In Conclusion

Overall, I thought that this course was very interesting. I liked how we examined the different movements within Judaism and looked at history while focusing also on the contemporary and cultural aspects of Judaism and Israel. I found that this class was very appropriate for me and where I am in my life and how I am still figuring out what identity really means. What I took the most away from this course is that it really just isn't that simple. There are ways to argue for or against a side at almost any given side and over the course I think we pushed the boundaries to find deeper meaning for identity. I also learned a lot about Judaism that I did not know, and this class opened my eyes to a lot of things that happen amongst Jewish communities here, and in Israel. I also learned a lot about critically reading a website and what that can say about an organization.
The class did a very good job at looking at Judaism unbiasedly so that we could come out with valuable points that pertained to identity. It also made me want to investigate my Jewish identity further on my own and get more involved with Judaism around campus. Now I feel like I have the tools to find things that interest me and can relate too. This was also my first time writing on a blog which I enjoyed and would consider doing again even for a different subject! It is a good way just to express yourself and look at things that you want too, not because someone is forcing you too but because you can genuinely interact with it and take out whatever hits home the most for you! Thats why the topics that were more modern and exciting like music and theater and other ones about young Jewish adults like Birthright and Zionism were my favorite course topics.
Thanks for a wonderful semester, have a great summer!

Jewish Identity strengthened on Birthright

I recently came across an article on http://njjewishnews.com that was about Jewish identity in relation to Birthright. Although the actual article is from February of this year, I recently took a trip to Israel and just wrote my final paper about Zionism. Naturally, I was intrigued to read about the experience with Birthright and the way it affected another young Jewish adult. The author, Jill Garbi retells the story of Austin Dam, 22 who went on Taglit-Birhtiright through the Monmouth County regional trip with 40 other people. He came up with the idea for everyone on the trip to climb Masada one morning before sunrise. They ended up doing this, and all shouted "Ani chai" or "I'm Alive" from the top. She recounts his experience of hearing the words travel through the enormous valley. For him, he describes this as a profound experience saying, "I’ve never felt so connected and so in-the-moment like I did in Israel. I’ve never been in a place where there was that much history that had to do with me and my people."
This connection is exactly what the founders of Birthright were hoping for when investing thousands of dollars into the organization. Helping Israel and physically being there is eye opening for Jews as they understand the history and hardships that their ancestors have experienced.
The article finishes talking more specifically about the actual Monmouth County region and what makes it stand out over other communities that where young Jewish adults are prevalent. Monmouth County applicants were previously waitlisted on other regions' trips until now. The Jewish Federation of Monmouth County funded the regions first trip and those funds were matched by a Taglit-Birthright grant, allowing 20 young adults from Monmouth County to participate in the free trip.
Just last month, Taglit-Birthright received some good news. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel approved $100 million in funding for Taglit-Birthright Israel for the next three years. In doing this, they have expressed the goal of bringing 51,000 young Jewish adults on the 10 day free educational trip by 2013.
Going on Birthright makes young adults realize that Judaism isn't just religion but also a special culture that we need to make last. Registration for this upcoming summer was open again to 20 participants from Monmouth so more and more people are able to share this once in a lifetime experience with Israel and other young Jewish adults.

Breaking News: bin Laden found dead

On jpost.com there is an article in response to the big news released last night that Osama bin Laden has been found dead. Now, Israel Right fears that they might have to pay the price. According to this article, the state has already been warned that they could be a target for Islamic fundamentalist groups who are seeking revenge after his death. They are suggesting, that the US president Barack Obama fake an assassination as an excuse to pressure Israel. The National Union MK Aryeh Eldad is concerned that Obama is going to try and satisfy the Muslims at Israels expense. Because of this, people are claiming that Obama is a bigger threat to Israel then Osama was since Osama bin Laden was never a direct threat or an inspiration for their other enemies. Elad believes that if Obama staged an assassination, his political support and popularity would increase temporarily. People that are on the Israeli Right who do not usually support Obama are praising him with the high hopes that he will help them in the anticipated event of attack. Although not all of Israel is pro-Obama or anti-Obama, there seems to be the common agreement that Obama can be tolerated by even his hardest critics if he is pro active and targets people like bin Laden. Lastly, the article covers things that are happening in the US that could effect Israel. Israel has learned that fighting terror is something that is a daily struggle, not one bad day of war. Israel is suggesting that the president look more at the terrorists who are threats to both the US and Israel. Instead, in their opinion he is trying to implement a plan of peace with the Middle East which is unrealistic and a waste of useful time.

Palestinian Passports, a way to promote peace?

In a recent article, there was a quotation from, Ofer Bronchtein an Israeli peace activist saying,
 “I am proud to announce you that I got yesterday from Abu Mazen a Palestinian passport. I’ll be happy to see it published in Israel. Please help me on it… Shabat Shalom.”
 
http://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Features/Article.aspx?id=218838
 
Bronchtein who is living in Paris received a passport from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris. Ironically enough, he gave off the impression that he was proud of become a Palestinian though some would argue that this is him going to an extreme extent to prostrate himself over the Palestinians.
 
Upon this happening,  the “Proclamation of Independence" was read outside of Tel Aviv's independence hall. The existing Declaration when Ben Gurion made the State of Israel in 1948 was altered to suit the Palestinian cause so they would have their own founding state based on the pre six day war lines. Although the public in general did not condone what was going on, Israelis from the extreme Right party. They were cursing and causing upheavel against the "peaceniks" but the Left and Center Israelis should have been there as the anti-protesters, displaying disgust by this activists latest "gimmick."
In addition, Mordechai Vanunu who leaked Israel's nuclear secrets in the 80s and converted to Christianity watched the declaration get signed from afar.
Israel is concerned with peace and this process is not one that will effect the relationship Israel has with Palestine, but it might damage it.

Many Israeli "celebrities" took part in planning this ceremony. For example, actress Hannah Maron read the declaration,  author Amos Oz and Professors Ze’ev Sternhell and Yehuda Bauer organized the event. The article took an interesting turn, criticizing the people that were involved with this type of political event. Although they are famous and talented in their own field, their political view is just as valid as anyone else.
 
