by sarah [➚] · Monday, March 24th, 2008
On April 6, the OU is putting on an event at the Grand Hyatt in New York – the Emerging Jewish Communities Showcase.
Your next community is coming to visit you!
Pursue your dream of a professionally enriching, religiously and personally rewarding life in a community with affordable homes in a friendly, supportive neighborhood, where you can be a key person, helping to bolster the Torah environment.
The cities involved are Indianapolis, New Orleans, Edmonton, Charleston, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Memphis, Oakland, San Francisco, Omaha, San Diego, Seattle, and Vancouver. This looks like a fascinating study in what it takes to build community – for any little population – as well as how small communities market themselves. I know that our local OU rabbi is busting his butt trying to revive his old shul and this sort of event is a great chance for him to make his case to young couples who are tired of paying New York rents. (Not that they’ll do much better in San Francisco…)
Of course price-fueled moves don’t just happen on the big, inter-city level. It happens all the time on the intracity level when communities send off little offshoots of folks who can’t or won’t choose to afford overpriced homes in traditional neighborhoods. I have watched in the last five years as a new observant community has sprung up on the edges of the Mission in San Francisco – previously it was the western neighborhoods or bust.
What other cities that you live in have witnessed offshoots recently? How long does it take for one community to splinter into two, into four? And if you’re trying to attract new young families to your smaller city, what kind of lures do you need for them?
The Forward: High Cost of Living Leads Orthodox To Look Beyond Borders of New York
by Ruby K [➚] · Monday, March 24th, 2008
There are the handmade knishes at Liebman’s in the Bronx that are good, though inconsistant. But having stopped into Knish Nosh with TheWanderingJew and being absolutely horrified and disappointed with their product; and having been saddened by the product at Yonah Schimmel’s, I have to ask the Jewschool reading public: are there any good knishes left in NYC? Can you point me their way?
by zt [➚] · Monday, March 24th, 2008
When (if?) you walk into a major retailer, be it Whole Foods, Express, or Apple, you are likely to be attracted in a specific direction, like most other folks. The direction you are pulled in is not an accident so much as the product of millions of dollars worth of research into lighting, spacing, use of color, sound, product organization, and signage. As it happens, there is enough demand to have created the need for specialized store designers and their accompanying professional organizations.
About a year ago when i started writing this post (before i totally got overwhelmed with workflow) Eli K-S encouraged me to write down some of the guiding principles and minor logistical issues that go into a well prepared davening space. We will never spend a dollar on improving the design, but I am certainly interested in using our collective brainpower to effectively consider the small nuances they way the folks due when they build a hotel lobby, a supermarket, or a cafe. What follows is a practical and values-driven approach to designing prayer spaces.
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by BZ [➚] · Monday, March 24th, 2008
(Crossposted to Mah Rabu.)
Here in Jerusalem (and theoretically in other cities that were walled at the time of Joshua), we just completed Purim Meshulash, a 3-day Purim celebration (Friday-Saturday-Sunday) that occurs any time the date of Purim falls on Shabbat. Since 14 Adar never falls on Shabbat but 15 Adar sometimes does, this is only relevant in walled cities (and practically speaking, only in Jerusalem).
We just had another Purim Meshulash 3 years ago, but there won’t be another one for another 13 years! Because you see, we’re on the cusp of a major transition in the Hebrew calendar.
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by Kol Ra'ash Gadol [➚] · Friday, March 21st, 2008
I look forward to the day when we can all celebrate as one. Oh, wait. That’s today!
Looks like everyone is celebrating today.
Happy whatever!
“Half the world’s population is going to be celebrating something,” says Raymond Clothey, Professor Emeritus of Religious studies at the University of Pittsburgh. “My goodness,” says Delton Krueger, owner of www.interfaithcalendar.org, who follows “14 major religions and six others.” He counts 20 holidays altogether (including some religious double-dips, like Maundy Thursday and Good Friday) between the 20th (which is also quite crowded) and the 21st. He marvels: “There is no other time in 2008 when there is this kind of concentration.”
And in fact for quite a bit longer than that. Ed Reingold and Nachum Dershowitz, co-authors of the books Calendrical Calculations and Calendrical Tabulations, determined how often in the period between 1600 and 2400 A.D. Good Friday, Purim, Narouz and the Eid would occur in the same week. The answer is nine times in 800 years. Then they tackled the odds that they would converge on a two-day period. And the total is … only once: tomorrow. And that’s not even counting Magha Puja and Small Holi.
by sarah [➚] · Thursday, March 20th, 2008
I produced this event last year but this year am excited to attend as a pure consumer…come with?
