Jerusalem Syndrome

"Many religions approach their movements like a ladder: the higher up you climb, the more..."

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 04:17:12 -0400

“

Many religions approach their movements like a ladder: the higher up you climb, the more “authentic” your faith. And generally speaking, the more conservative practice is usually what you’re striving for. Judaism has a motto of horizontally-intergrated faith. A belief that Judaism is not a climb to the top, but rather a continuum that you place yourself on. More liberal? Slide to the left! More Orthodox, then move to the right.

Judaism, for me, is more like a spider web. A spider web starts by having a few pillars to hold it together. From these platforms, the spider is able to weave its web to the center. The purpose: to catch what the spider needs in order to survive. If one of the pillars that the web is connected to simply cannot hold the web, then the creative little spider finds a new anchor. If someone breaks the web from the inside, then the spider repairs it, differently than it was originally created. Still, the web stays intact. And every spider web is different, just like everyone’s Judaism.

”

- http://www.jewcy.com/post/what_flavor_jew_are_you

JPost: Israel's renewable-energy dreams set to awaken at Eilat parley

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:55:13 -0500

JPost: Israel's renewable-energy dreams set to awaken at Eilat parley:

WESLEY PINKHAM and MATTHEW KRIEGER , THE JERUSALEM POST

It's a Wrap

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:54:27 -0500

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 saying funny things like “I’m not gonna date Jewish girls no mo” but still find a strong pull towards the strong-nosed, motherly types.

I find myself explaining my time abroad as “a really special experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything. But I’m glad to be home.” This feels like the most truthful way of projecting my time in Israel. There are so many things people expect or hope for me to say upon my return, and while I can say them fairly easily, I just don’t feel like using the verbatim words I’ve heard a hundred times before.

Because, honestly, it might be a while until I go back and I’m okay with that. Right now, Los Angeles is home, even if it’s just a house. I never thought I would find a place with people who move faster than they do in LA, are more blunt about their opinions than LA or has arguably better weather than LA, but Israel was at least all of that for me. So the decompression continues into month number two, and that’s okay. Today was a better day than yesterday. Yesterday was easier than the day before. I only check Ha’aretz and JPost once or twice a day now.

With that, this blog’s purpose has expired. I will probably maintain it in someway. Repurpose it. I hate to let a good URL go to waste.

Some additional thoughts on Gaza

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:29:19 -0500

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 ‘nother dimension. This is now an issue of Western democracy versus Islamic theocracy. On December 24, Hamas voted in favor of implementing Sharia law. If you want to name a straw that broke the camel’s back, I believe this is it. (That’s funny, because there actually are camels here…)

Unfortunately, the Israeli blockade since Hamas took power has made Gazans even more dependent and endeared towards Hamas. This is why the blockade has backfired.

Itamar Marcus at Palestinian Media Watch documents the TV shows, music videos, cartoons and crossword puzzles made available in the territories - the indoctrination is very obvious. Israel has begun to teach about the War of Independence simultaneously as “The Nakhba.” Yet, Hamas teaches only hate and fatalism in its schools. There is no hope in the territories, only a desire for death. Khomeini only encourages this by declaring each death in Gaza a martyr.

Hamas leaders knew that this would happen. Israel’s humiliation in Lebanon in 2006 necessitated a showering of force. Israel has not even received its newest toys from the US yet, which is a whole set of top-of-the-line F-35s. Israel did give fair warning, for nearly two weeks. But the only thing that changed is that Hamas leadership bolted from Gaza to Lebanon while Qassams continued to rain down. 2,500 mortars and qassams have been launched at Israel in 2008.

Imagine sitting down for your morning paper while your kid eats sugar cereal. A siren goes off and you have 12 seconds to get to safety. After 12 seconds, a chunk of your daughter’s wall is missing. What if she had been sleeping? Now imagine this happening over 100 times a month. What would you expect the United States army to do, really?