The hopefully activists that hope to resolve the problems between the two nations are causing quite the scene. A large issue the people of Israel are having with this is the disrespect of Independence Hall. a symbol that is sacred to Zionism and to Israel as a free nation.

Palestinians are refusing to negotiating because they won’t give up the right of return or recognize Israel as a Jewish State. It is for this reason, that Jews have to resort to independence ceremonies in an open society like Tel Aviv. This way, people will see what is going on and it will be publicized; taking a small step closer to the peace that these Israeli activists wish to achieve. Otherwise, they would get no where and Palestine would shut down the idea completely.

Eating disorders and Orthodox Jews

After hearing about this article and talking about genetics and how it relates to being Jewish, I wanted to read what it was all about. Some people believe that anorexia or bulimia is something genetic that is passed down from parent to child. Seeing a rise of eating disorders amongst Jews makes me wonder why people don't see this and think of it as a "Jewish" mental illness like the view other diseases like Tay Sachs disease.
I found the New York Times article to be very interesting. Confronting mental illness is hard enough in our liberal society as a whole, I can not imagine how frightening it must be for Orthodox women to admit they have a problem. This fear of voicing your problems is heightened for Orthodox women because it can negatively impact things that are important to them and their families. For example, the article talks about matchmaking and how having a mental illness can stand in the way of finding a perfect match. In order to avoid this, they keep it to themselves and stay away from treatment. It is sad that there has to be an element of fear and shame surrounding mental illness, because it causes people to hide it and allows it to grow and get worse.
I also thought it was fascinating to read about the Rabbis reaction with Naomi Feigenbaum. He made exceptions to religious rules and tradition in order to get her help, like driving in the car on Saturday or eating non Kosher food. I was a little surprised to see that her own health was placed before Orthodox Judaism by a very religious Rabbi. However, that just goes to show how extreme these situations can become. She discusses this later in the article quoting the Rabbi saying, "The Jewish laws are things God wanted us to live by, not die by, and that saving a life takes precedence over all of them." I found this to be an important quotation in the article and it was informative to see the standpoint of an Orthodox Rabbi on an issue such as this.
The article continues to talk about the reasons explaining this kind of phenomenon. The pressure to do things like marry early, start families and be a homemaker who prepares huge Friday night meals, is difficult to manage with other things we participate in that are demanding like a professional career. They also talk about the eating disorder emerging during a time when young women are supposed to be caring for siblings and have less time to take care of their own health. 
Lastly, it finishes talking about issues with days Orthodox Jews are supposed to fast. These days can be detrimental to someone with an eating disorder, and regardless of doctors orders, many women will still try and withstand from food or water for 24 hours. The Rabbis response to this was that in cases like this,  the woman must eat, not that she can eat but she must. This again goes back to the quote from above and gives a rational reason to breaking Jewish tradition.

IFCJ

I think that the topic of Jews in the Christian imagination is very interesting, although I wonder if it is naive to think that the tension between countries and people that have been happening for years can just disappear. Personally, I think the idea is great and I agree that religions, or established groups in general can work together and form friendships when they recognize the common concerns they share.


My mother is Christian and my father is Jewish, but that has never influenced what people I interact with. They never pressured me either way or discouraged me to learn about other cultures and religions. However, most of my friends and the families that lived in my neighborhood because being Jewish, was an important factor for people when choosing to live in Scarsdale, NY. There were non-Jews who lived and went to my high school also that were welcomed into the community, but the bond between the synagogues in our small town made it easy for Jews to associate more with Jews. Growing up in a neighborhood with people that were not all Jewish proved to me on a first hand level, that regardless of the identity that religion places on us, we can all live harmoniously if we look for our similarities,  not focus on our differences. 
I also enjoyed looking at the website. They made their mission very clear under "About IFCJ" and it did not seem to be biased towards one religion or another, but truly just an organization trying to promote peace. I also thought that it was interesting that they were based in Chicago, but also in Jerusalem because that shows how important Israel is to multiple people, religions and cultures. I also liked the trips they offer and would consider looking further into participating in one. However, this is the first time I have ever hear of a movement like this, and I think it would be beneficial to move it along if they advertised and promoted it more. They are involved with the popular social networks to try and spread the word, but I think if they could team up with another well known organization they would be able to reach out to more people. 


I could see where Jews would be turned off by something like this because of the past and I don't know how close two religions can really become. I do think that if they continue to try and do this and they focus on the more general idea of all people living with respect and cooperation more people would be able to understand the concept. 

Race, Religion or both?

Today in class we discussed what race is and what Judaism as a whole is considered by our society. We specifically looked at African American Judaism and looked more closely at Beth Shalom B'Nai Zaken: Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation. First off, I found it to be interesting that their website says an Ethiopian hebrew congregation. While I was in Israel, I worked on a community service project at an Ethiopian absorption center,  so this is a targeted group of people Israel hopes to connect with all over the world. We watched a video about this group of people an a few things that people said stood out to me. One woman tried to explain the differences between this congregation and others. She used the word "Amen" as an example to say that the other African Americans understand what she means when she says, Amen! It is more explosive and they connect on a closer level. They also believe that the Ethiopians are the "true" Jews, and they do not say they are Jewish or call their religion Judaism. They call themselves Hebrew Israelites and consider that they are African American descents from Egypt.

Beth Shalom tries very hard to connect with other Jews of color. They think there needs to be more room for all these ethnic people who have found their way back to Judaism. The support Israel just as much as countries like Nigeria and South Africa and consider it to be just like home. The video that we saw made it seem like the congregation incorporates cultural things like song and dance associated with African Americans with Jewish traditions to revert to Judaism. Things like this and even food doesn’t belong to one “identity” ex: soul food can be  black and Jewish. Many African Americans are unsure where and how to practice Judaism so Funnye's goal is to encourage reverting back to Judaism.

