Why I'm Worried About Moving To London...

I had a conversation the other day with my parents about whether or not I should wear my Star of David while I'm living in London. I suggested that maybe London won't be as bad as some other European cities.

I may have been wrong.

A 12-year-old Jewish girl who was beaten unconscious and robbed by anti-Semitic yobs on a bus has spoken out at her disgust that no-one came to her aid.

The girl, who does not want to be identified, was stamped on several times in a racist attack lasting around five minutes while on board a 303 Metroline bus in Mill Hill, north London.

At 6.30pm on August 11, she and a friend were sitting at the back of the bus when a group of around four girls got on at the Concourse, Grahame Park estate, and asked them if they were English or Jewish.

They both replied they were "fully English".

One girl in the group asked the victim for money, but she said she did not have any.

She and her friend tried to leave the bus at Mill Hill Broadway but were blocked by the gang who searched their pockets and stole a bracelet.

Read the full story. The bus driver saw what was going on, apparently and did nothing to stop it. Nor did he open the doors to let the girl off the bus.

Originally seen at Jewschool

New York Just Got A Little Sweeter

Israeli chocolatier Max Brenner is opening up in NYC:

First US branch of Israeli premium chocolatier Max Brenner opens in NYC; despite launch’s initial success, industry observers recall brand’s previous failed attempt to penetrate foreign markets

Residents of the Big Apple may have believed that they had it all, but Oded Brenner and the Strauss-Elite company proved otherwise. The buzz generated from the opening of the first Max Brenner franchise in New York has yet to die down, and a second Manhattan store is already scheduled to open in another two weeks. Meanwhile, Strauss-Elite is scouting out additional American markets, and the company hopes to launch a Las Vegas branch next year.


The rapid expansion plan reflects the company’s confidence in the chocolatier. After all, Max Brenner is the first chocolate cafe in New York. Although many residents are on strict diets, they certainly will not want to forgo their city’s latest attraction.


“Almost every person who walks in asks how come no one did this before,” reports Oded Brenner from the first store, located on the southern edge of Union Square. Avital Refaeli, Strauss-Elite’s New York representative who oversaw the shop’s planning and opening, sits next to Brenner. While Refaeli handles the business end, Brenner is the brand’s creative force.

When I was in Tel Aviv last week, I went with a good friend there. As a chocolate lover, I was not disappointed. They have the most AMAZING chocolate. Looking at the website, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there are Max Brenner stores in Australia, Singapore and the Phillipines (go figure).

It's also not the only Israeli chain to open up in New York. Israeli coffee house Aroma (dubbed the Israeli Starbucks, but better) also has a store on Houston and Greene.

See...Israel can make the world sweeter!

Jews 4 Jesus Vs. Jackie "Jew" Mason

Comedian Jackie Mason is pissed. He's $2 million pissed. And he's directing his pissed-ness at Jews 4 Jesus:

Saying he's "as Jewish as a matzo ball or kosher salami," Jackie Mason filed a lawsuit against Jews for Jesus for using his name and likeness in a pamphlet.

The $2 million lawsuit seeks the immediate destruction of the pamphlet, which members of the missionary group have been handing out at various points around New York City.

"While I have the utmost respect for people who practice the Christian faith, the fact is, as everyone knows, I am as Jewish as a matzo ball or kosher salami," the 75-year-old comedian said in documents filed in state Supreme Court in Manhattan...

...The pamphlets feature an image of Mason next to the words "Jackie Mason ... A Jew for Jesus!?" with information inside that outlines the similarities between Jews and Christians.

"The pamphlet uses my name, my likeness, my `shtick' (if you will), and my very act, which is derived from my personality, to attract attention and converts," Mason said in an affidavit.

Susan Perlman, a spokeswoman for Jews for Jesus, said the pamphlet was "good-natured."

"Shame on him for getting so upset about this," she said Friday.

Shame on him? Shame on him for what? For not wanting his image connected with a religious group that preaches something he doesn't believe in? If that's so, then I have a kosher salami and knuckle sandwich for this lady.

R.I.P: Joe Rosenthal 1911-2006

Joe Rosenthal, the Jewish American photographer, died on Monday. He was 94.

Rosenthal captured the famous photograph of the flag raising at Iwo Jima during World War II.

He Wouldn't Hire Her Because of Her Shoes or Because She Was Only Half Jewish?

When Hate Goes Cyber...On The Next Berg Above!

Reported yesterday: The website for the European Union of Jewish Students was hacked into by a group of apparently Arab hackers.

The website of the European Union of Jewish Students’ website, where the organization publishes daily briefings in solidarity with of Israel , was defaced by anti-Israel Arab hackers earlier this week.


EUJS announcements on the address eujs.org were replaced by an image depicting a burning Israeli flag and an accompanying text that read, ‘!!! Own3d by Team-Evil Arab Hackerz!!!, Israel Go to Hell."


Later on, a song “Allah Ouhakbar,” (translated from Arabic as G-d is great), appeared on the site, followed by a virus that collapsed the entire external server.

