Journalism by Jewish college students, for Jewish college students.
Elie Wiesel is considered one of today’s biggest spokesperson on the lessons on the Holocaust. He teaches generations of people about the danger of discrimination against any kind of group. His inspiring story and brave soul has been a source of inspiration for people all over world. I heard Wiesel speak a few years back…
During my five months in Israel, I had fallen in love with the harsh landscape–from every craggy hill to thorny bush, to the poppies which came after the spring rains. I embraced the terseness of the Israeli people, and I immersed myself into the culture until I experienced their uncompromising warmth and hospitality, in addition…
I’ve always been fascinated by royals and genealogy. I’ve giggled gleefully at the millions of descendants from one Irish high king named Niall of the Nine Hostages, chuckled at the amusing antics of Infanta Leonor of Spain and smiled at the moving humanitarian efforts of Prince William of the United Kingdom. But no royal action…
Growing up, my family used to take a lot of road trips. Â During these journeys through America, my siblings and I would whittle away the hours by cataloging the various license plates we encountered along the highways and biways of our nation. There was a points system that I won’t get into here, but suffice…
The famous lesson of the Tower of Babel, and of the overrated movie “Babel,” is that language is the source of our division. Language influences culture (how many words do we have in America for sex and beer?), culture influences belief and when beliefs get strong, people can die. Especially Arab people and Jewish people….
As the first Saturday in May approaches every year, I begin my annual pre-Derby preparations. I analyze the contenders’ pedigrees, mark down the exact post time, and watch pre-race coverage with the fervor I usually give to a Columbia University event with free food. This year, though, I watched ESPN’s perfectly-coiffed anchormen with more interest…
Last week, Udi Sommer wrote an op-ed for the Christian Science Monitor (normally one of my favorite news sites)Â with a somewhat radical proposal. Â In his piece, he suggested that the International Olympic Committee award Jerusalem the 2020 Summer Olympics, albeit with one very important stipulation. Sommer argues that this privilege – if one dare call…
Some say that a British accent makes everything better. But can an accent improve hatred? A new book out, entitled Trials of the Diaspora: A History of Anti-Semitism in England, by Anthony Julius, investigates anti-Jewish sentiment in the land of nobles and fish ‘n’ chips. A blog by Canadian writer Barbara Kay examines what she…
This post comes in response to Harpo Jaeger’s critique of my Holocaust Remembrance Day post from last week. Harpo accuses me of promoting Jewish exceptionalism. While my post dealt with the importance of remembering the Holocaust and not with Jewish achievement, I believe that Jews should be proud of their exceptionalism and there is no…
And you thought you needed a high school diploma to get elected to political office. Rachel Lester, a 15-year old sophomore at Los Angeles’s Jewish  Shalhevet School, won an election last week to serve as a representative to the South Robertson Neighborhood council. Her victory makes her the youngest representative ever elected to an LA neighborhood council….
Thanks to everyone who read my article (“Don’t Hate the Jewish State,” April 12) and especially to those of you who took the time to respond to it, either critically or in support. My article drew so many critical comments because it addressed an idea that makes Jews uncomfortable: that Judaism and Jewish identity do…
This post is cross-posted from J Street U’s blog. Dual Israeli-American citizenship can make me feel a tad schizophrenic. At our small Passover seder this March I sat next to Gilad Shalit, or at least the chair set for him by our friends on the moshav. The empty seat seemed to lodge a big splinter…
The Global Citizen is a joint project of New Voices and the American Jewish World Service (AJWS). Throughout the year, a group of former AJWS volunteers will offer their take on global justice, Judaism, and international development. Opinions expressed by Global Citizen bloggers do not necessarily represent AJWS. It’s an odd mind-bender when noble ventures…
The Global Citizen is a joint project of New Voices and the American Jewish World Service (AJWS). Throughout the year, a group of former AJWS volunteers will offer their take on global justice, Judaism and international development. Opinions expressed by Global Citizen bloggers do not necessarily represent AJWS. I recently saw signs posted on my…