As we discussed further the history of African American Jews, I thought it was interesting that it originated during the Civil Rights Movement. Both minorities came into alliance because they were being oppressed and this this created an entire generation of black jews. In general, they tell the story about the jewish people being very inclusive and inviting to these new Jews so a community arouse. I also find it compelling to see how minorities can come together or compete. One of the representatives from the African American Jewish congregation perceived their identity as being the "true" Jews. This creates a hierarchy and creates more division amongst the Jews.

Overall identity, race and ethnicity are very problematic topics. Who we are is not comprised of one identity. We aren't just Jewish or just Asian, it is much more complicated. To see the assimilation of identities like in the congregation Beth Shalom is both inspiring and a positive shift for Judaism as a whole.

The Kotel, Green project and Shabbat

Once we got to jerusalem we went to the Kotel. This was one of my favorite places we visited, and the Jewish connection there is overwhelming and immediate. The history and story behind it is very unique and the experience was one I will never forget. There were hundreds of people here, many dressed as Orthodox Jews, and the men and women pray on different sides. We had to wait for awhile before we were able to go up, touch the wall, pray and put a note into the small cracks that are already filled with tiny folds of white paper. It was a very spiritual place and there was also a Barmitzvah going on the Thursday we were there.
After that we went to the hotel we were staying at and heard about this recent campaign that was started called Nu. They told us about their organization and they make t-shirts with very cool designs on them and print the story of the organizations the picture is representing on the inside. Since they just started only 20 percent goes to the actual charity but they hope to eventually donate 100 percent of proceeds to the specific charity, pretty great idea. They hope to bring these t-shirts to college campuses to spread the word about the different charities and get young people involved with Israel since we are the future. 


After this we worked on something called the Green Project. It was working with a community of activists that turned a garbage dump into a green space. It was SO beautiful, and the view was breath taking. We helped improve the terraces and moved rocks to create a path. After this we went to the shuk which is a huge market place, if I could compare it to anything it would be something like canal street. Lots of little shops and a ton of food. We go falafel and walked around, and since it was friday there were SO many people buying groceries for shabbat. I have never seen anything like it, it was hard to even move! Being from NY gave me an advantage because we know how to be pushy! After this prepared for Shabbat and we started off the night lighting candles. They gave us the option of going to a local temple, going to the service in the hotel or staying for an open discussion of Shabbat in the hotel. I went to the temple and it was SO different then what I have experienced at my temple at home. The women sit behind the men to pray and there was a lot of singing and dancing. Those who were part of the congregation were very welcoming and the service lasted about 2 hours. After we had a special shabbat dinner and then had an oneg which is kind of like a Shabbat party. We all bought snacks from the market to eat, played games and sang songs. The next morning there was optional worship for Shabbat and we went to the Kotel again to pray. Then we had a workshop on the weekly parsha and the discussion lead us to the topic of heros because of the story of purim. We talked about some of the biggest heros in jewish history which was very inspiring. My group focused on Hannah Senesh, one of the bravest people I have every learned about. People do such unbelievable things with their lives. After lunch we reseted for Shabbat then had havdallah which is the prayer that is said at the end of shabbat. After we had a free night to get dinner, on Ben Yahuda street. Being in the Old City really allowed us to connect to Judaism and seeing so many Jewish people in one place was refreshing. Everyone we met was so grateful for our help and the people of Israel really love and care about their land.

Yosi's farm, the crater and army base

Another experience I had over the eight days I spent in Israel was at a place called Yosi's farm which is literally in the middle of nowhere in the Negev Desert. First we met the man that owned the farm and he explained to us how the only people who are there are him, his family and 1 volunteer. Must be a ton of work to take care of the land with so few people but he told us he didn't have the money to employ people yet. They are hoping that as more people come to this area, the tourism will bring them income. We started working on his olive trees around 9, and pulled out weeds, raked, and put stones around the tree in a circle. He said that the weeds take water away from the trees and by raking the soil around them we were helping more air get in. After helping prep the land on his farm, which will over time bring more people to visit the Negev, we saw one of the worlds biggest crater in the world. It was massive and I have never seen anything like it and after went to the israeli army base camp for people who are training to become officers. Basically what this means is that they are extending their time in the army (women are required 2 years, men 3). We had a girl show us around and also met the rabbi on the base. He showed us their synagogue that was funded by JNF when there was a need for a bigger one to fit all the soldiers. The architecture was inspired by the burning bush, and the building resembles flames of fire. He told us that the meaning behind this is that even though the bush was on fire, it did not burn- it stayed strong and held its ground, just like israel. It was also a very simple building, no painting or color just concrete. The reason for this is that israeli people feel people should just be simple and not flashy and take off their outer "mask". He told us this is what israeli leaders in the army are like- they sacrifice their wants for the good of the country. We went inside of their work room first which is a place with a long table and chairs with a lot of hebrew books. This is a place for the soldiers to come during their free time to read and learn since to traditionally religious israelis, learning is a necessity in everyday life. Then we went upstairs to see the synagogue which was also very simple for the same reason as I mentioned above. There were 2 floors because the men and women pray separately- men on the floor, women upstairs. He also showed us the torahs which were absolutely gorgeous. They have 3 different ones so that when people have to leave the base and go elsewhere they can bring the torah as they travel. After this we walked around a little more and then met some of the soldiers. First we had a more formal kind of question and answer but then were able to interact with them on a more personal level. It was so humbling to see these people, some were even younger then me. They ranged from ages 18-21 and it was really unbelievable to here them talk about their experience and why they do what they do. They said that in the army if you are still capable of giving you must, its not a choice or a thought but an instinct. They all spoke so highly of their experience and said that although it is very hard they feel that the army gives back even more that they give to israel. A few of them said they wanted to make this into their career and they only get to see their family 1 time in 90 days! They get no days off beside shabbat and have days from 520 am to 11 pm! The people were just so nice and sincere, you could tell how passionate they are about israel, something you do not always see in the US. 