Tensions Devolve into Violence

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:19:00 -0500

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 fingernails, they decided to cut off the finger at the joint.

Here in Jerusalem, I am isolated from what is happening in Gaza. Certainly there are many Arabs here who are outraged, and I am also quite close to the West Bank. The Arabs in East Jerusalem have a fairly functioning middle class and conditions are definitely better there than they were in 2000-2003. Most violence coming out of East Jerusalem is being perpetrated by youth, teenagers and young adults.

The Old City is supposedly closed off and I’ve been advised to avoid it anyway. Most of the Old City is comprised of Arab residents, even in the Jewish Quarter. Tension can be high there even with smaller incidents such as in Akko earlier this year. However, I would like to visit my friend Suleiman before I leave and here what he thinks about these “developments”. (See what I did there, that was an understatement!)

I’ll be avoiding inter-city public transportation and places like Ben Yehuda. Finals are closing in and I need to stay in and work anyway. I just wanted to update everyone with the situation from my perspective and let you know that I’m safe and well-informed regarding changes going on. Jenna is also here, of course. She is on a trip with a private bus and I’m sure will be fine. All the Birthright trips have full-time security staff.

At this point, the best thing you can do is imagine the human condition in Gaza, because that’s where the tragedy is. But it’s like I told my friend Alex who got caught in Haifa during the Lebanon War in 2007 and came back to study abroad at Hebrew U last spring, “it wouldn’t be abroad in Israel without getting caught in a war.” B’hatzlacha l’Tzahav.

Graffiti & Israel's Largest Canvas

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 05:04:40 -0500

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:

Nariman Chabad House, Mumbai, India The terrorist attacks in...

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:51:44 -0500

Nariman Chabad House, Mumbai, India

The terrorist attacks in Mumbai sent shockwaves through my system today. The Indian special forces have been calculated and impressive, but something disgusting happened to day at Nariman. As I spent the whole day following the Twitter stream with up-to-the-second information, I felt an immense rush of hope after an initial victory was declared. I felt a madness of confusion as information about hostages was not being made available. I knew renewed fear when the battle picked up again on the 3rd floor. I began mourning the terrible news that has emerged since.

5 dead hostages, among them, the Rabbi and his wife. Their 2-year old child was released to safety yesterday and now awaits its new orphaned life. My feelings for Chabad aside, the attack on such Jewish ground is a direct challenge to my senses and my understanding for humanity continually dimineshes.

I will probably write more about this story because this attack has potential repercussions the world-over. Know that India and Pakistan have large nuclear arsenols pointed at eachother, and any unilateral action will invoke immediate responses by China and Russia. This could be the powder keg. The times they are a-changin’.

Happy Thanksgiving all! I’m having dinner here sponsored...

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:39:02 -0500

Happy Thanksgiving all! I’m having dinner here sponsored by Hillel, hopefully it’ll be tasty. As a Thanksgiving present, here’s Matisyahu’s new track Two Child One Drop. Unbelievable.

When I hold youIn my armsAnd I feel your triggerAround my...

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:40:23 -0500

When I hold you
In my arms
And I feel your trigger
Around my finger…

Today marks 40 years since the release of the White Album. Mom and Dad, it was the greatest present you ever gave me. John, Paul, George and Ringo, it was the greatest present you gave the world. Thank you.

We're Halfway Through Classes

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:35:46 -0500

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 idea, not very well structured. The professor, a Chasid with a Ph.D (quite rare) has a hard time facilitating in-class debate, which there’s a lot of…

History of Modern Jewish Thought
Focuses primarily on 18th and 19th Century German thought; we just finished Moses Mendelssohn. I’m really enjoying this class.

Internship Course - Workplace Skills or some shit
This class is not good. The professor has been condescending and quite pessimistic about any career not in business or academia.

It’s way too big of a course load (like 21 units) and I’m regretting it. I wish I could drop the Chasidism class but it’s just not an option anymore. Anyway, back to studying for my Hebrew midterm on Thursday!

