Occupy Passover; ultra-Orthodox military draft; and more. [Required Reading]

By John Propper February 20, 2012

The responsibility of Jewish federations [Forward] With the economic recession hitting many organizations, religious or otherwise, with hard times, leaders must make choices to ensure survival. But are some federations unfairly compromising the well-being of their employees in the process? The Jewish Daily Forward takes a look: “In this flip exchange lies a serious issue….

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Gay Jews Meet AU [NULJS Conference]

By Zach C. Cohen February 20, 2012

Anybody from AU knows that our homonymic nickname is “Gay Jew,” given the University’s large population, and administration and student support of, both the LGBT and Jewish communities on campus. But this weekend at American University in Washington, D.C., the campus got a dose of both in one when the National Union for LGBT Jewish Students…

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Halakhah vs. happiness [Gay Rights]

By Simi Lichtman February 17, 2012

Avi Shafran’s recent article in the Forward discussing gay “reparative” therapy has made me reflect on my philosophy of life. It’s always difficult for me to know the balance between halacha and happiness. I grew up in a world where Judaism came before all else. I still believe strongly in the importance of keeping the…

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Chasids do the Dougie; wigless photo controversy; and more. [Required Reading]

By John Propper February 17, 2012

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…

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The Whitney Houston Blame Game

By Carly Silver February 17, 2012

This past weekend marked not only Nicki Minaj’s first-ever onstage exorcism, but also the passing of one of America’s greatest talents of the past two decades: Whitney Houston. Known for powerful vocals and expressive ballads, Houston remains a part of the American soundscape through songs like “I Will Always Love You” and “I Wanna Dance…

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Staying in touch during Seminary [Long Distance Friendships]

By awasserman February 16, 2012

I’ve known them since I was 10 years old. We’ve gone through everything together- pimples, training bras, hating our parents, loving our parents, hating boys, loving boys (we’re back to hating them, FYI) high school, mean girls – you get my point. We were that group of girls who spent every waking moment together, who…

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Do Orthodox Women Hate Women? [Modern Unorthodox]

By Simi Lichtman February 16, 2012

I wouldn’t call myself a rabid feminist. In fact, sometimes I’m so downright feminine that I put Stepford wives to shame. But today two things happened that made me want to whip off my bra and light it on fire right in the middle of my college’s lobby. Let’s start in the classroom. In one…

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Is Shit Zionists Say a Meme? [Enough]

By pkessler February 16, 2012

Shit Girls Say was funny, at least the first time around. Shit Girls Say to Gay Guys was surprisingly accurate. But Shit Zionists Say took the meme out of its playfully mocking intentions, placing it in the midst of the conflict no one wants to touch. There was nothing funny about the video. Memes are…

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Shit Zionists Say; Mikvah controversy; Jewish Twitter; and more. [Required Reading]

By pkessler February 16, 2012

Norman Finkelstein, a noted advocate for Palestinian rights slammed the BDS movement, likening it to “Maoists”. His shift in position is indicative of a greater pattern in which the conflict is viewed as a matter of civil rights, rather than tension between two states, Sean O’Neill claims. [+972] “There is a paradigm shift in the…

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Baptism of Holocaust victims spurs controversy; Israeli supermodel hits Sports Illustrated; and more. [Required Reading]

By John Propper February 15, 2012

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…

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Speaking up for Israel [Reactions]

By pkessler February 14, 2012

As David Bernstein points out in this JTA Op-ed, the BDS movement which has seemed to permeate campus culture has had little to no financial ramification for Israel. For something that has been widely discussed in American Jewish circles since its inception, been the target of an Israeli law imposing financial ramifications for anyone who…

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Israel responds to terror attacks; Israeli Valentine’s Day; Holocaust filmmaker turns her lens on media; and more. [Required Reading]

By pkessler February 14, 2012

Israel blames Iran for assassination attempts against Israeli diplomats. [Washington Post] The Israel government responded yesterday to bombings targeting diplomats in both Georgia and India, pinning the blame for the attacks on Hezbollah and Iran. Though Iran is denying responsibility for the incidents, the bombings have propounded concerns over its nuclear program, and led to heightened…

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Matisyahu and the Shaven Face

By gedelstein February 13, 2012

When Matisyahu’s “King Without a Crown” was the big hit it felt like the Jews had finally arrived to the cool party. Sure, the Beastie Boys were Jews but would your parents ever consider buying you one of their albums? No, never, not on your life. Here was a nice Hassidic boy who looked the…

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Abusing lashon hara: in defense of a journalist [Controversy]

By John Propper February 13, 2012

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,…

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Houston in Israel; Jews and the New Testament; preventing war; and more. [Required Reading]

By John Propper February 13, 2012

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…

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