ASB, day 1

I took a trip to Israel with JNF's ASB to spend my spring break in the Negev desert and Jerusalem, working on community service projects to help build Israel. It was such an amazing experience and I participated in several Jewish activities that I would have been unable to experience without this trip. The first day we spent there we went to an absorption center called Earth's Promise, where Ethiopian immigrants come and live in Israel. Many came to israel to escape persecution and now live in government housing that seem like the project's we see here in the US.
We worked on a communal garden that every family in the building is giving a plot of land in. They explained how important this land was to their pride and dignity, and it allows them to feel like their farming skills are making them relevant and useful in today's fast paced, technologically advanced society. They split us into groups and we worked on a bunch of different things like a plot for kids to play and garden in, a fire pit where they have bonfires, we made a brand new elevated garden and loosened up the dirt, added composte and hay and it was just such a rewarding thing. We got to see the people who lived in the community and there were a lot of kids running around and playing so it was really nice to actually see who we were helping. They also brought in some one who works with the ethiopians to tell us about the history and the current situation for the ethiopian people. We also planted an olive tree as a group and its so great knowing that we could come back in 10 years and see the exact tree we helped plant. After the garden we went to Ben Gurian University which felt similar to a school like IU, and our tour guide told us that it gives Israeli students a college experience more similar to in the US because many other kids live at home if the go to school in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. After the university we saw the biggest on going program JNF is working on, a river walk. They have done about 2/5ths of the work and hope to make beer sheva an upcoming place for people to visit and live in. It was very motivating to be in Israel and share such a connection to other Jewish people from the communities we visited and the other participants on the ASB trip. A lot of the work I did this week is going to affect the bigger picture of Israel, and will hopefully make it a more popular place for people to come support and help make even better then it already is.  

Jewish Film Festivals

Jewish film festivals take place in many different locations including San Fransisco, Boston, Atlanta, Washington, Seattle, Maine, Connecticut etc. Many of the websites were from the same organization- Jewish Film Festival (jff), but each place had their own website . For example, sfjff.com would be for San Francisco and bjff.com would be for Boston. Each festival focuses on a different aspect of Judaism and their overall missions differed although they all wanted to bring Jewish culture to each city or state. Since I am from New York, I decided to look further into the Jewish film festivals that take place there. 

The information for the New York Jewish Film Festival was on the thejewishmuseum.org under "Exhibitions." The website, more generally is dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of the cultural and artistic heritage of the Jewish people. They use collections, exhibitions and education programs to encourage the understanding of Judaism. The festival will take place from January 12-27 at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center and is their 20th anniversary. It is presented by The Jewish Museum and The Film Society of Lincoln Center. The Lincoln Center, which is a very well known and renowned NY establishment for the performing arts is a great way to encourage people to come see the NYJFF and the relationship that the Center has with NY gives the NYJFF credibility and the venue alone can attract a bigger audience. The website explains what the festival is and lists what the program includes. There is a diverse selection for the NYJFF including narrative features, documentaries and short stories with world, US and NY premieres. They include a link to this year's line up which consisted of over 20 titles! I was not expecting such an assortment but it is beneficial to the NYJFF because people are very likely to find at least one thing that interests them enough to buy a ticket. The tickets are $12 for the public, $9 for students, $7 for Jewish Museum and Film Society Members and $8 for seniors. Tickets can be purchased online or in person, and the discounted price for members gives people an incentive to join the Jewish Museum or Film Society and get more involved. You can also sign up for newsletters and give your email to receive information about whatever section interests you. They make it very easy to navigate and find what you want, however there was barely any information about what makes a film eligible to be in the NYJFF. 

As I tried to look for what I unsuccessfully found on the previous website I visited (what makes a film "Jewish") I had better luck at the film festivals in Pittsburgh and Denver. The Denver website, www.maccjcc.org had an application for people to send in to try and get their film chosen to be presented. I was unable to see this because the entries for the upcoming event were already closed. However, when I went to their "2010 FAQ" section, they had a response to the million dollar question, what makes a film Jewish? Their response was that there is not one answer, but they show films to celebrate the human experience from a Jewish perspective or topic. The festivals main focus is on contemporary film with genres probing Jewish identity, history, culture and experience. In doing this, the themes of the films are on a more universal level that everyone can relate too, uniting all people. They also briefly explain the way that films are chosen, listing two ways. First, they look to other festivals to see what they are showing and research the ways that they function. They also build connections with film distributors and their festival director requests films they find, and like for previewing. In addition, they have an open call for submissions. Any film maker can submit a film which is then evaluated by their selection committee during the summer into the early fall. 

The Pittsburgh festivals' website has a note from their chairman, Iris Samson describing what makes a film Jewish. She goes through the criteria they look when selecting the films for that year. The storyline must have a Jewish theme, the subject matter must be prevalent and of concern of the Jewish community, the characters, actots or director are Jewish themselves and peripherally look at Jewish issues and lastly, the film should convey some aspect of Jewish life or culture that we wouldn't ordinarily be exposed too. 

Having a set of criteria is a good way to organize the Jewish Film Festivals but I find it problematic to just say that a film has to have a Jewish theme, because it brings up a similar issue- what makes a theme specifically Jewish? 

These festivals create a sense of unity amongst Jewish people because everyone can relate to what is being presented. They also do a good job assimilating Judaism into our modern society and are entertaining and enjoyable for everyone, even those who do not identify as being Jewish. In general, they bring more publicity to Jewish film which otherwise does not get very much attention. 

John Galliano- this seasons fashion faux pas! Sent out the "Dior" and headed to rehab?

Being an apparel merchandising major here at IU, I wanted to blog about the latest John Galliano scandal which combines the high end fashion world with Judaism, one unlikely match. I wanted to approach this story from two ends to get an opinion from someone who is identified as being Jewish and someone who just reported about the topic to write an article for a newspaper. I looked at the "Fashion & Style" section of the New York Times magazine online where they had an article titled, "Dior Fires John Galliano After Biogtry  Complaints." The article discusses the video that surfaced with Galliano drunkenly making anti-Semitic remarks at a restaurant in Paris and discusses how Dior and its parent brand LVMH had to act quickly to defends the brands integrity and reputation since what was said by Galliano are words that strongly go against values Dior has defended for years. I watched the video on Youtube that was posted from a CNN News show. He speaks in a slurred voice saying, "I love Hitler" and "people like you would be dead, your mother and your forefathers would f***ing gass and f***ing dead." They also recount the reaction from Natalie Portman who recently signed a deal with Dior for its Miss Dior Cherie perfume. She claims to be disgusted and surprised by the things he has said and will no longer be supportive or associated with the designer in anyway. In addition, Portman chose to wear a gown from Rodarte instead of Galliano for the Academy Awards. The designer is still denying that he has made any anti-Semitic comments and submitted testimonials from employees and witnesses to try and disprove the complaints that were filed. In addition, some people are encouraging John to head to rehab for his alcoholism to try and excuses his actions. However, alcoholic or not, Galliano is now fired and could be facing $31,000 in fines and up to six months in prison but Dior plans to go through with his 2011-2012 collection. 