MAKE SOMETHING NEW

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:26:27 -0500

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 have it.

RI woman loses appeal in Nazi-era art lawsuit

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:03:17 -0500

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

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:04:13 -0500

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 years it’s held somewhere in North America. It’s been a wild ride and I’ve seen a lot of things that have bored me and put me off while at the same time been invigorated and challenged.

I will do this in a few sections. This is part 1:

Sunday Morning at Yad Vashem

Sunday morning opened at Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority (this is a fancy name for what is the pre-eminent institution for Holocaust studies and artifacts).

On the New Synagogue

Our group, which consisted of Hillel students, started with a short 40-minute tour of the new Synagogue which recently opened. It is a very powerful location, with a design reminiscent of the Hecht Synagogue on the Hebrew University campus.

Hecht Synagogue (1981), by Ron Carmi, features one of the most revered views of Jerusalem.

Yad Vashem Synagogue (2006), by Moshe Safdie

The New Museum synagogue was designed by Moshe Safdie, a world-renown architect who designed this stunning Sephardi-style hall of prayer. Safdie also designed the Skirball and upon entering the shul I had an inkling that this was his creation. Mr. Safdie is an expert with concrete, even if it isn’t his primary medium. Like the Skirball, the new synagogue is a statement on resiliency; the fragile remainders of arks, tables and paintings that surround you from the back are contrasted by the magestic foreground.

The deep, hallow cement is magnificent in its solitude. It is the dreary backdrop of rememberance, and its ark, salvaged from a lost community in Romania bears symbols of tradition, modernity and destruction. Traditionally, you can see the hands of the Kohanim above the ten commandments. The majestic blue is a kabbalistic color, signaling the return of the Messiah. Adorned at the top is a double-headed eagle. This is a difficult symbol to come to terms with, having been propagated and re-invented as a Nazi icon. However, as part of a Romanian ark, it represents a perhaps naive showing of patriotism. Alternatively, it may have been legally required by the Romanian government to carry such an image. The destruction you can see in the incomplete columns that end just at the top of where the doors begin. Yad Vashem chooses not to restore its artifacts, serving as an eternal reminder of objects that represent an entire lost community. Some of these objects are as small as a pair of candlestick holders.

Morning Plenary - The Next Gen Day

After the tour, we were feeling expectedly desolate. We were then ushered out into Warsaw Ghetto Square where we watched a short film and were addressed by the chair of the GA. Then, Mr. Edgar Bronfman, a major philanthropist from Canada who is credited with financial revitalizing the Hillel movement, spoke regarding the importance of re-establishing the Jewish home. It was an interesting departure from a more popular subject, the Jewish homeland and Mr. Bronfman’s slow cadence did little to get the crowd going in the early-morning sun. There is no doubt that Mr. Bronfman’s legacy on the college-age Jew is insurmountable. The entire Hillel chain in Israel will be renamed for him this year and Mr. Bronfman gave $1 Million to the UCLA/Yitzhak Rabin Hillel. In a New York Times article last month, Mr. Bronfman stated that he doesn’t “believe in the God of the Old Testament,” yet he’s still deeply contributing to the Jewish people.

Up next was Mark Wilf, President/Owner of the Minnesota Vikings and co-chair of the event. His message, Am Yisrael Chai, was well received but his candor was less than inspiring. Mr. Wilf and his family are major benefactors of the Jewish community, both in time and money. The Wilf family recently had major renovations to Yeshiva University named after them, as well as an undergraduate scholarship fund. Yeshiva University, a modern-Orthodox program is, as far as I can tell, filled with men who were kippas. I did not see Wilf wearing a kippa, although I may have been mistaken. Regardless, as a president/owner of an NFL team, he is likely not very religious. Are we starting to see a trend here?

