Archive
Similar to Ashley Tedesco’s entry, I struggle between what to do at college for the Holidays. Though there is a Hillel on my campus that offers services and several meals, it is difficult to actually honor a holiday in a different manner than what you grew up with. Besides missing the home cooked meals of […]
The first major political tragedy I remember was the death of Yitzchak Rabin in November, 1995. I was nine years old and until the Twin Towers fell Rabin’s assassination was my “Where were you?” moment, at least in Jewish school. I was walking into my parents’ bedroom and my mother had the TV on. She […]
The Wondering Jew on the People of the Kindle
Tradition, religion and law in American Jewish communities
Being a new Jew, independent of an observant family or significant other, can make holiday celebrations difficult. This is especially true as a college student. I’m a hundred miles from home–a place that’s already showing signs of impending Christmas decorations. So this Rosh Hashanah, just like the last, I’m left in New York City, scrambling […]
“Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about Dr. Whatley. I have a suspicion that he’s converted to Judaism purely for the jokes!†exclaimed an outraged Jerry Seinfeld in a famous episode of his sitcom. In that scene, he bristles at the idea that his dentist, a converted Jew, makes Jewish jokes so freely. A […]
The Fight for the Future of Orthodoxy
A revival of the “mame loshen” hits the US
Every time I sit down with my friend ‘Megan’ (not her real name), we have the same conversation, which consists of comparing our respective “ethnicities” and discussing how we view our particular cultural grouping in America and its effect on our respective world-views. She’s a leader of a campus Asian-American group and takes very seriously […]
Let me start off by saying that I’m 22 years old and I’m scared to cross the street. I know this confession may strike some as the psychological aftermath of some tragic incident of my childhood. However, let me assure you it’s not. The reason is far simpler than that- Israelis are crazy drivers. There […]