The Young Adult Feast of Jewish Learning
Sunday, March 30 – 4:00 – 9:30 pm
at the JCCSF at 3200 California Street in San Francisco
This event is free and incredibly welcoming. It is one of the only times during the year that in the Bay Area, Jews of literally every stripe come together to learn Torah. There are workshops for those with huge Jewish backgrounds as well as for those who are just beginning an exploration. There will be 22 classes on everything from comedy to Yiddish to cooking to prayer to social justice to kabbalah to Maimonides to lust. The food is kosher, there will be free beer and a reggae act.
This is a really, really good way to get a taste of what’s up Jewishly in the Bay Area, and probably to meet some people too. I really can’t recommend it highly enough. Check out the lineup and logistics here
by Benyamin [➚] · Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
by BZ [➚] · Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
Talmud Bavli, Megillah 7b:
à îø øáà îéçééá à éðéù ìáñåîé áôåøéà òã ãìà éãò áéï à øåø äîï ìáøåê îøãëé øáä åøáé æéøà òáãå ñòåãú ôåøéà áäãé äããé à éáñåà ÷à øáä ùçèéä ìøáé æéøà ìîçø áòé øçîé åà çééä ìùðä à îø ìéä ðéúé îø åðòáéã ñòåãú ôåøéà áäãé äããé à îø ìéä ìà áëì ùòúà åùòúà îúøçéù ðéñÃ
Rava said: A person is required to become intoxicated on Purim until he does not know the difference between “Cursed is Haman” and “Blessed is Mordechai”. [This is where most people stop reading.]
Rabbah and Rabbi Zeira had a Purim feast together. They became intoxicated. Rabbah got up and slaughtered Rabbi Zeira. The next day, he prayed for mercy and revived him. The following year, [Rabbah] said to him “Come, let’s have a Purim feast together.” Rabbi Zeira said to him, “A miracle doesn’t happen every time.”
Ran, ad loc.:
åîçéçééá ìáñåîé òã ãìà éãò îà é ÷à îø åëúá øáéðå à ôøéà æ”ì îääåà òåáãà ã÷à øáä åùçèéä ìø’ æéøà ëãà ’ áâî’ à éãçé ìéä îéîøà ãøáà åìà ùôéø ãîé ìîòáã äëé
“A person is required to become intoxicated until he does not know” – what does this mean? Rabbeinu Ephraim wrote: From the incident in which Rabbah got up and slaughtered Rabbi Zeira (as we have said in the Gemara), Rava’s statement is rejected, and it is not appropriate to act thus.
The Ba’al Hama’or quotes the same statement of Rabbeinu Ephraim, adding the line “åìéú äìëúà ëååúéä” = “the halacha is not like him [Rava]“. (Rabbeinu Ephraim may not be such a big name, but the Ran and Ba’al Hama’or don’t cite any other opinions on this issue, so they are agreeing at least implicitly.)
So even if you think that drinking on Purim is a “mitzvah” (a highly dubious claim), if you’re going to observe a Purim mitzvah to excess this year, my recommendation is matanot la’evyonim.
Happy Purim!
by BZ [➚] · Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
It’s not just the New York Times anymore — independent minyanim have merited a story on the influential progressive political blog OpenLeft!
Amanda Milstein of Living Liberally writes about how participants in independent progressive Jewish communities are being inspired through their communities to get involved in social justice work or (through the social networks connected to these communities, since the communities themselves are non-profits and can’t endorse candidates) political activism.
Joelle Novey is one of the people who helps run an independent minyan called Tikkun Leil Shabbat in D.C. Every time they meet someone from a social justice organizations speaks, and provides participants with ways of getting involved with the cause that they are working for.
“We’ve heard [talks about how we could repair the world] about security guards organizing, efforts to clean up the Anacostia River, the local fight for marriage equality, activism to stop the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and…more… There are 150-200 folks at each of our gatherings, and almost 500 on our email list…We’re placing ongoing social justice work at the center of our Jewish community life in a way that feels unprecedented and important,” she said.
Full story.
by masthead [➚] · Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
Dear Jewschool readers,
Recently we’ve seen a rash of comments that our editorial board has felt are unacceptably racist or hateful. A number of these comments are in response to the post Between Hebron and Jerusalem. While we realize that discussions about Israel can be very heated, it is part of this blog’s culture not to allow any racial groups to be labeled with hateful language.
