ModernTribe's Jewish Life and Style

Cool Jew 4th of July Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:45:00 +0000

"Are you a Jewish American or an American Jew, and why?"

Once again, I am moved by the number and thoughtfulness of your answers! We have such a special community here of people interested in New Jewish culture. It leaves me verklempt. Take a minute to read through the answers if you can.

The winner is:

Aliza "La Jewminicana" Hausman said...: What do you mean are you a Jewish American or an American Jew? Of course, I am both. My identities are not mutually exclusive. On Shabbat, I am always a Jew at rest. But when, like this year, the 4th of July falls on Shabbat, I don’t want kugel or gefilte fish. I demand already-been-barbecued-before-Shabbat hamburgers, fries and chicken wings. It is here in America with its astounding religious freedom that I can be both fully Jewish and fully American. I can be a child of immigrants, strolling towards my kosher stores on every corner listening to Michael Jackson classics from the IPod earbuds in my ear.

Cool Jew 4th of July Giveaway
(click on image for a larger view)

The Cool Jew 4th of July Gift Box contains:

Diversity t-shirt that says, "It takes all of us to make the land bloom," from Jean Roth of Rotem Gear
Alan Oirich's latest Jewish Hero Corps comic book
We Can Rise CD by Chana Rothman
Cool Jew book from Lisa Alcalay Klug
"No Limit Texas Dreidel" game invented by Jennie Rivlin Roberts and Webb Roberts
"Salud!" Dreidel Drinking Game from ModernTribe.com

Meet the people bringing you The Cool Jew 4th of July Gift Box

Comment below to enter!

(Please make sure your email is available through your Blogger profile. If you are commenting anonymously, you must email us with your comment so that we know how to contact you if you win! contact@moderntribe.com)

Check back here or sign up for our Newsletter to be notified of the winner on July 3! (No purchase is required to enter. This contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.)

For those of you who are curious as to how we pick the winners -- I (Jennie) use a random number generator and if it matches (a) a real attempt at an answer (which all of them usually are) and (b) I can contact the person (I will go searching for your contact on your blog, Twitter, website), then that is the winner. If either (a) or (b) isn't true, I generate another random number.

Cool Jew Papa's Day Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:00:00 +0000

June, 21, 2009 Happy Father's Day!

Congratulations to Randie K. and her husband Larry of Portland, OR for winning the Cool Jew Papa's Day Giveaway!

Once again, we are really touched by the thoughtful answers to our question about what makes your special man a cool Jew. Each entrant get's a $10 gift code for ModernTribe.com. I have tried to contact each of you individually. If you haven't heard from me, please email me for your code: Jennie@ModernTribe.com.

randiedoula said...

The reason my husband is the coolest Jew is that he wasn't a Jew when we met. In fact, I am not sure that my favorite Oregonian knew any Jews before we met! But I can tell you, after 7 years of marriage and two beautiful Jewish daughters, never was there a finer husband and father. He goes to services because he wants to, not because I tell him to. He's sad it's the summer because Mishpicha Minyan is over until the fall. He reminds me to light candles. He spent hours with me, pouring over name books to pick out the perfect Hebrew names for our children. He may not be Jewish by birth but his spirit sure is.

---

Seven Mensches and two Mamalahs have contributed over $240 worth of gifts to giveaway to one lucky guy. Comment on this post and answer this question:

"What makes your dad, brother, cousin, friend or husband a cool Jew?"

A winner will be chosen from the answers and announced on Father's Day, Sunday, June 21.

Cool Jew Papa's Day Giveaway
(click on image for a larger view)

The Cool Jew Papa's Day Gift Box contains:

* Author Sam Apple's book American Parent: My Strange and Surprising Adventures in Modern Babyland

* Author Ron Arons' Jews of Sing Sing book and t-shirt

* Stand-up comedian Yisrael Campbell's "Circumcise Me" DVD

* Comedy writer Seth Front's set of four Jewish Zodiac placemats

* Author Lisa Alcalay Klug's book Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe

* Author Matthue Roth’s novels, Never Mind the Goldbergsand Losers

* Entrepreneur Jennie Rivlin Roberts' ModernTribe.com products "Can!!Can" CD and Punk Torah t-shirt and "No Limit Texas Dreidel" Game

* Artist Ben Schachter's "Treif" stickers

* Singer/Songwriter Rav Shmuel's "Protocols" and "B'yameinu" music CDs and two t-shirts

Comment below to enter!

