Category: Barack Obama

Barack Obama · culture/multiculturalism · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism

Blacks and Jews: Tension or Comedy?

Aliza Hausman1 Comment

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c Blacks and Jews http://www.thedailyshow.com http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:230699 Daily ShowFull Episodes Political Humor Jason Jones in Iran Blacks and Jews, everyone knows that this relationship has been fraught with tension in America. Things were really “tight” between the two groups during the Civil Rights movement but… Continue reading Blacks and Jews: Tension or Comedy?

Barack Obama · culture/multiculturalism · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · New York · news · rabbi · race/racism · religion

Barack Obama’s Rabbi

Aliza Hausman1 Comment

Hallelujah, shalom: Rabbi Funnye singing at Shabbat services. (Alec Soth/Magnum, for The New York Times) Conservative rabbi (and convert) Rabbi Capers Funnye is putting the black back in Judaism. (Okay, so it was already there.) And the New York Times noticed. They profiled him in a piece called “Barack Obama’s Rabbi”. The piece also gives… Continue reading Barack Obama’s Rabbi

Barack Obama · birthday · culture/multiculturalism · funny · jews of color · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · New York · pesach · prayer · rabbi · writing

Rough Draft: Beyond Sammy

Aliza Hausman2 Comments

Here’s a rough draft of a cultural criticism essay assignment for one of my writing classes. No one talks about what Sammy Davis Jr. contributed to Jewish culture. Nor do they talk about what the newly converted Isla Fisher, star of the “Confessions of a Shopaholic” film and baby mama to Sacha Baron Cohen, is… Continue reading Rough Draft: Beyond Sammy

Barack Obama · culture/multiculturalism · New York

Racism: Less than Subtle

Aliza Hausman2 Comments

Delonas, the cartoonist, said to CNN, “It’s absolutely friggin ridiculous. Do you really think I’m saying Obama should be shot? I didn’t see that in the cartoon. The chimpanzee was a major story in the Post. Every paper in New York, except The New York Times, covered the chimpanzee story. It’s just ridiculous. It’s about… Continue reading Racism: Less than Subtle

Barack Obama · culture/multiculturalism · food · Hispanics/Latinos · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · language · Los Angeles · pesach · plantains · prayer · race/racism

What’s a Jewminicana?

Aliza Hausman11 Comments

What’s a Jewminicana? Well, for one, a Jewminicana is an American girl of Dominican descent who converts to Judaism. Are you still with me? Well, reverse that because I’m a Jewish Latina…in that order. I’m fusing my identity together with American glue. And just because I put my religion first doesn’t mean I think my… Continue reading What’s a Jewminicana?

Barack Obama · friends · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · news · rabbi · Rabbi Haskel Lookstein

My Rabbi Goes to Church

Aliza HausmanLeave a comment

Life is often funny. While I’m trying to sell a story about how one of my conversion rabbis, Elie Weinstock, told me I couldn’t set foot in a church again and my acquiescence led to losing a friendship, my head conversion rabbi, Haskel Lookstein, headed to church himself. His reason? None other than Barack Obama,… Continue reading My Rabbi Goes to Church

Barack Obama · Junot Diaz · news

Can you be a color and a ghost?

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So I just received my “Commemorative Inaugural Edition” of Newsweek. Listen, I have nothing against Barack Obama but the dude even made it to the cover of my Entertainment Weekly! Fo’ shame. Meanwhile, I decided I’d give the issue a try anyway. I slipped past the first couple of pages and finally turned the magazine… Continue reading Can you be a color and a ghost?

Barack Obama

Barack Obama isn’t black!

Aliza Hausman4 Comments

Or should I say…Barack Obama isn’t only black? He’s biracial. He’s bicultural. He’s mixed race. But why do we keep identifying him as solely black? Is it because he looks black? Is it because America isn’t ready for mixed race identities? Are we still buying into the “one drop rule”? And what the heck is… Continue reading Barack Obama isn’t black!

Barack Obama · culture/multiculturalism · Hispanics/Latinos · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · news

Over-representation under Obama for Jewish Latino Writers

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When a Jewish friend railed against Barack Obama’s Jewish pick for Chief of Staff, calling it “pandering to the Jews,” I told him to suck it up. After all, it didn’t look like Obama was going to be pandering to Hispanic voters any time soon. “Consider yourself lucky,” I said in so many words. But… Continue reading Over-representation under Obama for Jewish Latino Writers

Barack Obama · culture/multiculturalism · Israel · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · news · rabbi

Secular vs. Ultra-Orthodox

Aliza HausmanLeave a comment

While (some) Americans have been celebrating the win of Democract Barack Obama over Republican John McCain here at home, parts of Jerusalem are celebrating their new mayor according to the NY Times article, Secular Defeats Ultra-Orthodox in Jerusalem. While Palestinians boycotted the elections, Jews of all stripes fought along the secular-Orthodox divide. Though my experience… Continue reading Secular vs. Ultra-Orthodox