by biz · Friday, August 31st, 2007
It’s been a ridiculous week with our boys Ido Wido and Rob from Soulico tearing it up with wicked DJ sets in Boston and NYC. Check out pictures from Milk & Honey (w/visuals courtesy of Mobius & Mushon), download their Studio B set, see what the Washington Post and Boston Phoenix have to say, and don't miss your last chances to see them play this weekend!!!
Sat Sep 01 DC @ Wonderland Ballroom SOULICO w/DJ Meistro - 10PM
Mon Sep 03 Brooklyn @ JDub Labor Day BBQ at The Yard w/Golem, Deleon, DJ Eleven (The Rub), DJ Anaan (JDub), and DJ Ezekiel (Golem).
$10 Tickets HERE. 3-9PM ALL AGES
"The #1 reason to stay in town this holiday weekend…ride the 30 foot inflatable water slide, beer in hand, while laughing at your friends stuck in holiday traffic jam hell." - The Village Voice
At both shows, we’ll be giving out FREE copies of the new Soulico mixtape, Blend De Luxe, as well as the new JDub compilation, Rooftop Roots (which feature 2 original Soulico tracks and for which new site Shemspeed (humorously?) accused JDub of jacking its gramaphone. If you can’t make it out, you can email info {at} jdubrecords(.)org with your full name and address and we’ll send a copy of Rooftop Roots straight to you!
by Kol Ra'ash Gadol · Wednesday, August 29th, 2007
Even that icy-cold water couldn’t wash the nareishkeit out of her head.
Madonna as a revitalizer for Sfat. Well, I suppose at least they haven’t started bottling the water from the mikveh, or selling the gravedust, yet, but…
Madonna reportedly is thinking well into the future.
“The valley of Rosh Pina is the entrance to where the Messiah will come to Safed,” said Lotan, the Tzahar region’s tourism director, “and Madonna is negotiating to purchase a house there not far from where we are.”
EEeeergh.
by Kung Fu Jew · Wednesday, August 29th, 2007
The Jew & The Carrot is featuring healthy and sustainable suggestions and recipes for Rosh Hashanah and the holiday season:
As we plan our Rosh Hashana menus, how do we find the balance between tradition and innovation, and how do we add a distinctly Jewish flavor to time-honored recipes? The Jew & The Carrot put together a menu that will honor your Rosh Hashana table with a healthy and sustainable flair.
Whole wheat Challah with Maple Glaze recipe below the fold, more on The Jew & The Carrot.
More »
by Danya · Tuesday, August 28th, 2007
Hurricane Katrina was, according to Shas’ spiritual leader, punishment for American support of the disengagement from Gaza. Now, R. Ovadia Yosef is claiming, Israeli soldiers died in Lebanon because they weren’t frum enough.
The Jerusalem Post reports,
“Should it come as a surprise if, God forbid, soldiers are killed in war?” said Yosef, spiritual mentor of the haredi-Sephardi Shas party, referring to the 119 IDF soldiers killed during the Second Lebanon War.
“When they do not adhere to the laws of Shabbat, they do not keep the Torah, they do not pray every day, they do not put on phylacteries every day? God have mercy on them [soldiers] and make them become newly religious - then they will all live a good life in peace,” Yosef said.
Pardon me while I vomit in my mouth a little. Not surprisingly, the parents of soldiers who were killed in the war have a little bit to say about this. For example,
Moshe Muskal, another bereaved parent whose religious son Refanel was killed in Maroun a-Ras, said that since Yosef’s political party was part of the government coalition during the Second Lebanon War, the rabbi also bears responsibility for the deaths of the soldiers.
Muskal, who was interviewed on Army Radio, quoted from testimony given by Shas Chairman Eli Yishai before the Winograd Committee, which investigated the operational failures of the war.
According to the testimony, Yishai, a member of the government’s Defense Cabinet during the war, consulted with Yosef often.
“I want to know if Rabbi Ovadia Yosef advised Yishai to check if soldiers entering Maroun a-Ras [the Lebanese village where Muskal's son was killed] put on tefilin that morning,” said Muskal. “And if they did not put on tefilin, were they prevented from going to war?”
