Lincoln and the Jews

      There is an amazing exhibit at the New York Historical Society that will be up until June 7 called Lincoln and the Jews. It is about the special relationship that Lincoln had with Jewish people and how he fought against anti-semitism in the United States. There was a lot that I had already known that was in the exhibit as well as much I did not. There are a lot of hand written documents as well as photos and paintings. There is a circular that they give out at the exhibit that summarizes everything lest you forget all of the information that you have seen.

Jerusalem by  Frederick Edwin Church 1870

     

Lincoln

   The most interesting painting that was at the exhibit was the painting of Jerusalem from 1870. I had no idea that Lincoln had any interest in visiting Israel.

penny

        I never thought about the date Lincoln was shot. Now I know. It was on a Friday night . It was the fifth day of Pesach that year .  He died the next day. On Shabbos. Lincoln was a man who believed in freedom for  black slaves and for equality for Jewish people in the United States. It is fitting that he passed away during our holiday of freedom from slavery. Very cool.
          Be sure and click on my photos to read them better.
        It is hard to sum up a very packed exhibit full of so much information. All I can say is if you are in the New York area you should try to see this exhibit. You won't regret it.

How a Jew Fills Out a College Application

    I love this.  There are those who say Jews aren't white even if they are light skinned because they are Jewish. I never quite understood that when I first heard this, but now I do. I know Latinos who look like they are black but they identify as Latino, not black. Due to anti-semitism we do not reap all the benefits of having lighter skin if we are Jews from European countries. We are a different kind of other. 

Lashon Harah

     A high profile celebrity who happens to be Jewish recently wrote an article disparaging Jewish men. Perhaps she even thought is was cutesy and tongue in cheek. Who knows. I won't dignify her words by linking to the article. The article is not the point. The spirit and essence of such an article is important to note. I do not find any of the cutesy insulting stereotypes of Jewish men or Jewish women that I hear in the media cutesy. They do not even remind me of any Jewish person that I know. I don't appreciate how it seems the only way these "cultural Jews" connect to Judaism is by heckling their distorted view of what Jewish people are like. I do not think its ok for Jews to disparage Jews so publicly just because they too are Jewish. Their anti Jewish sentiment is not less anti Jewish just because they are. It would be worse if their words were uttered by goyim but not really . Any way you slice it its lashon harah pure and simple. Why on earth does there need to be more negativity about Jews put out there , especially by "Jews"?

What Color Are Jewish People?

     There has been a lot of racial speak in the news lately. Often people will say to me, "But you are white, if you weren't you may think differently" I always laugh when I hear that . I may look white, but when you are Jewish you aren't exactly white even if you look white. Perhaps white is my skin color, but there is still loads of anti-semitism out there that does not exactly make me just another white person. Its not Jews ourselves that separate ourselves from being just white or any other color for that matter. Society separates us as well. I would venture to say that Jewish people from Arabic countries aren't really considered Arabic but are considered Jews even if they look Arabic. 

         Growing up in the midwest, most Jewish people I knew were Ashkenazi, but there were also  quite a few Sephardim, Persian Jews and even black Jewish converts. An Ethiopian Jew even came to speak at my school in high school which I thought was very cool. I  never really dwelt upon what color Jewish  people were. I really focused on the Judaism we had in common. I always found it exotic that Jews can be of every color of the rainbow. Kind of like if you have a preference of dating someone who looks a certain way there is bound to be someone Jewish to fit that bill.

         

La Marais - The Jewish Quarter of Paris!

   An homage to the good times.... in France.

Online fundraiser helping Jewish family whose Ferguson business was damaged - St. Louis Jewish Light: Local News - Online fundraiser helping Jewish family whose Ferguson business was damaged: Local News

Online fundraiser helping Jewish family whose Ferguson business was damaged - St. Louis Jewish Light: Local News - Online fundraiser helping Jewish family whose Ferguson business was damaged: Local News: Items are still for sale at STL Cordless in Ferguson. Merchandise is displayed on the walls, and goods are arrayed behind the counters. But on…
   I do not want to discuss the right and wrong as to what happened in Ferguson but I am posting this article because people tend to forget that there are Jews everywhere and that we can be affected by things that you would not think that we would be.

