Mishegas

Hebron Fund, "Other Israel" films, intermarriage, and Jewish continuity the musical

  • The pro-settler Hebron Fund is hosting their annual fundraiser at Mets field — and you can call on the Mets to strike them out here! (Hat tip to Avram.)
  • Jewschool inspired a new blog called FiftyPercenters.com, written “by and for individuals engaging with Judaism in non-traditional ways, be it from mixed, converted, interfaith, intermarried, or other perspectives.” Welcome to the family!
  • NYC’s Other Israel Film Festival draws fire for bringing pillar of Israeli cinema Mohammad Bakri to a Jewish audience. Calling for the event to be canceled, this must be slacktivism at its best. Attend the Shabbat dinner with Bakri or see him at his screenings of Laila’s Birthday and Zahara. (Also at Purchase College tomorrow night.)
  • The director of the Jewish Outreach Institute says that selling Birthright as an intermarriage panacea is “disastrous, potentially alienating the very people who benefit most from the program.”
  • New Voices — the only “by and for Jewish students” magazine — goes post-denominational.
  • Friend of the blog Leah Koenig covers “nine faiths, one vegan lunch.
  • And the grand finale: musical sitcom Glee sings on Jewish continuity (hat tip to themicah):

19 thoughts on “Hebron Fund, "Other Israel" films, intermarriage, and Jewish continuity the musical

  1. There’s a name for blogging quick link summaries like this, but I forget what it is. Anyway, more please!
    Shout out to BZ for correcting Ethan in the comments of the New Voices article.
    Also, I’m not sure if someone is working on a post for this, but since it was mentioned on Jewschool more than once in the past, there is an update on the Federation’s Community Hero Award. Here’s the email I received:
    ———————
    Dear Avigdor,
    I’m sitting here at the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly in Washington, DC – and I couldn’t wait to tell you the big news.
    Ari Teman from New York is the official Jewish Community Hero of the Year!
    Ari founded a volunteer organization, JCorps, two years ago. Since then, JCorps has provided 21,000 meals to the hungry and visited hundreds of seniors and sick children in the USA, Israel, and Canada.
    Send your congratulations to Ari and learn more about JCorps here:
    http://www.jewishcommunityheroes.org/MazelTovAri
    Thanks for being a part of this campaign – we couldn’t have done it without you. And thanks again to all of our Heroes who demonstrate the meaning of tikkun olam in their communities every day.
    Sincerely, Adam Finkel
    –sent from my mobile device Wow!
    He sent a mass Federation email from his blackberry! That’s brevity!
    Any thoughts about the winner? Seems like a safe choice for the Federation.

  2. – I question whether attending Birthright impacts intermarriage rates at all; those who choose to take advantage of programs like Birthright may be those who are more inclined to in-marry to begin with.
    Also, I’m bothered by the notion of intermarriage as anti-Jewish. Our tradition commands us to actively spread the truth of Torah to non-Jews, and our sages encouraged conversion until governing authorities ruled Jewish missionary outreach punishable by death in the middle ages. If only more of us would see intermarriage as an opportunity to expand Jewish people-hood, culture, and tradition…
    – Regarding Ari Teman, it’s interesting to note that of the finalists who had high vote counts (10000+), Ari was the only individual who was not visibly orthodox.

  3. Andy,
    I question whether attending Birthright impacts intermarriage rates at all; those who choose to take advantage of programs like Birthright may be those who are more inclined to in-marry to begin with.
    That self-selection bias was addressed in the survey. The reason why so many people in the Federation system are so excited about this report is because it is backed up by solid research. Birthright is one of the only programs that has proven to be effective in “building continuity”, a primary objective of the organized American Jewish community, whether you agree with it or not.
    Also, I’m bothered by the notion of intermarriage as anti-Jewish.
    Why are you bothered by it?
    Our tradition commands us to actively spread the truth of Torah to non-Jews, and our sages encouraged conversion until governing authorities ruled Jewish missionary outreach punishable by death in the middle ages.
    You’re confusing us with Christians and Muslims, Andy. Jews have never proselytized, and there is no such thing as Jewish missionaries, and never has been. We don’t seek to convert people; we practically discourage non-Jews from converting and make the process quite difficult and cumbersome (even more than it has to be, one of dlevy’s pet peeves). The foundation for this is that we believe you don’t have to be Jewish to be a good person. We are not out to save anyone from eternal damnation or to kill the infidels that don’t accept our prophets. These are simply not the qualities of our faith, and never have been.
    If only more of us would see intermarriage as an opportunity to expand Jewish people-hood, culture, and tradition…
    Some, like you, do. Others, like me, believe that intermarriage is not such an opportunity, it never has been and never will be. In my opinion and experience, intermarriage destroys Jewish people-hood, culture and traditions, creating confusion, trauma and deep seated spiritual pain for many people.
    We Jews have never been about quantity, but about quality. We don’t force our faith on others because we are secure in the knowledge that we are G-d’s chosen people, and that despite our numbers or present situation, He and He alone determines our fate and ensures our survival and prosperity. Our only responsibility is to stay true to our covenant with Him, and it is His job to take care of the rest.
    Advancing Jewish peoplehood is vitally important, but there are no shortcuts to it. We must start with ourselves, as Jews, with you and me, to perform one extra act of charity, to put on teffilin, or to learn a little bit of this week’s Torah portion, or even a little more – practical mitzvot, connections, that are more powerful in their spiritual impact to advance the Jewish people than any shortcut.
    Good Shabbos.

