Tuesday, January 29, 2008 – Underground Israel Kibbutz Ayalon Bullet Making Factory – very ingenious. Michelle and I marveled that our oldest son has the kind of mind that could have figured out how to build a working factory underground that was safe, effective and hidden. (I wrote about this amazing place during our 2006 …
Co-Existence in Haifa; Spirituality in Tzefat
Monday, January 28, 2008 – 2:40 a.m. Tel Aviv time Too much excitement sometimes leads to too little sleep. Luckily we travel today for two hours by bus to the Dead Sea so I can use that time for some (eventually) much needed shut eye. I spent the past hour racing through the New York …
Co-Existence in Haifa; Spirituality in Tzefat
Monday, January 28, 2008 – 2:40 a.m. Tel Aviv time Too much excitement sometimes leads to too little sleep. Luckily we travel today for two hours by bus to the Dead Sea so I can use that time for some (eventually) much needed shut eye. I spent the past hour racing through the New York …
Shabbat in Tel Aviv: January 26, 2008
We have arrived… again. In the words of the rabbi of my youth, Stanley M. Davids, we have made aliyat hanefesh, a spiritual ascent to Israel, our holy land. Our group of 24 includes wife Michelle November, our Cantor Doug Cotler and his wife Gail Pettler, our Melitz Tour Guide Alexandra Benjamin, and 19 other …
Sabbatical Interruptus: Leading an Or Ami Mission to Israel
I’m on a Mission. Leading, with Cantor Cotler and our wives, an adult trip to Israel. I’m blogging for myself, to make sense of this wonderful experience. Feel free to read along!
Hillel Grows Up: Helping GBLTQ Students
This from the Jewish Forward (12/26/07). Hillel, the Foundation which works with Jewish college students on campuses around the country, is growing up. Recognizing that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (and queer and question) Jewish students exist and need Jewish support and services on college campuses,Last week, Hillel’s president announced the completion of a guide that …
Wisdom for the (Secular) New Year
(After the New Year’s balloon my wife bought flew off into the sky, we again realized 🙂 We cannot control the year ahead. We can only be mindful as we respond to whatever life brings our way. As you plan your party (or your life), anything can happen. So plan in enough flexibility for the …
Two Incredible LGBT Inclusion Resources
I am working to create the next page in our “No One is More Welcomed at Or Ami than You!” webpage series (see our multicultural, interfaith and special needs webpages). In researching resources for LGBT Jews and their families, I finally took the time to serious peruse the websites of the Institute for Judaism and …
New Survey Data Sparks New Debate over Intermarriage Picture
It is too early in the morning to analyze the significance of these new studies on intermarriage, but they are sure to cause a stir… and give our Jewish community plenty to consider. JTA (12/28/07) offers this article: Survey data spark debate over intermarriage picture. Now a new round of studies is prompting more questions: …
“Happiness is Real only When Shared”, Alexander Supertramp
Last night, we watched Into the Wild, Sean Penn’s beautiful movie. Writes Rolling Stone: Sean Penn has molded one of the best movies of a bustling fall out of Jon Krakauer’s best-selling Into the Wild. Krakauer told the true story of Chris McCandless, an honors grad from Emory University who walked into the Alaskan wilderness …
A Gift for Laughter: Jewish Comics and Comedy
Why are Jews funny? Why are 2% of the American population so overrepresented in the comic arts? This video tries to answer the question.
We are Noah: Charged with Destroying the World and Tasked with Saving It
It is humbling when a normally staid journalist, a critic of those who use religion for their own purposes, begins to quote the Bible. But that’s just what Thomas Friedman did in his article, In the Age of Noah (NYTimes, 12/23/63): It struck me as I read that story that our generation has entered a …
Jews, Chinese Food, Movies and Christmas
Catch this video which says it all. I found it on another blog, I am a Liberal Jew and I am Pissed. I love it when Chanukah comes early. We get our holiday with less of the craziness and commercialization than if it arrived around the same time as that “other holiday.” Why do Jews …
Birthday Blessings: I Turned 44 Today!
It’s my birthday today. 44 years old. Great day so far. My birthday started with dinner last night at Fins with my wife. She is great (and looked great). The bottle of wine, Markham Cabernet Savignon 2002 was perfect (we took the time to have it aerated!). Dinner was delicious. We knew we were getting …
Ima on (and off) the Bima: New (sometimes) Blogging Buddy
My new (sometimes) blogging buddy, Ima on (and off) the Bima, was also at the URJ Biennial convention. Though we failed to actually link up in person, we passed blog comments and emails throughout the convention. Right now, this sort-of internet pal is freezing her tuchis off in Chicago, while mine’s just soaking wet in …