Full story.
by Danya · Monday, August 27th, 2007
Looks like the practice of eating hot dairy “out” might be up for debate sometime soon.
The Jewish Week reports,
A survey of Conservative clergy released last week found that more than 80 percent eat warmed fish in non-kosher restaurants, prompting the chairman of the movement’s rabbinic kosher subcommittee to begin writing a legal opinion that will likely restrict what Conservative Jews may or may not eat in non-kosher restaurants.
Such a sweeping opinion, if approved by the movement’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, would radically change Conservative practice that has been in place for more than a generation. And it would also set Rabbi Paul Plotkin, the subcommittee chairman and a recognized expert in kashrut for the Conservative movement, on a collision course with more liberal Conservative rabbis who argue that halacha must change with the times.
Full story.
The firestorm around gay ordination has finally died down, so I suppose it’s somebody’s job to keep things lively, eh? Let the pizza wars begin.
by BZ · Monday, August 27th, 2007
Two-table potlucks are no longer just for vegetarians and flexitarians! This past Friday night, some people put together the first known two-table potluck that included meat. How does this differ from the conventional two-table system, and what are the theoretical and practical ramifications? Mah Rabu reports.
by YehuditBrachah · Monday, August 27th, 2007
If you cared about Hineini, the documentary about Shulamit Izen and her coming out process at the New Jewish High School in Boston, you’ll want to get on board with helping reach even more people. Thursday night, August 30, will be a great time to get out and support the work that Keshet is doing to make Jewish educational institutions and communal organizations safe spaces for LGBT Jews. Grand old Reform synagogue Ohabei Shalom at 1187 Beacon St in Brookline (you’ll feel the 50s in the stained glass, although the dome roof kind of reminds me of a mosque!) is hosting Keshet’s Benefit Folk Concert featuring P.J. Shapiro, Mark Lipman, and Rebecca Katz. Tickets range from $15-$25. Chip in for equality, there’s so much work to be done to make our Jewish spaces ones in which all Jews feel included and respected. Concert starts at 6:30pm, 617-524-9227 for questions.
by Danya · Sunday, August 26th, 2007
I was on the maiden voyage of the Encounter program, and it was great–they do really worthwhile work.
They’re looking for an intern now, so if you’re in the Holy Land now and are interested, drop Ilana a line–info below.
Intern Positions Available
Encounter, Jerusalem Office
September 2007 – June 2008
Encounter is an educational organization dedicated to providing Jewish diaspora leaders from across the religious and political spectrum with exposure to Palestinian life. Motivated by the relentless Jewish pursuit of hokhma (wisdom) and binah (understanding), Encounter programs bring participants on journeys to engage with Palestinians face-to-face and witness realities first hand. Encounter organizes one and two day trips to Bethlehem and Hebron.
Encounter’s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is unique: we incorporate Torah values in all aspects of our work, including an intentional emphasis on skillful listening to others, as we grapple with the challenging, present-day issues facing the Middle East. Our participants include Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, & post-denominational rabbinical and yeshiva students learning in Israel for the year. We also lead trips for synagogue delegations, Federation missions, visiting Hillels and other groups.
Encounter is growing quickly. We are seeking talented interns to provide assistance in a variety of areas.
More »
by LastTrumpet · Saturday, August 25th, 2007
(Cross-posted to The Last Trumpet)
Tshuva, translated as repentance but literally meaning “return,” is, on the cognitive level, simply a return to what the Buddhists call Right View, or in the words of the popular Neo-Hasidic song, the “Return to Who you are.” It’s the shuv of ratzo v’shuv, running and returning — coming back to the Source, the undifferentiated Awareness that somehow gives birth to the cosmos. Running out into differentiation, with (for all but the most awakened of us) all its traps and delusions — but then, at special times in the year, returning. And from that place of unity, reflecting on the actions of the small self, observing how they may have caused harm, and attempting to repair the harm by reconnecting with other people and with God. - Jay Michaelson Full story.
