A Berg Above The Rest

Looks Like Kinky's In Some Hot Water...

2006-09-21T23:34:00.000-04:00

Kinky Friendman is defending his usage of a racial slur in a stand up comedy act he did in 1980.

Comedian and independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman on Thursday defended his use of a racial slur during a performance at Houston nightclub 26 years ago after an audio clip of the standup routine was posted on the Internet.

Friedman, 61, said he has tried to expose and lampoon racism, and was making fun of bigots when he used the n-word twice in a joke.

"They're attacking me for something that Richard Pryor did, that Lenny Bruce did, which is to have the freedom to poke fun at anybody that you want. The whole show is satirizing racism," Friedman said at a fundraiser in New York.

But State Rep. Garnet Coleman, former chairman of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, said it was difficult to find the humor in his joke after his remarks about Katrina evacuees in Houston in which he referred to them as "crackheads and thugs."

Comedy Central's Take on HONESTY....

2006-09-21T11:59:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Stone over at The Couch Sessions for the link.

Because We Really Want This Guy As Part Of Our Tribe...

2006-09-21T11:55:00.000-04:00

So I know everybody has been posting articles about George Allen finding his Jewish Heritage, but getting his panties all in a bunch over a really insensitive reporter's questions about it. He's part Jewish. So what? We live in a country that supports religious and ethnic freedom right?

And then again...

First it was swastika grafitti, then it was a bomb...

2006-09-17T10:28:00.000-04:00

...now there are synagogue drive bys?

Anti-Semitic incident in Norway: Shots were fired overnight Sunday towards at the synagogue in Oslo, Norway’s capital.

The incident occurred at 2:30 a.m. and the gunshots were apparently fired from a passing car, which quickly fled the scene. No one was wounded, but local police opened an investigation into the incident.

Yael, a 35-year-old resident of Oslo, told Ynet that the synagogue was located in central Oslo, next to the municipality and a Jewish kindergarten. As the only synagogue in the Norwegian capital, it serves Oslo’s small Jewish community.

She said the building’s façade was hit by the gunshots. “I heard police with dogs searching the area, but they found nothing. Police are still looking for the suspects. Security around the embassy was boosted and the synagogue area was closed off,” Yael related.

Jesus, Moses and Esther, OY VEY!

2006-09-10T11:42:00.000-04:00

There is a company making plushy stuffed dolls that quote verses from the Bible.

Huggable Jesus is just one of the "the dolls that love you back," offered by a couple of biblical doll-makers in Boston, who hawk plush dolls "that pack fun and faith into one lovable, kid-sized package."

There is also Huggable Moses, who cradles in his arms two pillows like tablets and recites all Ten Commandments at the push of a button on the front of his brown robe, which is tied up with twine.

Cliff Rockwood said he and his wife started their "Holy Huggables" business to fill a need of their own child: "I wanted her to have a doll that delivers a message of love and moral grounds."

"It's better than giving a toy gun," he told AFP.

Now you can check out the website where you can buy the dolls. The front page shows pictures of little African children standing in big groups holding Jesus dolls. It's really bizarre.

Each doll quotes something different. The Moses doll for example says the Ten Commandments. Esther quotes verses from the book of Esther (big surprise there).

Personally, I find these dolls a little disturbing. I feel like these dolls could be used more for proselytizing children. And clearly, (to me at any rate), that's the intention when the website shows children in Uganda holding the dolls under a heading that reads "Global Outreach."

On an other note entirely...

2006-09-10T02:06:00.000-04:00

I think this is pretty darn hilarious.

I don't see the connection...

2006-09-10T01:52:00.000-04:00

So I was searching Jewish news through Yahoo! News and came across this title:

I See Jews!

The article is as followed:

“I SEE JEWS.”

Just our little joke there. When Haley Joel Osment was taken to Huntington Memorial hospital in Pasadena, California, he did not see Jews.

This is not to say what Jews were not there – many medical staff are Jews and it is believed to be most Jewish mothers’ dream to see their sons doctors.

(This from Anorak classified: “Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Rosenbloom are pleased to announce the birth of their son, Dr. Jonathan Rosenbloom.")

It’s just that Joel, famous for his seeing dead people in the movie The Six Sense, did not say he saw Jews.

Haley is no Mel Gibson. Although he has been driving while under the influence.

Haley piloted his 1995 Saturn car into a brick pillar, causing the vehicle to roll onto its roof. The Enquirer says the teenaged actor escaped with a cracked rip, fractured shoulder and some abrasions.

Now, does anyone know how Jews and Haley Joel Osment are connected? I mean I get it...Mel Gibson was drunk driving. Haley Joel Osment was drunk driving. Mel Gibson was in an M. Night Shamalamalamlahan movie. Haley Joel Osment was in an M. Night Shamalamalamlahan movie. Fine.

But do the first three paragraphs of this article have ANYTHING to do with what the article is about?

I didn't think so.

Wow...This Is A Step

2006-09-08T00:17:00.000-04:00

Lifting the ban on gay rabbis? Go on...

A key Conservative Jewish leader is organizing talks nationwide to tell synagogues that the movement will likely roll back its ban on ordaining openly gay rabbis by year's end.

He and two religious law experts joining him at the meetings are trying to help congregations prepare for the confusion and discomfort to follow.

Rabbi Jerome Epstein, executive vice president of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, says a committee of scholars who interpret Jewish law for the movement will likely loosen the prohibition when they vote in December.

At the same time, Epstein expects the scholars will endorse a policy aiming to keep more traditional congregations within the fold. Synagogues that believe Jewish law bars same-sex relationships still will be able to hire rabbis who share their view.

Helping Brother's In The Choooooood!

2006-09-03T09:19:00.000-04:00

Apparently. Jonathan Kesselman, writer and director of the cult classic Jew film The Hebrew Hammer is making a SEQUEL!

Time traveling Adolf Hitler intent on changing history is theme for sequel to controversial Jewish comedy film The Hebrew Hammer...

...In the sequel, Hollywood star Mel Gibson is gunned down on screen by the Hebrew Hammer after a tirade of anti-Semitic outbursts and Kesselman is even hoping that Gibson will star in a parody role after the actor said he wishes to make amends.

"I think if Mel wants to truly extend an olive branch to the Jewish Community as a whole, his on-screen death would go a long way in accomplishing that goal," he told showbiz site TMZ.com

I think that scene alone would make my life.

This Is What Gets Reported

2006-09-01T15:27:00.000-04:00

There are so many things happening in the world...and this is an article that gets printed up:

Rabbi's advise: 'Cure lesbian with sorcery'

Rabbi assures cheated husband that his lesbian wife will come running back if he pours sand on her lover's doorstep

It sounds like the beginning of a really bad joke: "My wife has become a lesbian", a terrified husband told his rabbi. The rabbi gave him a sack and assured him: it contains special sand, simply pour it on your her lover's doorstep and when she steps on it she'll come running back.

If your partner shows lesbian tendencies and you want her to get rid of them, it's not a problem. All you have to do, according to a rabbi in Bnei Brak, is to pour "special sand" on her lover's doorstep and your wife will come running back.

This strange tale, which sounds as though it were taken from the Tales of the Wise Men of Chelem, began when a Bnei Brak resident was surprised to find out that his wife had lesbian tendencies and that she was cheating on him with another woman.

She even informed him that she would like a divorce. The man panicked and turned to the city rabbi to seek his advice.

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

2006-08-31T10:34:00.000-04:00

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

2006-08-29T15:18:00.000-04:00

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

2006-08-25T15:06:00.000-04:00

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

2006-08-21T16:08:00.000-04:00

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?

2006-08-14T10:24:00.000-04:00

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

2006-08-12T03:38:00.000-04:00

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

2006-08-10T21:31:00.000-04:00

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...

2006-08-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

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

2006-08-08T02:22:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-08-07T15:18:00.000-04:00

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...

2006-08-07T11:47:00.000-04:00

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....

2006-08-07T02:07:00.000-04:00

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...

2006-08-02T15:47:00.000-04:00

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?

2006-08-02T14:51:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-08-01T18:46:00.000-04:00

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

What's A Jew To Do?

2006-08-01T00:04:00.000-04:00

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.

Not Really Sure How I Feel About This...

2006-07-29T14:36:00.000-04:00

Glenn Beck on CNN did a short "History Of The Middle East" in a cartoon form. And kinda played up the stereotypes of both Jews and Arabs.

If Danny Glover were here he'd be saying "I'm gettin' too old for this shit" I'm sure.

2006-07-29T08:36:00.000-04:00

The Hollywood rumour mill is buzzing over a report which claims actor and director ( not to mention son of a rabid racist ) Mel "Sugar Tits" Gibson may have went on a violent, Anti-Semetic tirade after being stopped by L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy James Mee on suspicion of drunk driving Friday morning in Malibu, California.

The report, which was uncovered by entertainment tabloid "blog" TMZ.com, alleges that Gibson was exhbiting erratic behaviour before attempting to flee from the officer who then had to subdue him, cuff him, and put him in the cruiser. It was then that Gibson apparently became enraged and began slinging racial epithets, among other verbal insults.

Once inside the car, a source directly connected with the case says Gibson began banging himself against the seat. The report says Gibson told the deputy, "You mother f****r. I'm going to f*** you." The report also says "Gibson almost continually [sic] threatened me saying he 'owns Malibu' and will spend all of his money to 'get even' with me."

The report says Gibson then launched into a barrage of anti-Semitic statements: "F*****g Jews... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Gibson then asked the deputy, "Are you a Jew?"

The deputy became alarmed as Gibson's tirade escalated, and called ahead for a sergeant to meet them when they arrived at the station. When they arrived, a sergeant began videotaping Gibson, who noticed the camera and then said, "What the f*** do you think you're doing?"

