Archive
On a rainy Friday afternoon, my friends and I were released into the Jerusalem shook (marketplace). There were only a few hours until Shabbat and the streets were so crowded, it was nearly impossible to see the ground beneath my feet. There were so many hurried bodies and bulging bags, it was easy to get […]
This past weekend, I joined over 70 other Conservative Jewish college students at the KOACH Kallah, hosten by Northwestern University this year. The Kallah is a convention to bring together Conservative Jewish leaders from coast to coast for an enthusiastic, meaningful weekend of Jewish learning, connections, and Shabbat. This annual event brings together Jewish leaders […]
J Street may still be fighting for acceptance in the Jewish community almost three years after its founding, but there’s one place where that battle is over and the self-proclaimed “pro-Israel, pro-peace” group has emerged victorious: the college campus. J Street U displayed its secure position in the established Jewish campus world today by organizing […]
Some people say J Street is too far to the left; others complain that it’s too far right. But there’s another, more basic reason for Jews to doubt J Street’s kashrut: Its food is literally not kosher. Of course, plenty of Jewish organizations serve non-kosher food at their events, and that’s fine. Given that the […]
There’s a blurry line here at the J Street Conference between press and participant. And between college student and press, insofar as I’m here. The participants’ badges hang on black lanyards, but the press is easy to spot because of our bright orange–just go New Voices, I’m sure–lanyards ours hang on. Every time I see […]
There’s a plenary going on right now at the J Street Conference that’s exploring the present democracy movements in the Middle East. Good stuff. Something everyone–and especially the peaceniks here–can get behind. The first two panelists gave unsurprising speeches supporting democracy and the peace process, which elicited some token cheers from a mostly silent crowd. […]
Possibly the greatest conference giveaway $5 souvenir item I’ve ever seen: The J Street U shot glass. Unfortunately, I think it may be making the wrong point for them. If you fill these to the green line, you don’t get everything you want. So…
Herbert Grossman, retired federal judge, is stationed outside the convention center. His sign says, “J STREET: Quislings, Kapos, Appeasars, the New JUDENRAT.” I was surprised to find that there’s only the one. And that he’s a retired federal judge. I was not surprised to find that he’s a tad crotchety. Q: What are you doing […]
I’m a little slow on math. Despite the fact that last night’s plenary was full of “there are 2000 people here” and “there are 500 college students here,” it didn’t dawn on me that, if these numbers are accurate, a quarter of the population of this conference is made up of college students. That’s impressive. […]
The conference is under way. Rachel Lerner, the head of the conference itself, says that there are more than 2000 people here. I’ll buy that. It’s packed. The corner nearest the press seating I chose is chock-full of college students. I wonder how many of them them are here. Rabbi David Saperstein, head of the […]