Journalism by Jewish college students, for Jewish college students.
Turkey’s foreign policy has been a priority for its government the last several years, leading to internationally popular positions in the countries it aims to gain influence, plus the expansion of Turkish export and international business opportunities. But that policy is based on political stunts that were based more on public relations rather than real…
It was almost two years ago now that I first saw Dida Pelled strumming her guitar as part of a jazz trio in a Jerusalem café. Her eyes squeezed shut as her fingers danced across the instrument. Her sound was understated but unapologetically passionate. Pelled has been playing guitar since she was 11 years old…
Israelis and Israel’s supporters often think of the region as collectively against the Jewish State. Absolute reviling by the region’s Arabs constitutes the general Israeli mentality. Lebanon once had Christian allies – a fantasy of the past. Iraq once had the forsaken Kurds – too busy with their own affairs. But that way of looking…
Analysis from the relatively objective Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star estimates Lebanon’s new cabinet is entirely made up of pro-Syrian politicians. Hizbullah has control over the coalition that leads the cabinet, and thus sway over the cabinet’s orientation. The new Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, is one of the richest men in Lebanon. But whether or…
Lebanon finally has a government, though the months of sectarian politics that preceded it have not gone away. This government is going to have a very difficult time unifying Lebanon, and it will likely fail. There is an awkward balance. While Hizbullah (and its Shiite ally Amal) are the dominant played in the political coalition…
Lebanon cannot form a cabinet. Since January, when Hizbullah withdrew its ministers from the cabinet and forced the cabinet to resign, Lebanon has not been able to put together a new government. It only has a “care-taker,” i.e. temporary government. The problem lies in sectarian divisions. Every political coalition in Lebanon by law has to…
So you thought those May 21 people were nuts? Turns out some Jews aren’t so far off. Josh Freed films an interesting encounter: And here’s Eli Valley on the Kafkaesque Knesset: Eli Valley — The Trial from Jewish Forward on Vimeo.
For awhile now I have been following in the news a group called the “intactivists” who are attempting to ban circumcision in San Francisco. The group claims that no one, but the owner of the penis has a right to cut it off. Man was born perfect, they argue, and no one has the right…
A couple of days ago, in Putting a Crimp in the Hookah, the New York Times wrote about increasing concerns about the health risks that hookah smoking poses. Several states and college campuses have recently introduced or are considering new rules about hookahs and hookah bars. But the Jewish corner of the blogosphere’s friendly neighborhood…
I think I missed this memo. After my morning tweets and status updates, I came across an article from the New York Times on my Twitter account about Holocaust survivors who are seeking insurance claims. Peaking my interest, I took a stab at learning what this was about. The article was about an 87-year-old, female…
I’m not old enough to have real nostalgia for the 1990s–the oldest music I heard as a kid that I still listen to has to be the singles off Speakerboxx/The Love Below. But I’ve heard more than enough about it—bands were ethically purer, less willing to sell out, hip hop wasn’t commercialized, the Simpsons was…
Since I’m the one who substitutes nonsense I draw for actual pictures, I thought I ought to use my last post for the semester to tell you that there is a method to the madness. Inspired by the fact that every comic I’ve read has at least one Jewish character (although in one case it…
No, really. Earlier this week, OfCom, the official United Kingdom broadcast regulating authority, censured Iran’s state-run Press TV for conducting and airing an interview with Newsweek journalist Maziar Bahari while he was being held captive and was under coercion from the Iranian government, as doing so was (unsurprisingly) against UK broadcasting rules. The Guardian reports…
As Jews, we may see our closest genetic relatives in other Semites, often the citizens of the Arab nations surrounding Israel, or in our Jewish cousins scattered across the world. By tracing genetic ancestry of sub-Saharan African peoples, Harvard researchers have determined that Jews are actually more closely linked to the rest of the world…
Here’s a list of the 20 highest- and lowest-paying majors. [Time] I’m farklemt in my genektezoink! [Forward] Everything I really needed to know I learned in first grade. [JW] Elie Wiesel brings the wisdom at Wash. U. [WUSTL] Want to learn? Don’t go to college, and we’ll pay you. [Chronicle of Higher Ed.]