Judaism

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    Google News: Judaism

  • Ask Rabbi Hyim - Jewishinstlouis.org

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:19 am
    Ask Rabbi HyimJewishinstlouis.orgWhat is Judaism's perspective on giving to Jewish versus non-Jewish organizations? This is a great dilemma that we as individuals and as a community often

  • Tradition Today: Are we really one? - Jerusalem Post

    20 Nov 2009 | 6:54 am
    Brisbane TimesTradition Today: Are we really one?Jerusalem PostIn Israel we are divided into "religious" and "secular," with a large haredi camp that has its own interpretation of Judaism. Supporting Israeli Arabs, Good Idea or Dangerous Precedent?Beliefnet.comLand is the KeyJewish Times of Southern New JerseyWhy Jerusalem matters on the road to peaceSydney Morning HeraldBerkeley Daily Planet -guardian.co.ukall 256 news articles »

  • 'Chabad House without Chabad' - Jerusalem Post

    20 Nov 2009 | 6:53 am
    'Chabad House without Chabad'Jerusalem Post"We're all interested in independent, grassroots Judaism, not something institutional, something more free." His vision was galvanized by funding from the

  • Home page > Comment > Pat Robertson's anti-Islam remarks put new Virginia ... - Agoravox (blog)

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:44 am
    Agoravox (blog)Home page > Comment > Pat Robertson's anti-Islam remarks put new Virginia Agoravox (blog)In response to this dangerous stupidity, on November 16 Mark Pelavin, Director of the Commission on Interreligious Affairs of Reform Judaism and Associate and more »

  • Reform biennial sets tone for movement - Cleveland Jewish News

    19 Nov 2009 | 10:20 pm
    Reform biennial sets tone for movementCleveland Jewish NewsAlthough it was colder in Toronto than in Cleveland for the first day of the Union for Reform Judaism Biennial,
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    Topix: Judaism

  • Post a Comment

    20 Nov 2009 | 5:57 am
    The Rev. Bruce Lieske will present "Mosque, Synagogue and Church" at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov.

  • Jews for Judaism Speaker to Discuss Jewish Survival

    19 Nov 2009 | 2:34 pm
    From binghamtonjcc.org: Free Program to Community - " Sun. Dec. 6 Jews for Judaism Speaker to Discuss Jewish Survival A free program will be offered to the entire community titled, Meeting Today's Challenges to Jewish Survival, on Sunday, December 6, 2009 from 10:30 - " 12 noon at the Binghamton Jewish Community Center.

  • Future Rabbi, Present World Champion

    19 Nov 2009 | 3:30 am
    Boxing is a sport for immigrants, for tough young men looking to make a living. Which is why it used to be a sport for American Jews.

  • Messianic Jewish Conference to be Held in Sterling

    18 Nov 2009 | 10:59 pm
    For He is our peace, who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us [Ephesians 2:14] Notes from the Holy Land and in collaboration with Kehilat Sar Shalom will be hosting the first Messianic Jewish Congress in the metropolitan area to be held on the premises of Faith Bible Church in Sterling on December 4th and ...

  • An Honest Marriage of Vermont and Judaism

    18 Nov 2009 | 11:30 am
    Published November 18, 2009, issue of November 27, 2009 . A white-pillared converted stone church beside a coppice of pine trees and over a sloping meadow from the grave of poet Robert Frost, might seem like a strange location for a sukkah, but this fall the Bennington Museum hosted two of them to mark the centennial of organized Judaism in the ...
 
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    USNews: Judaism

  • President Obama's Rosh Hashanah Message

    By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country President Obama's Rosh Hashanah message: As members of the Jewish faith here in America and around the world gather to celebrate the High Holidays, I want to extend my warmest wishes for this New Year. LShanah Tovah Tikatevu—may you have a good year, and may you be inscribed for blessing in the Book of Life Rosh Hashanah marks the start of a new year—a time of humble prayer, joyful celebration, and hope for a new beginning. Ten days later, Yom Kippur stands as a day of reflection and repentance. And this sacred time provides not just an…

  • Obama's Ramadan Dinner Included Prominent Jewish Guests

    By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country Interesting that President Obama's Ramadan dinner last night included a handful of prominent Jews. Some Jewish leaders have complained that Obama's outreach to the Muslim world has included snubbing Israel and giving short shrift to certain Jewish concerns. Jewish Americans as identified on the guest list last night: Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren Rabbi David Saperstein, director and counsel of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism Nathan Diament, director of Orthodox Union's Institute for Public Affairs Diament and Saperstein are on Obama's…

  • Did Obama Jump the Gun on Rosh Hashana?

    By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers You know how Republicans sometimes whine that if President Bush and his aides had taken some of the kinds of moves President Obama and his associates have, the critics would be on the Bushies like white on rice? Well, they might have a good case with Obama's early new years message to Jewish leaders.

