Tag: jewish

  • Sukkot: Shake well.

    Cute video tribute to Sukkot, a completely underrated holiday outside of Israel… Also, chocolate milk in Israel is pretty awesome, too. Not a big fan of all the Glee-tastic music videos that come out around the Jewish holidays. This though, made me smile. Good job, Yosef.

  • It Gets Better, Jew.0 (have to share, and keep sharing).

    The It Gets Better Project, a series of videos by famous and non-famous people coming out on being hopeful for LGBT teens, has been catching attention around the social media corners I hang out in. But I wonder if, aside from the teens who need the support, the misguided/hateful/ignorant people at the core of the problem are…

  • The land of equal opportunity.

    What’s wrong with this picture? Hint: It’s an AEPi house at the University of Pennsylvania in December.

  • Genetic testing, Jewish style.

    I have no idea how genetic testing works outside the Jew-on-Jew baby-making bubble, but for us in the family it’s a fascinating tour through Jewish history. We went today to get checked out, just in case. I’m a mutt from one Turkish/Bulgarian parent and one Eastern European chulent mix parent. This automatically helps decrease the…

  • Ma nishtana ha Pessach ha ze?

    What makes this Passover different from all other Passovers? It’s the first one where I’m making my own seder while combining the traditions I grew up experiencing with someone else and his own traditions. I feel like this is the type of thing we all think about and wonder as kids (ok maybe just those…

  • What Jewish TV taught me tonight.

    Tonight was the first taping of Tuesday Night Live, “the first Israel-based Jewish TV show broadcast around the globe.” I suppose I was curious about what all that meant (being aware that it is run by Ohr Olam and produced by Arutz Sheva). When we arrived and I got a pamphlet, it became clearer what…

  • Hey everybody, look! Funny Arabs!

    Tonight we went to Off the Wall comedy club (apparently the only comedy club in Jerusalem) for their open mic, where my new favorite Arab-American comedians were performing. Unlike a Mideast peace conference, this was not disappointing! (budump-bump?) Ray Hanania (Palestinian-American) and Sherif Hedayat (Egyptian-American) have been running around Israel – along with a few…

  • Download – and learn – Jewish prayers.

    Even though it’s been a while since I’ve (really) prayed, I haven’t forgotten the power of prayer or what it can do for a person – believer or not. This site got me all nostalgic, warm and fuzzy: Siddur Audio. I can’t believe someone was cool enough to post audio recordings of davening along with…

  • Back to regular life.

    Back to work, back to chol, back to regular life in Israel. In case you’re having a hard time adjusting, here’s a reminder of what reality here is like: A Rabbi had a teenage son, and it was getting time the boy should give some thought to choosing a profession.  Like  many young men, the…

  • The five senses of Sukkot.

    Sukkot gets a bad rap.  It’s tough because it comes right after the High Holies of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, so people get sick of the physical aspects of the season, eating feasts and lying low. But Sukkot has so much to it; the holiday is part of the Shalosh Regalim (three pilgrimage festivals).…

  • Learn to read in Hebrew for free.

    UPDATE (2011): Found another excellent resource for learning Hebrew online for free… I just came across the website of the National Jewish Outreach Program, which I’ve never heard of before. It seems like a great resource though, for North American Jews who want to become more affiliated and educated in their Judaism. What caught my…

  • Offering my wedding wares.

    I was remembering my wedding – how long six months can feel, how quick six hours can pass… How I missed the people who weren’t there, but moreso, how I enjoyed the people who made it to be there… It occurs to me, since I like giving advice – actually, passing on knowledge (maybe it’s…