Ambassador Oren heckled and disrupted by Hamas on Campus at UC Irvine. 12 arrested.

When will University President Michael Drake KICK THE MSU OFF CAMPUS? When will the University take responsibility for this?

We have heard Michael Drake for years DENY THAT THERE IS ANY SERIOUS PROBLEM. He said this publicly.

No problem, huh? The University has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on so-called bridge building which is for the most part totally ineffective. As long as the MSU is allowed on campus, as long as students are not held responsible for their actions, this kind of activity will continue.

Submissions for Leadel.net’s Jews That Do contest are over but now it’s time to vote and my vote goes to… the shuk! Two of the videos focus on Machane Yehuda, Jerusalem’s Central Market where Jerusalemites and tourists shop for fresh fruit, vegetables, baked goods etc. The Market is a microcosm of the city, one of the few places where religious and secular, Ashkenazi and Sephardi, Jew, Muslim and Christian rub shoulders. So here are the videos:

Uzieli the Yemenite healer man is one of the unique elements of the shuk. Like the video? Vote for him here.

This video shows a busker randomly singing an awesome tune. Vote for him here.

Or vote for whoever you like – here is the full list of finalists!

We are surprised!

Last Wednesday night, delivering the keynote address at the Herzliya Conference, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, gave a surprisingly brilliant speech. He spoke of security, saying that Israel “must continue and strengthen its military might,” elaborating that the “weak do not survive in this region [the Middle East], and the weak do not make peace.” Yet, he noted that defending against terrorism is costly. Every state need (including security, health care, education, etc.) requires a strong economy. Israel has a strong economy, with a GDP per capita of around $30,000 a year. But to allow the economy to continue growing, Netanyahu stated that economic impediments must be removed. Israel, he expressed, should become a leading technological power. Mostly, he spoke of education. Education, he said, “is the melting pot for national resilience.” He discussed the need for greater Jewish and Zionist education in Israel, and the opening of two new national trails; one to be the historic Jewish trail of Israel and the second to be the historical Zionist trail of Israel.

I will admit, as I stood there listening to his speech, I was in shock. How could he have wasted this opportunity to address the international community? Yet, upon reflection, I came to see that his speech was ingenious. He was not merely addressing Israel, saying that our youth must be more connected to their Jewish and Zionist past. Rather, he addressed the world. To the international community, he subtly said, enough is enough. Enough with attacking the legitimacy of the existence of the State of Israel. Enough with disparaging the Jewish connection to the land. The land of Israel has been ours from time immemorial; from Jerusalem to Be’er Sheva, Tzfat to Tel Lachish, Tzipori to Massada. Enough with the narrative that the existence of Israel is only the result of the Holocaust. The Zionist enterprise is behind the modern State of Israel; the pioneers and waves of aliyah who built the kibbutzim, raised the modern city in Tel Aviv, established a de facto government in the Yishuv, protected their settlements through organizations such as the Shomer HaTzair and the Hagannah, garnered international aid and support, such as through the World Zionist Congress, and fought a war of independence against five invading armies. Netanyahu said that “the survival of the Jewish people is tied to the State of Israel.” Yet this is no new fact. Judaism has always inherently been tied to the land, and the land is a part of the people and culture. Enough, said Netanyahu. And I say, kudos.

OK, that title was total nonsense

But seriously, when I want to know the latest in teen religious Jewish boy band news, the first place I go to is Heeb magazine. And they never disappoint! After the bump check out these uh… cuties, called the Moshiach Times Band. JDub dubs them the “Jewnas” brothers and raves about their “skinny jean/Tzitzit combo” while Tablet Magazine says that they are “the religious Jews’ answer to the Jonas Brothers.” Me? I don’t even know who the Jonas Brothers are and I’m definitely not going to make any cracks about scoring sem girl booty in the temple bathroom (I leave that to Heeb). All I can say is that I am heartbroken that the David Kelsey approved musical line up at the Jewlicious Festival is all booked up and that we won’t be able to invite the Moshiach Times Band to play before they hit puberty and their sweet, angelic voices begin to crack. Oh well.

Such a bargain for you!

This is one of the questions we get asked the most and I am uh… pleased to say that the answer in all cases is “unequivocally yes.” Every attendee at Jewlicious costs us between $150 and $200. That covers the discounted rate we pay for the JCC that hosts the event, expenses associated with speakers, expenses associated with bands, transportation, food expenses etc. etc. We charge as little as $36 per person for the entire weekend because we don’t want money to be an issue with regards to participation. Even then, if someone flat out can’t afford it, we’ll always find a way to get them to the Festival. But we’re not Birthright Israel. Heck we’re not even Oranim. In this era of free trips to Israel, we even get people calling from out of town asking if we subsidize air fare! I mean we’d love to be in a position to do so but, well, we’re not. I could throw myself at Michael Steinhardt’s feet and assure him most sincerely that there are in fact ample hookups at the Jewlicious Festival but that would be, I don’t know, undignified? And as everyone who knows me knows, I am if nothing else, the very model of a modern uh… dignified man.

So yeah, bottom line, those of you trying to figure out our budget? $150-$200 a head. That’s pretty cheap and definitely does not include all the blood, sweat and tears expended by our awesome volunteers, committee members and community leaders, all dedicated to making sure that our participants have an awesome Jewy weekend. Now go and buy your tickets today!

I promise you are not paying retail!

Robinson's Arch at the Temple Mount

Photo by Beggs on Flickr

Shabbat Shalom!!

Look, Rabbi Yonah and ck are hard at work with Tanya and others preparing what looks to be an incredible 6.0. Sadly, TheMiddle can’t be there, but he knows from previous Jewlicious Festivals that they’re incredibly exciting events that bring young (and less young) Jews together in a fantastic weekend that is not like anything else you’ve ever seen.

The preparations for Jewlicious festivals run like clockwork thanks to the efforts of Rabbi Yonah, his wife Rachel Bookstein, our hard-working ck (David Abitbol) and the crew helping them from Long Beach Hillel and JConnectLA. I’ve seen them do it in the past and I’m sure this year is no different.

As they go through the process of putting the festival together, with its numerous attendees, hosts, guests, musicians, comedians and sponsors, the place runs like a factory. Everyone knows their roles, and everybody takes their work very seriously, showing absolute commitment and dedication to the festival and its success.

Needless to say, they also have a ton of fun.

So, when somebody emailed me this video earlier today, I realized that it represented a very different reality than the behind-the-scenes going on right as they prepare Jewlicious 6.0.

Very different.

Here’s the link one more time. Again, I remind you all that this is nothing like the preparations for Jewlicious 6.0. Not even close.

No. Really.

Well, they for sure like this woman. And not only will AEPI be at the Jewlicious Festival, but they are sponsors as well! Visit their Web site, their Wikipedia page or their blog. Also, AEPi is no longer just for Americans or Canadians, they are invading Israel too! Better watch out ck!

World Boxing Association super welterweight champion!

Yay! Jewish Boxing Champ Foreman to attend Jewlicious

Yes, because we like to be surrounded by tough guys who are also spiritual, we reached out and invited Foreman to the Jewlicious Festival, and he in turn accepted. What should Jewlicious Festival goers expect? Well, a general increase in both testosterone and spirituality and a talk from Yuri about Jewish identity. Or aa seminar on how to kick ass. We’re not sure yet. We don’t really care, we’re just thrilled to have him and we all look forward to meeting him.