As I was working on my thesis the other day, I came across a paper by Prof. Dov Waxman about the American Israel Lobby. Intrigued by his argument, I Googled him, and found out that he is the author of a book which looks at the effects of identity politics on the peace process in […]

College students like to sleep. Everyone in higher ed knows about the old stereotype of the lazy college student who won’t schedule a class before 11am because it will interfere with his/her sleep. Last semester one of my profs suggested that we schedule a make-up class for 10pm on a Wednesday, because, “you guys don’t […]

Whenever I raise my voice at my fifth-grade religious schools students, I immediately begin to worry that they will recall this moment twenty years from now as an explanation for why they are no longer affiliated with Judaism. “I came there twice a week when I didn’t want to,” I fear they’ll say, “and then […]

I absolutely love Jewish art and jewelry. While I appreciate its creativity and detailedness, I also feel a connection to what its symbols represent. The Star of David is the most universal Jewish symbol, since it is on Israel’s flag; however, there are other popular symbols too. I would like to focus on the hamsa […]

You know, I think that the ‘Black Eyed Peas’ were onto something when they wrote the words to their song ‘Where is the Love?’:   If you only have love for your own race, Then you only leave space to discriminate And to discriminate only generates hate And if you hate than you’re bound to […]

If you think about it, Thanksgiving, or ‘T-giving’ as I have taken to calling it in the past month, while not strictly a Jewish holiday, sure seems like one—the food, the guilt, the family and things associated with each—add up to a pretty Jew-y holiday tradition. And this year my family’s celebration seemed especially so. […]

When Jews fled Russia in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, they scattered all over the globe. Many came to America, helping to found the prominent Ashkenazi community in the country today. Throughout the twentieth century, Jews suffered under the reign of the Soviet Union presidents and are still marginalized in Russia today. Yet, tucked away […]

This week food store shelves are being wiped of turkeys, cranberry sauces, corn, pumpkin and countless other Thanksgiving accompaniments. While Thanksgiving is a secular holiday, I felt like it is appropriate to write about this week because I am seriously itching to go home for the break. People enjoy Thanksgiving because it usually consists of […]