(Please make sure your email is available through your Blogger profile. If you are commenting anonymously, you must email us with your comment so that we know how to contact you if you win! contact@moderntribe.com)

Check back here or sign up for our Newsletter to be notified of the winner on June 21! (No purchase is required to enter. This contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.)

What is Shavuot?

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:38:00 +0000

Beginning Friday evening and continuing Saturday, May 30th, Jews will be celebrating G-d giving Moses the Torah on Mount Sinai. Customs include (from Wikipedia article on Shavuot):

אקדמות – Akdamot, the reading of a liturgical poem during Shavuot morning synagogue services
חלב – Chalav (milk), the consumption of dairy products like milk and cheese
רות – Ruth, the reading of the Book of Ruth at morning services
ירק – Yerek, the decoration of homes and synagogues with greenery

תורה – Torah, engaging in all-night Torah study.

Learn more about Shavuot from Katrien Vander Straeten from Suite 101.

The Origins of Jewish Shavuot

by Katrien Vander Straeten

On the 50th day after Passover the Jewish people celebrate Shavuot, a two-day festival that commemorates the revelation of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. Shavuot falls on 6 and 7 Sivan 5767, that is, this year (2009) on 29-30 May. Some Jews celebrate it only on 6 Sivan.

Many names

The multi-faceted festival is called by many names:

Feast of Weeks (Hag ha-Shavuot) (cf. Exodus and Deuteronomy)
Festival or Reaping (Hag ha-Katsir) (Exodus)
Day of the First Fruits (Yom ha-Bikkurim) (Numbers)
Atzeret, which means “solemn assembly” (Mishnak and Talmud)
Festival of the Giving of Our Torah (Hag Matan Torateinu)
Day of the Great Oath

The first Christians called it “Pentecost”, which (in Greek) means “the fiftieth day” (after Passover). The Christian Pentecost, however, is celebrated on another day (on the seventh Sunday after Easter).

The Revelation to Moses

Shavuot is foremost the commemoration of the day the Jewish people were given the Torah.

On the night of Pesach or Passover (when the tenth plague of Egypt “passed over” the houses of the Israelites), the Jews left on their exodus (Greek for “departure”) east, from Egypt to Canaan, the Promised Land. They were led by Moses.

49 days later, that is, on the 50th day, they stopped at Mount Sinai. These 49 days are still counted by the Jewish people in “the Counting of the Omer”. Moses went up the mountain and there was given the Torah. Jews (as well as Christians) accept that God himself communicated it directly and literally.

The Torah: 5 Books, 10, or 613 commandments?

What was the Torah that was given to Moses?

Usually the Torah or the Law of Moses (“Torah” is Hebrew for “teaching” or “law”) means the first 5 Books of the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible, or of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. For that reason it is also called the Pentateuch (Greek for “5 containers”). They are written in Hebrew:

Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy

However, this “Written Torah” can’t be the Torah that was given on Mount Sinai, because the book of Exodus narrates the event of revelation.

Rather, Moses was given the “Oral Torah”: 613 commandments (248 positive and 365 negative ones), as well as an explanation of how to fulfill them. These weren’t written down until nearly half a century later, in the 5 books of the Written Torah. The belief is that Moses wrote them down on a scroll just before he died, just before the Hebrews entered the Promised Land.

Another belief is that God said them to Moses simultaneously, in which case the question whether they were 613 or 10 becomes irrelevant. The idea is that all 613 commandments are included in the Ten Commandments.

The oath of the entire Jewish people

Another question is whether God gave the Torah just to Moses or to the entire Hebrew people present at Mount Sinai, some 3 million. Popular misconception (strengthened by Hollywood movies) holds that Moses was the sole recipient, but Moses himself, in the Written Torah, claims the latter.

Once the people heard (or rather, saw) the revelation, they all took an oath of eternal loyalty to God. That is why Shavuot is also called the “Day of the Great Oath” (“shavuah” means “oath”).

Older than Moses

Shavuot may go back even further than Moses. The book of Jubilees (6:15-22 and 44:1-5) describes it as a feast for the appearance of the first rainbow on the day God made the covenant with Noah. After Noah it was forgotten, to be restored by Abraham (Jub. 15:1), to again be forgotten again until Moses restored it, again.

A pilgrimage and harvest festival

Shavout is one of the three Biblical pilgrimage festivals (to Jerusalem) that are mandated by the Torah (the others are Passover and Sukkot).

