Journalism by Jewish college students, for Jewish college students.
It’s a little late for all you coffee drinkers this year, but for next year’s Day of Atonement, check out this novel solution to the other problem of Yom Kippur: a maddening desire for caffeine. [Village Voice] And if your coffee comes from Venezuela, feel good. Hugo Chavez: “We respect and love the Jewish people. [Boston Globe]…
How much do you pay for the privilege of sitting in shul all day on Yom Kippur? How much do your Christian friends pay to go to their churches? It may be the same amount. In a surprising and insightful series of articles, former NV Editor Josh Nathan-Kazis looks at how much we give to our…
We all know the story about Sandy Koufax refusing to pitch for the LA (ne Brooklyn) Dodgers on Yom Kippur during the World Series, but apparently current Jew pitcher Jason Marquis doesn’t think Koufax’s precedent is so important. Meanwhile, Oakland A Craig Breslow is trying to make up for not being a good Jewish doctor…
Maybe, says Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC). Citing their activities in South America, She has called for a US task force on the issue–to no avail. [Charlotte Observer] That’s not the only problem in Washington. Obama has long faced criticism from the Jewish right on his stance toward Israel, but a James Besser says that his…
A basket in the Lower East Side’s Bialystoker Synagogue chronicles a century of weddings, as recorded in the kippot. [NYT] Less than half of all Israelis see themselves as secular. “8% of Jewish Israeli adults define themselves as ultra-Orthodox, 12% as religious, 13% as traditional-religious, and 25% as traditional but ‘not very religious,’ according to…
Today is the Fast of Gedaliah, traditionally observed because Yishmael ben Netanyah, a Jewish extremist, murdered Gedaliah ben Ahikam, the final Jewish Babylonian-appointed governor of the Land of Israel, and the last Jew to govern the land before 1948. I think, though, that the rabbis instituted the fast because they needed a cool-down period after…
J.J. Goldberg has assembled his favorite selection of (mostly Christian) music about repentance to help us all get in the mood for the season. [J.J. Goldberg] The other Goldberg, Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, was invited by Fidel Castro to come chat in Havana. It seems that Castro really liked Goldberg’s story about Iran a few…
Direct talks haven’t failed yet and the two sides have even set out a schedule for negotiations, so as our cautious optimism continues to grow, here’s some insight into the importance of peace for Israelis, and some discouraging thoughts on whether they actually care about a final settlement: Hebrew U. Professor Gadi Taub says that…
Walking home from slichot and on our way to a bar last night, my friends and I passed several groups of newly arrived Columbia University freshmen, doubtless on their way to–or back from–their own drinking escapades. I graduated high school six years ago, when these current freshmen were finishing sixth grade, but I remember the…
How do cultural elitism and racial elitism relate? The above comic, surprisingly enough, is not a Heeb original, but they roll with it anyway, giving some more examples of the intersection between fashion and fascism. [Heeb] But who knows what will happen to all the Jewish hipsters, not to mention Woody Allen and Michael Bloomberg,…
As both peace talks and college begin, liberal Jewish students have a lot to be excited for. And they should never stop working ofr what they believe in, even if they feel at times like they’re in the minority in the Jewish community, says a former Columbia Hillel staff member. [Jewschool] Meanwhile, one day has…
When we at New Voices, the national magazine for Jewish college students, indefinitely suspended our print edition on Feb. 4, it caused some minor buzz that dissipated quickly over the weekend. Not so with Heeb, the Brooklyn magazine for irreverent Jewish hipsters, which went online-only this past Thursday to significant fanfare across the Jewish blogosphere that shows…
Call up the spirit of 1773! Defend your freedoms! Slap on the chives shmeer! The time has come for us to fight against New York’s bagel tax, proposed recently in Albany. [Above the Law] Is the IRS “impeding or denying” tax exemptions from non-profits that oppose Obama’s Israel policies? If so, the Elders of Zion need…
Sarit Hadad is a popular Israeli singer, but her latest song is a translated cover of a 1970 Arabic hit called “Do You Love Me?” The answer from your everyday Israeli: No, we don’t. The best analysis of her musical talent: “Sarit Hadad is a frecha who couldn’t sing her way out of a box.” [+972] In a…