Jewish Blogs

Kagan and bat mitzvah innovation

I’ve been loving the coverage of Elena Kagan’s youthful challenge of her rabbi over her right to have a bat mitzvah. I love it because it confirms what I’ve always believed — that the chutzpah of young girls is not just pre-teen attitude but a sign of inner strength and a harbinger of great things to come (and I say ...

Kaddish for JFK

It was bright and sunny in Washington on November 22, 1993, thirty years after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I was attending an annual conference of over 7000 professors of religion and biblical studies in the capital city. What a shame, I thought, that at this conference there was no formal recognition of the anniversary of the death of ...

Kabbalah Centre’s Berg Sent Packing from Newsweek’s List of Top Rabbis

When I read Newsweek magazine’s expose of the Kabbalah Centre and its questionable foundation for a children’s school in Malawi founded with millions of dollars from Madonna, the first thing I thought about was the annual Newsweek list of the top fifty American rabbis (technically: the most “influential” rabbis).Rabbi Yehuda Berg, the son of the controversial founder of the Kabbalah Centre, has ...

JWA’s Institute for Educators: Making it all about the learning

Last week I was able to spend a week learning from the wonderful people at the Jewish Women’s Archive as they were teaching us how to use their online archive in our schools, especially the Living the Legacy curriculum. The curriculum teaches about the role of Jewish women and men in the civil rights movement, an event that changed the world we ...

JWA Releases “D.C. Stories”: A New Oral History Exhibit for Jewish American Heritage Month

On April 20, 2006, President George W. Bush officially proclaimed May Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) to recognize Jewish contributions to American culture over the past 350+ years. President Obama’s 2011 proclamation declares that “this month, we embrace and celebrate the vast contributions Jewish Americans have made to our country… We remember that the history and unique identity of Jewish ...

Justin Bieber’s New Tattoo

Oh good news! Justin Bieber, King of the Universe, got a tattoo–and it’s in Hebrew!But before we Jews get too excited about the potential of the Biebs converting to Judaism, there is a slight issue to overcome first. The tattoo, located on his rib cage, spells out the name “Yeshu,” which roughly translates (and by roughly, I mean accurately) to ...

Justin Bieber Says the Shema & Other Jewish Customs Adopted by Non-Jews

It’s no secret that certain Jewish rituals have become mainstream. In her new book, “Kosher Nation,” Sue Fishkoff explains that kosher food isn’t only for Jewish people anymore. “More than 11.2 million Americans regularly buy kosher food, 13 percent of the adult consumer population,” she writes. “These are people who buy the products because they are kosher…Read More: @ blog.rabbijason.comYou might also like:Hebrew ...

Justin Bieber in Israel

It doesn’t matter that I’m blogging from Berlin because they’re talking about teen pop sensation Justin Bieber and his new movie “Never Say Never” here too. It seems that Bieber’s 29-year-old Jewish manager “Scooter” Braun is working hard to promote his talented young client and his new movie in the media. I was contacted the other day by Edmon Rodman ...

Justin Bieber Gets Crossed Off Bibi’s Calendar

Fame is an odd thing. Many world leaders, diplomats and American politicians would have a difficult time getting a private meeting with the prime minister of Israel. But a 17-year-old Canadian kid with blond hair and a talent for entertaining pre-teen girls has no problem getting face time with Benjamin Netanyahu. That is, until Justin Bieber refused to meet with ...

Justice Elena Kagan Confirmed, Jewish Women Rock the Bench!

Justice Elena Kagan joins Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the 2nd Jewish woman on the U.S. Supreme Court! She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate yesterday in a vote of 63 to 37, in which most Senators voted along party lines. After some initial brouhaha over the incident regarding military recruiters at Harvard Law and some softball-related speculation about her ...

Justice Better Served Late Than Not At All

Former Ohio mechanic and Nazi camp guard John Demjanjuk has been sentenced to five years in a German prison for his role in the murder of almost 28,000 people in Poland during WWII.At 91, he was so sick and fragile that he could barely sit up for his own trial. His attorneys maintained that while the Ukrainian-born Demjanjuk may have ...

Just a small piece of my Yeshiva Memoir

My friend Matthue offered to edit a chapter of my yeshiva memoir so I could get going on writing the darned book already, for some time I have been struggling with an opening chapter, I have a file full of openings, I wrote this the other night – it’s not that great, but it brought back some interesting memories. The ...