Journalism by Jewish college students, for Jewish college students.
I absolutely love Jewish art and jewelry. While I appreciate its creativity and detailedness, I also feel a connection to what its symbols represent. The Star of David is the most universal Jewish symbol, since it is on Israel’s flag; however, there are other popular symbols too. I would like to focus on the hamsa…
This week food store shelves are being wiped of turkeys, cranberry sauces, corn, pumpkin and countless other Thanksgiving accompaniments. While Thanksgiving is a secular holiday, I felt like it is appropriate to write about this week because I am seriously itching to go home for the break. People enjoy Thanksgiving because it usually consists of…
In my Intro to Islam class we recently read Al-e Ahmad’s Gharbzadegi (West-struckness). In this he discusses Islam’s reliance on the West, primarily with their machinery. The problem of this lays fundamentally within the leaders who are western-educated, and the only way to fix this is to go back to religion and to teach Muslims…
I am sure you are all aware of the case being considered by Britain’s Supreme Court over the issue of rejecting a student because the mother converted to Progressive Judaism, and not Orthodox at JFS (Jews’ Free School). If not, or if you want to read more details, I have provided several links throughout this…
Last spring I was fortunate to attend Hillel’s Alternative Spring Break in New Orleans with three other F&M students. My Hillel Director recently asked me to write up a reflection on this trip for their newsletter. I feel it is appropriate to share on this blog and hope you all can gain knowledge from it….
The way one perceives their pride for their religion really can vary. At a party last weekend, an anti-Semetic joke was told in a conversation next to that of my close friend, who relayed this to me. When this anti-Semitic joke was said one girl, who has an aggressive, outspoken personality replied, “Don’t say that,…
Yesterday I had an interview to be considered to attend Birthright Israel. The idea of traveling to Israel has been in my mind since I can remember so I was overly excited for this. Out of the nearly twenty trip organizers, I chose to apply to the Yael Adventures program. Besides the great feedback I…
Have you ever considered what it would be like to be a rabbi? Depending on your religiosity, there are different rules for who can be a rabbi and what that process entails. The first female rabbi ordained in America was not until 1972. Since then, nearly 400 women have been ordained in the United States….
Latkes, matzah, kugel, and hamantashen: these are all foods that I feel like I was born to love. They are just a few of the many foods associated with Judaism on select days of the year. While these all have some religious significance, there are many foods, like bagels, that are coveted by so many…
It is usually expected that you wear your finest clothing to synagogue services. Depending on your level of religiosity you may add or subtract a garment of clothing (ie, kippah/ talis); however all congregants seem to be dressed up. Women may wear skirts or dresses, while men tend to wear sport jackets or suits. This…
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…