Next, I looked on jpost.com to see if the content or attitude of the article differed from the one published in the New York Times. There was an article about Galliano in the "International" section but it was less detailed then the one I had read before but when I searched "Galliano" on the website, multiple articles came up. The article I looked at next was called, "Disgraced Galliano said to have claimed 'Jewish roots'" and had pretty much the same information that I had just seen but they included speculation of the history of Christian Dior's collaboration with the Nazis. According to the German and British press when Dior was alive he designed clothing for the wives and mistresses of leading Nazi's. As mentioned above, the company released statements reassuring the public that what Galliano said is not what Dior promotes but they have said nothing about the Nazi history of its founder. Considering that both of the articles I looked at came from published places there was little room for opinion and they both just gave pretty basic information about the situation. I was curious about the area that bar this took place at was in and found an article on express.co.uk which had an article under world news called, "Paris and its Dedicated Followers of a New-Found Fashion for Anti-Semitism" This talks about France and the bar Galliano was at, and how it has become a spot for people who hate Jews to congregate at. One would not typically expect behavior from a neighborhood like this one because it is wealthy with nice houses where important and famous people often go. People have reported anti-Semitic songs, the yelling 'Seig hail!' 'Seig hail' and even Nazi salutes outside of the front door. 
Although this is illegal in France, these people do not seem to care and there according to the Jewish Community protection service, anti-Semitism has grown since 2000 to about 500 attacks per year. Why anti-Semitism has become "fashionable" anywhere is beyond me and the entire Galliano dispute has brought much attention to the fashion world and Judaism everywhere. I am interested to see how it will effect our society in the future and if anything will change because of this huge public happening that has become a priority for such a huge industry and has forced them to take action and make changes. 

Judaism goes theatrical

This week, we are talking about Jewish theatre and navigating through the website, www.jewish-theatre.com. Right away, the homepage presents the websites mission and states, "The Global Website to Promote and Enhance Jewish Theatre and Performing Arts Worldwide." I found it interesting that they differentiated theater and performing arts, since they are often grouped as one. I was wondering if they had criteria to what makes a play or art "Jewish" similar to the way that people identify their novel as "Jewish." Their "About Us" section was very informative and they discuss how All About Jewish Theater works as an online middle man between their theater and their worldwide audience by looking into the past, keeping up with the present and planning for the future. They work to inform their visitors about history as well as every day happenings involving Jewish theater and performing arts. They also include in their mission, the need to make Jewish culture accessible for all. They list ways that they do this including, promoting the study of Jewish theater digitally, provide an interactive global network for audiences and encourage the creation of new Jewish theatre. They provide several services on their one website such as, news articles, websites, organizations/artists in the field of Jewish culture, book reviews, information on upcoming conferences and festivals all around the world.
They list their target audience which mainly includes professions in the field that this website concentrates on like directors, playwrights and actors but then they also include the Jewish community as a whole. This felt very broad to me, and it seemed unrealistic that they would be able to get people involved in their site just because they label their theater, Jewish. I continued to look through their information and checked out the "News" section which had so much information it was way too overwhelming. They cover so many different topics that it became hard to sort through it all to find what I wanted which was, what makes theater Jewish or not.
Wanting to move onto another website, I typed in "Jewish Theatre" onto google and saw that there were several different websites, organized by city. There was Jewish Theatre San Francisco, Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, New York etc. Being from New York and knowing a little bit about the cultural and historical importance of Broadway in NYC I clicked on the Jewishtheater.org to see what it said. They market their new show Saida, opening in May and describe it as a "Tunisian Love Story." Something that I noticed right away was that on the top of the page it says, "The Jewish Theater of New York. Daring to Think Differently." I thought it was interesting that they make it seem like Jewish theater is something unique and out of the ordinary that cultured people are able to appreciate and understand. Their mission is to put on plays and musicals that have a new spin on Jewish culture, identity  and history, to examine Jewish life throughout history, to discuss anti-Semitism and look at their cause and effects, to address issues affecting the US and Israel, to promote a relationship between Jewish and non Jewish communities to discuss problems influencing Jewish life and culture, as well as really looking into our Jewish identity. I felt that this website gave a much better idea about the type of plays they put on and I liked their mission. I think it is important for something like this to be in a place like NY where theater is so influential. I also found it interesting that they include in their "Philosophy" section, that they love the questions but hate the answers. They leave it up to the audience to decide what is good or bad, who is the hero or the villain, leaving each show unbiased by an outside opinion or view. This especially helps when trying to sort out your own Jewish identity so you can come up with ideas on your own and create your own beliefs and values to be a part of your identity as a Jew.
Lastly, I looked at their reviews to try and get an idea about who is attending a place like this. They had reviews from the US and abroad including The New York Times, The New York Post, The Jewish Week, Caribbean New Yorker, New York Amsterdam News and more. I was pleased to see the diverse sources that have reviewed the Jewish Theater of New York and it shows that people from all over have been to a show here, it is not just targeted at one specific market.

Birthright- the up and coming summer camp for young Jewish adults?