  4. Jews have never proselytized…These are simply not the qualities of our faith, and never have been.
    Without delving into the substance of the conversation, I want to note that this point by Avigdor is simply not true. There are multiple references to proselytization of sorts both in the rabbinic literature and in historical accounts. See Salo Baron, as well as any number of others, on this point.

  5. Avigdor –
    “In my opinion and experience, intermarriage destroys Jewish people-hood, culture and traditions, creating confusion, trauma and deep seated spiritual pain for many people.”
    We are all entitled to our own opinions but i would jut like to point out that this very same thing was said to me throughout my life except it wasn’t about jewishness and instead was about being biracial. As a liminal person I believe it is possible to be part of a family of mixed backgrounds and have a wonderful, complex and secure identity. In my experience confusion and pain and trauma are not the results of being part of that family but come from those outside of the family placing insecurities and doubt on you.

  6. Avigdor, do you KNOW any people who were raised in a mixed marriage? What do you think THEY feel about you calling them the destruction of our faith?
    Better a frum intermarried family than an in-married family of apikorsim, I say.

  7. Miri, I don’t know what you’re talking about. The Noahide laws? Abraham asking guests to pray to G-d or pay for their meal? “Proselytization of sorts”? Have you done missionary work with your synagogue to convert the unbelievers? This is grasping at wispy silk threads. You’ll have to give some specifics.
    Avigdor, do you KNOW any people who were raised in a mixed marriage?
    Yes.
    What do you think THEY feel about you calling them the destruction of our faith?
    B.BarNavi, show me where I said that or apologize. Your perversion of my speech is unacceptable.

  8. BZ, what’s amaratzim?
    Avigdor, yes, prostelyzation has comfortable roots in Judaism, although it’s not a present-day practice or value. Proselytism was a Jewish tradition until the Romans made conversion to Judaism punishable by death.

  9. “In my opinion and experience, intermarriage destroys Jewish people-hood, culture and traditions, creating confusion, trauma and deep seated spiritual pain for many people.
    —Avigdor · November 13th, 2009 at 3:19 pm ”
    There. I showed you. No perversion, just quotation.

  10. Avigdor, yes, prostelyzation has comfortable roots in Judaism
    I would like to see some sources for these “comfortable roots”. The Romans outlawing conversion to Judaism is not proof that Jews were proselytizing. Many Roman solderers stationed in Judea converted to Judaism of their own free will, as non-Jews have done in every generation and in every corner of the world. Outlawing such practice may have been a response to prevent such desertion in the Roman ranks.
    In my opinion and experience, intermarriage destroys Jewish people-hood, culture and traditions, creating confusion, trauma and deep seated spiritual pain for many people.
    I stand by this statement. Here is the statement B.BarNavi and now KFJ wrongly attributed to me:
    What do you think THEY feel about you calling them [people born in a mixed marriage] the destruction of our faith?
    The outrageous insinuation is that I have called children of mixed marriage “the destruction of our faith”. This is an angry, blind perversion of my words, with no basis in reality. Whether you have done this in error or out of malice is unknown to me, but either way such behavior is unacceptable. My demand for an apology, now from B.BarNavi and KFJ, stands.

  11. I made a mistake. My screen lagged and I thought that KFJ made the 4:14 pm comment. After I made the comment the screen refreshed. Only B.BarNavi is responsible. I apologize for the accusation, KFJ.

  12. With regards to the question of proselytization, I’d point you toward Salo Baron for starters, but again, I want to emphasize that this point is really not controversial, even if you’re not familiar with it: proselytization was, historically and textually, comfortably located within Judaism, though it certainly has fallen out of vogue in modernity (and before, though for some different reasons). Those of us who study or teach Judaism in the academy (as I do) can probably all attest to this fact.

  13. dlevy, I read the article you linked to. According to Sue Fishkoff, proselytizing seems to be of some interest to certain reform/conservative congregations and select Jewish academics trying to out-think a 50% intermarriage rate. Again, very thin gruel as to sources.
    Miri, I know who Salo Baron is, but I don’t understand your reference. Please be more specific. I would like to point out that a number of people have just restated that proselytization is a historic Jewish activity, without actually bringing any sources for this assertion.
    I brought up two potential points in the beginning – Abraham asking his guests to pray to G-d or pay for the meal, the Noahide Laws… I can think of some more – spreading the basic concept of monotheism, nations that converted to the Jewish faith out of awe of the G-d of the Jews. Again, none of these is really Christian/Muslim style missionary work. I’m trying to help you guys out, here, but I’m drawing nothing. Where is this rich history of Jewish missionary activity?

  14. I don’t have facts, in terms of names and locations, of active Jewish proselytizing, but I have learned that around the 1st century there were an estimated 8 million Jews throughout the Roman Empire. If that is an accurate assessment then there must have been a hefty number of proselytes. Now, that is not necessarily evidence for proselytizing, and certainly not for missionary activity. I also learned that there was active proselytizing in the era of the Maccabean revolt, but as you mention, some historical “facts” are simply repeated assumptions or fabrications.

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