A king once wanted to test the faith and love of his subjects. So he chose one of his closest servants, dressed him up as a great king and sent him out to declare war against his subjects. When the servant appearing as king met the first group and declared war, they immediately prepared themselves for the battle. When he came to the second group, they said “Since he is such a great king, why should we fight?” Finally, the faux king traveled farther until he came to a town of sages. The sages inquired deeply, until they were able to see through the disguise. (Sefer Toledot Ya’aqov Yosef, Va-yaqhel, see Sefer Ba’al Shem Tov, Bereishit, 141).
The meaning is that serious challenges that confront us are essentially tests of our faith in the non-dual nature of reality and our love and devotion to the divine source. Whenever we face these tests, there are basically three ways of responding. The two conventional responses are either to be overwhelmed by the challenge and to capitulate without a fight or to attempt to combat the problem with the rigidity of “fight or flight” mode. Although both of these conventional responses may be the best that we can do at certain stages in our development, neither will aid us very much in our conscious quest to further evolve. The third mode of dealing with such tests is the way of the wise, who have cultivated judges and executors (see previous parashah). In this way, one neither avoids nor rushes into combat, but sees through and dissolves the shell of separation from Divine Presence with the gnostic eye of faith. - Reb Miles Krassen Full Story.
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First, a little background - at LimmudNY in ‘06, my first dip into Jewish pluralism (and my first in-person connection to Jewschool), Chefitz made quite an impression. After we’d had an intense breakfast conversation about my possible future in the Rabbinate, I attended a workshop he was offering on Storytelling as a Mystical Discipline. Chefitz, who learned to tell stories from Carlebach, told stories through the four worlds, and I may have had my first serious mystical experience. The primary result was my enrolling in a course on Zohar taught by Arthur Green, the rector of the Hebrew College Rabbinical School, and a subsequent course on niggunim with Nehemia Polen, whose clearly had learned some of his love of niggunim from Reb Shlomo.
Back to the story - I shared Carlebach’s Gam Ki Eilech at NHC Shalosh seudos, which prompted Chefitz to tell Shlomo stories, and just before Havdallah, he explained to a small group of us that there were only three who came from pre-war Chassidism, had a deep understanding of the Jewish spiritual tradition, and had the chutzpah to share that openly with all of us maskilim: Those three were Shlomo, Zalman, and Heschel. Chefitz explained that in his mind, Hebrew College is maintaining that line - training Rabbis to carry on their legacy.
The following Shalosh seudos at Contemporary Kabbalah week at Elat Chayyim, Rabbi Miles Krassen, with whom I’d been studying The Future of Judaism & The Evolution of Consciousness all week, spoke about Elul and the process of Tshuvah. Check out his drash on the parsha for a taste of his style. Shabbos afternoon, at the culmination of a week of teaching, Reb Miles broke down the barrier between ego and Ein Sof - I’ve gotta say, it truly blew my mind. All week, we’d learned about the shift from a consciousness represented by the sefirah of Binah, which separates and differentiates (about orange/green in the spiral dynamics model) to Chochmah consciousness, a non-dual, integral way of being (2nd tier). Shabbos afternoon, as Reb Miles taught Likutei Moharan, I experienced for the first time what he had been talking about, if only for a brief moment.
I spent the better part of this last week (until I get sent home with poison ivy) singing with 130 teenagers at NFTY-NE Summer Institute (I tried to stay away from smooth jazz) - the organization that in my teenage years helped me understand the real power of music, and of the Jewish tradition. I served as a regional board member when I was in high school, and this summer a fellow board member and dear friend became regional director. All in all, four members of the nine-member board (and a member-by-marriage) were working to facilitate the retreat. Our advisor was also on faculty, and got to schep some more nachas (he already officiated at two of our weddings this summer). There was a sense of torch-passing, and I was thrilled to see the region finally in the hands of someone who remembers how much Torah we learned back in the day. The credit for our experiences goes to the individuals running the organization when we were members, but the movement provides the structure that made those experiences possible. For the past 11 years, NFTY-NE has been both my spiritual home and laboratory - and I get the feeling that many of these kids are tasting the next step in their evolution, and without that first taste, how can we know to want more?
