Jewish media mogul compares Palestinian people to unicorns [pause, not]

By Harpo Jaeger April 17, 2012

Apparently Facebook is more accepting of Palestinian peoplehood than, oh, I don’t know, Newt Gingrich. Obviously, this joke was too good to be missed, so I posted this very screenshot to Facebook earlier today.  David (the Editor here) aptly pointed out that Facebook isn’t actually claiming that the Palestinians are a people, just that there do in…

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The website we all love to hate [Media]

By pkessler April 10, 2012

I have spent, or rather squandered, countless hours pouring over Facebook. And every few months, usually in the midst of a particularly stressful work week in which I solemnly vow to stay focused, I consider removing myself from its vacuum and just going offline. However, in today’s age, deactivating your Facebook is like dropping off…

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Facebook buys Instagram; New reality show follows unorthodox; Focusing on community college, and more [Required Reading]

By pkessler April 10, 2012

Focusing on Community College [USA Today] Community College is no longer the subject of the hilarious NBC sitcom above. New government funding and a dearth of skills in several expanding areas has led to increased enrollment in community colleges offering technical and vocational skills that some view as crucial in today’s job market. However, focusing…

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Girls on Facebook; Reform lay-offs; and more. [Required Reading]

By John Propper March 28, 2012

Beis Rivkah High School’s war on Facebook immodesty [The Algemeiner] A school in Brooklyn, New York, is coming under fire for trying to force students to delete their Facebook accounts (under fines and threat of expulsion). Why? Because girls, dammit! The Algemeiner writes: “The decision by the all-girls Beis Rivkah High School in Brooklyn, New…

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Reflections on Historical Anti-Semitism; Jew Pond by any other name; Rabbi claims targeted killings foster Tikkun Olam, and more [Required Reading]

By pkessler March 13, 2012

Shimon Peres wants you to be his Facebook friend [JTA] President of Israel Shimon Peres has launched a clever media campaign, enlisting the help of remix artist Noy Alooshe to extend his message – be my Facebook friend, for peace. Civil War Bigotry, Revisited [Slate] While pretty much everyone is familiar with the racist history leading…

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Not just another “Facebook marriage” [Activism]

By pkessler February 28, 2012

Facebook is a source of endless procrastination for college students, a place for middle schoolers to explore their burgeoning sexuality via pictures taken in mirror reflects, and occasionally, a place for political and social activism. This is one of the latter stories. As Rabbi Jason Miller commented in this Jewish Week blog post, Facebook is…

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Israeli Apartheid Week continues; Obama’s Jewish fundraiser; Agunot and Facebook, and more [Required Reading]

By pkessler February 28, 2012

Training to be a Jew [Tablet] Jake Kohlman, a Jewish soldier in the American armed forces, reflects on how his basic training enabled him to connect to his religion. “At that Sunday service, for the first time, I started to understand. The chaplain’s words lifted my spirits. I remembered why I had joined in the…

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The Reading List: A Baby Named “Like”

By Ben Sales May 17, 2011

Only in Israel… [Ha’aretz] I’ll be honest: This is here only because the words “New Voices” are in the title. [NYT] Interesting piece on the hunt for Ivan Demjanjuk. [Forward] Leonard Fein goes to Sderot and Gaza. [Forward] The first Jewish mayor of the Second City. [Tablet]

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The Reading List: Michigan State Goes Kosher

By Ben Sales October 25, 2010

There’s a large Middle Eastern population in Michigan, but there’s never been a kosher Middle Eastern restaurant &#8212 until now. Woody’s Oasis, an eatery near Michigan State University, is getting the hekhsher, according to an email from Kosher Michigan. In other campus news, the Israeli team wins the debate over whether Israel is a “rogue…

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IDF Tells Soldiers Not to Post Embarrassing Photos on Facebook, Thanks Mom

By jagross October 25, 2010

I am paranoid. The more I understand about law, the government, advertisers and the Internet the more freaked out I become. I believe that anything sent via text, posted on the Web or said on a cell phone conversation is being recorded by someone. A corporation, the government, the police, I don’t know who but…

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IDF: the best time of your life

By hdilman August 19, 2010

Recently, Eden Abergil, an Israeli and former IDF soldier (discharged last year) posted some “controversial” photos of herself and Palestinians on her facebook page.  In an album labeled, “IDF- the most beautiful time of my life,” Abergil, in IDF uniform, is posing with Palestinian prisoners while they are blindfolded and handcuffed.  The comment under the…

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Mavi Marmara and Productive Conversation

By Ben Sales June 1, 2010

The Twitterizing of the news has reached a crisis point in the Israeli-Palestinian forum. For a long time, the Jewish community in the US has viewed the conflict in black-and-white: The elders have decided that Jewish solidarity necessitates categorical defense of Israel, and they treat any deviation from the institutional line as a threat. There is no…

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Unplug on the Sabbath for a Change!

By kseeger March 23, 2010

Obviously, technology has changed ancient traditions as it has evolved over the years. Jews who are accustomed to observing the Sabbath by giving up the use of electronics now face greater challenges. Last Saturday (March 20) Reboot held the first annual National Day of Unplugging. On this day, Reboot encouraged thousands of younger Jews to…

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