Journalism by Jewish college students, for Jewish college students.
The Midwest does not get enough credit for its foundational role in the American Jewish community. However, the first campus Hillel was established in 1923 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In an atmosphere where Jewish campus life was largely non-existent, the first Hillel marked a new age for American Jewish students who endured…
This year’s four-day J Street U Student Summit in Washington, D.C. was followed shortly by both the Passover holiday and President Obama’s quick trip to the Holy Land – yet the organization’s student leadership made a pointed effort to avoid the low-hanging fruit of the Passover metaphor. However, many an interlocutor capitalized on the intersection…
From the mound of peeling matzah box empties, it looked like a massive Passover seder was brewing. Instead, Ambacht Brewery co-owner Tom Kramer was tossing the discarded boxes to the brewery floor after adding crushed up matzoh to a bubbling mash of soon-to-be Matzobraü Beer. Matzobraü beer is the after-Passover brew of a two-room brewhouse…
The day-end sea of black-and-white flooding out of Jerusalem’s yeshivas is a lesson in the pleasure of monochrome. At what seems like the same time every afternoon, thousands of frocked and bearded men turn Strauss Street into a conveyor belt of bobbing Borsalino hats. It’s amazing to watch during any day of the year. The…
Both Jewish and non-Jewish organizations are part of increasing opposition to a 2010 ruling by Hillel barring fraternization with pro-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions [BDS] groups on campus. The 2010 ruling encouraged, but did not require, local Hillels to draft rules in line with the national policy that the organization would “not partner with, house, or host organizations, groups, or speakers” that…
As Obama signaled a more liberal second term during his second inaugural speech, I braced for the Israeli election. International media predicted a “right-wing doomsday,” decrying the end of once dominant “secular liberalism” in Israeli politics. One article from Israel/Palestine-based +972 Magazine projected that Prime Minister Netanyahu was losing ground—to the extreme right. In other words,…
If you are a Jewish student on Facebook, then your exposure to infographics probably stands at around 500% of normal due to the storm of social media hasbarah meant to buoy Israel’s Gaza operation, called Pillar of Defense. Most people don’t think twice about re-posting these images, confident in their “contribution” to Israel’s safety or happy…
The elections are over (nice try Florida) and New York is inundated with snow and floodwater. There’s no better a moment to shift your focus to the international Jewish student scene. Hungarian writer Gavriel Shalom takes us from Budapest to Gaza, with a final stop in Syria. Enjoy an excerpt below and read the full article…
What’s new with the globe? You could have watched the foreign policy debate last night. But, if you actually want to learn anything, you might instead read this week’s Global Jewish Voice highlight. As Israel’s climate teeters on the edge of war, Author Liran Shamriz sounds off on the moral conflicts plaguing the Israeli region….
It is always refreshing to start the week off with Jewish voices from around the globe. Global Jewish Voice, that is. Below are excerpted segments of an intriguing article about the steady rise of Hungary’s extreme right, from the vantage point of a Hungarian-Jewish insider. Read The Far- Right Side at Global Jewish Voice for the full story….
Ever since a friend made me sit down and watch Adam Curtis’ 2004 documentary film series The Power of Nightmares, I’ve been obsessed with the series’ main thesis. In the series, Curtis argues that neo-conservatism and radical Islamism share core values. The movie follows the ideological development of future Muslim Brotherhood leader Sayyid Qutb as…
As the farmer walked through his fields, he spotted a freezing viper. Taking pity on the snake, he placed the shivering reptile in his coat. Upon warming, the snake bit the man. As the farmer died, he realized his own fault: “I knew it was a snake when I picked it up.”
This fable characterizes the unholy alliance between Jewish pro-Israel organizations and Evangelical Zionist organizations here at Portland State University — and nationally.
The decimated, post-Holocaust Jewish population of Eastern Europe is the main concern for a number of Jewish activists in the region, but for András (the S is pronounced like “sh”) Ligeti a representative of Hungarian Union of Jewish Students, it isn’t the number of Jews in Hungary that’s the issue. The more pressing concern, Ligeti…
Listening to a classmate yell at another student about Queer Studies was the most boisterous experience of my academic career. Looking back, I’m a little surprised it remains the single most emotional exchange of my Ivory Tower. As I made my way through classes titled, “The Literature of Palestine,” “The Arab-Israeli Conflict in Film” and…