Connected as it is to the Counting of the Omer, which refers literally to the harvest (an “omer” is a measure of grain), Shavuot too is a harvest festival. It is called the “Festival of the First Fruits” (Hag ha-Bikkurim) because it celebrates the harvesting and offering in the Temple of the first fruits.

And the winner of the Call-Your-Mother Gift Box Is...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Sun, 10 May 2009 14:58:00 +0000

Congratulations Michael W. and his mother who have won the Cool Mamalah's Call-Your-Mother Gift Box!

Here is what Michael says about his mom:

My mother would truly love this gift box tremendously - I would love to even purchase one for her for Mother's Day. My mother was only able to have one natural child (my oldest sister) and adopted three others, and treated all four kids like they were their very own blood and none differently than the others. My mother has stuck by me and supported me all my life, albeit in times when she may have found it difficult to hold her tongue, she allowed me to fail in a way that got me to straighten up and fly right. She treats my wife like a true daughter and member of the family - and puts up with all the guff and never says a bad word about it. I remember as a young boy growing up in a reform jewish home, that whenever her father would come to visit from Chicago, all the pork products would have to be hidden so he wouldnt find them. And she was such an excellent cook and baker, and even had a lock on her freezer door to keep her children from eating all the goodies she would make in advance for parties and such. She is still a trip, I am glad she is still with us, and miss her dearly between visits.

She deserves to be remember every day, not just on Mother's Day :)

All of the Cool Mamalahs: Jennifer, Lisa, Maya, Doni, Meredith, and I are so touched by the entries to this giveaway. Thank you for sharing the descriptions of the special women in your life.

We would love to stay in touch with you and invite you to join the Cool Mamalah's Email Lists.

All who join this list will receive:

$10 Gift Code from ModernTribe.com -- good for $10 at ModernTribe.com

50% off Gift Code for the Modern Jewish Mom's t-shirt when it becomes available this fall. Meredith (the Modern Jewish Mom) & I are planning a contest to develop a beautiful graphic design celebrating all Modern Jewish Moms. We will notify you of the contest and invite you to vote for your favorite designs. When the t-shirt is available, you will be able to purchase it for 50% off.

15% off Gift Code for the new Cool Jew t-shirt featuring the cover design from Lisa's book.

Join The Cool Mamalah's Email Lists

The Call-Your-Mother Gift Box is presented by the Cool Mamalahs.

You can purchase items from the Call-Your-Mother Gift Box on ModernTribe.com.

The CALL-YOUR-MOTHER GIFT BOX Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:40:00 +0000

Why does your mom, grandmother, sister, friend, cousin, aunt (any special woman in your life) or you deserve the Call-Your-Mother Gift Box?

Submit your answer in the comments below to enter.

A winner will be randomly chosen from the answers and announced on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 10th. (No purchase is required to enter. This contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.)

The Call-Your-Mother Gift Box contains over $150 worth of gifts:

A Fistful of Lentils Sephardic cookbook by Jennifer Felicia Abadi

Three-CD set of original "Funky music with a Jewish Twist" by Mama Doni

Gift certificate for customized "Shomer Negiah Panties" by artist Maya Escobar

The Modern Jewish Mom's Guide to Shabbat by Meredith L. Jacobs

Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe by Lisa Alcalay Klug

Pomegranate vases/candle holders by Israeli artist Racheli Peretz
provided by Jennie Rivlin Roberts

The Call-Your-Mother Gift Box is presented by the Cool Mamalahs.

You can purchase items from the Call-Your-Mother Gift Box on ModernTribe.com.

Comment below to enter!
(If you must comment anonymously, please email us with your comment so that we know how to contact you if you win! contact@moderntribe.com)

Yes, You Can Register for Judaica for Your Jewish Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:22:00 +0000

You know your parents' friends are going to buy you Judaica anyway... you might as well get what you want!

You're engaged, you're planning your wedding, and at least one of you is Jewish. So when you have some downtime from choosing the caterer or finding an officiant, you can do something fun for yourselves - register! And the best part is that registering for gifts for a Jewish wedding can take on a new dimension. Sure, you'll request the basics: crystal, china, towels, a bread machine. But also can take this opportunity to suggest that friends and family help you start out your new life as a Jewish couple with some beautiful Judaica that you may even want to pass down to your children someday...or at least some items that you'll be proud to display in your home during the holidays.

First, take inventory of what you already have.

Did you already get a kiddush cup for Shabbat dinner at your bar or bat mitzvah? Do you have a set of candlesticks from your great-grandmother that you already prefer to use to light holiday candles? Or are you starting out fresh and need everything and anything that is available?

