A Foreign Affair

By akinman April 20, 2011

Three big events happened for the first time this week. One, I went to my first Seder spoken completely in Hebrew. Two, I tried gefilte fish for the first time. Three, I baked without giving anyone food poisoning. OK so maybe I want to brag about the last two events, but I really want to…

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Pride versus arrogance

By mmoncaster April 20, 2011

Last week, spurred on by an excellent article, I mentioned the whole “Jews are the chosen people” thing. This week, Rabbi Donniel Hartman wrote about this same topic, albeit within the context of Passover. It’s short but sweet, definitely worth the read. I am continually impressed by Hartman’s writing because he conveys meaningful messages with…

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The Reading List: Yet Another “Just Had Sex” Parody

By Ben Sales April 6, 2011

Jewish A Cappella groups are going crazy with the videos. Above is the latest offering, from Kol Ish: “Just Had Chametz,” a parody of “Just Had Sex” that I like better than “Just Broke Shomer.” And here’s a video of an awesome Jewish student with two moms. And here’s a kid who’s extremely excited to…

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The Double Reading List: Jewish Student A Cappella Groups Unite!

By Ben Sales April 4, 2011

This reading list also counts for Friday. Can’t get enough Jewish a cappella? You’re in luck! Kol HaOlam, the first Jewish student a cappella competition, took place this past weekend, and some videos are here. [Gather the Jews] Speaking of Jewish a cappella, here’s the Pesach offering from the Fountainheads. Rebuttal, Maccabeats? And speaking of…

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J Street U: The Sacred Struggle for Peace

By admin April 16, 2010

This post is cross-posted from J Street U’s blog. Dual Israeli-American citizenship can make me feel a tad schizophrenic. At our small Passover seder this March I sat next to Gilad Shalit, or at least the chair set for him by our friends on the moshav. The empty seat seemed to lodge a big splinter…

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Get Off Your High Horse

By Carly Silver April 14, 2010

Giddy up! The harness racing world put a Jewish spin on their April 5 races with the Monticello Raceway 12th Annual Passover Pace. The “run for the matzohs” (a pun on horse racing’s most famous contest, the Kentucky Derby, also known as the “Run for the Roses”) featured Jewish jockeys and top-notch horses. The sport…

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The Last Living Jew in Afghanistan

By Carly Silver April 9, 2010

Farm Aid, Band-Aid….now, Passover Aid? There may not be an upcoming concert for Passover help (partially because the holiday has passed), but stories of individuals helping others during Pesach never cease. One recent story involves the “last living Jew in Afghanistan” celebrating Passover with the help of an American. Holliswood, Queens, resident Jack Abraham loaded…

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Reflections on Pesach

By smelamed April 6, 2010

Forgive me for my late post. You see, like my ancestors before me, I too had an arduous exodus from Egypt.  And although mine involved less wandering through the desert and more riding in buses through the desert–not to mention waiting in security lines, enduring a ‘random’ bag search, and withstanding a heart-stopping bomb scare–I…

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Friday Night Fights

By Carly Silver April 2, 2010

“Never again” is the constant phrase we utter about the Holocaust. “Not again” are my words about the latest anti-Semitic scandal to hit. Today, on Good Friday, papal preacher Reverend Raniero Cantalamessa compared recent criticism of the pope to anti-Semitic abuse the Jews have suffered over millennia. There are many things wrong with the preacher’s statement,…

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Don’t Sleep on Slavery

By Carly Silver March 24, 2010

“Let my people go!” is the cry of Moses that has resounded through the ages. As Passover approaches, we remember our ancestors who were oppressed by Pharaoh and freed through the grace of God and the courage of Moses. Why, then, did some South Carolinian Jews participate in the propagation of the Confederate states in…

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Sex club shuttered, KinkyJews displaced?

By joshnathankazis April 24, 2009

The New York Law Journal reported on Tuesday that Casbar, a swinger’s club in Brooklyn, was closed by a city judge after investigators testified that they had observed “150-plus acts of fellatio and intercourse” on an undercover visit to the venue. I guess that’s what happens when your swinger’s club is profiled in the Times….

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