  • Obama's First White House Sit-Down With Jewish Leaders Today

    By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country Politics Daily reports that President Obama will have his first White House sit-down with American Jewish leaders today, an event that doesn't appear on the president's public schedule. "[W]hile some domestic issues are expected to be discussed," Lynn Sweet reports, "Iran's nuclear threat and Obama's demand for an Israeli settlement freeze also will be on the agenda." Indeed, the key question for today's meeting is how well Obama assuages the concerns of Jewish leaders over his calls for Israel to stop settlement expansion in the West…

  • Some Jews Say Obama's 'Muslim Speech' Undersold Israel's History

    By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country Some Jewish criticism of Obama's speech to the Muslim world has centered on a grievance that's gotten little notice outside of Israel: that Obama wrongly rooted Israel's right to exist in Jewish suffering during the Holocaust, ignoring the Jews millennia-long struggle to control what they consider their biblical homeland. For many backers of Israel, this is no small quibble. Tying Israel's existence to the Holocaust, they say, is a concession to enemies like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Judea Pearl—father of slain journalist Daniel…
 
 
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    Jewschool

  • RSS redirection

    renaissanceboy
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:47 am
    The switchover is complete.  A slight change in expected behavior: the old feed automatically redirects to the new one.  So if you’re subscribed to the old feed, you’re going to keep getting updates for the next 30 days, rather than what we had originally written about a placeholder article.  Please change your RSS subscription to point to: jewschool.com/feed, because after 30 days, the old one won’t redirect anymore, it’ll just stop working. Thanks a lot!

  • Some Overdue Updates

    masthead
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:02 pm
    This is an announcement for you readers who follow Jewschool through our RSS feed. Tomorrow afternoon, we’re going to be changing a few settings on how the feed is published, with the result that its location will change.  There are a bunch of reasons for making these changes, like that we’ll now be able to offer per-author and per-category feeds, but what it means for you is this: once we update those settings, the next time you try to access the feed, you’ll see that it’s empty except for a single article, which will give you the new location.  This bears…

  • 999

    Kung Fu Jew
    19 Nov 2009 | 11:34 am
    Jewschool has 999 followers on Twitter. Quick, somebody put us over the top! And if you’d like to follow the tweets of some of Jewschool’s contributors, then you can follow 14 of us at once right here.

  • Canadian Conservatives Woo the Jews

    TheWanderingJew
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:56 am
    Canada might have a federal election soon. How soon remains to be seen, though that hasn’t stopped the Conservatives, who are currently running their second consecutive minority government, under leadership of Stephen Harper, to start planning for a win. And they want to form a majority government this next time around. It seems their early tactics include targeting five long-time Liberal ridings plus a bonus NDP riding. “Coincidentally,” these six ridings have large Jewish populations. Three are in Quebec (all in greater Montreal: Outremont, Mount-Royal, and…

  • Woman Arrested For Wearing Tallit at the Kotel

    Danya
    18 Nov 2009 | 1:38 pm
    Nofrat Frenkel, a medical student from Beersheva, was arrested for wearing a tallit at a gathering of Women of the Wall at the Kotel (Western Wall) today. (That’s not a picture of her–that’s some other folks from Women of the Wall.) Here are the Haaretz and JTA reports. The stam (anonymous voice) of Menachot 43a tells us that “Everyone is obligated in tzitzit–Priests, Levites and Israelites, converts, women and minors.” The Rambam tells us that if women want to wrap themselves in tzitzit, we do not protest. The Shulchan Aruch says that women and slaves are…
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    Rabbi Arthur Segal

  • RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH SPIRITUALITY:MITZVOTH BRING US CLOSER TO GOD

    20 Nov 2009 | 9:54 am
    RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH SPIRITUALITY:MITZVOTH BRING US CLOSER TO GOD   Jewish Spiritual Renewal:Shabbat 11/28/09:A Path of Transformation Shalom dear Talmidim, Chaverim v' Rabbanim: I hope you had a good week and a wonderful Rosh Kodesh Kislev on November 17th and 18th. On the night of 24 Kislev Chanukah starts. This year that is December 11, 2009 at sundown.  And for those of you in the USA, may Ellen and I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving Day on Thursday November 26, 2009. Where ever we are on this spinning blue-green globe, let us say: Baruch Atah, Adonai, ha Tov Shimcha ul'cha…

  • RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL:Vayeitzei:JABOB+LADDER:MAQOM:

    20 Nov 2009 | 9:53 am
    RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL:Vayeitzei:JABOB+LADDER:MAQOM: Jewish Spiritual Renewal:Shabbat 11/28/09:A Path of Transformation The JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL class is hosted by Shamash: The Jewish Network a service of Hebrew College. Shalom dear Talmidim, Chaverim v' Rabbanim: I hope you had a good week and a wonderful Rosh Kodesh Kislev on November 17th and 18th. On the night of 24 Kislev Chanukah starts. This year that is December 11, 2009 at sundown.  And for those of you in the USA, may Ellen and I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving Day on Thursday November 26, 2009.

  • RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:MITZVOTH BRING US CLOSER TO GOD+OUR FELLOWS

    20 Nov 2009 | 9:53 am
      RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:MITZVOTH BRING US CLOSER TO GOD+OUR FELLOWS Jewish Spiritual Renewal:Shabbat 11/28/09:A Path of Transformation Shalom dear Talmidim, Chaverim v' Rabbanim: I hope you had a good week and a wonderful Rosh Kodesh Kislev on November 17th and 18th. On the night of 24 Kislev Chanukah starts. This year that is December 11, 2009 at sundown.  And for those of you in the USA, may Ellen and I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving Day on Thursday November 26, 2009. Where ever we are on this spinning blue-green globe, let us say: Baruch Atah, Adonai, ha Tov Shimcha…

  • RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:ECO-JUDAISM:Vayeitzei:JABOB+LADDER:MAQOM:

    20 Nov 2009 | 9:53 am
      RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:ECO-JUDAISM:Vayeitzei:JABOB+LADDER:MAQOM: Jewish Spiritual Renewal:Shabbat 11/28/09:A Path of Transformation Shalom dear Talmidim, Chaverim v' Rabbanim: I hope you had a good week and a wonderful Rosh Kodesh Kislev on November 17th and 18th. On the night of 24 Kislev Chanukah starts. This year that is December 11, 2009 at sundown.  And for those of you in the USA, may Ellen and I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving Day on Thursday November 26, 2009. Where ever we are on this spinning blue-green globe, let us say: Baruch Atah, Adonai, ha Tov Shimcha ul'cha na-eh…

  • RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:Vayeitzei:JABOB+LADDER:MAQOM:

    20 Nov 2009 | 9:53 am
      RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:Vayeitzei:JABOB+LADDER:MAQOM: Jewish Spiritual Renewal:Shabbat 11/28/09:A Path of Transformation Shalom dear Talmidim, Chaverim v' Rabbanim: I hope you had a good week and a wonderful Rosh Kodesh Kislev on November 17th and 18th. On the night of 24 Kislev Chanukah starts. This year that is December 11, 2009 at sundown.  And for those of you in the USA, may Ellen and I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving Day on Thursday November 26, 2009. Where ever we are on this spinning blue-green globe, let us say: Baruch Atah, Adonai, ha Tov Shimcha ul'cha na-eh…
 
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    Cross-Currents

  • The Roars of Crowds

    Avi Shafran
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:05 am
    I’ve never experienced a pogrom or been pursued by an angry mob, thank G-d. And yet my genes seem to hold some residue – bequeathed in some Lamarckian way by less fortunate forebears – that discomforts me when a large crowd of people loudly expresses itself. Like the one outside our offices on a recent Friday. Agudath Israel’s national headquarters are located on lower Broadway in Manhattan, on the “Canyon of Heroes” where the adulated New York Yankees are paraded when they win a World Series. Personally, I reserve the word “hero” for people in other pursuits than professional…

  • A Tale of Two Foes

    Yitzchok Adlerstein
    14 Nov 2009 | 11:14 pm
    I would be hard pressed to come up with two names in the recent public limelight that make my blood boil as much as Donald Bostrum and Richard Goldstone. They have both set off waves of anti-Israel activity and imperiled the lives of Jews around the globe. If given the chance, I would not hesitate to heap derision and contempt upon them, treating them as beyond any possibility of civil treatment. I would be utterly wrong, at least in one case. Bostrum is the Swedish journalist who reported that the IDF might be stealing the organs of Palestinians and offering them for sale. He noted…

  • Who Is A Briton?

    Avi Shafran
    13 Nov 2009 | 6:48 am
    To the delight of Jew-haters everywhere, a British Court has in effect deemed Judaism a racist religion. As a result, the blogosphere swarmed with invective about how the Jews had been exposed as imposing, in the words of one jolly blogger, an “ethnic purity test.” What happened is that the parents of a boy whose father is Jewish but whose mother underwent a non-halachic conversion brought a lawsuit against a North London Jewish school for not accepting the child as a student. Britain subsidizes religious schools and allows those with more applicants than seats to give preference to…

  • A Tough Choice for Lakewood Voters

    Jonathan Rosenblum
    12 Nov 2009 | 2:29 pm
    Frum voters in New Jersey faced what was in many ways a wrenching decision in last week’s gubernatorial election. On the one hand, the incumbent Democratic governor John Corzine had proven to be highly responsive to the concerns of the Torah community in his first term in office, a fact attested to by Agudath Israel of America’s New Jersey representative and the endorsement of the Lakewood Vaad and senior figures in Bais Medrash Govoha in their private capacities. Given Corzine’s record on matters of immediate concern to the Torah community, including school funding, there…

  • Double Messages (More on Shidduchim)

    Jonathan Rosenblum
    12 Nov 2009 | 8:17 am
    I envy the ability of my fiction-writing colleagues to sometimes get under the skin of readers in ways that mere “deah zoggers” rarely do. Recently, A.M. Amitz hit a sensitive chord with a story, “Goldmine,” about a family that chooses young women in high-earning fields for their sons, each an outstanding bochur. In one respect, things work out pretty much as planned. The wives are successful, the husbands do not have to work, money is even set aside for the next generation, and the husbands’ parents are spared immense financial strain. But, as the great…
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    DovBear

  • Pasha Notes: Toldos 2009

    20 Nov 2009 | 9:00 am
    What everyone should knowOur midrashim lament Jacob's theft of the brochot, and attribute later Jewish suffering to his crime, as follows: "Three tears did Eisav shed. One dropped from his right eye, one from his left and the third he kept back and that tear has salted our bread of exile with tears and made us taste tears in full threefold measure" (Tahnchuma); and "Anyone who says God is not particular with his pious ones deserves to have his inwards torn out. The forbearance of God grants long credit, but the debt needs to be paid in the end. One cry Jacob caused Eisav to make and that was…

  • Why did G-d "relent" to Isaac and Rivka's prayers?

    20 Nov 2009 | 8:53 am
    A guest devar torah by N.G. This Dvar Torah blew me away. When it was clear that they would be unable to have children, Isaac and Rivka prayed, and the Pasuk (21:25) says: 'וַיֶּעְתַּר יִצְחָק לַיהוָה לְנֹכַח אִשְׁתּוֹ, כִּי עֲקָרָה הִו וַיֵּעָתֶר לוֹ ה - "And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and He relented to him" A gentleman once told R' Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld a short Dvar Torah on this. Why does the Pasuk say " and He relented to him". Does this not seems an odd way of saying that G-d heard…

  • Oldie/Goodie

    20 Nov 2009 | 8:19 am
    Thanks, DH, for drawing my attention to this great post from 2005, and the LOL hysterical comment thread beneath it.

  • Moron Christians Fire First Shot in Bogus War on Christmas -- and miss!