Next, make a list of the holidays that are most important to you.

Which ones will you really want to celebrate in style, year after year? Then research places offer the Judaica that fits your style and that allow you to create a registry that can be sent to family and friends.

For what items would you register?

A sample registry for a Jewish couple just starting out will likely include:
• A seder and matzah plate for Passover
• A menorah for Hanukkah
• Some decorative dreidels and other items for Hanukkah
• A kiddush cup for use on Shabbat
• Candlesticks for use on Shabbat and other major holidays
• One or more mezuzahs
• Decorative items such as groggers for Purim
• An apple and honey plate for Rosh Hashanah

Tip: Include a variety of prices.

The important thing with any registry is to give your guests items for any price range. Feel free to add some extravagant items just in case one person is feeling generous or a group of your friends want to chip in for one big gift, but make sure to also select some smaller, simpler items. This is your opportunity to ask for Judaica that matches your personal style, so choose carefully. Have fun - and mazal tov!

Manischewitz, Streits, Yehuda, or Other: Which Matzo is For You?

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:29:00 +0000

Manischewitz vs. Streits vs. Yehuda: The Matzah Challenge

Those of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook may have seen my matzah poll: Which matzah is your favorite: Manischewitz, Streits, Yehuda, or Other?

Thank you everyone for your input. It was so fun to hear your opinions!

Streits was the clear "friends" choice!

10 people gave their opinions: 5 votes for Streits, 3 for Yehuda, 1 for Manischewitz grape flavored and 1 vote from my sweet sister-in-law Pam for, "goat cheese with garlic and herbs on any matzah you serve." Streits seemed to have a lot of nostalgic weight and, as mentioned by Josh & Lauren, is the one "for the unleavened experience of a lifetime....."

But in our empirical taste-test: Yehuda was the winner by consensus.

Among friends, I have a reputation for whipping up a semi-scientific study every now and then. For our second seder I held a taste-test as an interlude between dinner and dessert.

I placed slices of each brand of matzah on separate plates, marking the bottom of the plate and the matzah box with matching stickers so that the samples could be identified. I mixed up the plates so that I wouldn't know the brand of each matzo (making it double blind). Four of us privately tasted the three matzos and chose our pick... all four of use chose Yehuda!

Now, even though all matzah boxes were bought at the same time (semi-controlling for freshness), a possible confound could be that we happened to get a bad box of matzah. Only one box of each brand was sampled and the one box could, possibly, not have been representative of the brand. However among our samples, all of us preferred Yehudah matzah over the Streits & Manischewitz sampled.

Thanks for playing Y'all!

Haggadas for The Wise, The Wicked, The Simple and Those Who Don't Know How To Ask

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:30:00 +0000

I've been looking for a perfect Haggadah. As the buyer for ModernTribe.com, months ago I'd gathered a dozen samples trying to find one or two to offer to my customers. As a rule, I won't sell something I wouldn't recommend to a friend. After reviewing the samples, I chose no Haggadot to sell on ModernTribe. Harsh, huh?

But then I had to choose a Haggadah for our seder, remembering last year's choice was entirely disappointing. I again looked through my stockpile. I chose four.

As is true at many seders, our guests were diverse in age and religious backgrounds. There was me, my athiest-believing-but-Jewish-living husband, my Reform Jewish parents, my four year old daughter, and a Christian friend. Since one of the most important purposes of the seder is to pass-on the story of the Exodus to the younger generation, I tried to gear the seder simple, light, and short, as is shrewd when you are passing-on to a four year old. At the same time, I wanted the seder to be meaningful and fun for the adults as well as informative for my friend for whom this was her first seder.

It wasn't until we got to the section on the Four Sons that I realized how well the four Haggadot I'd chosen fit with each of the four "personalities" or "dispositions" discussed during the seder and, to a degree, present in each of us.

For The Wise Within Us: we used A Family Haggadah II by Shoshana Silberman. This was our grown-up Haggadah which we used to stay in "order" and gain insight and depth when needed.

For The Wicked (Funny): we had Bangitout's Seder Sidekick. The comedic interludes made the adults laugh out loud (while our daughter played with her Ten Plagues Bowling Set). We especially enjoyed the Top 10 lists in David Letterman style.
For Our Simple Sides: we read from Richard Codor's Joyous Haggadah:A Children and Family Cartoon Haggadah for Passover Seder. This comic book style Haggadah is fun and colorful. It covers all the bases but in a very basic way.

