Journalism by Jewish college students, for Jewish college students.
When trying to make sense of the suffering and violence taking place in Aleppo and Syria at large, I have recently turned to Jewish prayers to provide me with the necessary structure to process the tragedy and aid those who are suffering. I grew up unable to conceptualize how prayer could be a source of…
When I was a child, my mother taught me that Thanksgiving was a holiday of immigrants and refugees. It was fitting, then, that Thanksgiving was a holiday my family spent with my maternal grandparents, who were themselves, along with my mother, Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union in 1981. Although my understanding of the holiday…
As I sit across from her over a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a cup of dark coffee in the newly renovated faculty cafeteria, I think to myself: “I have so much respect for her.” Truth be told, I have so much respect for all of my colleagues because they’ve been doing this…
I came to the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly (JFNAGA) for two reasons: I love the Jewish community, and I am a Zionist who firmly believes in a Jewish and democratic state of Israel with internationally recognized borders living alongside a Palestinian state. I was excited to attend this conference featuring some of…
After a summer of war in Israel, David Reeb’s series, “Let’s Have Another War” is a powerful greeting as one enters the gallery at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Reeb places the text “Let’s Have Another War” as a constant caption throughout the series, a caption overlaid on top of gruesome images of war….
During the Nine Days preceding Tisha B’Av, the 25-hour fast commemorating the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem,we reflect on baseless hatred (sinat chinam). The Talmud teaches us that it was the baseless hatred among the people Israel that partially brought about the destruction of the Second Temple. (Along with, you know, high-level political drama…
I have a confession. For all my self-proclaimed desire to rise above the profane, I absolutely love South Park. While the majority of this last season has been a bit of a disappointment for me, the creators of South Park offered up a true gem recently with the episode, “Ginger Cow. “ For most, I…
Former President George W. Bush once referred to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 as “[the] most devastating attack[s America has experienced] since Pearl Harbor.” Last week was the twelfth anniversary of 9/11, and by interesting coincidence, that day also saw a United States governmental official’s confirmation to CNN that weapons funded and organized by the…
On August 29, the Washington Post published an article titled “Nine Questions About Syria You Were Too Embarrassed to Ask.” The sixth question listed in this oversimplified piece of rhetoric asks, “Why hasn’t the United States fixed this yet?” This type of question illustrates a fundamental arrogance in the attitude of Americans, with regard to…
The elections are over (nice try Florida) and New York is inundated with snow and floodwater. There’s no better a moment to shift your focus to the international Jewish student scene. Hungarian writer Gavriel Shalom takes us from Budapest to Gaza, with a final stop in Syria. Enjoy an excerpt below and read the full article…
What’s new with the globe? You could have watched the foreign policy debate last night. But, if you actually want to learn anything, you might instead read this week’s Global Jewish Voice highlight. As Israel’s climate teeters on the edge of war, Author Liran Shamriz sounds off on the moral conflicts plaguing the Israeli region….
I just got a two-year old Beagle/Dachshund, Chester. He’s as smart as a dog could be – but he started barking ferociously at me the other day when I wouldn’t let him have a bite of my mint-chocolate CLIF Bar. All he is thinking is: You have food, I want food. You don’t need food. I…
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…
Though defeating Iran is a given, the costs of a war with Iran would be dramatically high. This much has to be made clear. Israel will never go it alone. The country does not have the assets currently to make any sort of unilateral assault sustainable against multiple foes at once. It would involve the…