School spirit goes viral as more and more college students have taken to (sometimes not so) gently ribbing their college or university on the internet. As NewVoices reported last week, memes, it seems, are everywhere.
Israel’s favorability rating stays high [JTA]
Some 71% of Americans said they viewed the country favorably, making it the eighth most favored country in this year’s Gallup poll. Amicability towards Israel is up 3% from last year.
On Eating Disorders and their culture of silence [CartoonKippah]
Deborah Blausten’s harrowing post points at the limited ways in which we perceive Eating Disorders compared to the people they afflict. She highlights growing concerns that the rate of Eating Disorders may be higher in the Jewish community than in the general population – and how incompatible these disorders are in the Jewish food culture.
“Eating Disorders are not a fad or a lifestyle choice, they’re serious, but they CAN be beaten. Judaism can play an important part in people’s recovery, helping ascribe positive ritual significance to eating helps remove negative associations it may have once held. A spiritual community that reminds us that we are more than the sum of our experiences challenges the grip that an Eating Disorder can hold on someone’s identity.”
In defense of Middot, both on and off the court [JTA]
The JTA mailman brings us an interesting letter to the editor responding to a JTA roundup of this New York Times profile about YU basketball coach Jonathan Halpert. It’s not even March yet, but it appears college basketball already has a few people jumping out of their seats.
Financial Aid makes Jewish summer camps possible [Jerusalem Post]
Whether good or bad, nearly every teenage or young adult Jew has some memories from an experience affectionately referred to as “Jew Camp”. However, amidst a struggling economy, some families face difficulties over pricing. Some families – and camps – have begun to get creative with their financial resources to make summer camp possible.
“Jewish summer camp is not for the faint of wallet. But with new studies suggesting that the camp experience is a key component in boosting the Jewish identity of American Jews, it shouldn’t be expendable, say champions of camping.”
College themed memes take off [Time]