A law enforcement source says Gibson then noticed another female sergeant and yelled, "What do you think you're looking at, sugar tits?"

We're told Gibson took two blood alcohol tests, which were videotaped, and continued saying how "f****d" he was and how he was going to "f***" Deputy Mee.

Gibson was officially taken into custody and brought to lock-up, where he reportedly tried to pee on something. But the thing that should piss you off is that Deputy Mee was allegedly asked to alter his report on the incident to remove the "inflammatory" information which other officers thought might make Gibson look bad in light of the controversy surrounding possibly Anti-Semetic sentiment contained in his film 'The Passion Of The Christ.'

*sigh*

Oh Mel, don't you know that many of your heroes were Jewish? Just remember back to the 'Lethal Weapon' days. Remember how much you liked the Three Stooges? They were Jews Mel! And ya know that guy you made your last movie about? Ya know... Jesus? Well Mel, he was a Jew too. Why, your own "Bible" calls him the "King of the Jews," so it's entirely possibly that he was the biggest Jew of all! Why, I think your spokesperson, Alan Nierob, the guy who refuted this whole story might be a Jew too. In fact, I think he might even be the child of Holocaust survivors.

I know, I know, your dad denies that that whole Holocaust thing happened and everything, but look how your Jewish servan... er... friend... went to bat for you. Think about that next time you're drunk in the back of a cop car, okay Mel?

And thus it begins...

2006-07-29T00:02:00.000-04:00

Yesterday in Seattle, Washington, a Muslim man walked into the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and shot six people, injuring five and killing one.

The gunman, who employees said claimed to be a Muslim angry at
Israel, forced his way through the security door at the Jewish Federation after an employee had punched in her security code, said Marla Meislin-Dietrich, a co-worker who was not at the building at the time.

Staff members said they overheard him saying "'I am a Muslim American, angry at Israel,' before opening fire on everyone," Meislin-Dietrich said. "He was randomly shooting at everyone."

The first reaction by the FBI when they were investigating was that there was no motive for this act of violence. They had no idea why this Muslim man went into the Jewish Federation and started shooting. NOW, they are saying that he was "a lone individual acting out antagonism toward this particular organization."

Regardless of whether or not he was working for any particular group, it makes you wonder how many more cases like this we will be seeing in the near future.

People Need To Grow A Sense Of Humor...

2006-07-28T23:13:00.000-04:00

...Though it is in England, so that may be difficult.

A British woman has been ordered by police to take down a sign on her garden gate which read "Our dogs are fed on Jehovah's Witnesses."

Janet Grove, who owns a terrier puppy called Rabbit, insisted the sign was a gentle joke to discourage callers at her front door.

Her late husband put the sign up more than 30 years ago when members of the church called at their house on Christmas Day.

I really really really want that sign. Next to a giant Mezzuzah.

Yeah...We Hate "Us-ing" Them Down

2006-07-28T17:48:00.000-04:00

Because I suck at posting...

2006-07-28T17:45:00.000-04:00

Here's the Family Guy's take on one of Berg Above's favorite biblical characers...Moses:

Because Jews are too cheap to pay full price for ANYTHING!

2006-07-27T03:50:00.000-04:00

My man Rafi Kam of hip-hop blog OhWord.com has teamed up with Dallas Penn to teach the world about the joys of the Ghetto Big Mac!

I can't say whether it's the Jewish guy who taught the Black guy how to get through life without paying for shit, or the other way around. But it makes me happy to see Blacks and Jews working together to get over on the white man.

And hey, at least a Jew is finally involved with something being called "ghetto" for once.

An interesting piece...

2006-07-23T17:17:00.000-04:00

Yair Lapid wrote a very interesting piece entitled "Why They Love To Hate Us". Check it out:

One hundred years of conflict, 6.5 years of war, billions of wasted dollars, tens of thousands of people killed, not including the boy lying next to me on a rocky beach at Lake Karon in ’82, with his guts spilling out of his body. Both of us staring the wound until he was evacuated by helicopter. Until this day I do not know if he is alive or dead. All this, and it is still impossible to understand.

It’s not only what has happened. It is also what did not occur – the hospitals that were never built, the universities that never opened, the roads that were never paved, three years stolen from the lives of millions of young people in uniform. Despite everything, we are still clueless as to the core of the riddle.

Why do they hate us so much?

I am not talking about the Palestinians this time. The conflict with them is intimate, focused, and has a direct impact on their day to
day living. Without getting into who is right or wrong, it is clear their reasons for not wanting us here are very personal. We all know that in the end it will be resolved: Between us, in blood, sweat and tears that will soak the pages of the agreement that is signed. Until then, this is a war we can understand, even if no sane person can understand the way in which it is being waged.

But the others. They are impossible to understand. Why does Hassan Nasrallah - together with his tens of thousands of minions - dedicate his life and his considerable talent as well as the fate of his country in order to wage a war against a country that he has never seen, people he has never met and an army he has no reason to fight?

Why do children in Iran who cannot even point to Israel on a map (mostly because it is so small) burn its flag in the city square and volunteer to commit suicide in order to destroy it? Why do Egyptian and Jordanian intellectuals incite the naive and helpless against the peace treaties, knowing full well that revoking them will set their countries back 20 years.

To read more, go here

As if The Inquisition Wasn't Enough...

2006-07-20T11:55:00.000-04:00

Europe, it seems, is getting more anti-Semitic by the minute. So far, there have been internationally reported cases of anti-Semitic happenings in France and England. Now Spain is also getting into the act.

Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was overheard saying that he understood why the Nazis did what they did. And as it turns out, he also hates Israel.

The first signal came on Monday, 5 December, when during a dinner with the Benarroch family, Zapatero and wife began claiming what Vidal Quadras, member of the European Parliament, described on the radio as "a tirade of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism".

By the moment the Benarroch couple had left the table to express their regrets, Zapatero was explaining his lack of surprise about the Holocaust: according to the people present, Zapatero claimed to understand the Nazis.

Now the real question is whether or not his sentiments are those of the Spanish people.

I lived in Spain for a year and while I was there, people often apologized for the Inquisition (something which I still find amusing). There is a movement to remember Spanish Jewish life.

But while no actual outpourings of anti-Semitism have occurred yet (to the best of my knowledge), it does not look good when the leader of a country expresses his hatred towards a specific group. It may allow for future hate crimes and/or attacks on Jewish people.

Get On The Boat...Cause It's So "Fresh"

2006-07-18T16:40:00.000-04:00

If you are going to be in NYC in August or if you already live there, then there is definitely a party you should now miss out on.

Klezmer Punks Golem are having a party to celebrate their new release, Fresh Off The Boat, from JDub Records. It's on August 10th and it's actually on a boat! The party is called the "Rocks Off Concert Tour" and it will be leaving from the Skyport Marina (23rd Street & FDR Drive).

The boat will board around 7 PM and leave around 8. Tickets in advance are $15 and $20 at the door. If you want to get tickets, you can buy them here

"Mikey" Weinstein Wants YOU...To Help Fight The Air Force...

2006-07-16T17:05:00.000-04:00

In today's Washington Post Style section, there was a huge front page article about Michael Weinstein or "Mikey" as many people call him.

Mikey is a 50-something Jewish guy who quotes Meatloaf and Marylin Manson, is a lawyer and is blunt and un-apologetic. He's the kind of guy you would want on your side in a bar fight.

And as far as fights go, the one he's fighting is a whopper: Mikey is going against the entire Air Force, suing them for "alleged religious favoritism and proselytizing in the service." Basically, he feels that the Neo-Conservative Right Wingers are influencing the military too much and are using it as a place to find converts. Which it's not and should never be.

This fight started when Mikey's son told him about the anti-Semitic comments made at the Air Force Academy in Colorado, where Mikey's son was enrolled. As a start, Mikey created the Military Religious Freedom Foundation which is "dedicated to ensuring that all members of the United States Armed Forces fully receive the Constitutional guarantees of religious freedom to which they and all Americans are entitled by virtue of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment." He also wrote a book with the working title of With God On Our Side

I won't go into any more detail about the article because you should read it yourselves. But I will post this quote from it. It's a response from Mikey Weinstein to the Christian Right that has highjacked the military:

"Let me make it clear. I would shed my last drop of blood to defend their right to hold that biblical worldview. They are absolutely entitled to believe that Anne Frank is burning in hell along with Dr. Seuss, Gandhi and Einstein," he says. "But I will not accept my government telling me who are the children of the greater God and who are the children of the lesser God. That's the difference. I will not defend -- I will fight them tooth and nail, and lay down a withering field of fire and leave sucking chest wounds -- if they engage the machinery of the state, which is what they're doing."

"Sucking chest wounds"...Not bad huh?

If you want to keep up with Mikey and what he's doing, then check out the Military Religious Freedom Foundation blog

Large rocket kills 8 in Haifa...

2006-07-16T12:21:00.000-04:00

So in retaliation to the bombings in Beirut, Hezbollah fired a rocket which hit a facility building of a government railyard in Haifa

A large rocket apparently fired by Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon smashed through the roof of a maintenance facility at an Israeli government rail yard here Sunday, killing eight people and injuring dozens more, officials reported.

Warfare also continued unabated in Beirut, where Israel escalated its assault on Hezbollah strongholds in the Lebanese capital. Israeli planes again hit the city, at least briefly knocking the al-Manar television run by Hezbollah off the air and flattened an area in the southern suburbs known as Security Square, where Hezbollah headquarters had been located. The neighborhood had been the site of heavy air strikes Saturday also.

As Jewschool already mentioned, Israel has already destroyed both Hezbollah Headquarters and Hamas Headquarters in Beirut. Many want to know what's going to happen next. This morning, Wolf Blitzer was asking Shimon Peres whether or not Israel will be bombing Syria. As if Peres would broadcast something like that on CNN...

