tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32389172008-05-03T19:02:17.612-04:00Kesher TalkHowardnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3008125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1120849904152239572005-07-08T15:10:00.000-04:002006-12-16T10:03:18.456-05:00Judith's rendition of Kesher Talk has moved to http://www.keshertalk.com/ : New design, categories, ads, images, a cool banner - the works!Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1119165751331544462005-06-28T00:16:00.000-04:002005-06-28T01:12:22.116-04:00Let us now praise righteous gentiles. Some gentile Canadian businessmen have decided that antisemitism is bad for business and they are going to do something about it.TORONTO (CP) - Reports of anti-Semitism hit an all-time high in Canada last year, a shameful "crisis" that must be resolved by non-Jews, BMO Financial Group's chief executive said Thursday. . . . "That is why we founded FAST [Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1118568050608949962005-06-15T22:59:00.000-04:002006-12-16T10:21:56.386-05:00Deciding to stand at Sinai. Previous Shavuot post here.
Because we read the Book of Ruth on Shavuot, one of the themes of the holiday is conversion: those who decide that wherever the Jewish people go, they will go.
For some, the desire to join the Jewish people is as compelling as it is for Ruth.
I had dinner last Shabbat with a friend who recently completed conversion, and like most Jewish Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1118460791880308752005-06-11T22:32:00.000-04:002005-06-11T22:17:29.740-04:00Standing again at Sinai. I'm not going to be here for Shavuot, because I signed up for this for the third year in a row. Great davening, great study, great scenery (and maybe this year not freezing every night with intermittant hot water, for a change), great singing (I always come back with several wonderful new melodies for zmirot and liturgy), mediocre socializing. So I pack some reading Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1118024898121737322005-06-06T12:13:00.000-04:002005-06-11T06:31:53.896-04:00Genetics. A recent study purports to find a genetic basis for Ashkenazi smarts. This is not a new supposition, but the researchers claim to have verifiable evidence, which I am not qualified to judge. But there is so much evidence that intelligence is malleable that I tend to favor nurture over nature arguments. I put forth a few of these in one comment thread:Jews prize scholarship, but this Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1113166326075473692005-04-17T09:48:00.000-04:002005-04-17T09:32:50.366-04:00More good news for Jews. Previous good news entry here. Previous Antisemitism Watch entry here.
Solomonia posts emails from people who attended a talk by veteran Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi, at Yale. The good news is that Ashrawi is getting so mellow in her old age that some more militant Palestinian supporters walked out in mid-speech. Read the whole thing - for those of us who Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1112515068033884112005-04-07T14:50:00.000-04:002005-04-09T15:22:37.373-04:00And now for something completely different: Good news. After many doom and gloom posts about antisemitism around the globe, it's time for some cheer.
Senator Rudy Boschwitz, head of the U.S. delegation to the UN Commission on Human Rights, notes a small good sign:For many years now a totally disproportionate amount of time at the UN has been spent bashing Israel. In an early speech I made here Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1112492385460592592005-04-07T14:39:00.000-04:002005-04-07T15:12:51.160-04:00Antisemitism watch, one more time. Previous entry in this series here.
The systematic anti-Israel propaganda of Human Rights Watch.
David Bernstein deconstructs the irresponsible use of the term "Likudnik." (It's kinda like "Straussian" and "neoconservative.")
The latest on the SOAS saga.
Some French Jewish students exchange notes with some Jewish students at Hunter College.Professors in Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1112526244190896892005-04-04T07:36:00.000-04:002005-04-06T14:40:16.306-04:00Academic Integrity and the Middle East: the continuing controversy. Previous entries on this topic here, here, here, here, here, here, and description of the conference and speakers here.
Campus-J's stringers at Columbia and Columbians for Academic Freedom are on the front lines of this controversy; check both sites for updates.
A timeline of events that led to the current conflict, with many Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1112327459045709662005-04-02T22:43:00.000-05:002005-04-02T23:38:24.116-05:00More Letters to the Editor. I wrote the Jewish Week a letter in response to their inaccurate reporting from the Columbia U Conference on Academic Integrity and the Middle East. They didn't print mine, but they did print these last week, and another one this week:As one of the co-sponsors of the Columbia Conference on the Middle East and Academic Integrity, I found your report omitted important Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1112331285219905862005-04-02T20:52:00.000-05:002005-04-02T21:02:30.936-05:00Buy a venti chai latte today. Speaking of divestment, Oxfam divested from Starbucks. Well, I never thought much of Oxfam anyway; they are darlings of Body Shop founder Anita whatserface, and they also published that horrible poster with the blood orange advocating that people boycott Israeli products. So I can't exactly say I'm shocked.
Let's face it: Starbucks coffee sucks, but not only does Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1111824442044284932005-03-26T20:00:00.000-05:002005-03-26T19:53:56.386-05:00Letter to the editor, cont. Last week I sent this letter to the Jewish Week criticizing their coverage of the Columbia U Conference on Academic Integrity and the Middle East. They didn't print my letter but they did print these:Different View
Liel Leibowitz’s article “Weiner: Disband Columbia Bias Panel” (March 10) leaves everything to be desired. His article in no way conveyed how grave and Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1111395027939027202005-03-25T17:49:00.000-05:002005-03-27T19:35:53.523-05:00They tried to kill us, they failed, let's eat hamentaschen. Meryl Yourish:Purim is the holiday where the Jews kicked the crap out of the Persians. And that was using only swords. A lesson for Iran to think about today.The story. And more on Purim and its customs here.
