An incredible document
I think I’ve linked to this before but it doesn’t hurt to give this report its own post. Sixty years ago, on Nov. 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly passed UNGA Resolution 181….
As Democracy Fails
We take it for granted sometimes that we enjoy freedom of speech, a strong democracy, a vibrant election system that enjoys the benefits of a free media and that any citizen can freely…
Geez, I am SUCH a Jew!
I am seriously in need of expanded horizons… Oh and did I mention how clever I thought Designist Dream (Get it?) was? Yeah? Oh. Well whatever.
MyJewishLearning presents Tod and God on Hanukkah!
That was the latest holiday viral video by my pal and obsessive Scrabulous partner Will of Shabot6000 fame. The video is meant to promote the Website MyJewishLearning.com, described as “a trans-denominational website of…
The Middle in Israel
Yes, it is true. I have returned from Israel after my first visit in a bunch of years. I was in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Sderot and even visited with our grand…
Bukowski’s Bungalow
Was Bukowski a Nazi/sympathizer? Does it matter in issues concerning turning his old bungalow into a civic monument? Here’s a choice old quote to remember the bum by and a story about a…
Partition 60 years ago today
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 November 29, 1947 The Mandate for Palestine shall terminate as soon as possible but in any case not later than 1 August 1948. The armed forces of…
Tefillin are the bomb
I have always wondered what fellow passengers on trains, planes, buses, and cars have thought of the box strapped to my head with black leather. My Tefillin. What do they think of these…
The Following Few Passages, Gentlemen, Might Save Your Relationship or Thoughts on Why Gifts and Chanukah Go Together Well
Though commonly considered to be a typically Christian custom, occasionally frowned upon as ‘goyish’, gift-giving among adults during the winter holiday season was an invention of the more or less secular bourgeois classes…
Not with a bang but a thud
Mahmoud Abbas, in the best Arafat impression he could muster, actually balked at signing the innocuous document (see below) at the last minute. Apparently, Condi had to take him aside, whisper sweet nothings…
Celebrate Hanukkah: GoEight!
JDub Records and Taglit-birthright israel are celebrating Hanukkah this year in a big way. They are organizing a series of shows in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Washington DC, Tel…
“Bush is very ugly!”
“Abbas is very ugly! Olmert is very ugly! Hanniyeh is good!” A local shared these words of wisdom with me on a recent trip to Ramallah. I was standing around the bus station…
No Poking in Damascus: Syria Bans Facebook
So Bashar al-Assad’s administration has done the audacious act of implementing a nationwide ban on access to Facebook.com from inside Syria, WashingtonPost.com reported Friday. What’s most interesting is the story given to many…
There’s no such thing as bad publicity…
Reuters reports that Oxford University’s debating club has invited Holocaust denier David Irving and National Party leader Nick Griffin to speak at a free speech forum on Monday. Several MPs also invited to…
Sarah Silverman is a Moron and the Writers’ Strike Is Exhibit A
Hollywood’s “A-List” celebrities take to a new cause reminding us that the War in Iraq is SO last week! For more hating on Silverman, click here.
Two (somewhat) literary takes on Annapolis
I typically stay away from politics but I found two well written essays that I enjoyed reading and I believe they balance each other out politically. Even though they come from differing political…
Wir haben sie!*
Back in the day, US American imports to Germany included chewing gum, caffeinated sparkling beverages, popcorn, jeans, and democracy. A few decades later Jimi Hendrix did his last gig at the Love-and-Peace-Festival on…
Being Thankful for Family, and “The Family”
Obviously in this season of Thanksgiving, one of the things that people are most thankful for is the embrace of their family: sometimes a little tighter than we’d like or perhaps edging on…
Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1863
Thanksgiving was first celebrated by the settlers at Plymouth in the Massachusetts colony in 1621 under the leadership of Governor William Bradford. Washington and Madison each issued a Thanksgiving proclamation once during their…
Fighting Iran One Nut at a Time
This time the Iranian nut in question is not President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It’s pistachios! Iranian pistachios, sold through Turkey are making there way onto Israeli store shelves. Muffti doesn’t know if there is…
Jewlicious Thanksgiving
At the recent GA in Nashville, our duly empowered Jewlicious Agents distributed Thanksgiving postcards to all the Super-Jews in attendance. The front was a nice graphic reminding folks of our upcoming Festival (Feb….
Jewish Music Stars Align at Idan Raichel Concert
As if attending an Idan Raichel Project show wasn’t exciting enough — and it is, believe me — last night’s show at the Fillmore East in NYC featured a spontaneous performance by Matisyahu,…
King Juan Carlos: My New Best Monarch Friend
Queen Elizabeth used to be my best monarch friend. She was always perfectly coiffed, dignified and elegant. Fastidiousness against adversity was always her hallmark, both as a young woman during the WWII German…
Esther Goes to Nashville: The Next Generation Plenary
This year marked the first in recent memory that the GA of the United Jewish Communities focused on the so-called next generation. As you’ve already heard from Leah Stern, there was quite a…
