Jewish Blogs

Times: Jews Reboot in Exclusive Conference

There is a secretive group called Reboot, which the Times tells us, “since 2002 has conducted an annual conference for young, affluent Jews to discuss their ethnic and religious identity, in between spa treatments and walks among the ponderosa pines of the Wasatch Mountains.”We know little about this conference because we are not in on the secret.Here is how the ...

Times: How did Jewish Actor Kirk Douglas Quit Smoking?

On occasion, we suggest to people we know who smoke cigarettes, and sometimes even to random smoking strangers, that today is the perfect day to quit smoking cigarettes.Here is Kirk Douglas’ first person account from the Times in 2003 of why today is the best day of your life to quit smoking cigarettes.Read More: @ tzvee.blogspot.comReaders found more information by searching ...

Times: Hebrew National Kosher Hot Dogs on the Fourth of July

Quite an interesting op-ed, and sure to stir some controversy in its negative characterization of the Orthodox view of the kosher nature of Hebrew National products.Red, White and KosherBy SUE FISHKOFFOakland, Calif.IN 1972, a TV commercial changed the way Americans looked at kosher food. It showed Uncle Sam munching on a Hebrew National beef hot dog as a heavenly voice ...

Times’ Ethicist Tackles Is SABBATH SHMOOZING Jewish? and Is it Kosher to Hand Out $50 Bills During Kaddish?

Signs of a slow ethical quandary day. The ethicist at the Times, Ariel Kaminer, has to be scraping the bottom of the moral barrel with a question like the one he covered this past Sunday from one “NAME WITHHELD” writer. Read it in all its gory details and you will see why anonymity is so essential.SABBATH SHMOOZINGMy synagogue is interviewing ...

Times: Do Goldman Sachs employees lie?

Do Goldman Sachs employees lie? Yes indeed, Goldman Sachs employees are told by their bosses to lie to conceal their affiliation with the firm.And if for mere appearances’ sake they are instructed to lie, then are we not certain, by Talmudic logic, that these persons are trained to lie when it comes to matters of profit and loss?Read More: @ tzvee.blogspot.comVisitors ...

Tichel Cuties: another Jewish Lady Gaga attempt

I have never actually seen a Lady Gaga video, but I saw the Glee episode about it. It seems that all I know about the whole Gaga craze is from the Jewish Lady Gaga videos that have been popping up on Youtube. Below is the latest attempt; within 2 days they have received nearly 10,000 views. I have a feeling that many ...

Thrilling Hebrew Tales! On Jewish Vampires, Golems, Tzaddiks, and HebrewPunk

Lavie Tidhar’s new novel An Occupation of Angels is available this week. He will be blogging all week for the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author Blog.I’ve got a feeling that, in years from now, with many novels, novellas, and collections all out (I’ll have 3 novels out just next year, if it’s an indication), when oil becomes scarce and there’ll ...

Three ways not to celebrate Women’s Equality Day

As second wave feminism gathered peak velocity forty years ago, the late bombastic and behatted Congresswoman (D-NY) Bella Abzug persuaded Congress to designate August 26th as Women’s Equality Day. It recognized the 19th Amendment to the Constitution that in 1920 gave all U.S. women the right to vote.There are many reasons to celebrate the 91st anniversary of women winning the ...

Thoughts on joint husband-wife facebook accounts

I hate joint facebook accounts, I think they are stupid, but I understand them and I feel that should too.- – sound confusing? It has become a “thing” amongst Rabbis especially, to have joint husband and wife facebook accounts which make for very confusing facebook chats, messages and other random postings that you cannot decide which side of the facebook ...

Thoughts on 70

I’ve got 70 on the brain, for sure.Over at the day job, I wrote about the 70th anniversary of Johnnie Ganem’s, Savannah’s oldest liquor store, which doesn’t have a Jewish connection other than it’s a story about a really strong, close family, and that certainly applies here.I attended their incredible bash last night on the corner of Habersham and Gaston, ...

This Month in History: Tammuz

Chodesh Tov! Today we are celebrating the new month of Tammuz.Throughout Jewish history, many exciting things have happened during the month of Tammuz.3 Tammuz, 1500–1390 BCE: Joshua asked God to stop the sun to help win the Battle of Gibeon5 Tammut, 429 BCE: Ezikiel’s vision of the “Merkava”, the Chariot of God6 Tammuz, 1976 CE: The Entebee Operation was carried ...

This is Not About Women Playing Dance. It’s About Revolution.

The most courageous fourteen year old girl I have ever set eyes on, Malala Yousafzai, was shot in the head for her advocacy of education for women and I am spending my time organizing a flash mob of dancing women to promote gender equality. Is there something wrong, even laughable and inappropriate, with this picture?Women Dance for a Change was ...