Despite this, the chair of the European Union of Jewish Students said that they "will not be intimidated by this cyber-terrorism or any other action of this kind" and will keep on supporting Israel.

On The "Home Front": Blogging From Israel Pt. 1

I arrived in Mevaserret yesterday and am currently sitting on one of my grandmother's fabulous red couches while a cool Jerusalem breeze blows in through the window. It's a beautiful, peaceful day outside, a far cry from what's going on up north. That is, however, what is on everyone's minds. My grandfather watched the news yesterday at full volume (he is, afterall, 96+) and Bebe Netanyahu was on discussing the war. While I do understand Hebrew more than I can speak it, it was hard to follow. But none of it sounded any good.

The only break was when the whole family (my aunt, uncle and cousins) watched the Macabbi Haifa vs. Liverpool game. (The score, for those of you who missed it, was 2-1 Liverpool. Haifa put up a good fight though.)

I'll be doing some MONDO vacation blogs with pictures over at Imageyenation which I may or may not post over here too. Either way, y'all are gonna get a full update on my adventures in Israel.

At any rate, I'll leave you for now with a news story that really made me angry. As some of you have heard, Reuters withdrew all the photos by Adnan Hajj after it was discovered that he doctored them up some.

Now, Ynet news is reporting that the New York Times may also have seriously screwed up:

A man who appeares to be playing dead in a New York Times photo essay entitled "attack in Tyre," is seen in other photographs in the same essay walking around and pointing.

Under the caption of the photo in question, the New York Times wrote: "The mayor of Tyre said that in the worst hit areas, bodies were still buried under the rubble, and he appealed to the Israelis to allow government authorities time to pull them out."

The Gate Way Pundit blog wrote: "From the New York Times photo essay by Tyler Hicks on July 27, 2006 comes this unbelievable fraud! Dead Guy with no dust shows up with hat in photo no. 2 pointing out something to the photographer."

You can also see him here in a third photo helping to put out a fire.

As a photographer, this upsets me. I was always a believer that a photojournalist's job was to report the truth and photograph what is really going on, not doctor it up to make a photo more "realistic" or make it more horrific. It's not about getting a Pulitzer. It's about informing the world.

But then again, I guess news reporting isn't really about the truth any more. It's all about entertainment and making one side look better.

Like A New York Story...Except In Texas...

If you happen to be in New York City between August 11th and August 27th and you feel like seeing a non-typical Jewish story, go check out the play Hermanas. As part of FringeNYC, it's a play about Jewish-Mexican American life in Texas and was written by Monica Yudovich.

The plotline from the website:

HERMANAS is a new comedy about Jewish Mexican-American sisters, or “hermanas,” living in Texas. Just when 22 year old Lisette Hermán chooses stability, instability crashes into her life in the form of a rebellious sister, a dyslexic Latin Lover, a Hispanic-obsessed farm girl, an intriguing new neighbor and the most outrageous mother of all madres. HERMANAS explores relationships, independence and the often hilarious complications sparked by the blending of languages and cultures.

The play was a finalist in the 2005 MetLife Foundation Nuestras Voces National Playwriting Competition, so you know it has to be good.

You can get ticket info here.

I Really Hate To Stereotype

But is this guy a Jew? And if so, is he making other Jewish rappers look bad?

Every artist has his obstacles. For Harrison Schneider, they are wealth and privilege.

As a 16-year-old aspiring rapper from Long Island, Harrison did not grow up in a public housing project, come from a broken home or have an absentee father. He has never sold crack on the street, has never been shot or joined a gang — although he does belong to the local yacht club.

He lives with his parents and two younger brothers in a sprawling home in the wealthy suburb of Great Neck.

As a rapper, life has not been kind to Harrison: He is your basic white suburban teenager who has it all. But nothing, he vows, will keep him from succeeding as M.C. Problem Child.

“People can say I’m just another rich white boy from the suburbs,” he said. “But once they hear me rap, it’s a different story.”

And indeed, his verses are street-hard, blending clever lyricism with the rage of a hard-core urban rapper.

Ok, am I just totally stereotyping because his last name is Schneider and he lives in Great Neck?

Thanks to Eskay over at Nah Right for the link.

Jesus Is My Friend On MySpace!

So the above picture is from a screen shot I did of my MySpace home page. It caught my attention for the simple fact that I couldn't remember ever seeing an add on MySpace for Jesus Christ. So I clicked on it.

The link took me to a questionaire for the Jesus Institute, an organization that is
"helping people of all backgrounds learn about the person of Jesus." The questions wanted to know what I wanted to know about Jesus. The site then suggested I take a "Jesus 101" course.

Thanks but no thanks.

Now, I'm fine with advertisements for ironic t-shirt companies or "Zwinkies" or whatver the hell other spam things people want you to download. But I do have a problem with Christians looking to convert using a webpage that many young and vulnerable (or old and vulnerable) people are using.

Thoughts?

Not Trying To Say Anything...I Just Find It Interesting...

From an article titled "Israeli bombing blitz kills dozens as Lebanon appeals for ceasefire":

Israeli warplanes have bombed houses, bridges and roads across Lebanon, killing more than two dozen civilians as Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora made an emotional appeal for an end to the slaughter.