For The Child Who Doesn't Yet Know How To Ask: we had Passover by Miriam Nerlove, a nicely illustrated book that explains the seder and the Exodus for young children. My mom showed our daughter the pictures as we discussed the Exodus events.

What a wonderful: wise, wicked, simple, and illustrated seder we had! I realized that as our child grows and as our guest list changes our seder and, therefore, our idea of a "perfect" Haggadah will change. I now understand there is no one "perfect" Haggadah, instead we will have to "blend" to create our own perfect-for-us mix.

If you click on the links for the Haggadot listed here you can buy them on Amazon.com. And next year... they'll be available on ModernTribe!

Our Passover Seder: First Seder 2009/5769

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:24:00 +0000

Pics from our table setting for last night's seder:

Available from ModernTribe are the Surya Passover Seder Plate and the Jonathan Adler Bird Bowls.

We did have a shankbone but I was still boiling the meat off of it when we took this picture. Our shankbone came very meaty and Kroger charged us $9 for it.

Best Modern Passover Seder Resources On The Net

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 21:55:00 +0000

Best Seder Recipes and Styling Ideas

The Passover Planner on Epicurious.com put together by my new friend & cookbook author Jayne Cohen.

Best Resource For Stylish Seder Plates

The Passover Store On: ModernTribe.com, of course!

Most Entertaining Passover Song

20 Things To Do With Matzah by Michelle Citrin and William Levin

Passover Give Away: Hip Hop Seder Box

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:35:00 +0000

Lisa Alcalay Klug, the author of Cool Jew, and myself are offering one lucky winner the following fun Passover Seder accoutrements, all boxed and ready to give. To enter go to Cool Jew Book and type your email in the "Giveaway" box. You will be joining the Cool Jew Book email list. Enter between Thursday, March 26th to Monday, March 30th. Enter now.

Hip Hop Seder Box

Cool Jew Book
Moses Action Figure
So Called Seder Hip Hop Hagaddah CD
Zelda's Marshmallow Chocolate Covered Frog

For teens to the young at heart.

Thank you for entering! The winner will be announced on Tuesday, March 31 and will receive the Hip Hop Seder Box in time for the first night of Passover, April 8th.

** Update: Congratulations to Maya G. of LA - winner of the Hip Hop Seder Box. Buy it for $31.99 - we will ship it worldwide. http://tinyurl.com/cb3c9z

Jews In Unlikey Places: Scattered Among The Nations

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:00:00 +0000

I tripped across an article about Penn State hosting an exhibit entitled Scattered Among The Nations by photographers Bryan Schwartz, Jay Sand, and Sandy Carter. The photographs depict Jews in the most unlikely places: India, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Peru and Uzbekistan.

Check out the website scatteredamongthenations.org to see many photographs and descriptions of the Jewish communities in Africa, Asia, former USSR, and South America. Also in the works is a book: Jews of Color: In Color!

It's fascinating to read about these often tiny Jewish communities. Some of them are ancient such as in Tunisia where the first Jews arrived 2600 years ago during the Babylonian Exile. Others are brand new such as the the Inca Jews of Peru who started practicing Judaism just 10 years ago. The small communities are recognizably Jewish with many of them observing Shabbat and kosher laws in the familiar ways one would find everywhere. However, each have customs reflecting their own "flavor" of Judaism. For example, in the tiny Jewish communities of Uganda and Zimbabwe songs written in Hebrew are set to African melodies; in India the Benei Menashe still practice ritual sacrifice of animals while the Bene Israel have their "Malida" ceremony which offers prayers, songs and bowls of fruits and flowers to the Prophet Elijah.

Scattered Among Nations is also a non-profit organization who assists isolated Jewish communities through projects such as helping the Inca Jews become officially converted and building a community center for the Benei Menashe Jews in India.

“Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” And Its Young Jewish Heroine

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 07:52:00 +0000

By Marista Lane for In The Moment Blog by Moment Magazine.

Norah: “There’s this part of Judaism that I like. Tikkun Olam. It said that the world is broken into pieces and everyone has to find them and put them back together.”

Nick: “Maybe we don’t have to find it. Maybe we are the pieces.”

“Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist” recently came out on DVD. For those who haven’t seen it, you might be surprised by the positive, open-minded young Jewish main character, Norah Silverberg (Kat Dennings).

Not only does she openly divulge her Jewish heritage, she also willingly expresses her enthusiasm for it. Small hints are given throughout the movie regarding Norah’s Jewish background, even as it is not explicitly revealed until a pivotal moment involving her love interest Nick (Michael Cera).