At Shabbos dinner, I had a fascinating debate with a faculty member and Reform Rabbi on denominationalism and post-denominationalism, (it began as a conversation about the job prospects of the students in the Hebrew College Rabbinic program, to which I hope to apply in the near future primarily for the aforementioned reasons). In NFTY-NE I see room for growth (I suppose we can’t teach them to do everything), but I see sparks of holiness, and have faith in those guiding the region’s growth. In a non-dual world, that is to say if everything (and then some) is G!d, G!d is in the Reform movement too (and the other ones), at least for the time being. Judaism certainly has further to evolve, and I believe that denominationalism is resultant of Binah consciousness, that of separation and differentiation, and post-denominatiolism represents a step toward Chochmah, toward the unity that we acknowledge in the Sh’ma.
Reb Miles taught in the name of Rebbe Nachman that as we move to a higher madrega (level) there is always someone to step into our previous level. It is up to each of us to pass on each bit of soul-warming Torah, because once it’s stopped warming us, it’s ready to warm someone else, and that is how we will all grow together.
by Kung Fu Jew · Friday, August 24th, 2007
Foxman under fire in Haaretz by an editor at Moment magazine:
Foxman has particularly distinguished himself by indulging in spineless acts of rhetorical ambiguity, declaring that “this is not an issue where we take a position one way or the other. This is an issue that needs to be resolved by the parties, not by us. We are neither historians nor arbiters.” This from a man who rightfully claims that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust denial amounts to an attempt to destroy Jewish identity! This from the leader of an organization that has rightfully called on the world not to avert its eyes from the genocide underway in Sudan’s Darfur region! (One wonders what Foxman would do if Khartoum were on friendly terms with Jerusalem.)
A shout out to Jewcy.com for leading the charge on that one, full battery listed here. Meanwhile, AIPAC is taking hits at Huffington Post:
All the good that they had done for Israel in their early days has now been offset by the power they have established in the D.C. community. As with any powerful lobby, there is a tendency for such groups to bully their way through the Congress to achieve its goal. And AIPAC is no worse or better than the NRA and other such self-interest groups. While AIPAC is primarily a Jewish organization, I am aware that most liberal Jews hate what they are doing and the tactics that they are using. Since over 70% of American Jews are liberal, I believe that AIPAC is not representing the views of most of the Jewish community.
I want to point out that progressive or unaffiliated or alternative opinion Jews have as much responsibility for the right-wing stranglehold over “mainstream” Jewish life as right-wing fatheads themselves — for ceding the space to them. Hopefully, as I’ve watched the number of AIPAC sorties increase in the Jewish press over the past three years (ten years ago, I’m told, this was just unheard of in Jewish press), this cessation is giving way to more and more progressive voices breaking into communal space. The birth of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom and JVP attest to one side of the equation of a particular Israel debate where the dissatisfied are picking up clubs, whereas the pickup of once-controversial firebrands by the institutional voices signals an acknowledgment from inside that the calculus of communal opinion is changing. (We hope.)
Jewschool was given the option to fade away upon the retirement of our founding editor, but all of us felt that our voice — particularly a religiously-progressive, politically-progressive, socially-progressive voice — is vastly important to the vibrancy of the Jewish community, to the boat rockin’ that needs be done for it’s sake. More so than any so-called attack on the right wing, which is just a metaphor that I’m using here, but an attack on the hesitations we alternative thinkers have on engaging with mainstream institutions, with playing with the big boys, and balancing the impact of right-wing fatheads like Foxman can have upon the future of Jewish life.
The assault is on. Shabbat shalom.
by Kung Fu Jew · Friday, August 24th, 2007
New Voices Launch Party! Just because they’re busy cultivating the next generation of Jewish journalists doesn’t mean they don’t know how to party. Join the Jewish Student Press Service on September 24th for an 18+ happy hour event (with live DJs!) at the Proof Bar Lounge in downtown Manhattan, featuring DJ Handler and more music from Shemspeed artists! More info on facebook.
