Jewish Infighting “Who will carry the torch for Jewish unity?” (The Jewish Chronicle) Simon Rock asks, “How can we preserve Jewish peoplehood if we can’t agree who is a Jew?” A very good question! His article gives a good, if long-winded, look at the obstacles that currently impede Jewish unity. “Racists, Fascists, Self-hating Jews and… Continue reading Jews in the News: The Latest on Conversion, Jews, Movies and More
I was standing in a school cafeteria in Middlebury, Vermont, surrounded by Jews of every flavor, as well as many Israelis with a very “Sephardic” look. And then, someone said something to one of the teachers, a 50-or-60-something-year-old woman who has spent most of her life in Israel. Repeatedly, I heard her say,”You? A convert?… Continue reading And yet another episode of "As the Convert’s World Turns"
Vanessa Hidary, the Hebrew Mamita, is touring Israel and of course, she’s already been interviewed by The Jerusalem Post in a video where she talks about performing and the reactions she has received from Jewish and non-Jewish audiences alike. Below is a clip of Hidary telling us a story about a Jewish girl and her… Continue reading Hebrew Mamita hits The Jerusalem Post
I get such great letters from readers and I’m going to try to post more of them up here. Here’s a good one! Dear Aliza, A good friend of mine recently sent me a link to “Funny, You Don’t Look Jewish” and it blew my mind. It stirred up feelings in me that I haven’t… Continue reading Dear Aliza: It’s Easier Being Black in Israel. NOT!
Dealing with folks who are unable to discuss Obama without resorting to the n-word, much less calling him “Muslim” (like it’s a dirty word) is, well, rather tiresome. Because if you’re going to criticize Obama, you got to do it right. And that’s exactly what Aluf Benn does in “Why Won’t Obama Talk to Israel?”
The ways people hurt each other never cease to amaze me. I got up early this morning because I lost a lot of sleep over an email from a young woman, the offspring of a non-Jewish mother and a Jewish father, who has had too many hurtful encounters with Jews. In spite of it, she… Continue reading Waking up to Hate in the Morning
What is Israeli President Peres doing meeting with the President of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Lionel Fernandez? Well having a Jewminican conference, of course. Now, how come I wasn’t invited?
Rabbi who? what? where? and why? A soundbite from “Mixed-married couples and interfaith couples are a fact of Diaspora Jewish life”: “That a Jew chooses to marry someone who is not Jewish, even if a conversion takes place, is a clear indication that the Jew already has one foot out the Jewish door.” Yeah, that’s… Continue reading Don’t marry non-Jews or converts!
Rabbi Avraham Sherman, one of Jewcy‘s “Haredi’s Most Wanted: The 5 Worst Offenders”, has the magical power to turn non-Jews into Jews and back to non-Jews to Jews to non-Jews. Oy, I’m confused, are you? “No one will be willing to go through the trouble of converting if there is a real fear that, sometime… Continue reading Conversion News Roundup: Keeping you informed or scared out of your mind?
If you’re dating a prospective convert in Israel, then you better be able to to prove your Jewishness. A new regulation put into place by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel creates more bureaucratic difficulties for converts according to Rabbi Seth Farber of ITIM. While this is a new regulation, this is nothing new in the… Continue reading Making it harder for converts, one regulation at a time.
Memoirs of a Jewminicana 