    20 Nov 2009 | 7:47 am
    I've never understood why Christian Fundies get so bent out of shape when business people decide that its good for business to make their message ecumenical at holiday-time. The rest of the year most of these same supposedly principled fundies object to placing limitations on business, so why does that principle go out the window every December? See the latest example after the jump. Gap's Christmas cheer makes a boycott backfire The Mississippi-based American Family Assn. last week issued a fatwa against Gap Inc. -- the retailing giant whose brands include Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic…

  • Where do you suppose Sarah gets her information?

    19 Nov 2009 | 3:40 pm
    Sarah Palin:“More and more Jewish people will be flocking [sic] to Israel in the days and weeks and months ahead... ” Really? How about it readers? Are you planning to "flock" to Israel any time soon? And why exactly is Sarah so certain that we're all going to be jumping ship?
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    Reform Judaism

  • Rituals for Thanksgiving

    19 Nov 2009 | 7:46 am
    by Rabbi Phyllis Sommer(Originally published in Ima on (and off) the Bima It's hard to believe that the holiday of Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. Just one more week! Thanksgiving is such a wonderful American holiday. It's simple - say thank you for the blessings in life and share a meal with those you love.But often, the meal takes over, stress of family and needing a "picture perfect" celebration cause a little fraying at the edges. Creating an atmosphere of gratitude can be tricky when you're just trying to keep your 3-year-old from pulling the tablecloth off the table, don't you think? I…

  • The Torah in Haiku: Toldot

    19 Nov 2009 | 7:39 am
    by Ed NickowTemple Chai, Long Grove, IL(Originally published in The Torah in Haiku Isaac falls victimTo Jacob and Rebecca'sBlessing stealing trick But was Isaac fooled?He said "the voice is Jacob's"Did he really know?

  • Biennial Photo Contest: Congratulations to the Winners!

    18 Nov 2009 | 2:16 pm
    Our contest yielded some fantastic entries: photos that truly captured the spirit and excitement of the Biennial and the beautiful city of Toronto.  After sorting through over 400 entries, our web team and staff from URJ Books & Music voted... and here are the winners! A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated and shared their images. Grand prize: Steve Medwin wins a Flip digital camcorder for "Torah Service" Second prize: W Zimmerman wins a signed copy of Tina Wasserman's new cookbook Entree to Judaism for his entry, "Kippah Collage" Runners-up: Joy Weinberg. Ros…

  • Beyond Pita & Falafel: Sustainable Eating in Israel

    17 Nov 2009 | 2:59 pm
    Miriam Farber is currently living in Jerusalem and studying in the Year Program at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies. She is an alumna of Eisner Camp and NFTY. To read more about Miriam's time in Israel, visit her blog at http://tovahhaaretz.blogspot.com. (Originally posted at RACblogA few months before I left to spend this year studying in Jerusalem at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies, I brainstormed a list of all the things I was looking forward to enjoying once I arrived in Israel...most of which was food. Falafel, shwarma, shoko b'sakit (chocolate milk in a bag), chocolate…

  • Galilee Diary: Jewish identity/Israeli identity

    17 Nov 2009 | 12:21 pm
    by Marc Rosenstein(Originally published in Ten Minutes of Torah and Galilee Diary Take your son," - "Which son?" "Your only son," - "Each is the only son of his mother." "The one you love," - "I love them both." "Isaac." -Midrash Genesis Rabbah 39, on Genesis 22:2 The other day I observed a Bible class in the regional high school at Kibbutz Sasa, in a gorgeous setting in the mountains of the Upper Galilee. This is a relatively small high school (about 350) and serves a number of non-Orthodox communities in the region. The classes tend to be small; there were only about 15 ninth graders in the…
 
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    Cosmic X in Jerusalem

  • Special Melave Malkah in Honor of Anti-Evacuation Soldiers

    15 Nov 2009 | 7:59 am
    Last night I went to a special Melave Malka. It was in honor of the soldiers that waved the "Shimshon will not evacuate Homesh" sign. These soldiers were sentenced to 20 days in military prison. They finished serving their sentence, and a party was made for them.Outside the hall where the party was held, a small group of demonstrators from the Labor Party. Their signs say, "On the right and

  • Pidyon HaBen in Kibbutz HaHotrim

    11 Nov 2009 | 7:45 am
    This is very nice. Only in Israel!

  • From the Department of Weird Statistics

    11 Nov 2009 | 7:40 am
    Every so often I see something in my stats that makes me scratch my head. Here's an example (click on the pic):Who in Kuwait is interested in the kashrut of Israeli Army kitchens?Any ideas?

  • HH #242: Jack takes Responsibility

    9 Nov 2009 | 11:11 am
    Here.

  • Some Pics From the Kahane Memorial

    8 Nov 2009 | 11:50 am
    Dudu Elharar was a hit:MK Dr. Michael Ben-Ari in the Knesset addressed the crowd:Kahane books, shirts, stickers, etc. were on sale:
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    Jew Wishes

  • Jew Wishes On: Sky and Shabbat

    jewwishes
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:44 am
    Once again it is Skywatch Friday. I have chosen a photo that I took on my trip back to California. It is a stretch of highway near Flagstaff, Arizona. It was a bright sunny day, and the clouds in the sky were magnificent. I have posted this one a few days ago, but want to use it for Sky Watch Friday. I refined it a bit, taking out the date, and resizing it. The photo above was taken before arriving in Flagstaff. Visit Sky Watch Friday to see more sky photos. I am still unpacking, still taking care of business, and extremely content and happy about my move. All is going smoothly. Shabbat…

