Being Jewish Used to Be Enough

By Jessica Green February 25, 2013

I recently saw a French film, the title of which translated into The Rabbi’s Cat. This movie, set in colonial Algiers, explored the place of Jews in the world: the place of the Jews among a secular colonial power, among Christians and Muslims of all sorts, and among themselves. Do black Jews in Ethiopia and blonde…

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Purim Pieces Palooza

By New Voices February 22, 2013

Here at New Voices, we’re very excited about Purim, as we’re sure you must be as well (take that as an order). After all, what’s not to like? Baked goods + costumes + alcohol + heartwarming story of good vs. evil = one hell of a good time. So pretty much everyone on our masthead…

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I Don’t Want to be a Slutty Crayon

By Simi Lichtman February 21, 2013

“Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it,” says Cady in that memorable scene from Mean Girls (admittedly, pretty much every scene from Mean Girls is memorable). What follows is a parade of high school girls, each clad in…

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Mordecai Unchained: Tarantino, Haman, and the Catharsis of Violence

By John Propper February 20, 2013

Some four years ago, when I left my home in the humid Georgia foothills for college in the snowy Midwest, a member of my family gave me two pieces of advice: “Number one: If someone hits you, or hurts you, you get ‘em back,” they said. “Stand up and don’t let ‘em win. “Number two:…

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Candy Cane Cheese Cake Hamantaschen? Yes.

By H. B. Rubin February 19, 2013

The times that I’ve made Hamantaschen in the past have always been in an affectionate haste around my kitchen table, with my grandmother’s well-worn cookbook pinned down by two generations of elbows and floury fingers. My mother and I flutter around the kitchen in hazy swirls, looking for circle-cutting cylinders, inventive ingredients to ad lib as creative…

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From Yeshiva to Public School and Back Again

By Ari Margolies February 14, 2013

In the religious world, non-Jewish schools (all considered “public” in casual conversation) are regarded with such a level of contempt and repugnance one would think that they exist exclusively in the lowest depths of hell. They are reserved for kids who are off the derech, from fucked up families, or got kicked out of yeshiva….

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Overcoming My Eating Disorder, Publicly

By Simi Lichtman February 14, 2013

This articles deals with the topic of eating disorders and may be triggering to some people The Beacon, an online publication for the Orthodox Jewish community (and, incidentally, the paper I helped start two years ago), is tackling an important issue this month, with first-person narratives and various other articles related to eating disorders. The…

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Five Jewish Dating Sites Whose Names Don’t Rhyme With Day Jate

By Simi Lichtman February 13, 2013

Though the Yelp-like app Lulu, which invites women to publicly review and rate men in a number of categories, has yet to be adapted to a Jewish version, we Jews have no shortage of creative ways to meet and mingle with the opposite gender using our smartphones. Everyone knows about (the many, many) classic Jewish…

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The Future, As Said By Some Girls and Bridesmaids

By H. B. Rubin February 12, 2013

As I look out my window, all I can see is graduation approaching. And maybe the off-white dregs of the gargantuam blizzard that hit on Friday. And yes, my street remains unplowed. But I digress. Graduation. Leaving this student house, these student classes, this student food behind and finally becoming… a 20-something. Though I have been twenty for almost…

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Sarah Silverman, the Pope and Some Editors Walk Into an Email…

By David A.M. Wilensky February 11, 2013

Get excited. This is a special behind-the-scenes-at-New-Voices blog post. It’s also an excuse to post the above video here on The Conspiracy. You excited? You ready? This how the sausage gets made at New Voices: I saw something on Facebook about how Sarah Silverman’s sister, Rabbi Susan Silverman, was arrested at the Western Wall in the…

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Seniors, Recent Grads: Run This Publication – Actual Salary Included!

By David A.M. Wilensky February 11, 2013

Seeking recent college grad for full-time position: Editor in Chief of New Voices Magazine New Voices Magazine and the Jewish Student Press Service have a full-time job opening for the editor of an online magazine and director of a small non-profit. The start date is flexible, somewhere around late spring/early summer 2013. Applicants will have…

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Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Click on That Profile

By Simi Lichtman February 11, 2013

In our latest update of Bizarre Jewish Dating Ideas, today we bring you: TheJMom.com. Remember the good old days when Mama used to meddle in her children’s lives way too much, back before men and women were allowed to choose their own spouses? For reference, see Fiddler on the Roof. It worked so well there….

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News Roundup: BDS Explosions at Brooklyn and Harvard AAAAAAAA!

By Gabriel T. Erbs February 7, 2013

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…

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Progressive Judaism and “Going Too Far”

By John Propper February 7, 2013

In past blogs, I have talked about progressive Judaism at length. I’ve written about queering Jewish spaces. I’ve explored the burgeoning institutionalization of Jewish atheism. I’ve critiqued the bureaucracy of conversion in Israel and for immigrants. Sometimes, the reaction to these pieces is positive. Thanks for that. Other times, the reaction goes something like this: “How much…

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The Abayudaya People Meet Portland, Oregon

By Emma Fredgant February 7, 2013

The Abayudaya are a tribe of roughly 1,000 Jewish Ugandans living in and around Mbale. Haven’t heard of them? Me either—until I recently got the opportunity to meet their leader, Aaron Kintu Moses, during a shabbaton at the P’nai Or of Portland. The event was sponsored by Kulana, a non-profit organization that works to support isolated…

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