Free Gaza From Whom?

      I am always confused when I hear about those who want to free the Gazans from. I know that they seem to really  mean the Israelis, but in my mind this really makes no sense. Don't  they want to free them from Hamas or the Palastinian authority?? Gaza isn't part of Israel anymore so would not that make more sense? Oh that's right, it does not make sense. The only thing anyone wants to do is blame Israel and the Jews. Silly me.

Intermarriage

Max Greenfield

    One thing that really bothers me is intermarriage. Now that being Jewish in America is so accepted intermarriage has risen astronomically. It is just so sad. I watch the show New Girl. Granted its not the barometer of the American population but there is one character named Schmidt who is Jewish and is always mentioning his Jewishness in almost every episode. In a Halloween episode he mentioned he has his Halloween costume and two costumes for Purim. In another episode he speaks about his zaidy .When he was at a wedding he started commenting about how nice an affair his bar mitzvah was. On the other hand he dates women of every religion. Judaism is "cool" but the idea of dating Jewish is a non-issue. The actor who plays Schmidt is originally  from Dobbs Ferry , New York and has a non-Jewish wife and one daughter. With all of the Jew talk on New Girl I wonder  how okay Greenfield is with his Judaism  or if since he is employed  its cool with him. It would have been much cooler if in his bio I would have seen that he was married to a Jewish woman.
     Two  Jewish actresses  who are comfortable with their Judaism   - Mayim Bialik and Natalie Portman did not manage to marry men who were born Jewish . Mayim's husband converted and I hear that Natalie's is planning on converting. This is still positive because no matter how kosher or not the conversions were or are their kids are really Jewish and its better they have only one religion in their household.
     Intermarriage begins the elimination of the Jewish people. The first generation may remain Jewish even if they are halachic Jews. After that perhaps not . If one's parent intermarried why shouldn't they? It is all very sad. Too bad  persecution often has a way of keeping Jewish identity better than peace. May that bad cycle change in our lifetime.

Rose Of Washington Square

     I used to think that Funny Girl and Funny Lady were the only Fanny Brice movies out there until I saw the movie Rose Of Washington Square.
      Fanny Brice was a Jewish stage actress in the early part of the 1900's through the 1930's. She also did radio in the 1930's  and 1940's playing a bratty toddler named Baby Snooks.
       Rose Of Washington was the 1939  goyish version of her life. Irish Alice Fae was Fanny and gentile and very handsome Tyrone Power played Fanny's no good husband Nicky Arnstein. Al Jolson was the only known Jewish actor in the movie though he did not play a Jew. He by the way was top rate. They did not use Fanny or Nicky's names but everyone knew that Rose Of Washington square was Fanny's life story. Fanny even sued them for making a film about her life without her as the star. They used Fanny Brice's signature songs much to her chagrin.
        Funny Girl and Funny Lady feature the very Jewish Barbara Streisand but oddly enough after reading Fanny Brice's biography and watching Rose Of Washington Square I realize that the  vintage 1939 version of the Fanny Brice story captures the life of Fanny Brice more accurately than the Streisand vehicles. Its funny how that is.
        I recommend the film Rose Of Washington Square. Its entertaining , tells a good story and fun to watch the old time music and dance numbers.

Jews And Tattoos

     We all know as Jews we are not allowed to get tattoos. What I always find interesting is when more secular Jews get tattoos they often get tattoos that have a Jewish theme. I have seen Hebrew names as tattoos as well as phrases from prayer like L'olam Vaed- forever and ever. It always makes me laugh. Not only do they have tattoos but they make a profoundly non-Jewish ritual very Jewy. I guess that some aren't even aware that they are not supposed to get tattoos so for them they are just trying to connect it to their Jewish selves. It still makes me chuckle.