While the film mostly focuses on the chemistry (or awkwardness) between Nick and Norah—as well as their mutual music obsession—there are hints throughout the movie to Norah’s identification with Judaism. She attends a prestigious Catholic private school (only because her best friend goes there) but asserts her connection to the Jewish faith in other ways. She has a semi-relationship with Tal, one-third of a wannabe Israeli band, and she asserts that being Jewish is just as much a part of her, if not more so, than anything else. By sharing that with Nick, she shows that it is a deeply invested part of who she is.

It’s a good way for Hollywood to sneak in a good Jewish role model in a film directed to the youth.

Originally based on the eponymous novel by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, the movie was released on DVD on Feb. 3 by Sony Pictures. It’s rated PG-13 for teen drinking, sexuality, language and crude behavior.

Stewart V. Cramer: The Rundown

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:05:00 +0000

Have you been hearing the buzz about the battle between these two big personalities?

Both these men are Jewish and the LA Jewish Journal, quite Jewishly, gives us a meta-take on this conflict which is worth considering and discussing:

"Last night’s encounter between Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer should be replayed, studied, discussed and memorized at every single yeshiva and Jewish day school. Make the debate a mandatory part of the curriculum. Why? Because there are few more concise, dramatic and entertaining ways to engage in one of the central ongoing questions Judaism asks: How do you balance the need for money with the curse of money?"

Here is the Rundown on this conflict:

Jon Stewart on Comedy Central's Daily Show had been taking on stock market analysts including Jim Cramer of CNBC's Mad Money in his popular segment where he shows video clips from the news. Hindsight is 20/20 and these segments are always hilarious because they record in full-color oh-how-wrong-they-are. Embarrassing clips of Cramer speaking positively about Bear Sterns a few days before its collapse began a media war between the two. This video on YouTube is a 5 minute review of those events leading up to the appearance of Cramer on The Daily Show.

After several passive-aggressive back and forths from both sides Jon Stewart finally had Jim Cramer on his show this Thursday.

Here are the full, unedited interviews complements of Comedy Central. Watch Part One and you can continue onto Part Two and Three. Then read LA Jewish Journal's thought-provoking post and be part of the discussion on LA Jewish Journal's Swindler's List.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 1

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

TJC: The Painless Way to Get Your Jewish News

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:26:00 +0000

* Charles Freedman and the New American Jewish Climate
* Purim Schpeils at the 92Y
* Pope Benedict apologizes For Re-appointing Nazi-denying bishop
* Art Stolen by Nazis now at The Jewish Museum

Subscribe to Week in Review and all TJC videos on YouTube.

Mazel Tov to Winners of Cool Jew Gift Box

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:40:00 +0000

From Lisa Alcalay Klug, author of Cool Jew:

It's not every day you can snag free Heebster swag. But this week, CoolJewBook.com and ModernTribe.com chose one lucky winner of the Cool Jew Gift Box. The winner was chosen based on the cool ways they celebrated Purim.

The Gift Box includes

* Cool Jew, a 2008 National Jewish Book Award Finalist.
* No Limit Texas Dreidel, the Standard Edition game for up to four players
* Dreidel Hustler keychain doll, Heeb magazine’s Dreidel Hustler in 3D!
* Two 2.5 oz bags of kosher goodies to symbolize mishloach manot, the mitzvah of sending food to friends
* Masquerade Mask to “Recycle, Reuse, Reshmooze” any time you go undercover
* All boxed in hip packaging (unlike those mini laundry baskets)

The winners of the Cool Jew Gift Box are Victoria and Ron Gindick of Valley of the Sun, Arizona. As part of their Purim festivities, the Gindicks used their solar oven to bake whole grain breads with fresh ground flour to ship overnight to their mishpocha in New York.

Shabbat Shalom and mazal tov all around!

Check out Lisa's blog: Cool Jew - Shtetl Town Crier

5 Ways to Plan a Bar & Bat Mitzvah On a Budget

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:37:00 +0000

(1) Remember the meaning is in the mitzvah.
It is the coming-of-age ceremony that brings meaning to the bar or bat mitzvah. Sure, you want to have a nice reception or party, but when you find yourself tempted to over-extend your budget, remind yourself: my child is becoming a member of the Jewish community, as did his/her ancestors for generations before, and this is why this day is special. When your teenager hock mier en chinik to hire the local celebrity bar mitzvah band: close your eyes, breath-deeply and chant three times:

The Meaning is in the Mitzvah

Here are four more pointers to ease the financial burden of a bar or bat mitzvah party, without compromising on quality or fun.