As you all know, this is a place for diverse opinions about Jewish life and the big world. We encourage this to be a place of lively, passionate debate and a diversity of opinions. But we are also a place guided by the values of sh’mirat ha-lashon (guarding one’s tongue against hurtful words) and k’vod haberiyot (respect for one’s fellow). As such, hateful, mean-spirited, racist, or inciting comments will not be tolerated. If you disagree with a policy or a statement, feel free to attack it using all of your God-given powers of intellect and reason. However, if your comments devolve more into potshots or racist assault, we will simply delete them or choose not to include them in our site altogether.
This is meant to be a place of vigorous disagreement in mutual respect. As Rabbi Eliezer said: Let the honor of your fellow be as dear to you as your own.
by zt [➚] · Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
In some deep way, parts of American Judaism are still paralyzed by fear and still suffering from holocaust induced post-traumatic-stress. Going to day school I felt it, and being the grandson of survivors I know the narratives in a deeply personal way. We often hear that things seemed just fine in Germany before the Nuremberg Laws. Of course, everything wasn’t fine and all it took was an economic disaster to bring long-held hate to the surface in the form of blame. In some ways, our country today, looks a bit similar. Beset by enormous economic trouble we don’t yet know how our fellow countrymen will respond. A we-are-never-safe Jew might worry that– between all the Jewish Wall Street tycoons and Greenspan presiding over the run-up that resulted in collapse–rosy days might not be ahead. I don’t buy that analysis but at the same time I know how deep the narrative runs and re-runs. That is why it was so heartening to read Obama’s speech on race given earlier today (I hope to watch later, at home). An amazing excerpt from the speech on the flip:
Here is an excerpt:
In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world’s great religions demand – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother’s keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister’s keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well.
For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle – as we did in the OJ trial – or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina – or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright’s sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she’s playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.
We can do that.
But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we’ll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.
That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, “Not this time.†This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can’t learn; that those kids who don’t look like us are somebody else’s problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.
This time we want to talk about how the lines in the Emergency Room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don’t have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.
This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn’t look like you might take your job; it’s that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.
This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should’ve been authorized and never should’ve been waged, and we want to talk about how we’ll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned.
I would not be running for President if I didn’t believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation – the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.
Though the vision doesn’t talk about Jews specifically it fights against the idea that minorities should be constantly on edge that one day, when the shit hits the fan, and the problems are great, that the “real Americans” will behave like the “real Germans”. It says that we are all, together, the “real America.” My grandfather recently passed away but this is the sentiment, the dream, he was chasing when he fled Dachau, a place where he could be a real citizen. It is beautiful to hear a major candidate offer such an inclusive message (and mean it). This articulation of what America truly is and what politics should be about is, to borrow a phrase, very good for the Jews.
by LastTrumpet [➚] · Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
Or if you’re not free until next year, and would like to spend the year learning is Jerusalem, check this out:
FUNDED LEARNING OPPORTUNITY IN JERUSALEM NEXT YEAR
Yakar seeks creatively maladjusted, non-conformist students to be Yakar Scholars
The Yakar Scholars Program: deep inquiry into traditional texts coupled with an approach that treasures personal authenticity, the arts and a commitment to justice.
* Learn in Beit Midrash 3 mornings a week + 2 evenings a week.
* Receive free tuition and a Stipend of $300 per month for living expenses
* Scholars can learn at either Advanced or Introductory levels, women and men
* Scholars are asked to contribute their talents to the community
We seek people dedicated to looking deeper within tradition and themselves for truth, who are equally dedicated to responding to the cry in the street, and serving the community.
The Yakar Scholars Program: In the service of God there are no rules, and this itself is not a rule.
Apply Through Interview. Contact: Tel: 972-2-561-2310 /1 Or: info@yakar.org
More »
by TheWanderingJew [➚] · Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
Many of the writers here at Jewschool share something amazing in common: we were Everett Fellows. And you could be too!
Imagine late-night singing and philosophical discussions under the stars… engrossing Jewish learning … opportunities to participate in a variety of services, arts experiences, shabbat celebrations, and outdoor activities… the chance to meet a group of dynamic,
thoughtful, energetic Jewish young adults as well as community members of all ages at a weeklong institute. Sounds fantastic, right?
Apply to be an Everett Fellow at this year’s National Havurah Summer Institute. As an Everett Fellow, you can enjoy the institute for a fraction of the actual cost and benefit from a built-in community of other 20-something Jews.
