Archive
Yesterday afternoon, I sat on a park bench in my neighborhood, soaking up the sun. Dhana, a small Filipino girl made her way over to me, soccer ball tucked under her arm, dragging her mother by the wirst. When she reached the bench where I sat, she dropped the ball, threw her arms around me […]
There is still at least another hour before the moon blankets the surrounding rice fields and the gargantuan boulders here in the south Indian town of Hampi. But at Dudu Falafel it may as well be midnight. An Israeli tourist stands in the main window serenading passing strangers with the lyrics of an Israeli pop song as it blasts over the speakers. In the kitchen, Dudu Falafel owner Chandru Singh supervises his staff as they prepare falafel, shakshuka, and moussaka for Israeli backpackers and other foreign tourists. Dudu is one of several local restaurants offering Israeli comfort food – but it stands out from the rest, boasting that it imports its zaatar, paprika and even the instant coffee that many Israelis can’t live without.
We hear it all the time: The American Jewish community is in decline. Interest is lacking, affiliation is down — and Jewish babies are popping out less frequently than we would like. If members of the Jewish establishment are correct, the future of American Judaism is in great peril, and if we don’t do a […]
The Global Jewish Voice is hiring a new Editor. The position of GJV Editor is for an undergraduate university student, preferably based in the U.S. It lasts for approximately one semester and begins ASAP. The position reports to the Editor in Chief of New Voices. The GJV Editor receives a $500 stipend and has the opportunity to publish […]
Guess what? Not only does the Internet provide you access to how Jewish your favorite celebrity is, it now also lets you know how anti-Semitic ze might be. Modeled after everyone’s favorite (read: disgusting) Facebook game, Hot or Not, the website AntiSemiticOrNot.com offers up people and events for viewers to rate on an anti-Semitic scale of […]
I have a quick question to ask our readers in the wake of recent elections in both the USA and Israel. What is Barack Obama’s middle name? My guess is that you, like much of our electorate, know that his middle name is “Hussein.” My guess is that you know this not because you were […]
As Obama signaled a more liberal second term during his second inaugural speech, I braced for the Israeli election. International media predicted a “right-wing doomsday,” decrying the end of once dominant “secular liberalism” in Israeli politics. One article from Israel/Palestine-based +972 Magazine projected that Prime Minister Netanyahu was losing ground—to the extreme right. In other words, […]
It’s sundown on Friday, and I have just turned off my laptop. I walk downstairs to light the Shabbat candles, and I prepare myself for 25 hours without technology. After a nice Shabbat dinner, I retreat to a warm and cozy couch. I settle in with a book in one hand and a magazine in the […]
This article was originally posted on PunkTorah.org. Kavanah. If you’re Jewish, you’ve probably heard the word thrown around by your Rabbi, or perhaps by a friend. Perhaps you use it yourself on a regular basis. For me, it’s a biggie. Loosely translated as “intention,” and related to the word kivun meaning “direction,” living life with […]
If community is a foundation of Jewish life, what does Judaism have to say about solitary confinement, the forcible separation of a person from the community? A few months ago I began an internship with Solitary Watch, an investigative news organization dedicated to reporting on solitary confinement. Once I got started, I became interested in […]