Speed Dating is only the half of it...

2006-07-16T12:12:00.000-04:00

Recently, France held a first ever Jewish Dating fair:

The international salon for the Jewish dating (Salon International de la Rencontre Juive) that took place in Paris two weeks ago was a great success.

More than 1,500 people attended the fair, where a variety of Jewish dating and marriage agencies, singles travel agencies, and website hosts had stands.

The one-day fair also featured several lectures and workshops on themes like commitment and dating, as well as a re-imaging space and a relaxation area.

My personal favorite quote about this event came from 45 year old Judith Mirano:

"I feel a bit like we’re on a cattle market. Everyone is checking each other out. It’s as if we all had a label stuck to our foreheads with ‘I’m Jewish and I’m looking for a partner’. And despite the fact that we’re all Jewish it’s not always easy to meet someone..."

True that.

THIS JUST IN!: Madonna May Cut Ties To Kabbalah!

2006-07-09T16:55:00.000-04:00

I don't believe it:

The Independent on Sunday cited close friends of the singer saying she has talked of loosening her red Kabbalah wristband - used to ward off the "evil eye" - and is wearying of the mystical Jewish belief system.

Esther -- the adopted Hebrew name by which she is known to fellow believers -- has tired of the financial burden and the effect her strong beliefs have had on her relationship with husband
Guy Ritchie, the paper said.

Madonna is also said to be concerned that following Kabbalah separates her children from more conventional customs such as Christmas, which they do not currently celebrate, it added.

Ok, first off...Kabbalah seperates her children from celebrating Christmas. Maybe because CHRISTmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. And Jews (who are really the original practitioners of Kabbalah) don't BELIEVE in Jesus. Should have thought that one through, huh Esther?

This makes me mad, because it just goes to show how cultural vacationing (which is what I'm calling Madonna's little Kabbalah tryst) can disrupt a tradition. Because of her following "Kabbalah teachings" so closely, she has now made the traditional practice a mockery of itself. How many teeny bopper, spiritualist wannabes are wearing red strings around their wrists because of her? Regardless of whether or not Madonna is truly leaving Kabbalah, the fact that she has become the spokesperson for the practice of Kabbalah is indeed a little sickening. Her and Demi Moore. They should take their Kabbalah practices and energy drinks and get the hell out of Jerusalem...I mean Dodge.

Sorry about the lack of posting!

2006-07-09T01:24:00.000-04:00

To my faithful (or unfaithful) readers, I want to apologize for not having posted in a while. I was away in the Jewish mecca (i.e. NYC) and now I'm not really doing much of anything till my face stops swelling (wisdom teeth, not a nose job).

So until then here's a little video that shows "Authentic 'Hip & Cool' Jewish Dancing School"

"But it's okay, I'm Jewish... "

2006-07-05T03:52:00.000-04:00

While I may not have the same sort of "I used to date a Jewish girl" stories that our beloved webmistress Miss Hipstah does in my own arsenal of anecdotes, I too am sometimes greeted by strange public recognitions of my Jewishness. In fact, I have a number of such tales with which I could regale you. However, I'm going to restrict my reminiscence in this post to one such story, which also happens to be the most recent of the bunch.

A couple of weeks ago I made a long distance journey with a new friend to see her favorite band ever, psychedelic Goth-pop troupe Legendary Pink Dots, as their 25th Anniversary tour made it's stop at the Middle East in Cambridge. After the show my friend was psyched to meet the band's lead singer Edward Ka-Spell and possibly get him to autograph a limited edition book of his writings she had purchased earlier that evening at the merch table. The only problem was she didn't have a pen. Recognizing a young man who she had introduced me to earlier in the evening in a small crowd I bounded over and asked everybody standing there if anyone had a pen. One gruff fellow wearing a Misfits tee-shirt immediately handed me a pen. Upon handing me the writing utensil though he pointed at me and shouted "hey, you're Jewish!" "Yeah! Yeah I am!" I quickly retorted. To which he shouted "I'm Italian!" My only response to such a revelation was to give him the "thumbs up" spin around and bolt back to my pen-less friend so she could get her autograph.

As I stood by, awaiting the end of the autograph process, the young man I previously mentioned who was in fact the semi-familiar face which brought me to the group of strange would-be Jew-spotters in search of a pen in the first place sauntered over to where I was standing. The young man's name was in fact Bradley Sands, and during our earlier introduction it had been revealed that he was a writer and had recently published a book; a work of "bizarro fiction" called 'It Came From Below The Belt.' He now began telling me about said book, describing it as being about "a guy and his severed penis, and his severed penis is running for president... and his severed penis IS HITLER." This latter fact caused him to make known an extra, heretofore unimportant tidbit of information in the form of the addendum "but it's okay... I'm Jewish."

And ya know what? It was okay. And he was Jewish. A quick discussion delving into whether either of us were "synagogue Jews" that scraped the surface of our own ideas about what it means to be ethnically and religiously Jewish followed. And at one point I actually suggested that he stage a publicity stunt to promote his book by having a guy dressed up in a penis costume decked out in full Nazi regalia give a mock press conference in front of a local bookseller.

Seeing as how I don't own a penis costume or any Nazi regalia I can't help him do any such thing. But I can post a quick blurb about him, his Jewishness, and his book here at our humble little Jewish pop culture blog. Cuz after all, he is an author of bizarro fiction, and there's not much more bizarre an occurrence than having people point at you and shout "you're Jewish" for no apparent reason.

That's eerie synchronicity if ever there was such a thing

Maybe If We Pray Hard Enough...

2006-06-18T15:15:00.000-04:00

Jewish Washington Wizards fans will be pleased to hear that their team may be getting an Israeli player.

Israeli point guard and NBA hopeful Yotam Halperin held a workout Thursday with the Washington Wizards attended by the team's professional staff and its president, Ernie Grunfeld.

Halperin's agent, Jason Levine, said that the workout went well and that if the Israeli player continues in his current ability, he stands a good chance of being picked on the June 28 NBA Draft.

After Washington, Halperin will go to Arizona to take part in a workout with the Pheonix Suns. He's very enthusiastic about his visit and is hoping to join the NBA by next season.

Jew(eler)s is gangsta yo!

2006-06-15T21:54:00.000-04:00

The 41-year old jeweler known for putting "bling" on hip-hop stars and other celebrities, Yakov Arabov, a.k.a. Jacob Arabo, a.k.a. "Jacob The Jeweler," was arrested Thursday on money-laundering charges in connection with a multistate drug and money-laundering ring.

Arabov was identified along with the alias, "Jacob the Jeweler," in an indictment charging some of 16 people with breaking federal drug laws, included conspiracy to distribute more than 476 kilograms of cocaine and laundering about $270 million, Detroit U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy announced Thursday.

Federal authorities say those indicted are connected to a drug organization called the "Black Mafia Family." The gang dealt cocaine in the Detroit metropolitan area beginning in the early 1990's, extending across the country.

Between October 1997 and June 2005, authorities said they seized approximately $5 million in cash from the gang, which used the drug money to purchase and lease luxury vehicles, buy real estate and jewelry.

The Russian immigrant, who is basically a walking-talking Jewish stereotype, became the "go-to" guy for the guady jewelry favored by hip-hop artists in the mid '90s. Over the years he's gained cache with celebreties across the showbiz spectrum, from Elton John, to Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne, right on down to everyone's favorite wannabe Jewess, Esth... I mean Madonna. He recently partnered with Kanye West for a line of religious-themed jewelry and was name-checked by West in his recent hit "Diamonds From Sierra Leone."

Yes, Jacob The JEWeler was in the business of making "Jesus peices." That's enough of a reason to lock his ass up and throw away the key as far as I'm concerned.

In Case You Were Wondering...

2006-06-13T10:24:00.000-04:00

Tic Tac Mints, Snickers, Mars and Bounty ice cream is all being removed from shelves in Israeli stores. Why, you might ask? Because they all have been deemed not kosher:

The Israeli Chief Rabbinate ordered to remove Tic-Tac mints as well as Snickers, Mars and Bounty ice-cream from shelves in stores. The reason: The Rabbinate found that the products, branded as kosher, are in fact non-kosher.

"The products are displayed as approved by Rabbi Ralbag and the Israeli Chief Rabbinate," wrote Thursday Rabbi Yaakov Sabag, head of Kashrut Department at the Rabbinate. "But when we checked the facts with Ralbag," he added, "We learned that he didn't approve the products. It's a serious forgery."

I'm wondering if there are any political reasons why those specific brands are now not deemed kosher. Like maybe the Mars Bar company doesn't support Israel*? Who knows?

*I don't know if this is true. I'm speculating

Matisyahu Performs Tonight....

2006-06-10T18:12:00.000-04:00

Or maybe he's performing right now? Who knows....

It's a Secret Show in Tel Aviv tonight, June 10th.

W.W.B.D: What Would Barbra Do?

2006-06-08T22:03:00.000-04:00

Go on tour, that's what.

Babs will be performing in 20 concerts across the US.

Streisand will play 20 concerts in U.S. cities during October and November, her manager, Martin Erlichman, said in a statement. Her last U.S. tour was in 1994.
The 64-year-old singer-actress plans to give "designated proceeds" from the tour to support several causes, including the environment, education and women's health. The money will be distributed through the Streisand Foundation.

"The increasingly urgent need for private citizen support to combat dangerous climate change, along with education and health issues, was the prime reason I decided to tour again," Streisand said in a statement. "This will allow me to direct funds and awareness to causes that I care deeply about."

This is following the release of her album Guilty Pleasures.

Barbra is 64? She doesn't look it...maybe she really is made of buttah.

Kosher Sushi and Floating Sumos: Caption Contest!