These two speakers represent two things: a passion for Jewish leadership and a LOT of money. Mr. Bronfman is listed at $3 Billion, 73rd richest in America in 2005 according to Forbes. The Wilf family’s worth is unknown, but they own a $780 Million franchise which has increased in value over $100 Million in two years. Now, Minnesota is the least valuable franchise in the NFL, but it is in Minnesota - to be fair. So there’s a lot of money being talked about here, and if that wasn’t what they were going for, they would have chosen influential and inspiring spiritual leaders, or tireless and underappreciated colleagues. No, this event was about ritziness, a theme that I continued to see throughout the entire weekend. This was about showing the strength of the Jewish wallet. The effect was not lost on me or the crowd - here are 800 Jewish leaders between the ages of 25 and 45, many working on shoestring budgets to bring their programs to as many places as possible, just dumbfounded by the opportunity these philanthropists present. This is completely contradictory towards the supposed overall message of the GA, a “shared destiny” and common voice; all of us working together, volunteering and collaborating to rebuild the Jewish community from the bottom up. The days of Jewish philanthropy are less relevant now because pouring money into a project does not inherently foster Jewish identities. Granted, programs like Birthright Israel are dependent on donations of this caliber, but now we face a bigger challenge of individual involvement.

Clearly the idea was to set the stage for our further proceedings with a sense of gravity and against the backdrop of tragedy. Why else choose Yad Vashem when there are myriad other evocative locations to kick off the event? This is in line with much of the rhetoric coming from the Jewish community as a whole and has been coming out of the Jewish community for millenia. Like the Holocaust, the Jewish people continue to face consistent existential threats to the continuity of our people. Or do we? The sky is constantly falling - assimilation and intermarriage threaten to destroy the Jewish people and Iran, with its crosshairs on Tel Aviv, threatens to destroy the Jewish homeland. Despite the pain of the Holocaust, the world has grown weary of the Jewish narrative and it is only a matter of time until our Berlin, 1939 becomes Berlin, 1942. Later, Wayne Firestone, the President of Hillel would argue that the Jews are in a better position today than we’ve ever been in, a position I agree with (more on that later).

NextGen? NOWGen.

So what is the NextGen crap? This supposed Next Generation of Jewish leaders stretches from the marginalized Hillel students to mid-40s professionals in the Jewish communal services. I won’t use a term like marginalized without qualifying it. We get off the bus and they hand us bright red scarves that read “What’s your story?” and we’re told to get out there and tell us to get our experience out there. What they’re really saying is that we need to be heard in order to influence and steer the decisions of the power-holders at the top. Only one seminar would even address youth movement, and that was a sideline topic on Social Entrepreneurship. This idea of NextGen is immediately patronizing and invokes a sense that we are not ready to lead, that we are only in the batter’s box of Jewish influence.

The fact is, the most powerful Jewish movements of the past century have been youth-led and youth-initiated. I appreciated my time in BBYO over those of NFTY or USY because BBYO was run by the youth. Sure we had advisors and professional staff, but the power was in the hands of the teenagers. Now, as we get into college, I see my friends and peers spurning programs such as Challah for Hunger, Jewlicious Festival, Heeb Magazine… Encouraging Aliyah to Israel as the primary method of Jewish outreach is in the past. Basing your success on the number of hook-ups, all in the name of “continuation,” is perverse. Indeed, the metaphor that our generations mentality is like a computer desktop with minimized identities, easily accessible and fluid, is accurate.

Mr. Bronfman spoke in order to, perhaps, past the torch onto us. But his son, Mr. Edgar Bronfman, Jr. has already taken that torch, and, in his mid-50s represents the generation currently “moving and shaking.” Sidenote: I thought Jews don’t name our sons after ourselves. There are many torches to be had, and looking at expressions of Jewish culture having to occur inside the box of the Jewish Federations and organizations is foolish. Alternative Judaism is a trend that cannot be ignored, because it will define the future of Jewish identity and reinvigorate the wandering tribe. It will bring issues of utter importance to the forefront, the Jewish responsibility to the environment, to cultural production and to our own continuation. We do not need to wait for the old guard to pass us the torch, nor must we ursurp the throne.