  • Jew Wishes On: Home Again

    jewwishes
    17 Nov 2009 | 9:28 am
    My journey to California has ended. We arrived there Saturday night, safe and sound. The trip was fantastic, and we didn’t encounter much bad weather…just a raindrop or two, along the way. Nothing to deter us, and it was over in a matter of minutes. The weather was overall truly cooperative. The sun was out for almost the entire trip. It was wonderful. We saw an amazing double rainbow near Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was breathtaking. The photo above shows two trains passing each other, looking nose-to-nose. I was trying to catch the rainbow, and noticed later on, when I went…

  • Jew Wishes On: Mom, Dad & Veteran’s Day

    jewwishes
    10 Nov 2009 | 9:59 pm
    Please take a moment today to remember all of the men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Services during all of the wars. Veterans Day is a day the U.S. honors U.S. Veterans of the U.S Armed Services. In 1954 it was renamed to Veterans’ Day, in order to honor victims of all wars. It was initially named Armistice Day, a day established to honor Veterans of WWI. The World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. is a tribute to all the U.S. Armed Forces who served during WWII, and is a tribute to those who served on the home front and our Allied forces. My Father was a WWII Veteran…this…

  • Jew Wishes On: Wanderings

    jewwishes
    10 Nov 2009 | 1:51 pm
    November 9, 2008, marked the 71st Anniversary of Kristallnacht, “The November 1938 pogroms“. I wanted to mention this, because I didn’t write a post about it, as I haven’t written on my blog for about one week. We must always remember… I want to thank all of your for your kind thoughts and wishes. I am feeling 100% better, and am ready to begin my wanderings to California, tomorrow. I am so excited, and probably won’t be able to sleep well, tonight. I am that way before any journey/trip I take. I’ve been so busy the past few days, what with packing,…

  • Jew Wishes On: Tuesday Trivia

    jewwishes
    3 Nov 2009 | 12:07 pm
    Here it is Tuesday, and I have no Ruby Tuesday photos to share this week. I am feeling much better, not 100%, but about 85% better. In other news, my move is pushed up. I am actually moving beginning Wednesday November 11th, and not in December. It was easier for all involved, mainly those who are physically helping me, in the fact that due to the Veteran’s Day holiday next week, they would have to take less time off work to help me with the drive to CA. Veteran’s Day is a bittersweet day for me. My father was a WWII Veteran, but more importantly…my dearest mommy (yes, you…
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    Jewish Blogmeister

  • Win an IPOD Touch: Sing Shea Rubenstein's Song!

    Jewish Blogmeister
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:44 am
    Announcing the Window In Heaven Contest We want to hear your version!Send in your best recording of your very own "Window in Heaven" clip&The winner receives an iPod Touch!!!!Download the "Window in Heaven" music herehttp://www.divshare.com/download/9425715-137Shea Rubenstein's VersionJMDerech's VersionFor questions or to send all entries, email jmderech@gmail.comEntries due by the last night of

  • Free Jewish Music Sampler: Sheves Chaverim

    Jewish Blogmeister
    18 Nov 2009 | 2:42 pm
    Written by Ari Goldwag.Baruch Hashem, I have been working hard to complete the new music album that I have produced, entitled Sheves Chaverim. It is an album that continues where Sheves Achim left off. (Look out for Sheves Achim volume 2 in the future!) The album features six child vocalists - Moshe Bell, Yair Frohlich, Moshe Dov Goldwag, Shlomo Lipman, Zev and Baruch Sheff. It contains twelve

  • Aeropostale 30% OFF coupon

    Jewish Blogmeister
    17 Nov 2009 | 12:39 pm
    Feel free to share this 30% OFF AEROPSTALE coupon.

  • Ari Goldwag Video from 1993

    Jewish Blogmeister
    16 Nov 2009 | 7:31 pm
    Here is a video performance of Ari Goldwag in 1993 with the Neshoma Orchestra led by Eli Kahn.

  • Amudei Shaish Boys Choir: Tragedy Strikes Shmuel Borger

    Jewish Blogmeister
    15 Nov 2009 | 4:32 pm
    Shmuel Borger is the founder of the Amudai Shaish Boys Choir. A very popular choir that featured some very well known names such Shloime Dach , Mendy Wald, Yisroel Williger and I believe composer Yitzy Waldner are just some of the talented people to walk through his doors. I had done some background vocals as a child back when Systems Two was a rundown studio on Avenue U. I always thought of him
 
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    Kesher Talk

  • From the Archives: Restlessness, 1974

    8 Nov 2009 | 4:32 pm
    Going through some files, I found this piece I wrote on March 21, 1974, when I was 16 years old. It has more than historical interest. Restlessness As I write this essay, I can look out the window onto the field between the school building and the street. I've looked out this window a thousand times and I will look through it again 10,000 times. The clouds keep rolling by with the wind, where from or where to or what for I cannot even guess. Along the street seven cars, one truck camper and a single station wagon are parked. Again. I have no idea to whom they might belong. So many things I do…

  • From the Archives: Report on Blackout 2003

    1 Oct 2009 | 8:31 pm
    [This essay originally appeared in the Stamford Times newspaper in the fall of 2003, about the August blackout. It has never appeared online until now.] Long Day’s Journey into Another Long Day’s Journey: Blackout 2003 For 24 hours, no hearts were broken in New York City Thursday, August 14, was progressing nicely. I got an excellent year-end review, raising hopes for continuing employment and (be still my heart) a bonus and a raise. I was looking forward to my vacation the next week. In retrospect, signs abounded that Something Was About To Happen. Just before 3 pm, I pondered my…