2006-06-08T21:58:00.000-04:00

The picture above is of the team of Sumo Wrestlers from Japan who are visiting Israel. As part of their tour, they all took a dip in the Dead Sea.

There are so many jokes that could be made about this. Ok...CAPTION CONTEST! (There is no prize...just my undying love and adoration)

Blogger's being weird...

2006-06-08T21:57:00.000-04:00

Sorry about not posting so much...blogger.com has been actin' all kinds of crazy!

Everyone excited for the World Cup? I know the guys above are!

I Don't Care That You Dated A Jewish Girl

2006-06-07T19:41:00.000-04:00

In my short yet eventful life, I have experienced many things regarding my Jewishness. I have experienced everything from out-right Jew hating to minor stereotyping. Yet of all these things, the one thing that bothers me most is not serious. It may even be considered complimentary. But I have always had a problem with it.

Why is it that when people (ok, mostly men) find out I'm Jewish or see the Star of David around my neck, they feel the need to tell me "Oh...I dated a Jewish girl"?

It's literally the first thing that comes out of their mouths. Like I should immediately feel connected to them because at one time or another they had dinner with/had drinks with and/or shtupped a Jewish girl. Maybe it's because there are so few of us that people think we may be like "Oh...yeah...you dated my cousin."

What's worse is that some even add to that:

"Yeah...after dating her I realized Jewish girls are bitches."

"Jewish girls are freaks in bed"

"Actually, maybe you know her...her name is Sarah...Sarah Goldberg"

"I LOVE JEWISH GIRLS!"

Now, the first two statements are complete stereotypes. There are PLENTY of nice Jewish girls and there are PLENTY who are as prudish as can be. The third one is just plain stupidity. Going along with what I said above...there are enough Jews out there that most likely, I will NOT know your ex-girlfriend.

In reality it's the fourth response that always gets me. Granted, I love being loved for my Jewishness (it's what gets me through many days). But at what point does this "love" turn into a fetish? Or is it already a fetish? And is this person now talking to me because they are interested in me or just interested in my Jewishness?

Another thing that gets me is when I meet non-Jewish women who, when they find out I'm Jewish, go into great detail about how they love Jewish men and how many they have dated. (As a Jewish woman, this upsets me for other reasons too...)

It's easy to see when someone has, let's say, an Asian fetish. While the word may signify it, the "fetish" does not have to be at all sexual. It can be a strong interest in the language or in the culture, through which a person may find acceptance and understanding. This then may lead him or her to date a person from an Asian background.

Is this so with Jewish culture? Sure, there are people who convert to Judaism, who find it more accepting than the culture in which they were brought up. But, from my personal experience, it seems that many are only interested in the Jewish body as a sexual object...that based on the standard social perceptions of Jews, we are exotic and different to a point.

I know that women from various ethnic groups do get reactions like “Oh, I LOVE Black/Latino/Asian/Purple People Eating women” so I do realize that it is sort of universal to be an ethnic minority and have someone love you. But I have asked friends who are Black and Latino whether or not people come up to them and say "Oh, I've dated a Black girl/Latino girl." Their reactions (i.e. looking at me like I'm crazy) tell me that, no, no one has every done that. And they are surprised when I say how often it happens to me. I've asked other Jewish friends and a few have said that this does indeed happen to them too, so I know I'm not alone.

I have been told to brush it off, that it is nothing more than social ignorance, but I can't. A man saying to me that he has once dated a Jewish girl means that he, in some form, has a pre-conceived notion of who a Jewish girl is. Thus his reaction to me may change based on whether or not the relationship with this woman was good or bad. Or I have to live up to the standards set by a Jewish woman who I have never nor will ever meet. It is another way in which we (Jews) get boxed in.

As frustrating as it is, I feel like maybe I can't avoid it. Unless I move to Israel. Or New York.

When In Doubt...Ask a Jew!

2006-06-06T16:07:00.000-04:00

So the other night, I watched TLC's new reality show "Shalom in the Home". The plotline goes something like this...Family is in shambles. Kids hate parents. Parents hate kids. Dog caught in the middle. Enter the very well known Rabbi Shumuley Boteach. Because of his vast knowledge of human behavior (and the fact that he himself has what, 8 kids?), the good Rabbi comes to these families' rescue and saves them from becoming even more dysfunctional.

Ok...great...he's a problem solver who happens to be Jewish. Chabad-Lubuvitch Jewish. Fantastic.

Don't get me wrong. I am all for what he preaches. The show, to my surprise, is not all that bad. It's an A-Typical "Get Your Life Together" reality TV show. Just like "What Not To Wear" except minus the fabulous fashion.

But putting the "life lessons" aside, is Rabbi Boteach's appearance on this show good for the view of Jews in America? No, he is not representing all of us, not in the least. But can some of his actions on the show be hurtful to how mainstream America i.e. Midlle America i.e. non-Jews see our community. Though he isn't the first Jew to be on reality television (there have countless Jews on The Real World, Road Rules Survivor, The Apprentice etc), he is one of the first and few who is VISIBLE Jewish. He wears a kippah. He has a long beard. He has a slightly stereotypical Yiddish accent. And he's going to places where there aren't a whole lot of Jews.

Like the popularity of Matisyahu, I'm still not sure about how I feel about this issue of "visible" Jews becoming commodities for mainstream America. It's almost like they are trying to bring a watered down version of the traditional values we have in Judaism to a non-Jewish audience.

If you have any thoughts about this, please...leave a comment. Also if you have any thoughts on the fact that Lee, the not so visible Orthodox Jew on The Apprentice, lost in the final round, feel free to leave that too.

Jewschool's Hip Hop Exclusive

2006-06-06T00:22:00.000-04:00

Jewschool has a great post about the Hip Hop Industry's reaction to the Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America's, Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, comments about rap music. Check it out.

Sorry about the light posting lately. I've been a bit busy.

What do Elvis and Bending Spoons Have In Common?

2006-06-03T22:49:00.000-04:00

Israeli mind controller Uri Geller wants to build a museum dedicated to the paranormal in the first house Elvis Presley ever owned. Unfortunately, that may not be happening...

Geller, who thought he had purchased the Memphis property in an eBay auction last month for $905,100, learned on Friday the sellers had turned around and sold the 3,000-square-foot (280-sq-metres) house to a foundation set up by Mike Curb, the longtime music producer.

The King of rock 'n' roll lived in the house at 1034 Audubon Dr. for 13 months before moving to Graceland, the now-famous Memphis estate where he died in 1977.

It was not immediately clear what Curb, elected lieutenant governor of California in the late 1970s, paid for the four-bedroom, two-bath home Elvis bought in 1956 with royalties from "Heartbreak Hotel."

And you better believe he is fighting this one. What I don't understand is why doesn't he just use his powers of the mind to get the house back to him? If it works on spoons, it should work on EBay right?

Hope You're All Having A Good Shavuot...

2006-06-02T18:55:00.000-04:00

...what better way to celebrate Moses getting the Ten Commandments than with a piece of Cheesecake. Here's a link/repost to keep you smiling.

Golem @ The Brooklyn Museum

2006-06-02T18:45:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow (June 3rd), Klezmer/Punk favorite Golem will be performing at the Brooklyn Museum for the musuem's Target First Saturday.

It's from 6-8 PM and is FREE. Plus you get to see art in Brooklyn. What more could you ask for on a Saturday evening.

New Music Update: Terry Poison

2006-06-02T10:41:00.000-04:00

If you took a Brooklyn Hipster and a British punk/mod, put them in a bag, added a heavy hand of Israeli attitude and then shook the shit out of it, you might get a sound similar to Terry Poison.

This Israeli Pop group is coming at you...in more ways than one. With their tongue-in-cheek attitude and sexy styles, this trio is like a Jewish Charlie's angel...there's lead singer Louise Khan ("Being unstable and bitchy is part of her mystique"), keyboardist Petite Maler and bassist Gili Saar. Their "Charlie" is producer/DJ Bruno Grife who, according to their website, is pimping these ladies hardcore.

I know that they just had a show last night at Madame Jo Jos in London and they are probably heading back to Israel for a few shows. Whether they've been to the US yet, I'm not sure and when they are coming here...well who knows. And while I was hoping to be able to offer you an MP3 of their music, I wasn't able to find one. So instead, I'm offering up a YouTube of the music video for their song "Buzz on the Bell"

You can, of course, check out more Terry Poison tracks at their MySpace page

Ouch...do it again...

2006-05-30T23:39:00.000-04:00

From Ynet News:

Apparently Israel's two exclusive exports, Bar Refaeli and Yonatan Cohen, combined beauty forces in a massive cosmetics campaign.

Supposedly these ads are all over Miami's airport. Now that's hot. If anyone can tell me what perfume they are trying to sell, please let me know.

Ouch!

2006-05-29T13:28:00.000-04:00

Orthodox Dave takes one for the team...

Thanks Emeyesi!

Kashyyyk does sound like it could be Hebrew I guess

2006-05-28T16:08:00.000-04:00

Pat Robertson Needs To Be Taken Off The Air...

2006-05-26T11:06:00.000-04:00

...For serious...

Everyone's favorite televangelist tried to make a stereotype sound like a compliment on May 23rd. The 700 Club host said things like "Jews are extraordinarily good business people" and discussed how some might be shocked to find there is poverty in Israel, seeing how "Jews are thrifty." He said this to a Jewish guest who was there to discuss poverty in Israel (I'm guessing).

You can watch the clip here (Quicktime/Windows Media)

Before that he claimed that Islam was just Christian Heresy, because Muslims just "picked up snippets of the Gospels, snippets of the Ten Commandments" and the writings of Moses and Abraham.

