January 2011
1 post
Why 30 Rock is the Second Best Show on Television
Lemon: All right, Tracy, the kid gloves are coming off.
Tracy: Oh, that explains it. Those are gloves. No wonder they're so coarse and wrinkly.
Lemon: Five years ago, I rescued your career. And how do you repay me? By making my life harder at every turn. You are late, you blow off rehearsals, and your online romance prank was not funny. I fell in love with you!
Tracy: Hahahahaha. You wore a yellow hat to that coffee shop. You know what's actually funny about all this? You think I'm the problem. Have you ever tried to work with you?
Lemon: Really? You're trying to blame me?
Tracy: Five years ago, I saved your show. I rode on here in a white horse that you made me leave in the lobby.
August 2010
1 post
“Breaking News: Major World Religions Rename Their Celestial Ruler as ‘Fun,’...”
– All agree: those who believe and act in the name of Fun are guaranteed immense happiness in the presentlife. (via culturecash)
December 2009
1 post
Intolerance of Christmas in Jerusalem is the...
I agree with Rabbi Hirschfield in his post today in the Jewish Journal in which he condemns the group Lobby for Jewish Values for their public fliering against the celebration of Christmas and “foolish” Christian symbols. I agree with him on principle in his outright condemnation of religious intolerance. I applaud his “footnotes” (Biblical references to religious tolerance, really)...
July 2009
1 post
“Many religions approach their movements like a ladder: the higher up you climb,...”
– http://www.jewcy.com/post/what_flavor_jew_are_you
February 2009
2 posts
JPost: Israel's renewable-energy dreams set to... →
WESLEY PINKHAM and MATTHEW KRIEGER , THE JERUSALEM POST
It's a Wrap
Well, I’ve been home for over a month now. Readjusting to school, trying to reposition myself to make some positive changes for the people around me.
I find myself cutting in line, as it was to be expected. However, I also find myself getting into many almost-fights while I’m out in Westwood on account of my hyper-agressiveness. Also, Persians seem to not like me.
I find myself...
December 2008
3 posts
Some additional thoughts on Gaza
I’m closing up my study abroad time here in Jerusalem. After 5 months, I have to admit that I’m just sick of religion and politics and war. But I’ve also learned a few things. This is no longer an issue of national identities, unfortunately. It has boiled down into a war of ideas, perhaps the worst kind of war because it means top-to-bottom reconciliation on a whole...
Tensions Devolve into Violence
Why do we clip our fingernails if they keep growing back?
Violence begets violence, and with Hamas, as soon as one top official is killed, another steps into his place. So Israel, after experiencing relentless mortars and Qassam rockets fired at the southern regions of Ashkelon and Be’er Sheva, as many as 80 in one day, decided to do something else.
Rather than keep clipping the...
Graffiti & Israel's Largest Canvas
Please view my presentation on Banksy and other artistic responses to the West Bank Barrier. Some label it the “Apartheid Wall” and some call it the “Security Fence.” Others call it canvas:
November 2008
12 posts
Happy Thanksgiving all! I’m having dinner...
We're Halfway Through Classes
And I haven’t even posted which classes I’m taking!
Hebrew - Level Bet - Accelerated I’ll be finishing the whole level in one semester, which means I’ll have completed 2 years in 5 months. Suuuuucks…
Art in Israel It would be hard to find a class like this anywhere else. Had my midterm on Sunday.
Chassidism: From Mystic Fraternity to Reactionary Movement Great...
MAKE SOMETHING NEW
i’ve decided to work in arts non-profit. whether it’s working directly with the artist or marketing or ticket sales it doesn’t matter. what does matter are the bits and pieces of the crowd that comes together in this profession are truly multi-cultural and multi-talented. that makes me happy. and it’s nice to have a moment to say that this is what makes me happy and i can...
RI woman loses appeal in Nazi-era art lawsuit →
A painting forcibly auctioned by Germany’s Nazi government should remain with the estate of a late Jewish art dealer who lost it when his gallery was liquidated, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
UJC General Assembly, NextGen Day
On Sunday and Monday, I had the chance to represent Hebrew University Hillel at the United Jewish Communities’s General Assembly, held this year in Jerusalem at the Binyanei Ha’uma (Convention Center). Once every five years, the most powerful leaders in the Jewish world, primarily from the regional federations, gather in Israel to give eachother a hearty pat-on-the-back. The other 4...
Facing Jihad Conference in Jerusalem Postponed →
Who wants to show up in Washington for the Inauguration? Likely to be the biggest party in American history. LBJ’s inauguration was ~1.2M people and the Government has stopped estimating crowds. I can’t imagine this NOT topping 2 million in the streets.
“This victory alone is not the change we seek”
Vanilla and Garlic Mashed Potatoes (meat meal...
Tales from a Kosher Kitchen:
Take a bag of potatoes and cube them. Don’t bother peeling, because the peels will give it texture and nutrients. Cut up 8-10 cloves of garlic. Boil them together for about 20 minutes. Strain the potatoes and return to pot or mixer. If in Israel and without a mixer, dicer or anything good for mashing potatoes, use a fork. If required by those who keep kosher to...