  • Revenge: Jewish Fantasies, Russian Realities

    22 Sep 2009 | 7:10 pm
    Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, following on Defiance, voices the Jewish musing on revenge against Nazis during and after World War II. Defiance was based on reality; Basterds was a fantasy (which I may see on video, but not at a theater). I've wondered what would have happened had the atomic bomb been available a year earlier; would Roosevelt have dropped it on Berlin, or Dresden, or Hamburg and brought the war to an earlier end? What would Germany have done? Japan? After the war, Jews sought justice in various ways, and bagged the biggest fish with the trial of Adolf Eichmann in…

  • Pick to Click: "The Secret Speech" by Tom Rob Smith

    13 Sep 2009 | 9:03 am
    On Friday I finished reading "The Secret Speech" by Tom Rob Smith, his smashing sequel to the justly praised "Child 44," about a serial killer in the closing months of Stalinist Russia. Both books captivated me. While the sequel got more mixed reviews on Amazon, I liked it a lot. The plot spins and twists through the territory of loyalty, betrayal, guilt and savagery of Soviet Russia in the 1950s. The prose is what I aspire to as a writer. I could cite many passages; here's one sample set in Budapest's secret police headquarters during the abortive Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Leo is the…

  • Song List for an Imaginary iPod

    19 Aug 2009 | 5:08 pm
    I recently got a request on Facebook to list 25 random songs on my iPod. Alas, I don't have an iPod, so I've pulled together this imaginary list. It mixes Latin, hearbroken cowboy tunes, some show music, and classic jazz. I could do a separate list for each genre, but this gives a sense of what I like. I've even included some new stuff -- I've heard "Panic Switch" on WXRP in New York and like it, something I have said about maybe five pop songs in the last 25 years. Without further ado, with lyric selections: 1. Carnivália, Tribalistas 2. Já Sei Namorar, Tribalistas 3. Amor Pra Recomeçar,…
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    Jacob Da Jew

  • On Girls Schools.....Blech.

    14 Nov 2009 | 6:07 pm
    We're in the parsha.No, not that one. The other one.Da Gurlie is interviewing for preschool now. We went on 2 interviews so far.Our first choice turned us down because......my daughter gets minor speech therapy and has a SEIT.Excuse me, but thats such bullshit.Da Wife explained that DG was behind in her speech but will not be getting services at all next year as she is doing great now."Sorry, but we dont want to be bothered" in so many words. A kid who that dos not fit inside the box is not welcome.People. My daughter is no dummy. She follows everything in class and is well-behaved. What more…

  • On Borscht....

    8 Nov 2009 | 5:58 pm
    Courtesy of the Barefoot CookMy upstairs neighbor gave me 2 cups of homemade borscht on Friday night. It was actually pretty good. Maybe those Russians got something right ...Even Da Wife admitted that it was good.I like trying new things ;) 

  • NYC Tweetup Review

    7 Nov 2009 | 6:28 pm
    After work, I trekked up to Manhattan to the Tweet-Up /Blogger Meet at the 92Y in Tribeca organized by Hesh and Itamar from JewNews.com. Mad props guys.There were new and old faces there. Excitingly, Brooklyn Wolf showed up. After reading his excellent blog for 3 years, it was great to put a face to him.I had a good time. Hesh treated me to some exotic beer and there were great corporate sponsors as well giving out free food. Sam from Oh!Nuts distributed chocolates and nuts, there were cakes from Grandpa's Coffee Cakes and a bonanza of Hummus and other yummy spreads from Sonny's and Joes…

  • NYC Blogger Meet/Tweetup Tomorrow

    3 Nov 2009 | 5:37 am
    I will hopefully be attending my first Blogger/Tweetup meeting tomorrow. Hesh will be co-hosting so you know it won't be lame.Details: Via FrumSatireJewish Tweetup NYCWeds Nov,4th 5:30 – 7:30pm92Y Tribeca @ 200 Hudson StreetDrop a comment, email or just say hi if you are gonna be there. 

  • Should They Fall?

    24 Oct 2009 | 9:09 pm
    Over at Frum Satire, Hesh was discussing whether there should be one central synagogue or are breakwaway minyans are the way to go.I think the Zichron Moshe (Chassidishe) or Shaare Zion (Sephardi) model is pretty good. They have one or two large-scale Minyanim accompanied by several smaller minyanim.This comment by the astute Mekubalcaught my attention and in my opinion, merits some debate:"In my opinion, the problem is that the institutions have gone from serving communities to becoming the community, and thus becoming an end unto themselves. This is played out in a number of ways with…
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    Yo, Yenta!

  • Don’t F*$# With The Rabbi

    Head Yenta
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:18 am
    He’s not ordained yet, but Yuri Foreman showed the world what Torah study plus a lot of speed bag training can do: The Belarus-born, Israeli-bred, Brooklyn-based boxer punched his way to victory over Daniel Santos last Saturday after Shabbos, taking Santos’ title as the Welterweight Champion of the world. Which means that along with Orthodox junior welterweight champ Dmitiry Salita, it’s only a matter of time before synagogues start setting up Las Vegas-style boxing rings on the bima after Havdalah, which would be AWESOME. For another compelling example of an a**-kicking…

  • Back to Zen

    Head Yenta
    19 Nov 2009 | 4:13 am
    I was super bummed after Arj Barkers’ “The Sickest Buddhist” video was ripped from the Interwebs just when I had written a nice intro about JewBus for it. Oh happy, serene day — it’s BACK.