Roman Vishniac Rediscovered | International Center of Photography

Roman Vishniac Rediscovered | International Center of Photography  In honor of Yom Hashoah I went to see this exhibit. For all those who may not know, Roman Vishniac took photos of the shtetl Jews right before world war two. Until I saw this exhibition I did not realize that Roman Vishniac was Jewish . This of course explains why his photos are so charming. They were taken by someone who loved his people. The photos capture the facial expressions of these people. The photos of children are  wonderful. Some of the people in the photos have been identified. Some survived the war, others did not.
     David Eckstein was one of the chasidic heder boys who did survive the war. There is an excerpt from his shoah foundation video playing at the exhibit.
     Vishniac arrived in the United States in the early 1940's. He then  displayed his photos as a plea to help save the Jews of Europe. Displayed in the exhibit is his letter to FDR asking him to help the Jews who were trapped in  Europe.
     I have seen some of the books with Vishniac's photos, but to see his photos exhibited in a museum is dazzling and it honors those who were so brutally murdered. It gives a faces to the 6 million. It makes us remember that they were vibrant people.
     There is 17 minute video that shows shtetl Jews basket weaving and farming .It brings them to life. It is surreal .
     If you live in the New York area try to see this exhibit before it closes on May 5. You won't regret it.

Jews and Education

     I think that as a people we Jews are obsessed with education. Those of us who are Torah observant are obsessed with Torah education and those of us who are secular are obsessed with having a good secular education. For better or for worse no matter how far from observance we stray we will always be the people of the book.

AM New York

     In yesterday's AM New York three New Yorkers were highlighted for their involvement in the post hurricane sandy effort- Jessica Klein, Nick Weissman, and Noah Reisman.  Three Jewish New Yorkers
(or with very Jewish sounding names)  were highlighted. Very cool. New Yorkers of all faiths have been involved in the recovery effort, but only these three were mentioned. Is this a coincidence? If you are ethnocentric as myself you will not think this is a coincidence. You will think that this is a very cool thing that so many members of the tribe are involved in aiding those who have suffered. You will be happy that what is being said about Jewish people in AM New York is positive . You will be happy to see that a daily paper is liberal enough to mention three Jews in a positive light. Even if you think its a coincidence that these three individuals are or sound Jewish you will still be glad that Jews are being mentioned in a positive light. In general its a win-win situation. Its a pleasure to open a newspaper and see news about people doing chesed instead of evil. Hopefully this won't only happen after a hurricane.

saturday night kitsch

 I found this gag at a novelty shop several years ago. If only it were so easy to actually become a member of the tribe. When I saw this I could not stop laughing.  I  love the  prototype 1970's man with a kippah. He is actually rather hunky.
  In case you can't tell by the photo its a breath spray that is used for conversion.
   It may be hard to read my pictures so I will tell you what the  words say.
   Instantly convert to Judaism the Gramma Weisenthal Way.
Don't  know the difference between a mikveh and a mohel and your Jewish wedding is in three weeks time? Can't speak a word of Yiddish and think Sabbath is an 80's metal band? Can't understand why the old rabbi at the synagogue keeps turning you away? It may be time for you to convert to Judaism . Instantly! The Gramma Wisenthatl Way! Become Jewish with one simple treatment.  No more lengthy study classes. No more stumbling through Hebrew.
Be part of this unique faith instantly, starting today.
"Hi, I'm Gramma Wiesenthal, here to help you choose your Jewish name. Can't decide whether to call yourself  Yosef  or Yaakov? Sarah or Shoshana? Why don't you call me? I know everything about being Jewish. Until then my friend Shalom.
Winner of the 1976 World Champion  matzo ball competition and the author of the best selling novel "If you see my son tell him to call me".
 