October 2008
11 posts
There's a beautiful rainbow outside my window at...
Barukh ata adonai eloheinu melekh ha’olam zokheir hab’rit v’ne’eman bivrito v’kayam b’ma’amaro Blessed are you Lord, king of everything, who remember the covenant and is faithful to that covenant and keeps G!d’s promise.
It’s been quite rainy the past three days here in Jerusalem, and it should come as no surprise. Why should it come as no...
WatchThis film is violent and controversial, watch it with discretion.
Geerts Wilder’s film Fitna addresses so-called Islamo-Fascism in the world with a particular focus on his native Holland. The film will screen at the Facing Jihad conference. A lot of stuff to chew on…
Facing Jihad: A Lawmaker's Summit →
We are ugly but we have the music
The weather here in Jerusalem is changing and so am I! I find myself likely to wear my peacoat before heading out into the city at night as the winds up here on Har Hatzofim (Mount Scopus) are really nippy.
This week I went camping up near Mount Carmel near Haifa. We left on Sunday afternoon and took a Sherut (shared cab) up to a free campsite in Hof HaCarmel (Carmel forest). We staked out water,...
My Address Here
2 Lohamey Hagetaot St. Student Village Bldg 3 Apt 64 Rm 1 Jerusalem, Israel 97880
Thousands of Christians march in Jerusalem parade →
At Ruder-Finn, we work with the ICEJ to help publicize their events. Today was the parade which was a spectrum of Christian Zionists (see Messianic Jews) from around 100 countries.
“As a World Arts an Cultures major, I didn’t know whether to have a seizure...”
– My response to working the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem’s Feast of Tabernacles parade
Jerusalem has been “closed” for 10 of the past 23 days.
Politics as Usual
Your out-of-work, uneducated brother-in-law comes to you for $500,000 to buy a house. He doesn’t have a steady track record, but he promises to pay you back and you’ve got a lot of money in the bank. Do you really think you’re going to get your money back in full? This was a bad decision on your part, and chances are, you’re going to have to bite the bullet.
Now, if...
September 2008
13 posts
Rosh HaShana Plans
For the holiday, here is what I’ve done/I’m planning on doing.
On Thursday, I went to the Cotel (Western Wall) at 1 in the morning. There, we found many observant Jews praying the Slichot service. The many minions were conducted only in very fast Hebrew, and I was not able to follow it. Instead, I spent time praying at the Cotel, with the words in my heart. Afterwards, we walked to...
“!שנה טובה”
– Happy New Year. May your year be filled with honey and gladness.
You Say Shalom and I Say Shalom!
Paul is Dead? No way! Paul isRael! This weekend I saw Paul McCartney from the front row.
The Beatles are my favorite band, they always have been. The first CD my parents ever bought me was The Beatles (White Album). I remember sitting in my room listening to Mother Nature’s Son over and over. When I was young, I enjoyed the fun, simple melodies of early Beatles stuff. But as I’ve gone...
“It is better to keep one’s mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open...”
– Sarah Palin is yet to give a press conference, and has completed only 3 interviews.
“An Arab resident of east Jerusalem rammed his vehicle into a group of soldiers...”
– JPost
John Lennon interview, 1969, by the luckiest 14-year old in the world
I'll keep on moving/Things are bound to be...
Song reference.
I’ve been having a hard time adjusting this week. Ulpan is ending soon and so I’ll have about a month off. I’ll be starting my internship soon, but I’ll also have a lot of free time. As I’ve been having trouble sleeping, my days have been sort of a blur. I’d be lying if I said that things were easy right now.
I’m addicted to the election...
“Being abroad makes you conscious of the whole imitative side of human behavior....”
– Mary McCarthy, author
Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Rothberg International School offers an internship program for semester/one-year program students. As part of my time here, I am looking to find opportunities to both be effected by and affect my surroundings simultaneously. Today I interviewed with Ruder Finn Israel, a marketing and public relations firm based in Jerusalem. It was the first English-language...
On Speaking in Hebrew
Last night, as well as the previous night, me and a few friends went down to the city center to visit a favorite pub and a nearby discoteque. Specifically, Rivlin Street is a destination for young Israelis, abroad students, and adventurous tourists. Zolli’s has a nice happy hour (Zol literally means cheap) and the dance club, Triple, is conveniently located. I’m really not a big fan of...
“I live here
I’m not a tourist
I DON’T answer questions”
– A t-shirt worn by another Rothberg student
August 2008
13 posts
Love Shak(shuka)
I have some updating to do of my recent trip to Tel Aviv and my subsequent sunburn, but that post will take a while to write and I don’t want to fall too far behind in what’s going on day-to-day.
Today, I took a wine tour to Benyamina Winery in the north, near Zikhron Ya’akov, a prominent wine region in Israel. We toured the premises, with its shiny steel processing and damp...