Now...if I'm not mistaken...weren't Moses and Abraham Jews? I might be going out on a limb here...but couldn't you say that Christianity is really just a form of Jewish Heresy? Seeing how Christians picked up snippets of the Old Testament...well ok, maybe they picked up the ENTIRE Old Testament.

Originally seen over at Jewschool.

Elliot Yamin Finds "One Love" With Mary J. Blige

2006-05-25T15:40:00.000-04:00

He may not have won American Idol, but gosh darnit, that boy can SING. Here is his performance of U2's well known song "One" from the finale with the R&B songstress.

Thanks to Crunk & Disorderly for the link.

Why Do I Feel Like I've Heard This Before?

2006-05-25T12:54:00.000-04:00

Even though this was a Dutch kid who did it...we all know...those Germans do love their House music.

In Holland, a court sentenced a student to 40 hours of community service for making an anti-Jewish video. Called "Housevitz," the video compared the Polish Nazi death camp Auschwitz to "a dance party."

The clip, which was widely circulated on the Internet last year, purported to give details of a techno music festival called "Housewitz", a reference to techno "house" music. It used images of the Auschwitz death camp, turning the infamous slogan "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Shall Set You Free) into "Tanzen Macht Frei" (Dance Shall Set You Free).

The clip announced the DJ’s Michel der Heidi and Adolf Von Bauren with Sieg Heil, and spoke about “seven million party people, set their body’s on fire”, and said the dresscode was “skinny Jew." It also included many horrific pictures of gas chambers, with statements such as “hot showers, free of charge” and “train stops at party ground”.

I did a little searching and found the flash animation clip here on a Neo-Nazi website. ( DO NOT CLICK IF YOU WILL BE OFFENDED BY ANTI-JEWISH/HOLOCAUST IMAGERY). It is kind of hard to stomach. There are pictures of dead concentration camp victims set to a techno beat. It's a little disturbing.

The date on the video clip is from 2005 and it was an ad for a fake dance party. Why it is only being reported about now is beyond me. I guess maybe the trail was going on? Who knows. All I know is that there are probably a lot of Jew-haters out there saying how once again Jews are controlling freedom of speech.

When Jews Get Down...

2006-05-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

...we get FUNKY!

This past Saturday, amid all the drunken high school reunion celebrations I begrudgingly participated in, I managed to hang out and see one of my favorite Hebrew brothers.

MC Y-Love, the first and foremost black Orthodox Aramaic speaking rapper, came and performed at Bourbon (what was formerly Blue Room) in Adams Morgan, Washington DC. He, along with both the awesome and sexy DJ Handler and Ori Kaplan of Balkan Beat Box, took part in "Rhythm En Route", the Washington Jewish Music Festival.

Now, these guys know how to pack a house. This was one of the few performances Y-Love has given in DC (even though he hails from our friendly neighbor Baltimore...he was even mentioned in the B'more Jewish Times). With all the excitement of the show, it was almost impossible to get into the door. People filed in and out fanning themselves from the sheer insanity of it all.

When I finally got in the door, I saw that the dance floor was CRAZY. I made my way over to the DJ booth where I spotted the Mr. Y-Love rocking out to DJ Handler's beats. After the standard hellos, we spent the rest of the evening people watching the tons of Tribe Members getting down to klezmer sounds over hip hop beats and rap lyrics spit over Middle Eastern melodies. We even took part in some traditional (or not so traditional) dancing by using a sweatshirt as a makeshift handkerchief (as is customary for Orthodox men and women who are not related to use when dancing with each other...or at least as they did in Fiddler On The Roof).

(One thing I would like to note: There were certain areas of the club that smelled like 40 years in the desert...come on people! It's 5766! Deoderant does exist!)

After leaving Bourbon, we walked around Adam's Morgan before leaving to hang out with Jewish punks from Baltimore. It was definitely one of the more memorable evenings...

At any rate, for those of you who have no heard his music, you should really check out Y-Love's MySpace (posted above). Also, check out his blog This Is Babylon.

For more info on Y-Love and DJ Handler go to their Modular Moods label. You can also catch them performing at Makor (92nd St. Y in NYC) this weekend.

(Photo Source: Baltimore Jewish Times)

Oh Esther...How You Disappoint...

2006-05-22T17:28:00.000-04:00

(Photo Source: FourFour)

Madonna crucified herself at the kick off concert for her "Confessions" tour, her first world wide tour in about two years. As you can see, she donned a crown of thorns too.

Madonna launched her first world tour in two years on Sunday, delighting an enthusiastic Los Angeles crowd by hanging herself from a cross, insulting President George W. Bush, and dusting off some of the sexy moves that have sustained her career for more than 20 years

Oh but wait...it gets even better

The audience at the Los Angeles Forum included Madonna's Kabbalah guru Rabbi Yehuda Berg, socialite Nicole Richie, and gay icon Rosie O'Donnell, who upgraded herself to a premium seat on the floor and left her spouse alone in the stands.

(Source)

Ok, so maybe it's just me, but for being such a wannabe Jew, Madonna is doing a pretty lousy job. Yes Jesus was a Jew. But hanging yourself from a cross isn't exactly very Jewish...especially with your "Rabbi" in the audience.

Madonna = Not Kosher

And you know what else is not kosher? The price of a Madonna t-shirt.

Her charging that much might actually be considered Jew-ey. At least the tax is included.

HEY! TEXAS!

2006-05-20T16:17:00.000-04:00

Vote for Kinky!

"Zee Golem, eet LIVES!!!"

2006-05-19T19:21:00.000-04:00

Israel, your redemption is at hand.

In Memorium: Stanley Kunitz

2006-05-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Back in 2000, I was fortunate enough to meet Poet Laureate of that year, Stanley Kunitz. He was reading from his latest collection of poems. Seeing him read his work, he reminded me of my father...a man who held everything in a quiet regard. His poetry was written in the same way.

Stanley Kunitz died in his sleep early Sunday morning. He was 100.

The son of Eastern European Jewish immigrants. His father commited suicide in a public park a few weeks before he was born. His mother opened a dry goods store to support her family. Later, Kunitz went to Harvard where he graduated Suma Cum Laude in 1926. His Jewish background however prevented him from becoming an assitant in the English department.

During WWII, Kunitz served three years in the army, even though he was a conscientious objector. His experiences in war were fuel for his collection Passport To War which was published in 1944.

Over the years, Kunitz held teaching positions at Yale, Princeton, Rutgers, Bennington, the New School and of course Columbia, where he spent 22 years. He won several awards. His poetry was widely recognized in the United States as well as the rest of the world. It wasn't until his old age however that he really came into his prime:

Kunitz had just turned 95 when appointed poet laureate in 2000, capping a career that began 70 years earlier with the collection "Intellectual Things" and later included a Pulitzer, a National Medal of the Arts and at age 90 a National Book Award.

He served a single one-year term as U.S. poet laureate and was also the Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, the precursor to poet laureate, from 1974 to 1976.

(Source

One of his best poems was his poem "Touch Me" which he wrote for his third wife, Elise Asher, a painter after her death in 2004. It was one of the poems he read at the reading in 2000. I've copied it for you here:

Touch Me

Summer is late, my heart
Words plucked out of the air
some forty years ago
when I was wild with love
and torn almost in two
scatter like leaves this night
of whistling wind and rain.
It is my heart that's late,
it is my song that's flown
Outdoors all afternoon
under a gunmetal sky
staking my garden down
I kneeled to the crickets trilling
underfoot as if about
to burst from their crusty shells;
and like a child again
marveled to hear so clear
and brave a music pour
from such a small machine.
What makes the engine go?
Desire, desire, desire.
The longing for the dance
stirs in the buried life.
One season only,
and it's done.
So let the battered old willow
thrash against the windowpanes
and the house timbers creak.
Darling, do you remember
the man you married? Touch me,
remind me who I am.

Stanley Kunitz was one of America's greatese poets. His contribution to American literature is one that will not soon be forgotten. Stanley Kunitz will be greatly missed.

KILLING ME...

2006-05-18T17:15:00.000-04:00

Spotted at Jewlicious

Lazy Shabbos

2006-05-18T12:58:00.000-04:00

All the parodies of "Lazy Sunday" have got to stop...

Well, This is a Little Awkward...

2006-05-18T11:08:00.000-04:00

(Image Source)

So according to a Bishop in Jerusalem and recorded by The Church of England Newspaper, Jews are no longer the chosen people:

CHRISTIANS have replaced Jews in God’s economy of salvation, the Bishop in Jerusalem, the Rt Rev Riah Abu al-Assal has told Israel Radio. In a wide-ranging interview broadcast on April 23, Bishop Riah told Israel Radio’s Arutz 7 programme that Christians had stepped into the place of Jews as the “true Israel”. God’s gift of the Law to Moses at Sinai was “conditional” Bishop Riah explained to the nationwide audience. “It was not only given to the Jews. God does not favour one party against another,” he said, citing the Apostle Paul in support of his proposition that Christians “are the new Israel. We are the chosen people.”

Shut cho mouth and say it ain't so! First we lose the coveted spot on American Idol, now we're no longer the Chosen people? What's next? Losing the diamond trade? Oh, wait...

Proving Once Again...

2006-05-18T08:40:00.000-04:00

...America will only let a Jew go so far...

Tears streamed from "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul's eyes when the result was announced. The audience stood and clapped, paying their respects.

In a close vote, Abdul's favorite finalist, Elliott Yamin — an "Idol" underdog and blue-eyed soul singer — was bounced off the Fox talent contest during Wednesday's elimination show.

The exit of the 27-year-old Richmond, Va., resident cleared the path for a final showdown between gray-haired Taylor Hicks and sultry Katharine McPhee. The winner will be crowned May 24.

During Wednesday's program, Yamin told host Ryan Seacrest he felt "truly blessed."

