From the Heeb headquarters: Two of our own make us proud
I guess working at Heeb has made me jaded. After two of my fellow magazine staffers, Joshua Neuman (editor/publisher) and David Deutsch (humor editor) presented me with an early copy of their new book, The Big Book of Jewish Conspiracies, I was ready to be offended in that amusing, Heeby way. I knew how much flak they’d gotten about it and how many groups were ready to attack the book before they even read it.
I’m a firm believer that we have to own our humor, that only when we make fun of something serious can we make it whole. Joshua and David definitely do that, examining such myths as Jews using the blood of Christians in their matzoh or running the media. It’s the less-repeated stories that are funnier, such as Goliath throwing the match with David at the behest of a Jewish bookie. However, it’s hard not to feel like they were holding something back. A lot of the funniest comments are in the footnotes. It’s almost as if the book could have been more offensive, but someone edited out a few choice sentences.
Needless to say, I enjoyed reading this book on the subway, noticing the various reactions I got from different L train denizens. Pick it up if you’re willing to laugh at yourself. After all, what Jewish stereotype is better than the one about how funny we all are?
Also, for NYers, there’s a “Meet The Authors” reading and signing tomorrow night at the Astor Place Barnes and Noble. Check the Heeb (www.heebmagazine.com) events page for more.
When you’re too afraid to make it in the goyishe world, you do your best to make it in the yiddishe world.
Kinda like where I grew up. When the private Jewish day schools would play hockey against each other, they’d fight, swear…act all tough. When they played the non-Jewish french teams, they acted like the bookish, nerdish Yids they knew they were.
Alas, Heeb Magazine is wasted resources.
Hey, I’m a Jewish hipster! What are you saying, you don’t like my prominently placed magen david tattoo? You don’t like my “Moses is my homeboy” t-shirt? You don’t like my goy-boyfriend? (Come on, even after the sanitized, humanistic nuptials, the babies will still be little Jews . . . or will they?)
It’s not the hipster factor that so lame, it’s the way Heeb tries to be Vice but can’t because it’ll offend their funders, etc., etc. Vice is rude, crude, and a representation of the dreck of downtown culture. They do it well though.
You want counter culture, go daven in a Belz shul.
You want to offend, wear a shtreimel and white knicers during a New York summer that so says: “Hey, all you goyim…FUCK YOU”.
You want to inspire Jews to be Jews (which is clearly the underbelly of what Heeb, Israel Exchange, etc. try to do), hire quality rabbis, close down shuls that are on their last leg, fund grassroots organizations that demonstrate, with their audience, that they’re doing something right.
Funky-tee’s and Heeb-style mags waste trees and good linen.
Funky-tee’s and Heeb-style mags waste trees and good linen.
amen.
when is the next heeb mag coming out?
shtreimel, you want to be an old man before your time but why should everyone? hating personal expression is a bigger waste than any of the nit-picky drek you’re spitting.
some people enjoy style, why does that make you angry? hmmm, you can work on your own appearance too, you know. you don’t have to feel unattractive….
some heebs can make it in all worlds, and have fun in a funky tshirt. sorry you can’t, but is that our fault?