I didn't drink much last night because I chanted a chapter of the megillah last night, and again this morning at 7:30 AM. So I Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1111528242470836402005-03-22T17:43:00.000-05:002005-03-22T22:39:14.313-05:00Guest post. Two days ago Catherine Johnson - a writer and regular commenter on Roger Simon's blog - wrote an essay about the Terri Schiavo case. Catherine and I are on an email list together where she posted the following, and I offered to give it blog space:
I’m frankly devastated by Terri Schiavo’s situation.
I’m also horrified that the disability-rights aspect of her situation has not been Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1111497585939146922005-03-22T10:12:00.000-05:002005-03-22T18:03:42.373-05:00Pikuach nefesh. One of the most important principles of Jewish law is "pikuach nefesh" - saving life. Almost all other laws and all ritual are subordinate to it. At the same time, Jews are sensible about when life begins and ends. Here's what one rabbi says about the Terri Schiavo case:Long ago Jewish law made a distinction between withholding medication and special treatments from a patient as Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1111136539894449452005-03-20T20:01:00.000-05:002005-03-20T20:02:25.386-05:00Purim carnival. Soccer Dad is hosting a special Purim edition of Havel Havelim, the weekly Jewish blog showcase. If Purim inspires your creative funnybone, send him your entries.
A handy guide to creating Purim schpiels.Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1110868054344706042005-03-16T09:26:00.000-05:002005-03-16T05:50:43.486-05:00Antisemitism watch update. Several weeks ago I posted about a Wahabi attempt to infiltrate a public school system in Arizona with distorted history about Islam and Judaism. A friend of mine exchanged letters with the relevant authorities and gave me permission to post the correspondence:Dear Educators,
I am writing to express my profound dismay at your potential adoption of the "History Alive" Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1110867320535682782005-03-15T00:14:00.000-05:002005-03-16T05:31:43.303-05:00Letter to the Editor. The Jewish Week published this report on the Columbia conference on Academic Integrity and the Middle East. I just sent them this letter:To the Jewish Week,
There are many inaccuracies in the article about the Columbia conference on Academic Integrity and the Middle East. I was in the main auditorium.
The man who said he had been shot by the IDF did not "rise to ask a Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1110842067105578842005-03-14T18:09:00.000-05:002005-03-14T18:14:27.106-05:00Subliminal in NYC. I didn't go see Zionist Israeli rapper Subliminal last night, although I publicized his upcoming show. I'm not into rap in general and tickets were $40. But Yaron has a review.. . . the crowd was into it every step of the way, chanting "Am Yisrael Chai" ("the nation of Israel lives") between songs, waving some Israeli flags, and a good many people (especially the girls) seemedJudithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1110691813655209722005-03-12T23:26:00.000-05:002005-03-13T00:30:13.656-05:00A vanity post. The latest edition of Havel Havelim, the weekly Jewish "best of the blogs," is up at Israpundit. If you are a Jewish blog, consider offering to host. It's not that much work and can get you lots of exposure (sspecially if you email Glenn and let him know when it's up).Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1109918405506176562005-03-08T22:38:00.000-05:002005-03-08T22:22:26.543-05:00By the rivers of Babylon. Via Dreams into Lightning, two incredible essays by Rabbi David Zaslow, a major player in the Jewish Renewal movement. These are significant because Jewish Renewal, or neo-hasidism, is at the far left of your radio dial, and Rabbi Zaslow's congregation is located in the depths of Moonbattean Oregon. Yet Rabbi Zaslow brings to bear Tanakh, midrash, history, and psychologyJudithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1109916513353803052005-03-04T00:01:00.000-05:002005-03-12T00:07:43.903-05:00Biladi. Subliminal is going to be in NYC March 13, at BBKing's.Israeli rapper Subliminal makes his U.S. debut tonight in Los Angeles, but his presence has already been felt around the world. Known as a right-wing Zionist, the hip-hop star -- whose latest album went gold on its first day in stores and who will team with Wyclef Jean, Ashanti and Miri Ben-Ari for his next one -- has incited Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1109891941402946362005-03-03T17:44:00.000-05:002005-03-04T01:18:11.933-05:00More Berachot. Previous Daf Yomi posts here and here.
I haven't read my Daf Yomi for today yet, but Soccer Dad pointed me to Parshablog, who like me is chronicling his Talmud study. (But he is much more learned than I am.) (This is the level of analysis I really could use a class for. I still wouldn't get all of it, but being a beginner I do better with interactive study.) Here's more on Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1109815907791966782005-03-02T20:54:00.000-05:002005-03-02T23:51:39.026-05:00Daf Yomi, Berachot 2a. Introductory Daf Yomi post here, which explains the whole thing for those of you who didn't read KT before.
Naomi Chana - who along with articles in the Forward and Jewish Week inspired me to do this - says that studying Talmud is helping her get rid of her cold, and also makes a lovely analogy (as only she can) between various cold remedies and various Talmud translationsJudithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3238917.post-1108103413322326172005-03-01T13:29:00.000-05:002005-03-01T22:59:24.080-05:00Congratulations to all Daf Yomi participants! Today thousands of Jews from around the world are celebrating completion of study of the entire Talmud, one page a day. Studying Talmud by this method takes seven and a half years, and the cycle just completed is the 11th.
Madison Square Garden is full, with overflow at the Javitts Center. The Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey is overflowing. There Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03919681605602568664noreply@blogger.com