Welcome to Israel: “What Happens in a Taxi, Should Stay in Said Taxi”

By eglogauer August 30, 2011

“What happens in a taxi should stay in said taxi”: This is a motto that a friend of mine swears by. Before leaving North America, I was warned by many friends that, at any point during one’s year in Israel, one should expect to be completely overcharged for at least one insignificant, but absolutely necessary…

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The Beginning of School in The Boonies — The Jew in The Boonies

By Laura Cooper August 28, 2011

My first week of school has been… chaotic. Before I even came, there was a fire. After I came, there was an earthquake. Now this hurricane, not to mention the most grueling orientation ever invented and having to be social 24/7, which can get pretty tiring when you’re not used to it. Welcome to my…

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Slave Labor or Valuable Experience?

By Alisha Kinman August 25, 2011

Sometimes, it’s for free. Other times, it’s for college credit. On rare occasions, for pay. Some call it slave labor, while others call it a lucky break.
It’s no question that internships are becoming an easier catch for college graduates than entry-level positions. On occasion, the smooth transition from internship to entry’level job becomes a reality. For others, each internship is a stepping-stone to hopefully landing a job. But since employers have seen the rising trend of people wanting to work even for free to gain experience, a new question has been raised: Are businesses taking advantage of their interns?

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UK Chief Rabbi Wrong on Secularism — The Godblogger

By John Propper August 25, 2011

British Religious leaders of every stripe have weighed in on the devastation caused by London rioting. Some, like Rabbi Anna Gerrard of the United Kingdom’s Liberal Jewish movement, took a moment to offer words of comfort. Others, like the Church of England, provided liturgical supplements praying for a stop to the violence. In the case of…

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11th Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Pay Retail

By gedelstein August 19, 2011

Nothing makes me feel more like a Jew than going shopping with my mother. Maybe I should rephrase that to sound less self-hating. No, I mean it. I mean it as a positive statement. A point of pride. My Jewish/New Yorker/American ancestors did not get where they are today buy paying retail price. I mean…

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The Second Trauma: Arriving in America After the Holocaust

By John Propper August 18, 2011

The Jewish world has so many layers beyond its pain, but tales of Jewish identity too often recount suffering with an almost liturgical precision – to the exclusion of its triumphs. Evelyn Toynton’s second novel, “The Oriental Wife,” is the tale of young Jews who flee Hitler’s pogroms for America, exploring the effects of culture clash without miring itself in that inescapable identity pity that asserts itself in similar works. As they struggle to eke out a life of substance in a strange country, these young people must deal with their shattered expectations and a new tragedy that will shake and redefine their relationships permanently.

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Guilt, in The Biblical Sense

By gedelstein August 12, 2011

Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of my Rabbi, not in temple, but at the supermarket. I’ve seen him at ShopRite, Stew Leonard’s, Costco, Stop & Shop, and the Big Y. That’s all of my area’s major food stores. And every single time, I have pork in the cart, glaring up for God to see….

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Just in: Men at Kotel Not World’s Only Jews

By Laura Cooper August 11, 2011

Did you ever notice that any time a T.V. show or magazine article or, well, anything really, wants to show something Jewish, they inevitably show either a boy holding a Torah or Hareidi men at the Kotel? Inevitably. This is true across the board, even for seemingly impartial sources such as National Geographic. During their…

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‘They don’t hate Israel or love Israel. They just don’t know.’

By Leigh Cuen August 11, 2011

When the opinion editor of Israel’s Maariv newspaper, Ben-Dror Yemini, visited the San Francisco Bay Area earlier this year, he gave a lecture tour stretching from the campus of Stanford University to the network of Bay Area JCCs. He talked about the things he knows: Israel, the media and multiculturalism.
“The main problem that I recognize here is ignorance,” Yemini said from across a coffee table in his hotel in downtown San Francisco. He wore a crisp black suit and round, wire-framed glasses. “They don’t hate Israel or love Israel. They just don’t know.”

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Roseanne running for President; non-Jew in ‘Funny Girl’

By gedelstein August 9, 2011

Roseanne Barr announced her run for president of the United States (and Prime Minister of Israel–it’s a toofer) on The Tonight Show. She is heading up the “Green Tea Party” and is bringing back the barter system. Nice to see a dream come true. What started out as a plug for her Lifetime reality show,…

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1,000 Leagues From Hillel, Part III

By Carly Silver August 4, 2011

In this installment, Carly Silver returns to Hinduism, visiting a Hindu temple under construction in Flushing.

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More Jewish Studies Programs: Good For The Jews

By David A.M. Wilensky August 2, 2011

The New York Times says that the Master’s is the new Bachelor’s. Then how do they explain my employment? Huh? Huh? Anyway, Jenna Weissman Joselit points out that not only are MA program proliferating right now, but there are more Jewish Studies programs popping up as well. In the Times article, they cite the appearance…

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Forward quotes New Voices editor on JDub

By admin August 1, 2011

When news of JDub’s impending death first hit, we blogged about it a bit. And then New Voices reporter Alisha Kinman checked in with them at their last party. Now, Jewish Daily Forward intern Pnina Kessler is weighing in–and quoting New Voices Editor David A.M. Wilensky. Kessler writes: …I’m here to tell those speculating about the…

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