(2) Be your own party planner.
If you have the time, energy, and gumption, planning the mitzvah party yourself may help you save in two big ways: (1) skipping the party planner fee and (2) exposing yourself to less pressure to spend more. You can buy a Bar/Bat Mitzvah Planner Book for around $14.

(3) Consider a reception in the synagogue hall (why not?) or community hall.
I've seen many synagogue reception halls and most of them are lovely, if not blank canvases that can be transformed by decoration into anything you wish. Another less expensive option than hotels or event spaces are community halls. For example, our old neighborhood had a big room in renovated loft space with a catering kitchen to rent for around $200 a night. The space was cool, modern and cheap. You may have a local park with a community room or a municipal building that rents the lobby space. For starters, go to local.google.com (set your location to your own zipcode) and then search for "community hall".

(4) Rent a jukebox or fill up your teen's iPod.
Consider renting a jukebox for around $300 or create your own jukebox ala iPod. Your teen can choose the music or you can download a Party Music Essentials playlist from iTunes. You may want to designate a friend or family member to DJ the iPod and make sure the sound system is set up to connect with it.

(5) Make it more meaningful through borrowing.
Borrowing Grandpa's tallis, yad or kiddush cup or Grandma's Shabbat candlesticks or Havdallah set doesn't just save you money: it is apropos. Your child's mitzvah signifies Judaism being passed down to a new generation.

Borrowing for centerpieces can be an easy money-saver. Most people have a few clear glass or crystal vases in their home. Ask to borrow from your friends and family clear vases (telling them not to loan you anything sentimental or expensive). You can create centerpieces by grouping 3-5 vases together. Unify the pieces by using one or two varieties of flowers in coordinating colors. You can buy flowers in bulk either through Costco, Sams Club, your local farmer's market or online, for example: The Flower Exchange. The picture at right is from ApartmentTherapy.com.

Week in Review from TJC: March 6th

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:02:00 +0000

US Pulls Out of Durban II
Kirsten Gillibrand Addresses The Jewish Community
Jewish Woman Conference on Prayer

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Homemade Seltzer ala Israel

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:24:00 +0000

SodaStream, the largest brand of in-home seltzer and soda makers, is made in Israel. The Jewish Week reports that Soda-Club, the parent company of SodaStream, "employs 450 people in its factory in Maale Adumim, including Israelis, recent immigrants from the Soviet Union, Ethiopians, Palestinians, Israeli Arabs, 18 Bedouins, and even 40 Darfur refugees."

The SodaStream machines are gaining in popularity due to the economical sense (cheaper to make soda than to buy it), health benefits (add fresh fruit juice instead of corn syrup), and ecological mindedness (no more disposable plastic bottles). And it looks so fun!

You can watch this SodaStream silly demo video on how it works. There are several models to choose from. The "Penguin" shown above (which would look totally cute sitting on your counter) is available as a starter kit which includes the machine, 2 carbonators, 2 glass carafes, and flavor variety pack (OU Kosher!) for $199.

The Week In Review from The Jewish Channel

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:54:00 +0000

Take 7 minutes to learn about how pop culture loves the Jews.

Israeli tennis player not allowed to play
New boss for the Reform movement
Bravo's Jewish Housewife of NYC
Newark's Mayor wants you to observe the Sabbath
Rare Jewish books at Sotheby's

Subscribe to Week in Review and all TJC videos on YouTube.

Or visit The Jewish Channel News Desk.

Progressive Jewish Alliances Virtual March for Marriage Equality

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 23:08:00 +0000

PJA Continues "Love Thy Neighbor" Campaign at March for Marriage Equality

Send your thoughts about LGBT civil rights to join PJA's Virtual March for Marriage Equality!

On President's Day, the people of California will gather on the steps of the state capitol to stand together for equality. PJA's new Executive Director, Elissa Barrett, her wife and other PJA supporters will stand with them, carrying your words and thoughts about this vital civil rights issue through the streets of Sacramento.

To participate, send a sentence or two showing your support for marriage equality to PJA at bayarea@pjalliance.org. You can also send a photo of yourself or your family to be included.

Get a Dose of Jewish Life in 6 Minutes or Less

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:42:00 +0000

The Jewish Channel has a new segment: Week in Review. The approximately six minute video is an easy, entertaining way to stay on top of what is happening in Jewish culture & politics around the world. Hosted by Steven Weiss with special reports by sharp TJC team members Rebecca Honig Friedman and Christian Niedan, these are fresh (if not deep) segments.

