For Jerusalem

By hdilman May 6, 2010

Elie Wiesel is considered one of today’s biggest spokesperson on the lessons on the Holocaust.  He teaches generations of people about the danger of discrimination against any kind of group.  His inspiring story and brave soul has been a source of inspiration for people all over world.  I heard Wiesel speak a few years back…

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Outside the Israeli Bubble

By dbarmash May 6, 2010

During my five months in Israel, I had fallen in love with the harsh landscape–from every craggy hill to thorny bush, to the poppies which came after the spring rains. I embraced the terseness of the Israeli people, and I immersed myself into the culture until I experienced their uncompromising warmth and hospitality, in addition…

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Out of the Dark Ages

By Carly Silver May 5, 2010

I’ve always been fascinated by royals and genealogy. I’ve giggled gleefully at the millions of descendants from one Irish high king named Niall of the Nine Hostages, chuckled at the amusing antics of Infanta Leonor of Spain and smiled at the moving humanitarian efforts of Prince William of the United Kingdom. But no royal action…

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The Road To Apartheid Is Paved With…License Plates?

By smelamed May 3, 2010

Growing up, my family used to take a lot of road trips.  During these journeys through America, my siblings and I would whittle away the hours by cataloging the various license plates we encountered along the highways and biways of our nation. There was a points system that I won’t get into here, but suffice…

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Why Can’t We All Just Get Along, with David Mendelsohn

By Ben Sales April 30, 2010

The famous lesson of the Tower of Babel, and of the overrated movie “Babel,” is that language is the source of our division. Language influences culture (how many words do we have in America for sex and beer?), culture influences belief and when beliefs get strong, people can die. Especially Arab people and Jewish people….

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The Sport of Kings Gets Tarnished

By Carly Silver April 28, 2010

As the first Saturday in May approaches every year, I begin my annual pre-Derby preparations. I analyze the contenders’ pedigrees, mark down the exact post time, and watch pre-race coverage with the fervor I usually give to a Columbia University event with free food. This year, though, I watched ESPN’s perfectly-coiffed anchormen with more interest…

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2020 Vision for Jerusalem?

By smelamed April 26, 2010

Last week, Udi Sommer wrote an op-ed for the Christian Science Monitor (normally one of my favorite news sites) with a somewhat radical proposal.  In his piece, he suggested that the International Olympic Committee award Jerusalem the 2020 Summer Olympics, albeit with one very important stipulation. Sommer argues that this privilege – if one dare call…

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British Bigotry?

By Carly Silver April 21, 2010

Some say that a British accent makes everything better. But can an accent improve hatred? A new book out, entitled Trials of the Diaspora: A History of Anti-Semitism in England, by Anthony Julius, investigates anti-Jewish sentiment in the land of nobles and fish ‘n’ chips. A blog by Canadian writer Barbara Kay examines what she…

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No, we cannot be done with Jewish exceptionalism.

By ekrasner April 20, 2010

This post comes in response to Harpo Jaeger’s critique of my Holocaust Remembrance Day post from last week. Harpo accuses me of promoting Jewish exceptionalism. While my post dealt with the importance of remembering the Holocaust and not with Jewish achievement, I believe that Jews should be proud of their exceptionalism and there is no…

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LA’s newest child star

By Ben Sales April 20, 2010

And you thought you needed a high school diploma to get elected to political office. Rachel Lester, a 15-year old sophomore at Los Angeles’s Jewish  Shalhevet School, won an election last week to serve as a representative to the South Robertson Neighborhood council. Her victory makes her the youngest representative ever elected to an LA neighborhood council….

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A response to comments on “Don’t Hate the Jewish State”

By sgreen April 19, 2010

Thanks to everyone who read my article (“Don’t Hate the Jewish State,” April 12) and especially to those of you who took the time to respond to it, either critically or in support. My article drew so many critical comments because it addressed an idea that makes Jews uncomfortable: that Judaism and Jewish identity do…

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For Heaven’s Sake

By eweiss April 16, 2010

The Mishna teaches us that an argument for the sake of heaven will yield lasting results. Judaism is a religion of arguments: Hillel vs. Shammai, Rashi vs. Rabbenu Tam, Heschel vs. Kaplan. Yet the Mishna tells us that even if arguments become heated, we must remember that it is not personal. We argue not to win…

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J Street U: The Sacred Struggle for Peace

By admin April 16, 2010

This post is cross-posted from J Street U’s blog. Dual Israeli-American citizenship can make me feel a tad schizophrenic. At our small Passover seder this March I sat next to Gilad Shalit, or at least the chair set for him by our friends on the moshav. The empty seat seemed to lodge a big splinter…

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The Global Citizen: Are Green Efforts Always Innocent?

By feabdelhak April 16, 2010

The Global Citizen is a joint project of New Voices and the American Jewish World Service (AJWS). Throughout the year, a group of former AJWS volunteers will offer their take on global justice, Judaism, and international development. Opinions expressed by Global Citizen bloggers do not necessarily represent AJWS. It’s an odd mind-bender when noble ventures…

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The Global Citizen: I’d Like a Moat, Please

By jsiegel April 16, 2010

The Global Citizen is a joint project of New Voices and the American Jewish World Service (AJWS). Throughout the year, a group of former AJWS volunteers will offer their take on global justice, Judaism and international development. Opinions expressed by Global Citizen bloggers do not necessarily represent AJWS. I recently saw signs posted on my…

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