Mishegas

Chancellor Eisen tweets, new studies, pork memoirs, and lots of Middle East mishegaas

  • The Jewish Theological Seminary goes social, launching a Twitter account for its Chancellor Arnie Eisen and a blog, Conservative Judaism: A Community Conversation, with podcasts.
  • Israeli leftist Larry Derfner and American Jewish leftist Richard Silverstein open a new blog to dialogue about their differences on Israel, IsraelLeft.com. (How long will it remain civil?)
  • The documentary film Budrus about the budding Palestinian non-violence movement is now available for purchase on DVD online. (Seeing this film during its Ramallah premiere was inspiring for me.)
  • Friend-of-the-blog Jeff Yoskowitz launches a blog Pork Memoirs, the first cultural archive devoted to the other white meat (and presumably, also the first started by a Jew).
  • Jewish Jumpstart released its 2010 study of social entrepreneurship in the Jewish community — and its recommendations for supporting it.
  • Limmud NY and Uri L’Tzedek are hosting fundraisers — Limmud NY honors their founders and Uri L’Tzedek honors Dr. Jeffrey Sachs. (PS — Mazel tov to David Wolkin on his hire as the formers’ new Executive Director!)
  • It had to happen sooner or later — Jewishfail.com chronicles incidents of hypocrisy and irony for us to giggle and groan.
  • A new poll of Palestinian public opinion (Word doc) reveals that 70% believe a third intifada is brewing and also that 74% believe violence is in Israel’s interest, and another 70% believe that firing rockets into Israel is bad.
  • President Obama gave a speech this morning outlining a new policy towards every nation in the Middle East…except Israel and Palestine.
  • The Forward announces Eli Valley as Artist-in-Residence — somebody tell the guy who writes “Dry Bones” that his days are waning!

4 thoughts on “Chancellor Eisen tweets, new studies, pork memoirs, and lots of Middle East mishegaas

  1. Valley and Wolkin – hizku v’imtzu!
    Eisen: launch that twitter stream casual style. At this point, it highlights how far behind y’all are. What’s next – a blog? Ooh, Jewish new media!

  2. JG, take it easy. From my experience with American Jewish institutions, I have no doubt they were just waiting for someone to drop a $25k grant on them in order to boldly go to twitter.com and create an account.
    Circa 2005, my Hillel spent a year – a full university school year – upgrading its website, at a cost of $15,000 (it was a f*cking template!!!), meanwhile building a new Hillel House, at a cost of $2 million. Weekly student attendance at Hillel programming, including me, for the two years I (really, really) cared? 6-9, twice a week, maybe. I s#it you not.
    That’s when I colaunched my own Jewish student group, we had 100+ for our first event and Hillel spent the next two years fighting to deny us access to Federation resources and community funders.
    Am I talking about this again? Why do I keep doing this? The wounds… they haven’t healed.

  3. On this Victor, I am totally with you. There is a kind of value to be gained via DIY efforts. Social capital is more fluid and up for grabs than at any other time in history because of online communications. Fixed capital declines in value every day.

  4. “Fixed capital declines in value every day”
    I wish the hillel at the college my daughter is attending this fall had a building. It can be a handy home. I don’t see that that precludes having a website.
    BTW, to see what marvelous things SOME institutional Jews have done with the web, look at the Zeigler school site, the podcasts, online learning, etc. Or what R’ Creditor has done with Shefa network.
    Now if only we can some of that east of the rockies.

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