Opening a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in his ravaged capital, Siniora accused the Israeli airforce of "a deliberate massacre" in the southern village of Hula, saying "more than 40 martyrs" had died there only an hour previously.

Police gave the death toll as 27 people killed across the country and did not immediately confirm the number of deaths Siniora told of in Hula, where fighting between Israeli infantry units and Hezbollah guerrillas was reported earlier in the day.

Then an article posted 20 minutes later:

The Lebanese prime minister said one person was killed in an Israeli air raid Monday in the southern border village of Houla, lowering the death toll from 40. Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said at a news conference that he had based the initial tally on unspecified information that he had received.

He offered no other explanation for the error.

Like I said. Interesting.

Sigh....

Hezbollah fighters launched their deadliest assault on Israel since the Jewish state began its own devastating offensive in Lebanon.

At least 15 people were killed and dozens wounded on the bloodiest day so far on the Israeli home front.

At least 14 people in Lebanon were also killed by Israeli fire while world powers at the United Nations tried to persuade both sides to back a resolution aimed at ending 27-day-old conflict.

Twelve members of an Israeli reserve infantry unit who were camping near the town of Kfar Giladi close to the Lebanese border were killed in the single deadliest rocket attack since Israel launched its offensive in Lebanon on July 12.

(Link)

More Hatred...

I got this link from Jewschool

From New Zealand

Graffiti scrawled on a Jewish synagogue in New Zealand was being linked to anti-Israel sentiments, as the death toll mounts in southern Lebanon, local media report.

"Shower you murderous swine" and "Filthy Pigs," along with a Star of David, were sprayed in bright green paint on the walkway outside the synagogue's entrance in Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island on Monday night.

A brass plaque on the main gate had swastikas scratched into its surface and racist taunts daubed in felt pen.

One taunt read: "6 million Jews. 7 million Russians. 40 million people in total. What makes you so special," in a reference to WWII death tolls, the Christchurch Press newspaper reported.

I'd make a joke about how there's a synagogue in a place called Christchurch, but honestly, I'm not really in the mood.

Hating Jews Because of What Israel Does = The New Anti-Semitism?

No, not really. But you can see it more at the moment.

From Rome, Italy:

About 20 shops owned by Jews vandalized in apparent neo-fascist attack linked to fighting in Middle East. Flyers signed by group calling itself Armed Revolutionary Fascists left at the shops denouncing 'Zionist economy,' including pro-Hizbullah slogans
Associated Press

Jewish shops across Rome were vandalized and defaced with swastikas in an apparent neo-fascist attack linked to fighting in the Middle East, officials said Wednesday.

Owners of about 20 shops in the center and outskirts of the Italian capital reached their workplace Tuesday morning to find door locks filled with glue, shutters nailed closed and swastikas defacing nearby walls, said Riccardo Pacifici, a spokesman for Rome's Jewish Community.

From Sydney, Australia

An additional act of violence against a Jewish institution in Sydney, Australia: A Jewish community center in the Bondi neighborhood of the capital was damaged by unknown vandals. CEO of the New South Wales board of deputies, Vic Alhadeff, said that gasoline-soaked logs were thrown at the building, in an attempt to set it on fire.

I'll keep y'all posted on more news of national and international Jew-hating.

And now, for you're ever amusement...Jew Unit!

If this album exists, I need to get it...Just for the cover art.

What's A Jew To Do?

Originally posted at Imageyenation

Jews seem to be having the best week ever this week. Hell, maybe it's even the best month ever.

First off, there's that whole war in Lebanon thing that doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Then as a reaction to that, six people "allegedly" got shot and one "allegedly" died in Seattle.

Now, it seems that everyone is all a mess over Mel Gibson's drunkenly anti-Semitic faux pas. There are a lot of speculationas as to the status of Gibson's career, especially considering that he's doing a mini-series on the Holocaust.

And that is what we "academics" like to call "irony."

At any rate, one thing that I've found particularly amusing throughout this whole thing is the amount of MP3 blogs that have posted Jew-related songs. I like the idea so much that I am going to post a bunch of Jew-related songs myself. Because maybe if a person listens to a song about Jews, (like Mel Gibson should have) he or she wouldn't hate them so much.

Ween - "Israel"

This is off of Ween's B-Side album Shinola: Vol. 1. It's definitely trippy.

Metronome - "Hanukkah Girl"

Ok, so I know it's not the season, but I kinda love this song. The fact that this is a love song to a Jewish girl from a Gentile boy just melts my heart. And makes me laugh. It's off of I Made It Out Of Clay: A Hanukkah Pop Compilation. You gotta love those Indie Jewish kids.


Silver Jews - "Rebel Jew"

Speaking of Indie Jewish kids...This song is actually partly about Jesus. So take that Mel!

>Y-Love and Shmash - "Hebrew Child/Fils d'Israel"

This is a track by my boy Y-Love who got together with fellow Jewish rapper Shmash to put out this multi-lingual track.


So I hope you enjoy this selection of Jew-ey music. Go on. Share it with someone you love.