The National Havurah Summer Institute 2008 will take place August 11th-17th at Franklin Pierce College in rural New Hampshire. Each participant selects two week-long courses on topics ranging from text study to ethics and social justice to arts and culture. In addition to the week-long classes, there are daily workshops and activities; participants (even first-timers) are encouraged to design and teach a workshop, lead services, or otherwise take leadership roles. The community is egalitarian, diverse, and pluralistic.
Everett Fellows participate fully in the classes, workshops, and other activities at the Institute, plus they enjoy their own peer-led programming designed to help them form a community and support each other’s exploration of various Jewish issues. Fellows receive a scholarship for tuition, room, and board and only have to pay for registration and dues.
For more information, you can check out the National Havurah Committee’s website at havurah.org (click on “summer institute brochure available”). The application is due May 15th. If you have any questions, you can leave a comment, or email institute@havurah.org
Looking forward to seeing you at the Institute!
by BZ [➚] · Monday, March 17th, 2008
Haftarat Zachor (which is read twice this year here in Jerusalem) + Megillat Esther = The Lord of the Rings. One of them is totally plagiarized.
After winning the war with Sauron, Isildur is supposed to destroy the One Ring. He declines to do this, and as a result, his royal line ends and he is killed in battle, and the Ring continues to cause trouble. Many years later, when the Ring is finally destroyed, Isildur’s distant descendant Aragorn becomes king, and the monarchy is restored.
After winning the war with Amalek, Shaul ben Kish is supposed to kill Agag. He declines to do this, and as a result, his royal line ends and he is (eventually) killed in battle, and Agag’s descendant Haman continues to cause trouble. Many years later, when Haman is finally executed, Shaul’s father’s descendant Mordechai ben Ya’ir ben Shim’i ben Kish (one of the Men of the West, living in exile) becomes second to the king.
by Kung Fu Jew [➚] · Saturday, March 15th, 2008
You might not call this direct support of Breaking the Silence, but you can call it standing up against right-wing blowhards like Mort Klein. This I can definitely respect. Rabbi Bernie was distraught by the “lack of context” to the exhibit but nonetheless stood by his students’ decision to bring the exhibit into a Jewish space. He, like many others, disagree with the soldiers on many points. But thank the Lord this doesn’t mean he’s like some of the people who’ve come to exhibit simply to tell the soldiers that they should be shot as traitors. Or even attack them (and Hillel International at large) for being anti-Israel, as Mort did in a press release.
The highlights here, the full open letter below the fold.
On the ZOA:
I do not know the mission of the ZOA. If, however, your mission does include working with young Jews, you have done a grievous disservice to the ZOA. If it is not part of your mission, you should not intrude clumsily and aggressively into the Harvard campus, and undermine the good work of young Jews…
…Truth from a skyscraper in New York City looks different than on the ground of a campus in Cambridge. Every campus and every Hillel has its own unique culture.
On the student body:
Many students feel inconvenienced by the presence of the exhibit in the building. Many more criticize the presentation of the exhibit itself. Some feel that it humanizes the soldiers and they come away with a more positive feeling about Israel. I myself did not anticipate this response. It is more widespread than I would have thought.
On what Mort’s press release did:
…As a result of your actions, our students are receiving hate emails [from ZOA members]. In light of what you have said and have not said, this is a totally predictable response. If you intended to injure and hurt young Jews, your recent actions and words are a success. If your goal is to inflame and to defame Harvard Hillel, you should justly feel a sense of pride – mission accomplished.
Whether you’re into Breaking the Silence or otherwise, you can also tell Mort to fuck off here.
More »
by LastTrumpet [➚] · Saturday, March 15th, 2008
There’s been ruckus over a facebook decision recently to label the settlements over the green line as being in “Palestine.”
The J Post:
Ma’aleh Adumim resident Julian Czarny woke up recently to discover that he lived in “Palestine” – at least according to the popular Internet social networking site Facebook.
Facebook no longer allows members from Ma’aleh Adumim, Ariel, Betar Illit and other settlements over the Green Line to list their hometowns as situated in Israel, but instead provides only a preset location, with their country listed as “Palestine.”
“Someone at Facebook is simply prejudging whatever may or may not come about in future negotiations,” said Czarny. “Who exactly decided on this computerized transfer of over a quarter-million Jews from Israel to Palestine?”
Whether or not I agree with the decision, I find it fascinating the way folks’ on-line lives intersect with off-line world.
Also, here’s the facebook group.
Full story.
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