For the past few weeks I have heard many of my friends talk about wanting to go on Birthright-Taglit and their plan to sign up as soon as possible to ensure a spot on the trip. As the first day that applications were being accepted, I watched the frenzy of people waking up early, signing online to get their information in right away. The extremely competitive feel of this entire process made me want to investigate it further. As I started too look on the web, I came across an article on jpost.com about a the new high demand for Birthright in North America. I have discussed before the "trendy" and social aspect of the trip so I found this information to be very interesting. It is now the way that many young adults want to spent part of their summer. The organization stated that they had 40,108 applicants this year over a seven day registration period, which is 1,334 more then last year when people were able to register for two more weeks. They had 1,000 people sign up in the first minute!
The huge number of young Jewish adults that want too take this summer trip to Israel shows how it has become somewhat a right of passage and an effective way to connect Israel and Diaspora. In addition, people who go on Birthright have been found to stay more connected with Judaism and their heritage with those who do not. With an increase in applicants I wondered how they were able to keep up with their funding. I researched more about who provides the money for the trip because the cost of each participant if $3000, clearly not enough to fund the entire project. I searched on the Birthright website (www.birthrightisrael.com) which had a section titled "Donate." Here it went into more depth about the economic situation of the foundation and they listed The Jewish Federation, JAFI and the Government of Israel as their strongest partners. In addition, they have more then 12,000 new donors in North America stemming from alumni, parent's and the diverse communities that these people live in. I looked deeper into the finances of the trip and went to www.sdjewishworld.com where it said that in order to achieve their 2013 goal of they will need to match the Israeli governments increased commitment to raise corresponding funds from individual donors. This challenges donors who are part of the Birthright Israel Foundation,  the Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Agency for Israel. There was not much information about how they plan to market the trip and raise more money and I am interested to see how they evolve and change as more and more people become interested in the trip.
The article on jpost.com took the data from registration to come up with the percentages of the amount of Reform, "Just Jewish", Conservative, Orthodox and "Other" applicants. 41% said Reform, 26% said "Just Jewish", 21% Conservative, 4% Orthodox and 8% "Other." The applications came predominately from Reform Jews which was so interesting and wondered why so many more Reform Jew's wanted to apply to the trip considering that is typically known as being the the "least" religious movement. Going to Israel and experiencing all of the history would seem to be like something all Jewish people would want to do, regardless of what movement they belong too but there was such a low number of conservative and orthodox Jews who applied.
With so many trips that send young adults to Israel, Birthright-Taglit seems to be the first choice of many people. I think that over time they have built a reputation and everyone I know has at least heard about the trip. Their website is very easy to navigate and covers many things like, "About us" "The trip" "Next" "After the trip" and "Donate." They give people opportunities to connect locally and internationally, have events, programs and other opportunities within your community and even have an application where you can see what is going on in your city. In addition, they allow people to connect to alumni in your community and Israel, so even if you are not attending the 10 day trip to Israel, you are able to participate and stay connected to their organization. I believe that doing this is extremely important for Birthright Israel and marketing their name in more then one way allows them they expand their organization to include more people and build their reputation. Doing this ultimately encourages people to continue to connect to Israel and their Jewish heritage as well as explore their Jewish identity on a deeper level, through their trip to Israel.

Matisyajew vs Drake

After being introduced to multiple Jewish artist's and assigned to investigate aspects of their CD's like artist, objectives, lyrics, genre, album cover etc the point was brought up about someone who is an artist and jewish, and someone who is a Jewish artist. This was something I had never thought about before and the differentiation interested me. We briefly spoke about Matisyahu and his story as a Jewish individual so I began my search with him. I came to an article from the Jewish Chronical online (thejc.com) titled, "Matisyahu: I am more Jewish then Drake." This automatically caught my attention and I was shocked to see something like this posted and it seemed to fit perfectly with the topic of this class. What is Jewish? Can someone or something be more Jewish then another? And if so, what standard's are we too go by? These are all questions we are investigating through the material.
According to Matisyahu, Drake, who is has publicly declared himself as being Jewish "does not represent Jews or Judaism" and "his Jewish is just a by product." Matisyahu claims that as an artist, he is trying to incorporate his past traditions with modern day life and has said that he is the "best" Jew to have done what he has accomplished as an artist. I found similar articles like this all over the website, on gossip magazine websites and blogs showing that issues concerning Judaism and what it means as an identity is prevalent in our society and in the media.
This article alone brings up several issues. Who is Matisyahu to say what represents Jewish, and how can he see himself as "better" then others. Although many of his songs have Jerusalem-themed tracks, does that make him any more authentic? Then, this brings up the problem of authenticity. I was surprised to see Matisyahu bashed Drake as a Jew, but not as an artist. We also discussed how identifying as a Jew affects your career and the market you reach out too as an artist, but in this case it seems like Drake is using his religious identity, to his benefit.
I continued to read more about Matisyahu and saw many pictures of him preforming with his black hat and peyot which I feel some can argue seems to be a little bit of an "act." The entire make up that scream I am Jewish may be who he really is or may be part of his identity as an artist because there is a difference. In that industry whoever you portray yourself to be is the act you must keep up so how do we as viewers know what the artist actually stands for?

Magazines for the young, new "jew-eration"

