Archive
How Jews separate themselves from the rest of the world is an interesting issue, and a hot topic this week. It so happens, at Pardes this week, we looked at issues of separatism in Judaism, from the extremely current issue of the letter banning rental of apartments to Arabs to the more theoretical ‘how should […]
Natan Sharansky says that anti-Israel intimidation is silencing pro-Israel students on campus, but where’s his evidence? [NJJN Just ASC] Hillels should include, not oppose, JVP groups. Look for more on this in an NV blog post later today. [The Magnes Zionist] In related news, the NIF comes out explicitly against BDS. [Atlantic Jeff Goldberg] And BTS (Breaking […]
Visiting Israel for the first time from my study abroad program in Amman, Jordan, was not how I imagined my first trip to Israel would materialize. This is partially due to the fact that I drove across the Jordanian-Israeli border to get there and that I was the only Jewish person in the group. I […]
In religious school, it was about who had the best Bar/Bat Mitzvah party favors. In middle school, it was about who was dating who. In high school, it was about who could get into the best college. In college, we don’t quite know what the big goal is. Flashback to religious school in 2003: A […]
Here’s a story that’s near and dear to my heart: Left handed students in Israel demand desk equality. [Ha’aretz] Seven clerical students, including a few soon-to-be rabbis, are the subject of a new documentary on PBS. [JW] College is valuable, but it does not hold the key to unemployment. [NYT] More discrimination against Arab students […]
I grew up learning about the horrors of the Holocaust. Since I can remember there have been school trips to Holocaust museums and independent events where speakers told their stories. It has been touched on in almost every history class I have ever taken. Additionally, my grandpa is a survivor, and I have recorded his […]
When the power at my house went out last Thursday night, it was an instant reminder of my technology dependency. I am almost ashamed to admit that I hardly knew what to do with myself. After spending about a minute in shock, I stumbled my way in to the living room and sat down. A […]
In less than one month, I should be gliding into Chennai (formerly known as Madras), India. From there, I’ll travel 100 miles south to the city of Pondicherry with about 15 other American students. Why would I leave the steely gray beauty of Pittsburgh for the warmth and bustle of a southeast coastal town in the […]
I don’t mean to sound like Jessica Simpson, but, until recently, I hadn’t heard of many Jews with eating disorders. I’m sure that in some capacity I thought that this severe condition manifested itself in the Jewish community somewhere, but I hadn’t ever really thought about it. We’re the people who love food, right? Apparently […]
The Rabbinical Council of America, the largest organization of Modern Orthodox American rabbis, recently released a controversial paper regarding the halakhic status of organ donation. The involved and controversial topic has been, for the past week, the subject of much debate. At stake is the basic question of whether modern orthodox Jews should be allowed […]