Oprah and Chabad; Jesus for Hanukkah; and more. [Required Reading]

By John Propper February 10, 2012

  Oprah goes Hasid [Chabad] Visiting Hasidic communities in Brooklyn for an upcoming episode in her latest program, Oprah sat down for a special interview with Chabad Rabbi Motti Seligson. Oprah discussed misconceptions about the role of women in Orthodox Judaism, the importance of family, and living a life of meaning. When asked by Seligson…

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Latest on Rav Bina: Karate rabbi comes to aid of abuse rabbi [Parsing]

By David A.M. Wilensky February 9, 2012

Rabbi Ari Fuld wrote to Jewish student press hero Yedidya Gorsetman to say, among other things: ‘I truly believe you are an evil person’ for ‘trying to murder Rav Bina with your pen.’ He also compared Gorsetman to a dead fish and began his missive by saying, “I am not trying to threaten you in any way.” Which…

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Israel’s last day envisioned; UC Santa Cruz complaint; Labor strikes in Israel; and more [Required Reading]

By pkessler February 9, 2012

An Israeli filmmaker envisions what Israel’s “last day” would look like, although takes many creative liberties while doing so. However unsettling the video may be, Uriel Heilman notes, it provides a thought provoking, yet unrealistic, depiction of what an attack on Israel and the response would look like. [JTA] Members of the Jewish clergy have…

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(Almost) the First Jewish Ugandan Parliamentarian [Global Jewish Voice]

By Gabriel T. Erbs February 9, 2012

A local Jewish politician campaigns for the goyishe vote – in Uganda: At one time, Rabbi Gershom Sizomu, who spent five years at the seminary of the American Jewish University in Los Angeles and a year in Israel, was planning to run for Parliament in Uganda – perhaps one day to run for President. […] With…

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Is Israel’s last day something we should be thinking about?

By pkessler February 9, 2012

I’m fairly squeamish. I don’t go on upside down roller coasters. I don’t like horror movies. And upon watching the above video, I’ve come to conclude that however real and present the threat of an attack on Israel is, “what-if” scenarios are not something that should be visualized and posted on YouTube. Such matters are…

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Holocaust music video; Hadassah hassled; climate change; and more. [Required Reading]

By John Propper February 8, 2012

Holocaust music video resonates with online viewers. [YouTube] In an effort to re-engage young Jews and others to the loss and legacy of the Shoah, an audiovisual collaboration between composer Cecelia Margules and director Daniel Finkelman is quickly making the rounds. Since January 25th, the YouTube video has received over 51,000 hits. Hadassah organization investigating…

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Obama is the best friend Israel has ever had [Decent Dissent]

By Harpo Jaeger February 8, 2012

Editor’s note: This post was written in response to an op-ed we recently published by Eliana Glogauer, an American Orthodox Jew currently in Israel for a gap year program. Neither her op-ed nor this response to it is anything but the opinion of their respective authors. Eliana Glogauer’s op-ed “Obama – Iran, not Israel, is…

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Dressing to impress in a world you don’t belong to

By pkessler February 7, 2012

The first time I was ever told the way I was dressed was inappropriate I was wearing a short sleeve t-shirt and a skirt that covered my knees. Having been raised Modern Orthodox in a Jewish day school, I thought that as far as the guidelines of modesty went I was pretty well covered. However,…

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Rabbis respond to price tag graffiti attacks; State Department issues new guidelines for tourists in Israel; Kosher Valentine’s Day; and more. [Required Reading]

By pkessler February 7, 2012

After a series of hateful “price tag” graffiti attacks in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Rabbis for Human Rights are planting trees in the village of Al Jenia, near Ramallah, in honor of Tu B’Shevat. [+972] Jason Diamond notes Fashion Week’s revival of classic ‘Ivy League’ style, and reveals the all-American preppy look’s Jewish roots….

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Meet Larry David

By lkatz February 6, 2012

Larry David, creator of Seinfeld and the star of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm | photo by flickr user jaydedman (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) Born Lawrence Eugene David, “Larry” is an American actor, writer comedian and producer. He was born on July 2, 1947 in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn where he grew up in a Jewish housing section….

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Jews and Messianics can agree on Long’s Torah debacle

By John Propper February 6, 2012

After a video of a recent service in Georgia with the controversial Bishop Eddie Long went viral, Jewish groups and bloggers were left scratching our heads and saying, “Huh?” The clip, found in last Friday’s Required Reading, featured Long being wrapped in a Torah scroll and declared “king” (though of what is unclear). There were…

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Day school decline; Madonna plays Israel; and more. [Required Reading]

By John Propper February 6, 2012

What is beautiful to the Jews? [Tablet] How should Jews respond to the work of great Western classical composers, when so much of their work is rooted in a Christian understanding of the world? Is there an “appropriate” response, or does it really even matter? David Goldman explores the relationship between a Christian conceptualization of…

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A new Torah in Atlanta; not so chosen after all; and more. [Reading List]

By John Propper February 3, 2012

Eddie Long… the new Torah? [Forward] In one of the oddest religion stories this year, Atlanta pastor Eddie Long–who recently faced accusations of child molestation, and a subsequent divorce from his wife–was recipient to a strange outpouring of affection from a self-identified Messianic Jew as part of a recent church service. The Huffington Post gave…

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Barnard College and the Case on Racism

By Carly Silver February 2, 2012

Barnard College the subject of controversy after an alleged slight to a professor with negative views on Israel | photo by Flickr user walkinggeek (CC BY 2.0) Last fall, a Barnard College professor was accused of discrimination when she allegedly steered  an Orthodox Jewish student away from taking a class taught by controversial professor Joseph…

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On Voting for an American President

By pkessler February 2, 2012

That Israel is a hot-button issue for many American Jews goes without saying. However, to those casting their votes solely on this issue, I beg you to stop and think for a second. While American support of Israel is crucial to the maintenance of a Jewish state, I do not believe in letting it cloud…

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