The different magazines this week were all targeted for a younger generation of people and it was interesting to see how each of them reached out to the age group they were aiming towards. Heeb magazine did a great job of making their website look fun and new right off of the bat. There were eye catching fonts, bright colors and pictures. What I thought they did that was an extremely good idea was to incorporate Jewish famous people into their site. They had Celebrities updates, articles, gossip stories, and even links to outrageous, but funny videos about Jews. The video's posted alone say something about this site, and the targeted consumer. Many of them are mocking Jewish stereotypes that younger teenagers would find funny. Things like this become the new media sensations because the younger generation finds this kind of humor down right hilarious. Something I found particularly interesting was their "Heeb 100" which is a link on their page to pictures of people who make a difference in the world doing different things like music, fashion, film, etc. I noticed that you had to get nominated to get onto the list and they specify that you can a Jew or "half a jew". This notion of "half" of a Jew seems problematic in defining Jewish identity because it is difficult to define what exactly half is. They do not explain further what they meant by this but it dennotes that people who are not fully Jewish by some standard can be considered a top 100 "Heebster." I liked how "hip" this website seemed to be, and they even had a funny slogan at the time saying, "We pledge not to abuse you email" right next to the line you can put in you address. I felt like this kind of a website would be one that people would check out because it integrates a lot of pop culture which is what young people know and expect to see. This idea of keeping up with the time is crucial for magazines like this and they have ways for fans to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. I think that this magazine does a good job at mixing Judaism with culture to create a website appropriate for the people they want to be using it.
New Voices, appears to be a more serious website that focuses on connecting Jewish students and showing them how to conserve Judaism. It is written for college students and aims to cultivate new generations of Jewish journalists and creating young media to speak to young Jews so they use their own heritage and integrate it into their lives however they feel comfortable. It is a good resource for Jewish students and they have trips to Israel as well as other relevant updates about other Jewish schools. 
The Zeek Magazing encourages the youth to be involved in their Jewish community. They stay connected in print and online and their printed journal included poetry, fiction, art, and themed essays. They strongly believe in publishing Jewish content to keep Judaism a vibrant religion and culture. They do not try and define Jewish identity but want to make sure it thrives by discussing and debating prevalent issues. This website focuses on Jewish life today, and does so without using public media and celebrity endorsements. 
Habitus seems to be more focused on the literature and culture of different cities. Each issue is a different city and it brings up emotional and political issues that define us, and shows how people do things differently in different places. It is focused in Judaism but also looks at issues going on in the world in general. This website seemed to be the least modern and is the last one I think I want to look at.  
Each website reached out in different way buts I think that as society changes, these websites do too. There are certain morals for organizations and publications that will remain the same, but websites like Heeb really know how to please their audience and that is the only way that Judaism I think, is truly going to change and affect the lives of young teens. Using things going on in today's real world and showing how they relate to Religion and Jewish identity is how younger people will grow and develop their own identity as a Jew.

Judaism + Accessories= Fashions latest trend?

After finishing our discussion about Jewish fiction in class at the beginning of this week, I continued to think about our concluding question of why Jewish authors are selling themselves and why they even bother giving out awards. We came up with ideas like publicity and promotion so that there are more chances that people will buy the book and in addition to try and continue the Jewish people. I started to brainstorm the ways that people encourage Jews to do things "Jewishly" and how Judaism continues to push outwards into our society. One idea is that Judaism has been around forever so we have no choice but to continue it. Another way is to target the people most at risk for leaving Judaism (the age group of 20-25 year olds) and make sure that they stay immersed in the culture. Reaching out to this age group can be challenging and I do not know many young people who practice Judaism or any religion for that matter continually. Even my roommate who is Israeli and keeps kosher at home with her family does not practice those same rituals here at IU. In general, most of the people I have met here that are Jewish just observe for the high holy days when they get dragged to temple by their parents. So how do we make Judaism new, modern and appealing for these young individuals before it is too late? Now this question really got me wondering and I began to think about myself. I thought about the ways that Judaism is the every day life of my friends and I who all identify as being Jewish and who are between the ages of 20 and 25. I came to the conclusion, that over the last several years certain things that are identified with Judaism have actually become trendy. For example, taking trips to Israel through Birthright or other organizations has in some way become a fad. It is not all about going to Israel to see history and have an educational experience, it has also become a way to socialize and many young people that go, go with their friends or other people that they know. Also, things like the evil eye, hamsa, Kabbalah symbols etc are now seen in fashion magazines, worn by celebrities and people all around the world. You can find bracelets, earrings, necklaces, rings, pictures and more with symbols associated with Israel and Judaism on websites and in stores. We have started to market Judaism as something that is cool and trendy. I have to admit, I several pieces of jewelry like this and it has become a huge fashion trend. To prove this point, I went to a website my friends and I frequent often, singer22.com. There were over 11 pieces of jewelry with a hamsa's, evil eyes and red strings. I do not know how this became such a fad, but I found it so interesting that Judaism is now fashionable and cool. I think this is a great way to keep Judaism in the minds of young people and teach them what these symbols mean and why they should wear them. I also looked on the website cjnews.com. This website is The Canadian Jewish News and I found a very interesting article about the Ohel Ya'Akov Community Kollel which was started by a Rabbi who felt a need for a non-conventional Jewish institution. It explains how the Kollel became a meeting place for Jews to meet other Jews. The Rabbi marketed his place and held Kabbalah meetings and Friday night dinners each week. People had little faith that young Jewish people who come for weekly dinners but what started out as 10 people at a table has turned into 100. He urged how we have to market Judaism as something cool or else it will be lost. The idea to create a place that is not a Shul for young people to feel comfortable attending was very smart and sometimes religious buildings can be intimidating. Many have the preconceived notion that religion is serious and dull so making Judaism fun and social is key in encouraging young people to do this Jewish.

The Final Solution

The Final Solution, written by Michael Chabon, won the National Jewish Book Award for fiction in 2005. Chabon is known for his themes like nostalgia, divorce, abandonment, fatherhood and jewish identity, all things that a mass audience can relate too. I went to the Jewish Book Council's website, www.jewishbookcouncil.org to read a little more about what the award really means. There website is very straightforward and clear which made it easy for me to navigate and find the, National Jewish Book Award tab that included information on winners, guidelines, ceremonies etc. The mission that they have on their website is to choose books appealing to a big audience. As mentioned above, The Final Solution did just that. The author picked issues to raise that many people have gone through or can easily connect with. The book must also be about Jewish Content. This story takes place during the Holocaust, and begins with the encounter of an old man and a young boy who is a German-Jewish refugee staying with an Anglican priest and his family. This plot line also qualifies it for the award, it incorporates real life experiences that happened during this time in Jewish history. Another guideline is that the books must be hardcover or original paperback and published between January 1 and December 31 of the year that it is being taken under consideration. In addition, the book must be primarily printed in English and sold in the United states and The National Jewish Book Award submission period is only from early summer to late September or early October. I think that besides the book fitting all of the above criteria, the story itself is one to be celebrated. It has similarities to Sherlock homes which is very interesting and relatable to even more people who have read the book. I also believe it won the award because although it was fiction, it was based off of true life events and had a very interesting and intriguing plot line. I think it is important to celebrate Jewish fiction, not just old sacred texts because it keeps the old traditions and hardships relevant and they remain important in today's society. I think that Jewish fiction is all about that, keep the old and making it work with the new. Fiction deals with events that are not real but are imaginary, but what makes it Jewish fiction is taking the things that are pretend, integrating them with important events and dates that are in our Jewish history and making a modern, entertaining, gripping story out of it. I think having Jewish fiction helps find our Jewish identity because we can pick things our and say, "thats like me" or "thats not like me" knowing that someone who identifies themselves as Jewish could feel either way, shows how identity is not black and white. When thinking about what defines "Jewish" literature, I went to barnesandnoble.com to see what the website had on this genre of book. Jewish fiction and literature is a category under people's and cultures. What interested me the most about this is that books based on Judaism are not under a religious category, rather they are considered cultural.  