(Source)

You know Paula was rooting for him so hard because their memebers of the same tribe. She wasn't even trying to hide her love for her people. You knew either Katherine McPhee or Taylor Hicks were going to win. They have apple pie written all over them.

Odd Musical Selections for a Concert...

2006-05-17T11:38:00.000-04:00

On June 8th, everyone's favorite Orthodox reggae star, Matisyahu will be opening up for Sting at the Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Now, I know Sting is all into "World Music" and what not. But Matisyahu as his opener? I don't know. That just seems like a weird concert, to me at any rate. Thoughts anyone?

Oh and also slated to perform is Sting's son, Joe Sumner and his band Fiction Plane

2006-05-16T16:11:00.000-04:00

So rapper Ice Cube is doing a free show tonight in Virginia Beach thanks to MySpace Secret Shows.

The funny thing is, if you look at the location above in the poster, that the venue is called The Jewish Mother

Maybe it's just me, but I find it HILARIOUS that Ice Cube is playing at The Jewish Mother.

Boychiks in DA CHOOD!

Rappers Being Provocative? Go On...

2006-05-15T11:16:00.000-04:00

In Paris, there were signs posted around town that read one word: "Holocost." A mis-spelling of a terrible tragedy? Or the name of a African/Cambodian rap duo?

A French rap duo calling themselves “Holocost” caused a stir in Paris recently after they pasted promotional posters up around the city announcing the release of their new album. The black posters with the word “Holocost” printed in yellow and an image of an automatic weapon were seen throughout the French city and its suburbs.

The rap album, called “L’Argent de la Brinks,” was produced by the record label Ghetto Fabulous, which represents independent artists. The two artists behind Holocost are Shone, an immigrant to France from Burkina Faso, and KER, of Cambodian origin. Both the rappers are from Clichy/Montfermeil outside Paris, near the suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois where the race riots began last autumn.

On their website, the two explain why they chose the provocative name. “When we created ‘Holocost’…we wanted to find a name that makes you ask, why are they called that? There is a certain provocation, but it is to attract interest. ‘Holocost’ means to say the extermination of a race, agreed? We consider slavery as a manner of exterminating a race. We appropriated the term because we were also subjected to a holocaust, and there isn’t a separate expression for that.”

(Source)

I have yet to hear their music (not that I would be able to understand it), but I was able to find the website mentioned in the article. Apparently the duo also go under a larger umbrella name of "The Ghetto Fabulous Gang." You can check out some of their songs at their website.

YouTube Special: Elliot Yamin

2006-05-15T01:22:00.000-04:00

As El Keter already posted, Elliot Yamin is lookin' like a champ in American Idol. Here's a YouTube of him singing "I Don't Wanna Bore You"

"Baruch'atah, I'm annoyed!"

2006-05-14T17:10:00.000-04:00

The kids-show parody 'Wonder Showzen' is one of my favorite things, ever.

The "He-bro" animated short is just one of the many reasons why.

Yamin is the 'American Idol,' yamean?

2006-05-13T22:47:00.000-04:00

Us Jews have accomplished a lot of things over the years but I can't say that one of those things is being idolized by mainstream America. That's about to change though, if California-born, Virgina-raised 'American Idol' contestant Efraym Elliott Yamin has anything to say about it. The 27-year-old former radio DJ and grocery bagger has defied all odds -- deafness, Type 1 diabetes, a humble educational background, and less-than-idol-like features -- by managing to stay in the competition all the way to the final 3.

He's been a favorite of mine ( along with fellow top 3 finalist Taylor Hicks ) since the early stages of the contest, but despite his vocal abilities I never expected him to make it this far. In a contest that has in some cases favored "pretty" faces over talent I just thought his appearance was a little too "real" and a might too "ethnic" to win over the fickle voters. I also didn't think America would stand for a person of such obviously Hebraic origin to get even remotely close to being their next idol. But while he may have had a couple of close calls, for the most part my fears have proven unfounded and his strong, soulful voice has won him acceptance, and could possibly win him the title of "American Idol."

The tide seemed to really begin turning in his favor a few weeks ago when he performed Donny Hathaway's "Song For You" and left 'Idol' judge Paula Abdul in tears. As if seeing a Jew make someone named Abdul ( she's actually Jewish... shhh ) cry and it not even have anything to do with Palestine wasn't surreal enough, notoriously snarky judge Simon Cowell declared that Yamin's performance was "superb" and said that in parts it was like a "vocal masterclass." I couldn't have agreed more myself but I was surprised and more than a little pleased to hear the judges throwing their support behind my Hebrew homeboy. Last week's show, which resulted in Yamin making the top 3, was something like "vocal masterclass 2.0" as he ripped through the little-known Elvis Presley tunes "If I Can Dream" and "Trouble." The former, an uplifting message song, again seemed to leave judge Abdul close to tears. While the latter, a bluesy declaration of bad-assed-ness, came off as a warning to the other competitors that he was "evil" and wasn't taking any shorts.

Ethnic herritage aside, at this point Yamin is the strongest vocalist and performer in the 'American Idol' competition, and I say this as a season-long fan of "the grey-haired man" ( a.k.a. Taylor Hicks ), but Elliot has just blown me away with a few of his recent performances. I look at it as a bonus that someone so unabashedly Jewish ( his father is an Israeli Jew of Iraqi herritage and his mother is an American Jew ) has the opportunity to be America's next "idol." Come Tuesday night I hope all my fellow Jews and Jewesses pick up the phone and cast their votes in favor of our Hebrew brother so that he can make it into the top 2, and hopefully be recognized as a real 'American Idol.'

Going Out of Town

2006-05-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all...I'm going out of town starting Wednesday. I'll be back on Monday. I may try to blog but no promises.

So the five to ten of you who read this...don't be too disappointed :)

In the meantime, go and check out some of the links posted in the links section. There's some good stuff out there.

And Now For Something A Little Goyish...Popetown Update

2006-05-09T12:40:00.000-04:00

MTV Germany has decided to ignore the Vatican's request to ban the cartoon series Popetown and has begun airing the show

The German division of youth television broadcaster MTV said on Tuesday it had decided to air the entire series of the cartoon "Popetown," which shows the pontiff as a pogo-stick-riding maniac.

Ignoring objections from Catholic bishops, the channel broadcast an initial episode last week and then sought the opinion of viewers and youth political groups on whether to show the remaining installments of the British-made series.

"Our decision is based in part on the reaction of the viewers who clearly voted in favor of its broadcast," an MTV statement quoted executive Elmar Giglinger as saying.

Yay. I don't know about anyone else, but I actually like the show. I know I'd watch it regularly.

Coming to an Ellis Island Near You: "Fresh Off Boat"

2006-05-09T10:00:00.000-04:00

JDub Records proudly announced that the newest band to join their label is releasing their first JDub album.

Golem is releasing their latest album entitled Fresh Off Boat on August 8th. Featuring guest appearances by Mike Gordon and Lenny Kaye and produced by Emery Dobyns, the album looks really exciting.

For those of you who don't know about Golem, I posted an update on them back in March (scroll down for the post). They're more shtetl than your Grandmother and she'll probably love them for it.

Mark your calendar and go cope it when it comes out.

Book Review: Zipporah, Wife of Moses: A Novel

2006-05-08T10:00:00.000-04:00

In the Bible, Zipporah, the wife of Moses, is barely mentioned. Her father Jethro and her Midian family is discussed a lot, but you can come across her name infrequently. In fact, in some of the few parts, she isn't even mentioned by name. She is referred to as "the Cushite," which has been interpreted as her being Ethiopian or her simply being foreign.

Now, Marek Halter has given her a voice in his novel Zipporah, Wife of Moses.

In the book, Zipporah is the adopted daughter of Jethro. While she is accepted in the Midian society, she still feels set apart because of the color of her skin. While out tending sheep with her sisters, she is attacked by three young men from an enemy village. She is saved though, by a mysterious stranger who identifies himself as "Moses." Thus begins the story of how Zipporah and Moses meet...most of which is definitely NOT mentioned in Biblical texts. Let's just say Moses and Zipporah did a lot of "knowing."

While the plotline pretty much follows the plotline of Moses, Halter shows the story entirely through Zipporah's eyes...even embellishing a little. He makes her the reason why Moses went back to Egypt to save his people. But more importantly, Halter emphasizes that even though Moses' love for Zipporah was colorblind, the rest of the world saw her as different, as an outsider. She inspired Moses to fight against Pharoah and for the Hebrew people, yet her words are ignored by Moses' followers and she is eventually banished physically and emotionally to her death.

Well, that's how the novel goes at any rate. Halter dedicates the book as a "humble tomb" to Zipporah's memory.

Zipporah, Wife of Moses is the second book in Halter's "Canaan Trilogy." The first book in the series is Sarah and the third book Lilah will be released on June 27th. The book itself is a quick but good read. It flows well and keeps the reader engaged, even if it isn't factual. (Though, isn't the Bible just a bunch of novels too?) So if you can forgive the author for stretching the story a bit, then I definitely recommend it as a good summer read.

Big Love, Jewish Style...

2006-05-05T11:44:00.000-04:00

So, a lot of people know about the HBO show Big Love. You know...the one about the religious man with three wives.

But in Brighton, England, Phillip Sharp became a real life Big Love style celebrity. He claims to be a rabbi and he has seven "wives."

In a self-styled reincarnation of a biblical king, Philip Sharp lives in Brighton, on the southern coast of Britain, with his seven wives and five children. Though not legally married they live according to the belief they are bound in the eyes of God to “love and eternally serve him in every way”. In return, his job is to bring them close to God “in the covenant of the family”.

