It’s the most wonderful time of the year: subway platforms are sweltering, a new season of Top Chef has begun. Foodies rejoice, and among them are multitudes of Jews longingly drooling over gourmet treif, myself included.  In the first episode, aired last Wednesday night, the only thing in my apartment louder than my growling stomach […]

Pretend you know nothing. No politics, no religious conflict; no war, no prejudice. All you know is you’re in the Old City of Jerusalem, strolling along the ancient cobblestones surrounded by towering walls of Jerusalem stone. You’re in the Muslim Quarter. You’re Jewish, obviously so, the fact revealed by your pale skin and the typical […]

I’ll say it: I’ve never been a huge fan of the Western Wall. The wall itself is cool, surviving 2000 years through conquerors and the elements and its historical symbolism for the Jewish people, both as a bulwark and as a sign of mourning, cannot be overstated. But then we decided to come and start […]

It’s been said one thousand times before, I know, but someone missed the memo. Hillel calls itself “The Foundation for Campus Jewish Life” and that description sums up the organization’s mission, at least. Whether or not it’s effective in realizing that goal is a different story, but Hillel does have a variety of social justice, […]

Summertime is coming to an end, really really soon. It’s hard to believe that it’s almost over, I really feel like it sped by. Especially since I’ve been done with exams. This thought, well, reality actually, scares me a little. Okay, it scares me a lot. First of all, the days are already getting much […]

There’s a blog on Salon.com I like to read called “How to Save the World,” in which author Dave Pollard espouses his environmental philosophy, creative works, business papers and essays “in search of a better way to live and make a living, and a better understanding of how the world really works.” Among other things, […]

Forget Iran. Forget Hizballah. Forget Hamas, Fatah, Islamic Jihad, the Al-Aqsa Brigade, rogue terrorists and anyone else. Forget Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the rest of the Arab world. Forget 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973. Forget Lebanons I and II. Forget the Intifadas. Forget Cast Lead It started with protesting. The yelling, marching […]