Which Jew is right for you?

When we started to compare and contrast conservative Judaism with orthodox Judaism, we began to look at what it means to be a orthodox Jew. They participate in a strict following of Jewish law, and go by the Halakha, stressing the importance of following this fully and not moving away from it at all. When we looked into reform and conservative Judaism, they were both open to innovation and modernity and allowed those who followed them to fit Judaism into their own lives. Those groups allow themselves to change over time based on the way things are in the outside world. This liberal view differed completely from the orthodox following who is out to change society, not allow society doesn’t change them. The stereotypes for orthodox Judaism present it as being old and very strict, however to my surprise orthodox groups were the first to introduce things like guitar and internet, so they may not be as traditional as people tend to believe. Other values in orthodox Judaism that differ from reform and conservative is the role that men and women play. They can both be religious authorities by women are limited in occupation and cannot take on the position of something like a Rabbi. The reform traditions look at men and women as totally equal, showing another factor of their more liberal view. Women are also expected to cover up their arms and legs by wearing long pants or skirts and long sleeves or sweaters. They are able to play with this idea of modesty and wear something like a mini skirt with tights which was really interesting to me because when I think of the dress of an orthodox Jew, I would not envision something like that. When we looked at the orthodox website, an individual in class expressed how it was difficult to understand for someone who is not Jewish. The reform and conservative websites were much more accessible and manageable for all people, not only those who have previous knowledge about Judaism. The values that are part of each following, are displayed visually on each of the websites so that they are representational of either reform, conservative or orthodox Judaism.

Gates of Prayer; an all inclusive guide to Judaism

The notion of modernity has been embedded into religion and has been discussed in our class in relation to Reform Judaism. I thought it was interesting to think about tradition and Judaism as something modern, when it dates back historically several of years ago. I got the impression that Reform Judaism seemed to be more of a trendy kind of thing, that remained open for the unique identities of people in our society. Reading more on Reform Judaism, I was fascinated that there was recently a new prayer book that came out to meet the needs of the tradition. I had never thought about Reform, Conservative and Orthodox having different prayer books, although they do have different practices and rituals. Going along with modernity, the new book, Gates of Prayer offers many different ways for someone to read it. This shows how they incorporate and support the different types of religious followers and beliefs. Instead of being exclusive, it seems to be rather inclusive. After taking these things into consideration, it got me wondering if the websites representational of Reform Judaism differed from those of Conservative Judaism. After looking at reformjudaism.org and uscj.org the USCJ seemed to have more information, with 7 different tabs of information like, Jewish Living & Learning, social action, leadership and administration, Israel, holidays and etc. The conservative website had what seemed like a more concrete path for taking Jewish journeys, where the Reform outlook is that it Judaism can be whatever will be beneficial to your life and yourself. The two websites did not differ as much as I had expected as far as the actual makeup of the site but uscj.com has a more extensive website. It included more information about finances, people with disabilities, programs in Israel, where Reform Judaism was more about learning, experience and the congregation. After finding this, I thought about the preconceived notion that Reform Judaism is less religious then the others. From personal experience, belonging to a Reform temple, I have heard people talk about Reform Judaism as some kind of a "joke" and how much shorter and more casual the services and overall environment of the temple was then those who belong to a conservative or orthodox temple. Looking at the way the websites are presented, I would think that the more serious presentation and information on uscj.com would lead one to agree with this assumption.

The Authentic Jew

The second day of class our topic was, “Ground rules: Exploring Signposts of Jewish Identity.” When I saw the name of the Cheng article that was assigned for that day immediately caught my interest; “The Inauthentic Jew: Jewishness and Its Discontents.” The notion of authenticity is a strange one because who can say what is authentic enough to be able to consider yourself a certain identity. Of course, the goal of the course is to investigate what makes someone “Jewish”, but I appreciated an article written by someone who identifies himself as a Jew without ever converting to the religion. This struggle for identity as a Jew is one that I can relate to on a more personal level. I identify with being Jewish, I was Bat Mitzvah, attended temple on the high holy days and went to Hebrew school. However, only my father is Jewish. My mother was raised Catholic and has never converted to Judaism but goes to temple with us and fully supported the choice to raise us Jewish. So I follow rituals that are thought of by many as traditionally Jewish, but my mother is not Jewish and each year we also celebrate Christmas. I liked how Cheng broke it down in his article saying that race or ethnicity, religion, culture and nation/nationalism are all components of what need to be analyzed when defining authenticity. Even when looking at these things, it is hard to conclude who and what is Jewish which we found out when we looked up different people. Do you need to fit into a certain number of categories to be Jewish? Or is having one just enough. Our group had Gwyneth Paltrow and it was really fascinating to see how she reacted to the question about being Jewish. With a Jewish father, she considers herself Jewish although she was never Batmitzvah and her husband follows a different faith. After looking into some more about what makes someone Jewish, I started to notice how the websites of organized companies that affiliate themselves with the Jewish faith define what is Jewish by their standards. For example when we looked at www.reformjudaism.org, the website highlighted a few key concepts that they wanted to be associated with the identity of Judaism like Tikkun olam, diversity, equality and acceptance of all gays, lesbians and women and God the Torah and Israel. Looking into identity is very complex and there are several qualities and characteristics that could be considered Jewish.