In Conclusion

We can use the metaphor of the torch to reach our conclusion. Here are two quotes to contrast:

“From the holocausts of the day he lights his own flaming torch. It illuminates what we are, what we have wrought, what we must renounce.” - Harold Clurman, director

“Truth, like a torch, the more it’s shook it shines.” - William Hamilton, Scottish metaphysician

While our modern identity as a Jewish people are predicated on the Holocaust, perhaps Godlessly in the case of Mr. Bronfman, we can either choose to let it illuminate all that we are and grip us in fear or we can use it to find new ways off the beaten path to reach the Garden of Eden. No, we cannot find our way with a steady hand and reasonable investments. The Jewish philanthropist and the subversive activist must both take risks and make bold steps towards improving the standing of the Jewish people. We cannot accept old adages as true for the sake of our heritage. If anything, the Holocaust proves that civil discussion is worthless. We can only move Judaism forward if we heed the manic, radical shaking of the torch of the Jewish optimists, aged 15-30. John F. Kennedy said at a young Zionist conference in 1960, “the Jewish people, ever since David slew Goliath, have never considered youth a barrier for leadership.” Our generation spoke on November 4th - now we have to do.

Facing Jihad Conference in Jerusalem Postponed

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:08:33 -0500

Facing Jihad Conference in Jerusalem Postponed

Who wants to show up in Washington for the Inauguration? Likely to be the biggest party in American...

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:08:19 -0500

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"

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:49:00 -0500

“This victory alone is not the change we seek”

What’s this cute little sabba (thanks eden, that’s...

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 07:21:00 -0500

What’s this cute little sabba (thanks eden, that’s what happens when you’re blogging@work) doing all over Jerusalem? Running for mayor of course.Rabbi Meir Porush, that Chassidic rav who’s hand was responsible for forcing a group of female dancers to wear burqas on stage, is running for Mayor of Jerusalem. The election will occur on November 11th. His actual personae is a little less appealing than his Santa Clause-esque version. Front-runner and secular candidate Nir Barkat will need to have a strong turn-out in order to secure his victory. Election season is crazy, huh?

By the way, Americans abroad in Israel support John McCain by an almost 3-1 margin.

Vanilla and Garlic Mashed Potatoes (meat meal friendly!)

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 09:31:50 -0400

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 make a dairy-free mashed potato, follow these next steps:

Add some parve margarine
Add some garlic mayonaise
Add some vanilla soy milk
Salt and pepper and paprika and chives to taste

Mix until smoothish. Don’t bother with gravy because these potatoes have a complex enough flavor as it is. The vanilla soy is really the secret ingredient. You’ll notice that five seconds after you swallow, this subtle and sweet taste of vanilla will blow your mind.

There's a beautiful rainbow outside my window at work

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:48:00 -0400

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 surprise? Well, there’s the obvious answer that I can just check the weather and see what’s coming up around the bend. But, it’s a little more interesting than that. This week’s torah portion is the story of Noah and the flood. We recall the sins of man being washed away. Our transgressions had gone so far that even the animals had begun to act in sin. But G!d offers us an opportunity to start anew, to emerge from our collective mistakes and make right what was wrong. Our covenant, which the rainbow reminds us, is a back-up plan - that there is nothing so broken that we can’t go back and fix it.

But we have to hold up our end of the bargain. G!d promises he will not reap destruction the world over again. Only human destructiveness can destroy our inhabitable paradise. We must eliminate our weapons of destructive power - indiscriminate death machines that they are. Collective security and detante are no longer plausible when nations like Pakistan hold nuclear weapons. We need to abandon this Cold War mentality and build a bridge for a new future.

Photo

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 05:05:36 -0400