Journalism by Jewish college students, for Jewish college students.
Jewish ‘Avengers’ [JTA] As the latest round of superhero adaptations makes its way into theaters, JTA harks back to its Jewish roots, which this time, go further than the creators. The Avengers was a handle taken on by a group of Jewish resistance fighters in Lithuania during World War Two. “So as you’re chewing on…
Anytime an entertainer (actor, musician, novelist, you name it) passes away, it seems the collective culture leaps up and cries, “They were one of my favorites!” See the Internet on Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Davy Jones, Dick Clark, et cetera. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, especially when it’s true. But for every heartfelt…
Bob Marley’s heirs to Israeli MK: “Stop using ‘Iron Lion Zion’” [Haaretz] Given the title of the Bob Marley song, it’s probably a given that someone might think to use it for Israel-related material (propaganda or otherwise). But it seems a recent use of the song has raised the ire of Bob Marley’s heirs. Haaretz reports:…
(Above, an otherwise unrelated video of Rabbi David Rosen talking about Hindus) The American Jewish Committee Global Forum, currently underway here in the basement of the Washington D.C. Grand Hyatt, is full of impressive people. In the span of 30 seconds at last night’s reception, I spotted a half dozen people whose conference badges identified…
Bob Dylan, Madeleine Albright, Shimon Peres and Jan Karski will all receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom this summer. “These extraordinary honorees come from different backgrounds and different walks of life, but each of them has made a lasting contribution to the life of our nation,” President Barack Obama said in a press release. The…
Not Jewish enough [Huffington Post] While it is widely known that the Orthodox world does not accept the halachic decisions of the non-Orthodox (Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, etc.), including their conversions, being one of those converts carries with it a certain emotional weight: the knowledge that, for many, you just aren’t “Jewish enough.” In this powerful piece,…
In recent months, the reputation of horse racing has been tarnished, in many ways due to the HBO TV show Luck. In March, Luck was canceled because several horses were fatally injured on set. Such injuries are all too common in horse racing and often are the reasons people object to animals being raced. Tragic…
I like to reflect on endings a lot. More accurately, I hate when, in books and movies, the scene ends with a character driving away and immediately having this crystalizing moment of reflection in which everything that had been so murky becomes clear. That’s not how life works. So when it comes to addressing graduates, those…
What they don’t tell you at graduation [Wall Street Journal] Is it May already? Blogger Charles Wheelan offers well meaning, touching advise to graduating seniors. Note: it may not always be what you want to hear. “1. Your time in fraternity basements was well spent The same goes for the time you spent playing intramural sports,…
Not to get too overwrought, but here’s my blog post in response to a Zionist Organization of America press release in response to my JTA op-ed in response to their JTA op-ed. Throughout the press release, notice how many of my points are avoided by going on an ad hominem rampage against me. NEW YORK,…
Recent articles about hazing at Dartmouth, as well as the embattled chapters of Jewish Fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi, left me wondering: why do we give fraternities, as institutions of our peers with little, if any, distinguishable qualities from the rest of the student body, positions of power in our colleges and universities? What makes otherwise respectable…
Bye Bye AEPi [JewSchool] The Gamma chapter of international Jewish fraternity AEPi is being shut down, amidst reports of repeated hazing. The chapter, located at the University of Pennsylvania, is not the only chapter of AEPi whose bad behavior has been making ripples lately. The virtues of the fraternity with the highest national GPA are…
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…