Archive
In the aftermath of the revelation that Bernard Madoff’s investment fund was a tremendous Ponzi scheme, the Jewish community adopted a customarily defensive pose. Afraid that Madoff’s religious affiliation would encourage anti-Semites, community spokesmen worked to disassociate him from the Tribe. David Harris, the executive director of the American Jewish Committee, complained to the New York Times in a December 13th letter that their coverage of Madoff had placed “a striking emphasis on his being Jewish,” and pointed out that no one was talking about the religion of Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who had been accused of corruption the same week.
A thought experiment. Imagine that it turns out that Glenn Beck is right, and that President Obama is a closet socialist. Further, imagine that upon reelection in 2012, Obama announces a series of reforms – call it a Four Year Plan – to narrow the gap between rich and poor, and that the keystone of the plan is a marginal tax rate of 99% on income over $100,000. A few machers and their lawyers would figure out how to game the system, but the broader communal affluence that sets us apart from nearly every other American ethnic group would disappear. Given such a scenario, what would it mean to be an American Jew in 2030?
Horseracing is a disorienting sport for the unschooled spectator. We’re used to experiencing sporting events within one of a few of dramatic frameworks: the underdog perseveres, an indomitable spirit spurs forgotten athlete to greatness, teamwork lifts mediocre players to victory, etc. Each May, NBC tries to convince us that these sorts of narratives apply to […]
The third and final audio recording from the 38th Annual National Jewish Student Journalism Conference is posted below. In this segment, editors of five Jewish campus publications talk about their trade. Speakers included representatives from The Shpiel, Schmooze Magazine, the Commentator, Avanim, and Hakesher. Download their conversation by clicking on the following link: Jewish Student […]
This just in from the good folks at the Nation. Not a particularly imaginative question, but definitely a great opportunity. I wish we had $5000 to give away in a contest. 2009 Nation Student Writing Contest How has the recession affected you, your family or someone you know? Essays should not exceed 800 words and […]
Live from the 38th Annual National Jewish Student Journalism Conference, a conversation between J.J. Goldberg of the Forward, Eyal Press of the Nation, and Michael Weiss of Nextbook about covering Israel as Jewish journalists. Download their conversation by clicking on the following link: Covering Israel in the Jewish Community While you listen, gaze at this […]
A pretty cool new video out yesterday from frum hip-hop powerhouse Shemspeed, featuring Y-Love and DeScribe. I saw these guys perform at the Shemspeed showcase at 92YTribeca while researching our story on Aharit Hayamim. I liked their set (though not as much as Eprhyme and Shir Yaakov‘s collaboration, a low-res version of which you can […]
Cheers to Phillip Eil, a participant in the 38th Annual National Jewish Student Journalism Conference and a journalist for The Jewish Voice and Herald. Eil recently published a piece about the conference in an account sprinkled with excellent quotes and details proving that he was definitely paying attention on that jam-packed day. If you weren’t […]
Missed out on the 38th Annual National Jewish Student Journalism Conference? That sucks. We had a nice time. You should have been there. Fortunately, we recorded some of the best parts. We’ll be posting podcasts from the conference over the next few days. For now, you can download a conversationbetween Jewish social media guru Dan […]
Those of you who get New Voices in the mail know the Kulturkampf, a colorful matrix that we use to say mean things about bad Jewish pop culture. The spring Kulturkampf just went online here. The December edition is here. The February edition is only available in print. If you’re upset you missed it, click […]