On April 2, President Obama strolled triumphantly across the Rose Garden in the White House and proudly announced to the world that the United States and its allies had reached an agreement with Iran that would prevent it from obtaining…
On the representation of Jews in rap music
Clipse, arguably the greatest coke rap duo of all time, has a Jewish problem. In their successful single “Wamp Wamp,” the pair uses an unfortunate metaphor to describe a step in the process of cooking cocaine: after they remove the…
The zionist imperative of Passover
This week we celebrate the festival of Passover. If asked on the spot what the point of the holiday is, you would probably respond “to commemorate the redemption from Egyptian bondage.” This interaction is reenacted on the Seder night: The…
Money is not the root of all evil, passivity is
Resistance does not have to mean rejecting the system, or even aiming to change the system. Resistance means not letting the system change you. In case someone has not caught up yet, money is the name of the game and…
Purim: did the party really end?
It is no secret that Persians like a great party with food, wine, dancing and music! King Ahasuerus of 4th century Persia, was no different, throwing a 180-day-long drunken festival in celebration of his vastly growing Persian Empire in its…
Kosher newspapers? Sticks and stones and words
Unlike the spoken word, which is formidable in its own right, the written word is powerfully enduring and persistent. In general, people’s perception is that the written word — having been meticulously chosen — is usually well thought-out and therefore…
“Accepted” outsiders: the Jewish people in Germany today
“Germans and Jews never mixed well.” This was spat during one of my ten trips to Germany throughout my lifetime — each of which was accompanied by my family’s mini travel Shabbat set. The quote is a declaration of hatred…
You are why you eat; or why I keep kosher
Personal responsibility is rather like the pet tarantula you might have begged your parents for when you were little: it sounded like so much fun until you got it, but then you realized that aside from being fuzzy and hairy,…
Debate Table: the absurdity of kashrut in the contemporary world
I’ve never eaten the much vaunted In-N-Out hamburger; I’ve never tasted the rumored deliciousness of a sizzling slice of bacon; and I’ve certainly never bit into a savory ribeye steak at an upscale restaurant. As a product of a conservative…
The harm of “innocent” generalizations
Think twice before you say you want to date a “nice Jewish boy.” Jewish gender stereotypes, whether flattering or pejorative, are harmful to the survival of our people. Not only do they express inaccuracies about Jews, but they affect how…