Subscribe to Week in Review and all TJC videos on YouTube.

Or visit The Jewish Channel News Desk.

Venetian Masks For Purim

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:48:00 +0000

Purim is a revelrous Jewish holiday. It's traditional to feast, drink, give gifts of food to friends and to the poor, and dress in costume. The feasting, drinking, and giving are pretty typical for Jewish holidays (although more feasting, drinking, and giving than normal is required).

Venetian masks are a great adult costume for Purim. Italian Jews, in the middle ages, were the first to adopt the custom of dressing in costume to celebrate Purim. The Italian Jews were inspired to wear costumes by the Roman Carnival, naturally. But the custom spread and stuck, likely because it is so appropriate for Purim.

Hiding our identity by dressing in costume is a way for us to experience the Purim story. The story is chock full of people mis-representing themselves and concealing their true identity. Esther is the major incognito who conceals her Jewishness from the King and becomes Queen. Of course, later she reveals she is a Jewess to save her people from Haman's plot to kill the Jews. Other cases of mistaken identity include Mordecai (Esther's Uncle and informant) hiding his language abilities and thus eavesdropping on the plot for Jewish extermination; Mordecai was able to listen with ease because the conspiritors felt free to discuss: they thought he didn't know their language. Then Haman (the King's right hand man and striving Jew killer) is mistaken for Mordechai and thus, as it's discussed in the Talmud, Haman's daughter dumps her chamberpot on top of her own father's head! Oops.

Shakespeare must have gotten his inspiration from the Purim Megillah.

Wikipedia has a great page on Purim: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purim

Tu Bishvat or Tu B'Shevat or Hebrew: ט״ו בשבט‎

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 01:55:00 +0000

As green living gets more popular so does the celebration of the Jewish New Year of Trees which takes place on Tu B'Shevat (the 15th of the month of Shevet).

Many Jews celebrate Tu B'shevat by honoring and educating about conservation. Celebrations often include a seder (which means order) with ritual and prayers involving the "seven species", fruits of the earth mentioned in the bible and native to the land of Israel: pomegranates, dates, barley, wheat, figs, olives, and grapes.

The Mystical Origins of Tu B'Shevat

The original Tu B'Shevat seder was a Kabbalistic Jewish mystical practice in the 17th century. To mystics, the seder is a reparation of the Tree of Life and an expression of four different planes of existence that are believed to make up the world.

Lowest Level: Assiyah, action, represented by hard shelled fruits such as pomegranates.

Second Level: Yetzirah, formation, represented by fruits with soft outside and hard insides such as dates and olives.

Third Level: Briyah, creation, represented by soft fruits with no protection or pit such as grapes and figs.

Highest Level: Atzilut, godliness, has no fruit to represent, but is itself kindness and beauty.

(Hey, I said it was mystical... but isn't it interesting how creation is most vulnerable.)

However, for most modern Jews, the seder consists of drinking wine, eating fruit, praising G-d for creating these things, and reminding ourselves that we are stewards of the Earth.

Links to help you perform your own Tu B'shevet seder:

Modern Jewish Mom outlines a simple but meaningful ritual you can do with your family to honor the Earth.
A spiritual but concise seder by the The Jewish Woman's Center of Pittsburgh.
Babaganewz has a family seder for you to download.

More In Search of a Jewish Wedding Brand That Doesn't Suck

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:10:00 +0000

Continuing from yesterday's post, here are some other resources I found in my search for independent bride imagery. Bust Magazine, the magazine of record for the indi-woman, in which we advertise ModernTribe, sponsored an event called Unbridaled in Philadelphia on January 10th. Now, this is the kind of wedding expo I wish was around when I was planning my wedding. If you live in Philly, they have a list of Unbridaled vendors for you to check out: everything from independent bakeries, florists, photographers, dress designers, stationary designers -- all, I assume -- who will cater to your off-beat style and won't try to sell you bows and roses (unless, that's what you want, of course).

I clicked through some of the photographers and was most impressed with Allebach Photographers (a photo of theirs above) whose style is definitely edgy even when they aren't shooting tattooed brides (although, this seems to be a favorite of theirs and they have a blog for photographs of their tattooed brides.)

Also, somehow I found myself here at Offbeat Bride whose tagline is "Alter your thinking." Ariel Meadow Stallings, the founder of the site, has a book too: Offbeat Bride: Tafetta free alternatives for Independent Brides and an alternative community to The Knot: Offbeat Bride Tribe.