I do not intend to make light of the
conversion process. I just found this sooo funny.
(P.S. I just realized that if you click on the pictures they will enlarge and you can read everything clearly)

celebrate israel

i  attended the celebrate israel parade today. it was uplifting. i am posting some photos of some of the amazing jews that showed up to support our homeland.

baruch dayan emet

as jews we are all in mourning after the brutal murders of rabbi jonathan sandler 30 years old and his sons arieh 6 years old and gabriel sandler 3 years old  as well as the brutal murder of seven year old miriam monsonego in toulose france on monday morning. they were murdered at a jewish school called ozar hatorah.
i have never heard of toulose , france until monday morning. hashem, i love your world and its beauty. i would have much preferred to have visited toulose on holiday instead of seeing this aesthetically  beautiful city ravaged by anti semitism that has murdered innocents namely three children and and a father.
i read somewhere that little gabriel sandler was named for gabriel holzberg who was murdered in mumbai november 2008.
i send my love to the grieving families- the sandlers and the monsonegos as well as to all of the jews of toulose france. i am so sorry for your loss. it is not just your loss , but a loss for all of the jewish people and for all of the world. who knows what wonders these fallen young people could have done for the world had their lives not been cut short.

imagine...

imagine if  united states senators banded together and demanded that the  jews  rid our communities of ponzi schemers.
 a jew is more likely to stab you in the back monetarily than physically . neither are acceptable morally or religiously (as if these were separate issues! lol)
it would be dandy if the rabbis would get up to snuff and encourage everyone to be honest in business, but i don't think that the american government should be sanctioning such measures. we ourselves as jews should be mandating this.
this is just a thought.

naomi ragen

i have always found that reading naomi ragen's books has been a guilty pleasure. you want to hate them but they are just too much fun to read.
the first naomi ragen book that i have read was jephte's daughter . though i enjoyed the book very much i regret to inform you that i have no recollection of it because i read it so long ago. naomi ragen was to me the first of a genre of writers who write about frum people because this is how they grew up, and they don't hate frum people and they dont have everyone throwing off the yoke of torah at the end of the book like an erica jong, belva plan or howard fast book.
naomi ragen isnt afraid to confront social justice issues in the frum community . people don't always agree with her conclusions but i think its good to voice awareness. she criticises to provoke change not to merely air dirty laundry.
naomi ragen recently came out with a new book the tenth song. i haven't read the book yet but i plan to. its already on my kindle.
a few days ago i went to borders for a book reading with naomi ragen. i had to go. i was not disappointed. she  is conservative middle aged  modern orthodox woman who possesses extreme fiestiness.
there was a small crowd at borders for her book reading which i found sad for such a well known author. its always fun to meet a favorite writer. it adds a whole other dimention!

my secret camera

my secret camera by frank dabba smith has the most amazing photos of the lodz ghetto. mendel grossman lived in the lodz ghetto and kept his camera hidden in his pocket as he photographed everyday moments of jewish people in the ghetto. they are very gentle photos that capture the humanity of these people who eventually endured brutal torture. they are also very artistic photos. when i look at the photos in this book the people come to life unlike other photographs. mendel grossman manages to capture the emotions and personalities of  his subjects.
this book is available in the new york public library in the children's section.. im not quite sure why. its not really a children's book. its also available on amazon.com and bn.com.
i bought this book years ago and im still in awe of these photos.
my most favorite photo is filled with valises and many people just schmoozing. one's eyes can't help but notice two women in this scene who are chatting as if they are in a supermarket . in another corner of this photo there are two ten year old boys smiling as if they are having a grand old time. its the saddest photo because with  the distance of time we all know what happend next to most of these people.these "before"  photos show these  precious souls before they became the skeletons of nazi war footage.
my secret camera  is not a sad book . its a lovely homage to those who perished. these photos attest to how much beauty was erased from this world. their physical beings may be gone, but some of their images are saved in this small photo book .

the boy in the striped pajamas

recently i viewed a most excellent movie titled the boy in the striped pajamas. it is a film about a nazi soldier who moves his family to the countryside which is near a concentration camp he is "working" in. the ss man's young son wanders around and locates outer  fence  of this concentration camp and befriends a little jewish boy who resides in this concentration camp. to say any more about this movie would give away its poignant ending. im sure it is not possibly a true story, but its an effective one just the same.