Proof Bar Lounge
239 Third Ave, between 19th and 20th
$5 cover includes FREE DRINK (18 to enter, 21 to drink)
More »
by Eli · Friday, August 24th, 2007
in 2009, Vilnius, Lithuania will officially become a “European Capital of Culture.” Advertisements for the European Union bestowed honor adorn the sides of the cities bus system.
According to the Vilnius City Municipality
website, this honor gives Vilnius the “exceptional opportunity to promote its local culture within the European Union.”
The website continues with its aims an objectives for the 2009 period.
* Strengthen the positions of the city as ambitious, vital and creative cultural centre, thus advancing the acknowledgement of city’s international significance.
* Redefine the cultural identity of Vilnius emphasizing culture as the catalyst of communication, important part of everyday life and the source of pride and self-esteem.
* Help the foreign visitors to discover Vilnius – the city of culture and vitality.
* Engage the local community into the cultural life – expand the audiences of cultural events on local and national level.
* Significantly improve city’s cultural infrastructure.
* Present the celebration of the Millennium of Lithuania on the international level, emphasising the historical links between Vilnius and the common European cultural history.
* Stimulate the initiation of new, progressive and lasting cultural projects of high value and international scale, revitalize the present cultural institutions.
* Special significance to be dedicated to the new independence generation. The project aims to unravel the common European values to our youth and motivate their participation in the process of building the culture of future Europe.
Here are some photos taken on Piles Street, the main tourist thoroughfare in the Old Town on August 24th, 2007.
Some ladies pass a row of paintings for sale
I spy a curious piece of merchandise.
Oh my!
The Vilnius Municipality’s websites continues with the projects European dimension:
The openness of the concept of Europe, the interregional collaboration, the openness to the global cultures and creative ideas lies at the heart of “Vilnius- European Capital of Culture 2009” programme.
Hopefully in two years things will be different in the Old Town.
by Kol Ra'ash Gadol · Thursday, August 23rd, 2007
According to the (New York) Jewish Week, Rabbi Yona Reiss, a young (41) “outsider” has been appointed by YU President Richard Joel to lead the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary where he was ordained in 1991 (as well as earning the more advanced Yadin-Yadin ordination in 2002).
According to the Jewish Week, “Despite ordination, he chose not to become a practicing rabbi but to earn a law degree from Yale, where he was senior editor of the Law Journal, before practicing for six years at the international law firm of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. Currently director of the Beth Din of America, the largest rabbinical court in the country, his Beth Din is affiliated with the Rabbinical Council of America and the Orthodox Union
News of his appointment has apparently been received very positively, and why not? - he seems to be an outstanding choice. Rabbi Reiss told The Jewish Week,
To be able to educate students in the Torah U’Madah tradition, in the best sense of the word, is an extremely exciting opportunity for me. He defines Torah U’Madah as the notion of developing the full awareness and reverence for God’s presence in the universe by learning and understanding as much as possible about the universe as a whole; to excel in Torah learning while being mindful of general learning in all the sciences and in all the disciplines.
He said he left international law because he preferred the practice of Jewish law, ‘the most ideal and divine system of law that exists.’
by BZ · Thursday, August 23rd, 2007
The recent YearlyKos Convention in Chicago attracted hundreds of liberal bloggers and activists, all but one of the Democratic presidential candidates, and representatives of many progressive organizations. However, Mik Moore of JSpot points out, in a Jewish Week oped, that the organized Jewish community was almost completely absent.
In this community of increasing influence in public affairs, the absence of both the organized Jewish community and the unorganized Jewish blogosphere was anomalous. After all, Jews are leaders in the Democratic Party. Most Jewish organizations have close ties to progressive lawmakers. And Jewish organizations are usually smart enough to have a seat at almost every powerful table.
At an event with sufficient clout to attract almost the entire field of Democratic presidential candidates, sponsored by a blog that attracts more than half a million readers every day, it was unusual to witness Jewish groups ceding the field.