  • The Yenta’s Chanukah Gift Guide

    Head Yenta
    17 Nov 2009 | 8:12 am
    Oy vey, is it that time already? Chanukah starts in in less than a month! Ach, shopping for your favorite Jew out in that scary Wal-Mart world could give you hives (I accidentally wrote “hooves” first, which would be really terrible also, not to mention treyf as hell.) So lucky for you, I’ve compiled a few things for under $15 that can be bought from the comfort of the chair you have your tushy in right now: First off, we have hot hot hot Chanukah socks by Sockgrams in three different holiday styles (we appreciate the variety, Sockgram people!) If all of us starting wearing…

  • G-dcast Rocks

    Head Yenta
    13 Nov 2009 | 7:09 am
    Even though this week’s Torah portion is named after the life of Sarah, the mother of Judaism, she doesn’t get much of a starring role since she’s already dead. Sure, she lived 127 years, bore a baby at 100 and had some good laughs, but she didn’t get to supervise the choosing of a wife for her only son — a Jewish mother’s nightmare. She needn’t have worried, though, since Rebecca, with her strength and kindness, was a dream. Maybe the parsha is named after Sarah to give her a mother-in-law’s due. But heck, I’m no scholar, and I’ll…

  • An Anniversary, Of Sorts

    Head Yenta
    11 Nov 2009 | 7:21 am
    So I just looked at the calendar and realized today is the 25th anniversary of my bat mitzvah. If I had a working scanner, I’d upload the ginormous 11 x 18 portrait I have on my desk of my family and I standing in the requisite pose on the bima, but you’ll just have to settle for the following description: My father stands to the far right, with not a whole lot of hair but certainly more than he has now, wearing the tallis he received at his own bar mitzvah and holding the upper arm of my mother, who resembles a Jewishy Joan Collins with her floofy hair and monster shoulder pads;…
 
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    Rabbi Rachamim Pauli Drasha

  • Parsha Toldos, Halacha, Parables, Gog and Magog

    19 Nov 2009 | 10:54 am
    Chaya Yachet Elka returned her soul to her maker last week but I received the news too late to send out.This past week was my mother’s third Yahrzeit since her passing. I dedicate this Drasha to the Memory of Charlotte Jacqueline bas Yosef HaLevi. This is an updated prayer list for the ill. Please pray for: Men Asher ben Malka Avraham ben Devorah Aaron Yehoshua ben Chaya Shoshana Shemayahu Yosef Chaim ben Peshiya Miriam Ahron Yehuda Lieb en Gittel Feige Zev ben Miriam Shalom Charles ben Gracia Eliyahu ben Rosa Chaim Pincus ben Yaspa Zvi Yechezkiel ben Leah Avraham ben Leah Aharon Michael…

  • Parsha Lech Lecha Part2, Chaya Sarah, Halacha, Eye-Witness from Ft. Hood

    13 Nov 2009 | 3:43 am
    A 14 year old Yulia bas Naomi Sarah has had a condition from birthday that is a miracle that she is alive today but needs treatment for the next 3 weeks in the hospital, I am asking you all to pray for her. My Rosh Yeshiva has an added name: Rabbi Yehuda Yechiel Lieb ben Shpritza. Aaron Ovadia sent me this before Shabbos and it was too late to include in last week’s Parsha Drasha: QUESTION: 3 angels came down to the world: Raphael Michael and Gavriel. But there were 4 tasks to accomplish.1. To Heal Avraham2.To Save Lot3.Tell Sarah the news about her having a son4.To Destroy Sodom.Why…

  • Parsha Vayera, halacha and stories

    5 Nov 2009 | 12:06 pm
    For this Shabbos: Natania bat Sarah has a wicked eye and face infection. Abigail Malka bat Chana Yehudit, for a refuah shaleima. For a longer time: My Rosh Yeshiva Shlita Rabbi Yechiel Yehuda ben Shprinsa, Please daven for young Rafael Chaim Simcha Binyamin ben Devorah Aliza, who has been fighting Leukemia the past 18 months and is having terrible reactions to the bone marrow transplant A film in English on how Shabbos Candles are lit in case you have never learned this or want to teach your children: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mACKMJO0_38&NR=1 Lech Lecha Part 2 I started preparing…

  • Parsha Lech Lecha Part 1, halacha, stories

    30 Oct 2009 | 1:48 am
    Parsha Lech Lecha The first 75 years of Avram’s life without the oral tradition we would not know anything about it. Terach was an idol maker by profession and Avram at the age of three had questions about praying to man made statues. He thought about praying to the sun, but when it set it was replaced by the moon and visa versa. Avram came to the conclusion that there was a higher authority that created everything. Rabbi Avigdor Miller Z”L in his writings pointed out that Avram was born in 1948 and Noach was still alive until 2006 so he could have talked to and blessed each grandchild…

  • Parsha Noach, Halacha, Stories only

    21 Oct 2009 | 9:31 am
    Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv B”H is better. I received today a request for a young child who was brought to the hospital since I am wary of H1N1 please pray this next week for Ofek ben Inbal. A few months ago I asked everybody to pray for a Shidduch for this girl: With great happiness and thanks to Hashem we would like to announce the engagement of our daughter Sara to Eran Shachad of Tel Aviv/Jerusalem May they be zoche to build a bayit ne'eman b'yisrael May we all Share in many Smachot together. Steve and Esther I have decided with the advice of a few friends to remove Inyanay Diyoma from…
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    Profit Motive

  • ‘Green’ Groups Pulling In Green

    Tamar
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:28 pm
    This has been a good year for Jewish Farm School, an environmental education organization that aims to reconnect Jews with the joys of working the land and growing their own food. Last summer, JFS was one of two start-ups selected to join Bikkurim, the New York-based incubator that provides its resident groups with office space and computers in downtown Manhattan, as well as a stipends and organizational consulting. Started in 2005 with just $5,000, enough to run only two programs a year, the Jewish Farm School has seen its budget mushroom to $110,000 last year, as it increased its Organic…