His wives ages range from 27 to 62 (one of the 62 year olds was still a virgin when she became Sharp's "wife"...um...ew) and only one of the seven was born Jewish. The rest converted. (Oh yeah, and the other 62 year old wife is the MOTHER of the 27 year old wife. Double EW)

Sharp claims that he received a vision from God, who told him that he was the reincarnation of a Biblical king. Because of his claims, his original 17 year marriage broke down and his wife tried to have him committed. The congregation he founded is called Shema Yisrael.

Needless to say, the British Jewish community does not recognize Sharp as one of their own. He is a Messianic Jew in his practice and his family is therefore not seen as Jewish.

Jewish Rappers Needing Extra Security? OY!

2006-05-04T14:00:00.000-04:00

Israeli rapper Subliminal will be performing in London on May 21st with his group TACT Allstars.

Subliminal aka Kobi Shimoni, known for being Israel's leading Zionist rapper, is promoting his latest album Just When You Thought It Was Over, which features guest appearances by Wyclef Jean and Miri Ben Ari.

Promoters are worried about Plalestinian protestors. So they're keeping things really hush hush.

On a website promoting the concert, the promoters have not given out any details as to the location and will be directing fans to login to a secure website to get full details.

"For security reasons, this information is only available to ticket holders. The ticket contains all the information you need including a map and address of the venue. We will contact you with login information to view interactive maps and driving directions," the site says.

Not only are they making finding out the location a pain in the ass, but tickets are also RIDICULOUSLY priced: £35 (roughly $70) for standing seats and £70 (roughly $140) for the "VIP" balcony.

Security precautions or not, that's just silly. And does somebody know why in this picture, Subliminal is wearing a "Warn A Brotha" T-shirt?

"I Never Knew Catholicism Had Such a Rich Comedic Heritage"

2006-05-03T20:00:00.000-04:00

So Benyamin over at Jewschool linked a brief article about a new TV show that was supposed to be shown on MTV Germany called Popetown. It is an animated series about (what else?) the Pope. And his personal assistant. Due to it's contraversial topic, MTV Germany has backed out from airing it. The show, originally created for the BBC in 2004, is under a lot of scrutiny by the Catholic Church. The whole series is apparently available on DVD.

Curious, I looked the show up on YouTube and of course, I found some episodes. So here is one episode divided into three parts. The Pope gets lost while playing Hide & Seek and his assistant, Nicholas has to get a lookalike replacement for Mass. The replacement is perfect...until he opens his mouth. (Note: Lots of Jewish Humor)

To be honest, I thought it was pretty hilarious.

Popetown Episode "The Double"

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Kabbalah Backwords is actually "HOLLA BACK"

2006-05-03T12:03:00.000-04:00

Different Kitchen had a link to the Kabbalah Energy Drink website.

Kabbalah Energy Drink is a delicious citrus fusion which contains essential vitamins and amino acids that pick you up and keep you going. Kabbalah Energy Drink is a refreshing source of positive energy for your busy lifestyle...so whether you need to take your dog for a walk, study for finals, bar-hop with friends or just need a second wind at the office, reach for Kabbalah Energy Drink. Also available in a low-carb Sugar Free variety!

I'd heard about this drink a while back, but never really paid much attention to it. I mean, come on. Ashton Kutchner headed the campaign.

But looking at the cans and reading "all the wonderful things being said" about the drink, I kinda wonder how good it really is. For example...MSNBC said that "Kabbalah Energy Drink tastes better..." But the company cuts off what exactly they say it tastes better than. Other energy drinks? Water? Donkey Piss? Who knows.

The New York Magazine said "this is pop culture right now..." Looking at the product, that does not sound like a compliment. (Well at least not to me) If this is where pop culture is right now, than pop culture is going down hill, and pretty much everyone knows that. Including the people who run this campaign. Because this is probably a spin of bad press into good press.

And what is up with the "Jewish Script" letters here. Does the script make it more "authentic"? What does KSA mean? Is that their Kosher symbol? What the hell is going on?

I will agree that Kabbalah is a very fun word. It looks fun as well as sounds fun. But it's a very serious form of not only study, but beliefs as well. It was once practiced by only the holiest of Jewish men. (I don't know much about it, but that much I know...) The fact that there is an ENERGY DRINK that is being aligned with the actual practice of Kabbalah is kind of disgusting (and by actual practice, I'm not talking about that Hollywood crap). The so called "Source of Power" is nothing more than a load of biblical horse manure.

J to the izzE...W to the izz... or Jay-Z's "Public Service Announcement"

2006-05-02T02:17:00.000-04:00

Everyone's favorite rapper/new owner of Def Jam Records Jay-Z will be taking part of a campaign to stop anti-semitism, i.e. Jew hating

Grammy-award winning hip-hop star Jay-Z, considered one of the world's most important rappers, has decided to take part in the war on anti-Semitism. In the next few days he is expected to star in an TV commercial which will be broadcast on American television under the banner: "Anti-Semitism is not cool"...In the ad, rapper Jay-Z asks viewers not to join groups speaking against Jews because 'anti-Semitism is not cool."

And Russell Simmons is also going to be a part of this?

I think it's really great and all. I mean look at all the Jews both Russell and Jay know: Rick Rubin, Jacob the Jeweler, The Beastie Boys, Will Smith...oh no wait...he's not Jewish. He just crashes Bar Mitzvahs.

But still, couldn't they have come up with a better slogan than "Anti-Semitism is not cool"?

That's about as cool as your Great-Aunt Selma on the beach in Boca in a polka dot bikini.

Yet another reason not to go back to Switzerland...

2006-05-01T12:28:00.000-04:00

Israeli director Amos Gitai had his laptop and a current script stolen from him in Switzerland.

Gitai's computer containing the screenplay ideas was in a bag that was stolen from his scriptwriter Marie-Jo Sanselme while she was waiting outside Geneva railway station Friday.

Local police said Sanselme tried to give chase, but the young thief escaped into a nearby neighbourhood.

Gitai has directed numerous films, including Kippur, Kedma, Promised Land and his latest, Free Zone which stars actresses Natalie Portman and Hanna Laszlo

Cause We Jewish Chicks Are Every Man's Dream

2006-04-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

...for serious...

Happy Late Shabbat, Y'all...

2006-04-29T23:23:00.000-04:00

Here's a fake recruitment ad...

London Jews: Just Say "LO!"

2006-04-28T10:00:00.000-04:00

Jews in London have started a campaign against Mayor Ken Livingstone. There are now bumper stickers showing up that say "So Lo To Ken", the "LO" being in Hebrew (as seen above).

The reason for this campaign was because of Livingstone's verbal attacks on Israel and members of the Jewish Community as well as his "using innappropriate Holocaust references."

Two weeks after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Israel should be wiped out the map, Livingstone told a UK Jewish publication that questioning the morality of Israel's foundation was "a perfectly valid thing to say after so many wars."

He also went on to compare a well known Jewish reporter to a Nazi concentration camp guard. Because of this, he was suspended from duty for a month. Jewish organizations in London are now looking to get him suspended permenantly.

Out of the first print of 1000 stickers, over 200 have already been sold.

The Unofficial "Minister of Rock & Roll" Is Visting the Holy Land

2006-04-28T09:47:00.000-04:00

...no, not Graceland. The Real Holy Land.

Lenny Kravitz announced this week that he's coming to Israel.

During the Jewish-African American reception earlier this week, Kravitz told Israel's consul general in New York, Aryeh Mekel, that he will be arriving in Israel in the next two-to-three months to visit friends in Tel Aviv.

He hasn't decided if he will perform or not.

Gentiles in Jewish History: Chiune Sempo Sugihara

2006-04-27T00:39:00.000-04:00

So I know that "Remember the Holocaust" day was the day before yesterday, but I'm a bit behind in my posting. So I thought I'd do a tribute to a lesser known, but very important figure in Jewish Holocaust history.

Chiune Sempo Sugihara (1900-1986) was the Japanese consul to Lituania during World War II. During his time there, he went on to help thousands of Jews escape from the Nazis.

Many Polish and Russian Jews came to the Japanese consolute looking for Visas to Japan in order to escape the oncoming terrors of both Germany and the Soviet Union. Even though the Japanese government had pretty strict codes and requirements in order to obtain a visa, Sugihara (who was later dubbed the Japanese Schindler) went against these rules and granted visas on his own. There is speculation on the amount of visas Sugihara wrote (sometimes by hand). The number ranges from 2,139 to 10,000. Many whole families went to Japan on one 10 day visa. There was even one day when 30 people came over on a visa for one "Jakub Goldberg." Sugihara was so dedicated to giving Jews visas that he was still signing them while sitting on the train to evacuate Lituania.

When he returned to Japan in 1947, Sugihara was almost immediately fired from Japan's Foreign Service. Though the Japanese government never came out and said it, his firing was due to his helping Polish and Russian Jews. His name was only cleared in 1992, six years after his death.

Now, Nippon Animation, one of Japan's biggest film studios is making a full length feature animation on his story. The studio enlisted the help of Israeli ambassador Eli Cohen, who agreed only after the studio promised to coordinate with the Japanese Foreign Ministry first.

The film will be marketed in 2008, in order to also commemorate sixty years of diplomatic relations between Israel and Japan.

Kikes with Mics...Yeah....

2006-04-25T13:19:00.000-04:00

So, I want to blog about a bunch of things going on right now, one being the fact that all of a sudden, May is now Jewish American Heritage Month thanks to good ole George W. Bush, but I can't at the moment. I got like two hours of sleep and then spent almost all of today at the hospital. No need to ask. Everything's fine. Don't be a Yiddisha mama.

To make up for it, I'm posting another YouTube video (cause they make life so easy). This time, it's the Beastie Boys!

The guy who built the "Stairway To Heaven" would be a Jew, wouldn't he?