Why were Jewish organizations missing, and what can we do about it? Full story.
by Ruby K · Thursday, August 23rd, 2007
Last year, the Oyhoo festival was a week of insanity, 29 events and a 2 day conference crammed into a week that also had Selichos and September 11th. With several artists playing multiple events, this dilluted the audiences for some of the events. I thoroughly enjoyed Jewzapalooza in Riverside Park but felt at times the energy was lacking, especially for dynamic performers like Y-Love and So Called.
In a rare moment on Jewschool, commenter J actually agreed with me when I suggested that Oyhoo be expanded to a month long Jewish music, arts, and culture festival for Marcheshvan, so as not to compete to much with itself and to come far enough after the chaggim that we’ll be recharged and ready. It looks like there’s a possibility of it being stretched out over, well, at least more than one week.
A partial schedule of this year’s festivites is up on Oyhoo’s site, and here’s my first take on it: If I’m in town, I’m very much looking forward to the September 9th Jewzapalooza event this year. Chana Rothman laces some soulful folk with the occasional hip hop flow and freestyle, and is a very energetic performer. The last time I saw her downtown at the Knit, her band was tight and the people couldn’t get enough. The New Orleans Klezmer Allstars were my personal introduction to Klezmer’s groundswell in the 90s, playing an unbelieveable set that completely outshined the Squirrel Nut Zippers back in my college days… their version of Di Zilberne Chasene (The Silver Wedding) on The Big Kibosh is one of my favorite tracks ever. And who could ever get enough of the lovely ladies and gents of Pharoah’s Daughter? I have yet to spin the new album, but I hear good things, including a Yah Ribon melody I don’t know. I confess, I totally have a woodwind crush on Daphna Mor, and hope she’s part of the lineup that rocks it out on the 9th. Of course, the Moshav Band and Soulfarm throwdown later in the evening will be excellent, and I don’t know Hamakor, does anyone have the haps on them?
Once we have a more full oyhoo calendar, look out for my pre festival thoughts….
by EV · Thursday, August 23rd, 2007
Hey kiddies,
I’ve finally put up a site with some subtle cartoons, some previously published, others rejected from every publication in the world. Please visit, and remember to leave insulting comments. Extra points for proper spelling of “despicable self-hatred.”
EV Comics
by Eli · Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007
When I spent six months on a study abroad program in Berlin, my academic advisor took me aside and told me that there certain parts of the city, concentrated on the eastern reaches of the mass transit system, that I should avoid. Xenophobic violence wasn’t common, but it could happen. What was implied that a man with my face like mine could rile up some skinheads.
Apparently, some Indian men settled into the formerly East German town of Muegeln didn’t get the bulletin. Unemployment is high, the right wing is strong and frustration abounds.
The European Jewish Press reports:
At a summer festival Saturday night, a group of about 50 Germans, some shouting neo-Nazi slogans, chased eight Indians through the streets of the town of Muegeln and broke down the door of a pizzeria where they had sought refuge.
Kramer said it was clear Berlin and the regional states had failed to tackle the problem of extremist violence head-on.
“There is still no nationally-coordinated plan with the states and local governments,” he said.
Kramer said it was “a bitter truth” that foreigners should be warned against living in some areas of the depressed former communist east, where he saw an escalating problem with racist attacks.
“Yesterday it was people of colour, today it is foreigners and tomorrow it will be gays and lesbians or perhaps Jews,” he said.
Full Story
by zt · Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007
Mobius discussed a related situation a few days ago but since then much has happened:
JERUSALEM, Aug. 19 — Israel sent approximately 50 African migrants, many reported to be Sudanese refugees from war-torn Darfur, back across the border to Egypt late Saturday night, a move that drew the condemnation of Israeli human rights advocates when it became known on Sunday.
The migrants had illegally crossed the Israeli-Egyptian border earlier Saturday and were sent back the same day, as Israel instituted a new policy of instantly deporting such illegal migrants, regardless of their status, an Israeli government spokesman said.
Israel is a great place to flee if your are a refugee. Provided, of course, that you happen to be Jewish.
UPDATE: If Israel accepted refugees it might accidentally forward the idea that there is a pervasive genocide thereby devaluing the holocaust and challenging the uniqueness of the Jewish narrative.
