Israelis think Birthright is funny; contraception for college Catholics; and more [Reading List]

By John Propper January 31, 2012

VIDEO: Israelis think Birthright is funny [Eretz Nehederet] Israeli comedy show, “Eretz Nehederet” (“A Wonderful Country,” somewhere between “The Daily Show” and “Saturday Night Live”), took Birthright in their season premiere. The skit came complete with a perverted trip mate, an enthusiastic frat-boy a tour guide with a guilt complex… and this gem from their tour…

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Lower tuition… yay! Israel and Iran… meh… [State of the Students]

By Zach C. Cohen January 25, 2012

Everybody and their mother is trying to predict what’s going to happen in the 2012 race to the White House. At New Voices, we’re wondering what college students will vote for. Well, tonight may have given us a hint. Most college students use their Tuesday night to catch up on homework or party before class-free…

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Piss on the Queen of England [Global Jewish Voice]

By Gabriel T. Erbs January 23, 2012

Israeli native Liran Shamriz grew up with rabid, Israel-obsessed articles an international media mainstay. Here, he turns the tables. French people are whores and Americans are all fat and stupid. If that makes you angry, then I’ve succeeded. If not, just tell me who you are and I will find the words to make you…

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The Iowa eight, Ron Paul and the student vote

By Zach C. Cohen January 4, 2012

Republicans wrapped up the Iowa caucuses last night (after this commute-weary journalist fell asleep watching CNN) and have chosen former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney as their champion of conservatism … by eight votes. Yes. Eight. Shmoneh. Ocho. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum was one Bachmann-sized family away from winning in Iowa. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama…

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Obama Tells D’Var Torah, Defends Israel Record [URJ Biennial, day 3]

By Zach C. Cohen December 18, 2011

Seeing the president of the United States give a Torah sermon was quite the treat for this Jewish journalist’s 20th birthday. It’s an unusual sight to say the least. President Barack Obama knew exactly what to say when he addressed the Union for Reform Judaism Biennial on Friday. After all, there’s a resident expert on…

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Chanukah: the festival of anti-assimilation? [Long-Range Israel]

By greback December 9, 2011

It’s been a while since there has been a good bit of controversy about Jewish assimilation, but thankfully American Jews and Israeli politics are out of sync just enough to justify talking about it again. The latest blip, I think, challenges American Jews much more than any other public effort since the spread of the…

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Sabra League Baseball [Global Jewish Voice]

By Gabriel T. Erbs November 24, 2011

Israel may field a baseball team for the next World Baseball Classic. Can you say ק-ו-פ-ק-ס ? The latest from the Global Jewish Voice: Sabra League Baseball By Gabriel T. Erbs in Portland Citing a recent ESPN article, Heeb Magazine reported that a slew of former MLB players met with Israeli baseball officials to discuss the potential of an…

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Sammy’s Palestinian brother | Today in New Voices

By Zach C. Cohen November 16, 2011

While researching my article about Jewish Greek life here at American University, one of the most Jewish private universities in the country (depending on who you ask), I ran into someone interesting. Ibraheem Samirah is a normal college student. He’s a junior studying political science and pre-dentistry, he likes hanging out with friends, he ran…

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Iran’s nuclear fallout [Long-Range Israel]

By greback November 9, 2011

Though defeating Iran is a given, the costs of a war with Iran would be dramatically high. This much has to be made clear. Israel will never go it alone. The country does not have the assets currently to make any sort of unilateral assault sustainable against multiple foes at once. It would involve the…

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Israel’s Pioneer Status is Slipping | Long-Range Israel

By greback October 11, 2011

Israel is considered a pioneer. Its technological and medical developments might be the results of years of input from a culture of research and development. But even after one of the country’s top chemists’ latest Nobel Prize win, Professor Ehud Keinan of the country’s educational advisory board on chemistry has been very public with his…

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Mideast Studies: Better to join in than to complain

By greback July 25, 2011

In 2000, as my Jewish identity finally began to blossom and my awareness of current events followed suit, the Second Intifada broke out in Jerusalem.  At that point, I decided pretty quickly I was interested enough, even invested enough, in Israel that I wanted to work on it for the rest of my life. That…

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How Did YIISA Affect Students? How will YPSA?

By Ben Sales July 1, 2011

Amid all of the hullabaloo over the closing of the Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Anti-Semitism, and its resurrection as the Yale Program for the Study of Anti-Semitism, what’s been missing from most of the coverage are student voices. In its statement on YIISA’s closing, Yale said that it had ceased funding the…

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Jewish and Lebanese Congressman Team Against Hezbollah

By greback June 20, 2011

Representative Howard Berman of California called his bipartisan, multi-ethnic-supported bill “very unusual” considering the alliance sponsoring, but it really is not. His allies are of Lebanese descent, and include Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Charles Boustany (R-La.) and Nick Rahall (D-W. Va.). The four congressman, two Democrats and two Republicans, who are also one Jew and…

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Jazzy Jew York

By lcuen June 15, 2011

It was almost two years ago now that I first saw Dida Pelled strumming her guitar as part of a jazz trio in a Jerusalem café. Her eyes squeezed shut as her fingers danced across the instrument. Her sound was understated but unapologetically passionate. Pelled has been playing guitar since she was 11 years old…

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Iran responds to UK censure of their TV station by quoting “Protocols of the Elders of Zion”

By yrosenberg May 27, 2011

No, really. Earlier this week, OfCom, the official United Kingdom broadcast regulating authority, censured Iran’s state-run Press TV for conducting and airing an interview with Newsweek journalist Maziar Bahari while he was being held captive and was under coercion from the Iranian government, as doing so was (unsurprisingly) against UK broadcasting rules. The Guardian reports…

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