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.