  • Where The Heart Meets The Mind

    Tamar
    22 Oct 2009 | 1:00 pm
    Noted philanthropist Charles Bronfman and philanthropy expert Jeffrey Solomon have co-authored their first book together, titled “The Art of Giving: Where the Soul Meets a Business Plan” (Wiley), which will be released in early November. There, they argue that philanthropy must be strategic, intentional and — perhaps most importantly — fun. The Jewish Week sat down with the authors at The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies office on East 59th Street, where they spoke about the shift from charity to philanthropy, how the Madoff affair has impacted philanthropy and the…

  • Finally, Shul Web Sites Coming Of Age

    Tamar
    14 Oct 2009 | 11:36 am
    Gil Mann can’t recall what the old Beth El Synagogue Web site used to look like. “I don’t think it was heavily used,” he says. And it certainly wasn’t pretty. When Beth El, a 1,200-family synagogue located in St. Louis Park, Minn., began to think strategically about its future two years ago, a fresh Web site was a crucial component of the emerging plan. “We developed four portfolios for the shul: education, spirituality, community (all the ways we belong to the shul) and acts of kindness (both internal and within our community at large),” says Mann, who serves as vice president…

  • Touro’s New Doctor

    Tamar
    14 Oct 2009 | 11:35 am
    Bernard Lander’s successor has finally been named — and he’s not from within Touro College’s ranks. His name is Dr. Alan Kadish and he was recently appointed Touro’s senior provost and chief operating officer. Kadish, an Orthodox Jew who is a physician by training, most recently served as senior associate chief of the cardiology department at Northwestern University. In the coming years, Kadish, 53, is expected to succeed Lander as president, with Lander assuming the role of chancellor. The Jewish Week caught up with Kadish during his first days on the new job. Q: You’ll be…

  • Kashering Iconic American Recipes

    Tamar
    14 Oct 2009 | 11:34 am
    For kosher consumers wondering whether they’re missing out by forgoing the delicacies at The Cheesecake Factory and never sinking their teeth into a bucket of fried chicken at KFC, take heart. “America’s Most Wanted Recipes,” a new book published by Simon and Schuster, reveals more than 200 secret recipes from 57 of America’s popular food chains. Last week, the publisher invited kosher foodies to make their own kosher versions of the recipes — and hand out samples to passersby in Bryant Park, to see whether they could taste the difference. The recipe for Starbucks’ Chocolate…
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    Beyond BT - The Baal Teshuva site for Baalei Teshuva and Other Growth Oriented Jews

  • Parshas Toldos – FFB and BT Tzaddikim

    Guest Contributor
    18 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    Rabbi Yaacov Haber has an interesting piece on Parsha Toldos where he points out: - Rashi says that Yitzchak’s prayers were answered instead of Rifkas because he was a Tzaddik, who was a child of a Tzaddik, while Rivka was a Tzaddik who was the child of a Rasha. - This seems to contradict the Gemora which says that a Tzaddik can not stand in the place of a Baalei Teshuva seemingly because a BT has a harder job and therefore more reward. And therefore Rifka’s prayers should have been answered because she worked harder. - Rabbi Haber says that a FFB has it harder than a BT because…

  • How Much To Know About History, How Much About Biology…?

    Guest Contributor
    17 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    Dear Beyond BT I’m a BT for many years with a Masters Degree so I certainly see the value of a good education. The problem I’m facing is that while helping some memorization challenged children with their tests, I have become increasingly aware that there is a tremendous amount of trivial information that has to be memorized. I know personally that much of the history and science I had to memorize has proved to be useless from an information perspective. So when my children ask why they have to know this, I’m often stumped and at a loss to provide motivational inputs. What…

  • Rebbetzin Heller on Complacency and Happiness

    Guest Contributor
    17 Nov 2009 | 7:50 am
    Rebbetzin Heller gave a shiur last night in Kew Gardens Hills on Breaking out of Our Complacency. Here is post from her website on happiness: There are two kinds of simchah. One is the vivid, transient, engaging joy that the animal soul is addicted to. It propels us to almost constant movement towards whatever the next moment offers (note, not this moment; its enemy is the present and its friend is the future). One of my friends was telling me about what people sometimes refer to as “their former lives”, meaning the way they were before real growth was even a possibility. “I was always…

  • BTs in Passaic Lead The Fight Against Sexual Predators

    Administrator
    15 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    The Jewish Week had an article this week titled A Haredi Town Confronts Abuse From The Inside. That town is Passaic and resident Mitch Morrison points out: Passaic “is unlike many Orthodox communities in New York and New Jersey. It is neither Modern Orthodox nor Chassidish.” It has, Morrison wrote, a demographic distinction that may explain why its Orthodox community is responding to the sexual abuse issue more aggressively than others. “It is, per capita, home to one of the largest populations of baalei teshuva and is among the fastest growing religious Jewish communities in the…

  • Ameilus B’Torah vs Email-Us the Torah

    Mark Frankel
    11 Nov 2009 | 7:51 pm
    It is quite clear that Torah is the foundation on which our service of Hashem is built. To the degree to which we know and understand Torah is to the degree to which we can properly serve Hashem. To attain the proper knowledge we need to be Ameil B’Torah – toil in Torah, which means to work hard. A friend pointed out that in our comfort zone age, Ameilus B’Torah is being replaced with Email-us the Torah. Of course there is tremendous value in the Parsha vorts, but they can not replace the hard work necessary to further our spiritual growth. If you want an online Parsha…
 
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