS Video Is Back!

By jmerkin November 16, 2010

“Jewish are givers. They see people in need — they may be pushy about it, but they’re gonna help you. They may be annoying as they do it, but they will do it. You know — it’s like somebody saving you from a fire and the whole time, they’re saying saying ‘You had to wear…

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So, There Were These Pirates…

By jcohen November 16, 2010

Last weekend my cousin Arielle became a Bat Mitzvah. She chanted beautifully and my heart swelled with pride. When Arielle’s portion of the service concluded, she bounded off the Bimah and plopped down in the seat next to me. She then raised her right hand and curved her index finger like a pirate’s hook, and…

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The Reading List: The GA Destroyed My Understanding of Zionism

By Ben Sales November 16, 2010

So says a journalism student who went to the GA’s Do The Write Thing conference. [Jewlicious] What’s it like going to college after attending Jewish high school? [Schmooze] The Hebrew U. Hillel house puts on a TEDx conference—a regional version of the renowned TED conference. [Jewlicious] Does college today cost too much? Maybe not, these guys…

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The Star of Redemption (From Depressing Kantianism)

By yschwartz November 15, 2010

The day before this past Yom Kippur (oh, fine, literally minutes before this past Yom Kippur) I wrote a post on this blog mentioning some of the religious writing of the 18th century decidedly non-Jewish philosopher Immanuel Kant, and I noted that his outlook on sin and repentance is kind of depressing. In a nutshell,…

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