Journalism by Jewish college students, for Jewish college students.
Video mashes up Chasidic celebration with “Teach Me How to Dougie” [Youtube] A hilarious YouTube video featuring a clip from what appears to be a Chasidic wedding dance paired up with Cali Swag District’s meme-tastic song has hit the web. Hey, they’re better than the Black Eyed Peas. Curlier too. Wigless photo of former chief…
Mormons apologize for baptizing deceased Jewish family [Forward] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has issued a public apology after accidentally allowing the posthumous baptism of the parents of the late Simon Wiesenthal, an Austrian Holocaust survivor who pursued fugitive Nazis during his lifetime. The baptismal practice, which involves church members acting in…
After a recent article in The Jewish Week on accusations of abuse by Rav Aharon Bina, head of an all-male yeshiva in Old Jerusalem, was published to much controversy, the Jewish blogosphere exploded with the aftershocks. From a blog where critics of Bina’s methods and teaching style can vent their frustrations and even their trauma,…
Whitney Houston visited Israel, called it “home” [Jerusalem Post] Upon the recent announcement of the passing of world-famous vocalist Whitney Houston, whose rocky past and relationships were once the focus of much media attention, the Jewish press took the opportunity to explore Houston’s trip to Israel in 2003. Specifically, Houston visited Dimona, spending some time…
Oprah goes Hasid [Chabad] Visiting Hasidic communities in Brooklyn for an upcoming episode in her latest program, Oprah sat down for a special interview with Chabad Rabbi Motti Seligson. Oprah discussed misconceptions about the role of women in Orthodox Judaism, the importance of family, and living a life of meaning. When asked by Seligson…
Holocaust music video resonates with online viewers. [YouTube] In an effort to re-engage young Jews and others to the loss and legacy of the Shoah, an audiovisual collaboration between composer Cecelia Margules and director Daniel Finkelman is quickly making the rounds. Since January 25th, the YouTube video has received over 51,000 hits. Hadassah organization investigating…
After a video of a recent service in Georgia with the controversial Bishop Eddie Long went viral, Jewish groups and bloggers were left scratching our heads and saying, “Huh?” The clip, found in last Friday’s Required Reading, featured Long being wrapped in a Torah scroll and declared “king” (though of what is unclear). There were…
What is beautiful to the Jews? [Tablet] How should Jews respond to the work of great Western classical composers, when so much of their work is rooted in a Christian understanding of the world? Is there an “appropriate” response, or does it really even matter? David Goldman explores the relationship between a Christian conceptualization of…
Eddie Long… the new Torah? [Forward] In one of the oddest religion stories this year, Atlanta pastor Eddie Long–who recently faced accusations of child molestation, and a subsequent divorce from his wife–was recipient to a strange outpouring of affection from a self-identified Messianic Jew as part of a recent church service. The Huffington Post gave…
Not so kosher after all? [Forward] Ever wondered if you were funding the violence of radical ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel? Shmarya Rosenberg is there! Rosenberg finds a link between the purchase of kosher food items in the United States and the militant, fundamentalist groups recently dominating Israel’s headlines. “Most of us do not want our…
For years now the synagogue format, with all its membership dues, local events, potluck dinners, trips to Israel and the like, has attempted to attract the interests and imaginations of young Jews. The common phrase is “You are our future,” and we definitely are. Each successive generation replaces the generations that preceded it, in time….
VIDEO: Israelis think Birthright is funny [Eretz Nehederet] Israeli comedy show, “Eretz Nehederet” (“A Wonderful Country,” somewhere between “The Daily Show” and “Saturday Night Live”), took Birthright in their season premiere. The skit came complete with a perverted trip mate, an enthusiastic frat-boy a tour guide with a guilt complex… and this gem from their tour…
There is something fundamentally Jewish about Christopher Hitchens’ legacy of debate, intellectualism and moral exploration. It doesn’t take much to see a parallel between his confrontational, often enraged discussion style and the general tone of the Judaism’s prophetic books — especially on questions of ethics and morality. Let’s acknowledge from the outset that Hitchens’ impact was felt by all who crossed his path. He would not have appreciated the imposition of a narrative with spiritual undertones upon his words, choices and platforms. Nevertheless — with all his question marks, conflicts and contradictions — Hitchens embodied a fiery, secular Judaism with totality of spirit.
Are there resource guides for modern Jews, or on the subject of modern Judaism for others? My bookshelf is loaded with theology. Make that bookshelves—three of them, crammed with as much Waskow, Armstrong, Schachter-Shalomi, Kaplan and Michaelson as I can fit into one three-room apartment. When non-Jewish friends ask me for a book about Judaism, I…
Today’s question comes from a variety of people, names excluded. Suffice it to say that more than five have approached me in conversation with this burning question: Jewish atheism? What’s up with that? While some people have articulated their curiosity more eloquently, most have cut right to the point: “What is Jewish atheism? Isn’t that…