Journalism by Jewish college students, for Jewish college students.
Woody Allen on rabbis and post-kung pao desserts: “To me, there’s no real difference between a fortune teller or a fortune cookie and any of the organized religions.” [Forward Schmooze] Actually, given what our religion says about rape, maybe it is better to eat the cookie. (Scroll down to “Shabbat in BA”) [Married With Backpacks]…
It’s a little late for all you coffee drinkers this year, but for next year’s Day of Atonement, check out this novel solution to the other problem of Yom Kippur: a maddening desire for caffeine. [Village Voice] And if your coffee comes from Venezuela, feel good. Hugo Chavez: “We respect and love the Jewish people. [Boston Globe]…
How much do you pay for the privilege of sitting in shul all day on Yom Kippur? How much do your Christian friends pay to go to their churches? It may be the same amount. In a surprising and insightful series of articles, former NV Editor Josh Nathan-Kazis looks at how much we give to our…
We all know the story about Sandy Koufax refusing to pitch for the LA (ne Brooklyn) Dodgers on Yom Kippur during the World Series, but apparently current Jew pitcher Jason Marquis doesn’t think Koufax’s precedent is so important. Meanwhile, Oakland A Craig Breslow is trying to make up for not being a good Jewish doctor…
After New Republic Editor-in-chief Martin Peretz wrote a column suggesting that Muslims be stripped of their First Amendment rights, students from his alma mater, Brandeis, demanded that he apologize for betraying the schools values. Here’s a look behind the brouhaha.
Maybe, says Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC). Citing their activities in South America, She has called for a US task force on the issue–to no avail. [Charlotte Observer] That’s not the only problem in Washington. Obama has long faced criticism from the Jewish right on his stance toward Israel, but a James Besser says that his…
Haaretz reported today that in the best example of “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” one in three Spaniards is anti-Semitic. Jeff Goldberg insightfully points out that one in five Spaniards is actually of Jewish descent. [Jeff Goldberg] But while they may be hating on us in Madrid, there’s nothing but…
In shades of the Abbie Hoffman tradition, TPM has alerted us that Brandeis students are fighting back against the anti-Muslim words of New Republic editor Martin Peretz, a 1959 Brandeis alum (who is Jewish). Peretz wrote: And among those Muslims led by the Imam Rauf there is hardly one who has raised a fuss about…
Today is the Fast of Gedaliah, traditionally observed because Yishmael ben Netanyah, a Jewish extremist, murdered Gedaliah ben Ahikam, the final Jewish Babylonian-appointed governor of the Land of Israel, and the last Jew to govern the land before 1948. I think, though, that the rabbis instituted the fast because they needed a cool-down period after…
This post is in response to David Wilensky’s post from earlier today. David, you and I both know how most people read news articles: they usually don’t. Maybe they’ll read the headline, maybe–if we’re lucky–they’ll read the lede and the nut graf and maybe–if they actually care–they’ll read an entire article. The truth, though, is…
Direct talks haven’t failed yet and the two sides have even set out a schedule for negotiations, so as our cautious optimism continues to grow, here’s some insight into the importance of peace for Israelis, and some discouraging thoughts on whether they actually care about a final settlement: Hebrew U. Professor Gadi Taub says that…
Walking home from slichot and on our way to a bar last night, my friends and I passed several groups of newly arrived Columbia University freshmen, doubtless on their way to–or back from–their own drinking escapades. I graduated high school six years ago, when these current freshmen were finishing sixth grade, but I remember the…
How do cultural elitism and racial elitism relate? The above comic, surprisingly enough, is not a Heeb original, but they roll with it anyway, giving some more examples of the intersection between fashion and fascism. [Heeb] But who knows what will happen to all the Jewish hipsters, not to mention Woody Allen and Michael Bloomberg,…
As both peace talks and college begin, liberal Jewish students have a lot to be excited for. And they should never stop working ofr what they believe in, even if they feel at times like they’re in the minority in the Jewish community, says a former Columbia Hillel staff member. [Jewschool] Meanwhile, one day has…