Jewneric

Tasting KFWE’s Gourmet Offerings

Arielle Klein — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:56:15 +0000

For the second year in a row, I attended the Kosher Food and Wine Expo. Last year the food was, if I remember correctly, delicious … but I had a 3 month old at the time, wasn’t getting much sleep, and it was my first time going out … so all those things may have

A Night at KFWE2012

Zechariah Mehler — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:02:46 +0000

When you look at the literary influences that I most admire (Poe, Hemmingway, and Thompson) you canâ€™t help but notice a pattern. That pattern is one in which you have brilliant genera defining authors who wrote their most seminal works while heavily under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Which raises the interesting question â€œdid

Why Crummy Contests Hurt Your Brand

Dave Weinberg — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:43:56 +0000

This morning, I saw 75 people “Like” El Al’s new contest on Facebook, “Hamantaschen eating championship.” Â While I commend EL AL for running a fun contest for Purim and even offering a big prize (free ticket to Israel), I find it hard to participate or even share it. Do you as a potential participant know

Sounding the Shofar of Social Justice

David J. Fryman — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:17:48 +0000

I met Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz several years ago when we were students in Yeshivat Hamivtar, in Israel. As those who know him personally would surely attest, Reb Shmuly is a fiercely passionate, creative, and independent thinker. I was honored when he asked me to review his forthcoming book, Jewish Ethics & Social Justice, for Jewneric.

Yes. Palm Oil Truly IS Kosher.

JeffStier — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:37:12 +0000

It has become increasingly fashionable among some in my Jewish community to promote the notion that kosher food must be, what they call, “sustainable.” First, it is important to understand that kosher food laws are strictly religious in nature; it is a myth that they kosher foods are healthier, safer, or even cleaner than other

The Small Voice Of Moderation in Bet Shemesh

Jon Burg — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:45:52 +0000

In The Year Of The Protester, we used theÂ hashtagÂ and we mimed the slogan to great effect. Â But real change takes more than a slogan. Â It takes dialog. Â It takes understanding. Â It demands maturity. Â It requires that we put down our posters, calm our vitriol and approach one another as humans. Unfortunately, my new community in

Jewish Relativity, Revisited

David J. Fryman — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:26:44 +0000

Fellow Jewneric blogger, Joshua Einstein, writes about a common argument made by Jewish outreach organizations: â€œthe secular world is morally relative and adriftâ€ and only religion provides “moral constancy”. Josh argues that â€œthe claim of moral constancyâ€ is false. â€œMorality in Judaism has been an ever evolving notion, something relative to the times.â€ Moreover, Judaismâ€™s

Jewish Relativity

Joshua Einstein — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:55:28 +0000

Religious leaders often posit that the secular world is morally relative and adrift. The changing and metastasizing values of the larger world are no doubt foreboding and challenging but it begs the question: Is Judaism really morally constant? Specifically if we are to look at the Tanach, not as one would logically do so â€“

Jewish Education is Dead: Long Live Jewish Education

Dave Weinberg — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:22:47 +0000

{EAV:d0011d30ff328718} Dr. Jonathan Woocher’s keynote presentation at the Union for Reform Judaism’s Biennial, “Education is Dead: Long Live Jewish Education” was a purposeful road map for Jews of all stripes. Â During yesterday’s standing room only session, Woocher went through the cracks and creaks of today’s models of education (something that hasn’t been legislated in the

The YU Sex Scandal: It’s About the Yeshiva, Not the Sex

AaronRoller — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:45:29 +0000

Keeping things in perspective, the administration of Yeshiva University should look at the â€œsex scandalâ€ that has spread from the school’s undergraduate campuses, through the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times to become the topic of Shabbos table debate everywhere, and feel a sense of pride. For while other campuses are embroiled in

The Dead Sea Scrolls Are on Display…Where?

Hadassah Levy — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:02:43 +0000

The Dead Sea Scrolls are on display in Times Square. Yes, Times Square. They share a space at Discovery Times Square with an exhibition about the TV show, CSI. The exhibit is actually about more than just the Dead Sea Scrolls. It aims to show the context of the scrolls in the history of Judaism

Tebowing as Political Metaphor

David J. Fryman — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 15:15:33 +0000

In an otherwise unremarkable article about the controversy over Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow’s public displays of religiosity, a quote from Gary Ebersole, a University of Missouri-Kansas City professor, struck me as particularly relevant to a broader issue. “[Tebow's] detractors suggested that he keep his beliefs to himself, or at least away from sports. “In

“Hodu” This Year in Israel

Amy Gottlieb Shuter — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:51:20 +0000

There is a lovely childrenâ€™s book called Rivkaâ€™s First ThanksgivingÂ by Â Elsa Okon Rael (Margaret K. McElderry Books; 2001). Set in 1910â€™s, it is the story of a little girl on the Lower East Side of New York City who sets out to convince her Polish immigrant parents and their Rabbi that Thanksgiving is a holiday

Jew in the City wondersâ€¦do God and science have chemistry?

Jessica Hoffman — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:52:00 +0000

â€œI couldnâ€™t help but wonderâ€¦â€ Sound familiar? It may be Carrieâ€™s popular phrase of wonderment on Sex and the City, but way before the popular series hit HBO, Allison Josephs was a child who couldnâ€™t help but wonder herself. About spirituality and Judaism, that is. Now her popular website www.JewintheCity.com answers questions that may as

Judaism, Democracy, and Public Reason

David J. Fryman — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:30:43 +0000

The appropriate role of religion in American political discourse is a debate older than the Constitution itself. It predictably recurs whenever a politician or celebrity invokes or insults religion (or doesn’t invoke or insult religion). Not surprisingly, it’s already come up several times in this election season. Two months ago, David Weprin’s vote for same-sex