2006-04-24T14:38:00.000-04:00

Most of you probably aren't familiar with Spirit, an experimental psyche-rock band whose biggest successes are relegated to the late '60s and '70s, decades when most of you probably weren't even born. On the other hand, you're likely far-more familiar with Led Zeppelin and their controversial ( play it backwards some time to find out why ) stoner classic "Stairway To Heaven." What you surely aren't aware of though is the wide-spread belief that Spirit guitarist Randy California ( born Randy Craig Wolfe; he was re-named "California" by his former bandmate Jimi Hendrix during his stint in Jimi's "Jimmy James & the Blue Flames" ) is the true author of the haunting guitar intro heard on "Stairway To Heaven," not Zep' guitarist Jimmy Page.

It should be noted that Led Zeppelin opened for Spirit during the supporting tour for their 1968 LP 'The Family That Plays Together' ( so named because guitarist California and drummer Ed Cassidy were step-son and step-father ) and were known to cover the Spirit tune "Fresh Garbage" in concert. Jimmy Page has also stated that he began using the Theremin after seeing California use a model that he had mounted to his guitar. Despite this obvious connection, and although the chord progressions on "Stairway" are nearly identical to those of the California-penned Spirit instrumental "Taurus" ( from their self-titled debut album ) no aknowledgement of inspirition has ever been forthcoming from anyone in the Zeppelin camp crediting California or his band.

Anyway, this story, as fascinating as it may be, wouldn't be getting retold here at A Berg Above if it didn't have some bearing on Jews in popular-culture. And of course, it does. Ya see, Randy California ( who unfortunately passed away in 1997 while rescuing his son from a riptide near their home in Molokai, Hawaii ) was a Jew ( I mean just look at that magnificent beard ). And like all other good Jewish boys he's got a Jewish mother. And you can bet your ass that his mother, Bernice Pearl ( who admits that "Stairway To Heaven" is, in her estimation, "the greatest rock and roll makeout song ever" ), is not too psyched about her son ( who was only 16 years old when he wrote "Taurus" ) never even getting a "thank you" for inspiring the mega-hit.

In an interview with Jewsrock.org she says:

"After `Stairway to Heaven' came out, Randy knew they took what he had written -- everybody talked about that," says Pearl. "But when people would ask Randy about it, he used to always say, 'Let it go.' There should have been at least one telephone call from Led Zeppelin, some sort of `Thank you.' Something. But it never came."

Which isn't exactly surprising, as rock musicians have historically been far-more tight-lipped about their own "sampling" than modern hip-hop artists have. And in a genre like rock, where issues of race, inspirations and the origins of the music have always been a bone of contention I could see how something like this would only add fuel to an already tediously burning fire. I mean, Led Zeppelin's appropriation of the black man's Blues to create their heavy rock sound is pretty self-evident, but who would have every thought they were appropriating from us Hebrews too?

Though California rarely dwelled on his Jewishness ( his mother says he briefly attended Hebrew school but that "Randy was interested in all cultures," and "just happens to have a Jewish mother and father" ) he dedicated at least one song, the plainly titled "Jewish" from the 'The Family That Plays Together' album, to his Hebraic heritage. The song opens with almost nyabinghi-like drumming and a Hebrew ( I've seen some articles say it's Yiddish, but that sounds Hebrew to me jack ) vocal from gentile Spirit vocalist Jay Ferguson, giving it an air akin to that of an ethnic folk song or a religious hymnal. But then the cowbell starts and the song totally changes into a jazzy hippie-rock jam with bubbling Rhodes, delicate guitars, an airy bass groove, sizzling hi-hats and a soaring lead guitar solo before going back to the tribal vibe of the intro. What's really funny though is how similar the escalating guitar notes that end the tune are to the horn riff on experimental folky Donovan's jazzed-out "Get Thy Bearings" from his 'Hurdy Gurdy Man' LP, which was released at almost exactly the same time as Spirit's 'The Family That Plays Together.'

Maybe rock music just all sounds the same?

Regardless, I've provided an MP3, ripped from my own crackly original vinyl pressing of Spirit's 'The Family That Plays Together,' for your downloading and listening pleasure.

Spirit "Jewish"

I Heard It Through The Manishevitz Grape Vine...

2006-04-22T19:33:00.000-04:00

So, The Weinstein Company (i.e. Bob and Harvey Weinstein) posted the first 8 minutes of the new movie Lucky Number Slevin on YouTube. Check it out:

I really want to see this movie. I'm always a big fan of Jewish gangsters.

For some reason, I keep picturing Orthodox women screaming "GET JIGGY WITH IT"

2006-04-21T01:22:00.000-04:00

Will Smith Crashes Bar Mitzvah

He never got an invitation and he certainly didn't R.S.V.P., but that didn't stop Will Smith from crashing Atir Cohen's bar mitzvah at Jerusalem's Western Wall.

Cohen, 13, was deep into his Torah reading Thursday when he heard shouting and saw girls pushing against the barrier separating men from women at the holy site to catch a glimpse of the Hollywood superstar.

"At first I didn't know who it was," Cohen said. Smith compensated for the interruption by shaking the bar mitzvah boy's hand and posing for a picture with him.

Even better, the rabbi giving him the tour was named Shmuel Rabinovitch (Shmuel being one of my favorite Hebrew names.)

If Your Grandfather Dressed Like Paul Wall...Old Jews in Commercials Pt. 1

2006-04-20T10:04:00.000-04:00

Butterfinger (as in the candy bar) has launched a new ad campaign called Follow The Finger. Now, this ad campaign is definitely questionable when it comes to whom exactly they are marketing. Their commercials so far have made fun of people in India, China and Russia. On their website, a game (which is under construction at the moment) will allow you to go searching for the "Follow the Finger" finger in the "Ghetto." And finally, the point of my post, they have this commercial:

So, I don't want to go into what this reminds me of (I've already been scolded for "looking too deeply" into this commercial), but while many might find it funny, I just can't. (Although, I admit, I kinda want a Butterfinger...damn corporate advertising...)

There is something about the idea of old Jewish men rapping that people find HILARIOUS. Two Live Jews knew this in 1990, when they created their hit song "Oy! It's So Humid" to the tune of Two Live Crew's "Me So Horny." There have been numerous Jewish holiday e-cards and online websites that show older Jewish men (and even Jewish robots) rapping. While all of these are based in some form of stereotype, the difference, I feel, is that the image of Manny G getting all blinged out traces back to an older image. It's pretty reminiscent of anti-semitic (there I finally said it) images from the late 1800s through WWII. Images of Jews with diamond rings on almost every finger.

I may sound naive when I say this, but it's sad to me that advertisers still think it's a good idea to use stereotypes to sell their products. What's worse is that there are some ad writers/creators who use stereotypes of their own people to sell products. And what's even worse than that is the fact that the character Manny G. doesn't have to announce his Jewish-ness. It's already understood, meaning the stereotype is so far ingrained in people's minds, they recognize all the signifiers. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a Jewish writer working on this ad campaign. I'm just hoping that some day people come to their senses.

It's a slow day...

2006-04-19T15:29:00.000-04:00

I'm still getting over my night last night, and there's nothing to really report aside from TomKat had a baby girl named Suri. So for your enjoyment, here is this video clip. I have no idea where it is from, but I feel like it's from an Israeli sketch comedy show. If you know, leave a comment.

Just Another Brick in Co-Existence

2006-04-18T14:41:00.000-04:00

Former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters has switched concert venues for his upcoming concert in Israel. Orignally, the concert was supposed to take place in Tel Aviv, but, because of Palestinian criticism, the show will be taking place in Neve Shalom, the Arab-Israeli (also called Wahat el Saalam) town near Jerusalem. The venue change was made in hopes of supporting co-existence.

In an open letter to Waters after the concert was first announced, dozens of Palestinian artists urged him to stay away "at a time when Israel continues unabated with its colonial and apartheid designs to further dispossess, oppress and ultimately ethnically cleanse Palestinians from their homeland."

Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall has become something of an anthem of resistance to the massive barrier Israel is building across the West Bank, although the lyrics have been adapted to read: "We don't need no occupation. We don't need no racist wall."

During a time when many musical acts don't put Israel on their tour list, Waters says he isn't apologetic for going there.

"I would not rule out going to Israel because I disapprove of the foreign policy any more than I would refuse to play in the UK because I disapprove of (British Prime Minister)Tony Blair's foreign policy,"

For those of you who don't know, Neve Shalom/Wahat El Saalam was made famous in a Benetton ad campaign called "Enemies" back in 1998. It sparked much debate and contraversy, especially because of this photo showing an Arab and Israeli kissing.

While I don't support what the Palestinians wrote in their letter, I do think holding a concert in Neve Shalom is a good idea. It could be worse. Waters could have backed out completely. But instead, he chose a diplomatic way of handling the situation. Music brings people together. And if music, for even one night, can bring people together in Israel without conflict, then I'm all for it.

What's A Nice Jewish Boy Like You Doing In A Place Like This?

2006-04-18T11:51:00.000-04:00

Marc Ecko is claiming that he tagged Air Force 1 (the plane, not the shoe). And he has videos to prove it.

In the undated footage, you can see two hooded figures climbing over a fence to get to the sitting duck airplane. The third person (holding the camera) says ominously "This never happend." Once the other two get over the fence, they run over to the plane and tag the words "STILL FREE" on it.

How they weren't caught is beyond me. Also how anyone could get that close to Air Force 1 is beyond me. Which makes me wonder if this was perhaps shot pre-9/11. Perhaps it wasn't even shot during the George W. Bush administration. Who knows? If it was shot post 9/11, then way to go Homeland Security. If two guys with spray paint can get that close to the planes outer engines, imagine who else can.

At any rate, video is pretty cool, even if Marc's explanation as to why he did it, isn't.

Thanks to Stone over at The Couch Sessions for the link.