Israellycool

Reading through the weekly Torah reading Ha’azinu (in Deuteronomy), I was once again struck by the contemporary relevance of some of the verses.

21. They provoked Me with a non-god, angered me with their vanities; so shall I provoke them with a non-people, with a vile nation shall I anger them

Here, Moses is describing what will happen when Israel angers G-d by worshipping false deities - G-d will allow us to be troubled by a “non-people.”

What is a “non-people”? It is a group of people who are not a unique nation, whose existence is predicated solely on trying to destroy Israel.

I think you see where I am heading with this.

And this is why I remain confident that no matter what, it will all work out for us in the end. Sure, things don’t look good, but that is exactly how the Torah depicts events in our times. And given that the story doesn’t end with us being destroyed, I have faith that those seeking to destroy us will not succeed.

Update: Just as I was beginning to pat myself on the back for that insight, a Google search reveals I have been beaten to the punch - by 3 years!

I’m going to be out of blogging action until at least Saturday night Israel time, due to Rosh Hashana (the Jewish new year), followed immediately by the Jewish Sabbath.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish my readers  a happy, healthy and prosperous year.

Shana Tova U’metuka!

Aussie Dave and his family are going off on what is, I’m sure, a well deserved break - a one week vacation before the summer ends! Yay! But apparently you guys can’t get enough of Dave’s good bloggage. Now this where I would ordinarily make some colorful analogy about sex trade workers and illicit narcotics - likening the readers of this blog to something that rhymes with track door. But no. There’ll be none of that. This isn’t Jewlicious after all, where I usually blog. So no need to worry. There will be at least adequate blogging to be had whilst Dave is out gallivanting by the sea.

Allrighty then, let’s get it going on. It’s motzei Shabbat here in Jerusalem and I can’t help but contemplate some of the bon mots I read in the Jerusalem Post today. For instance, this story about how once a week Hebrew school actually contributes to greater intermarriage!

Cohen [A research professor at Reform Judaism's Hebrew Union College] hypothesizes that since Sunday schools - an education option almost exclusively offered by the Reform denomination - have large numbers of children of intermarriage, they actually reinforce the legitimacy of intermarriage … “When you bring together people who are relatively distant from Judaism, it might be that they reinforce distance from Jewish life,” he suggested.

At the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education Conference, attended by more than 1,200 Jewish instructors (and at least one well known blogger) this week some suggested that the focus ought to be on quality education with attainable goals, rather than quantity. Others cited in the article noted that camp experience and travel to Israel helped them get closer to their Judaism rather than uninspiring Sunday school. Suffice it to say that based on my experience, the state of Jewish literacy amongst the majority of Jewish youth in America is rather sad (”who is this Hashem guy I keep hearing about?”). I would posit that Hebrew day school is probably the best way to guarantee continuity and a minimal level of Jewish literacy (but it is no guarantee against intermarriage, even when it is Orthodox). Granted, Hebrew day school is expensive, but if we can send 130,000 kids to Israel for free, surely something can be done about the woeful state of Jewish education today.

Speaking of education - what’s going on in New York? The city is planning on opening an Arabic themed school, named after famed Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran. His book The Prophet is one of my favorite works of literature, period. If you have a chance, you ought to read his poem On Love. Well, it turns out that the principal of the school, Debbie Almontaser, resigned her position after it was found that she was associated with a group that was selling “Intifada NYC” t-shirts. Now that’s not very loving, is it? Oh well. I’m done. Shavuah Tov.

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It is almost that time of the year again - Passover (Pesach) - and the Israellycool clan will soon head off to the ‘Roberts’ in-laws, where we will drink much wine, and eat way more Matzah than is good for us.

One thing there won’t be an abundance of is blogging. At least not for the next few days. 

For now, I’ll leave you with a couple of Pesach-related links. Enjoy, and to all of my Jewish readers, Chag Kasher V‚ÄôSameach.

I may be a little slow on this story, but surely you didn’t expect me to let it pass without comment.

Marijuana is not kosher for Passover, a pro-cannabis advocacy group says, advising Jews who observe the week-long holiday’s special dietary laws to take a break from smoking the weed.

The Green Leaf Party announced today that products of the cannabis plant have been grouped by rabbis within a family of foods such as peas, beans and lentils that is off-limits to Jews of European descent during Passover.

The Green Leaf Party, which has made several unsuccessful attempts to win election to Parliament on a platform urging marijuana’s legalisation, said it was issuing its advisory as a service to Jews who don’t want to break ritual law.

But it said the rabbinical ban for the holiday beginning at sunset on Monday, during which many Jews eat matzos, or unleavened bread, could be a blessing in disguise.

“Logic dictates that if the rabbis say cannabis is non-kosher for Passover, it is apparently kosher during the rest of the year,” Michelle Levin, a spokeswoman for the party told the YNet news website.

The Top Five Other Reasons for Banning Marijuana on Passover

5. Moses said to Pharoah “Let my people go”, not “Let my people go and light up some doobies.”
4. We already eat way too much matzah. The munchies is all we need.
3. What do you think that bush was, and why was it being burned?
2. We crossed the Sea of Reeds, not the Sea of Weed.
1. “One little bud, that father bought for two zuzim” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Today’s Jew:

• Was a Pizza Hut waitress at one time
• Surpassed Bryant Gumbel as the longest serving co-anchor of NBC’s The Today Show
• Had a husband who died of colon cancer, prompting her to co-found a non-profit organization for cancer research and education
• Was banned from the air by CNN president Reese Schoenfeld after he heard her high-pitched, squeaky voice.
• Had a small role in Austin Powers: Goldmember

And the mystery Jew is…

Today’s Jew:

• Is a Golden Globe-winning American actress and dancer
• Appeared in Jon Bon Jovi’s music video Always
• Starred in a show, the ratings for which dropped significantly due to a drastic change in hairstyle, resulting in new policies at the network requiring hairstyle changes by cast members to be approved by the network’s executives
• Threatened to sue a reporter who claimed she had joined Tom Cruise on the dark side of the force
• Is currently expecting her first child with her fiance

And the mystery Jew is…

Today’s Jew:

• Is a successful British Pop and R&B singer, selling over 13 million albums worldwide
• Can count Elton John as a fan (Elton has been quoted as saying “If there is a better singer in England than [today's mystery Jew], then I am Margaret Thatcher.”
• Is also a favorite of Usher, Quincy Jones, Beyonce and P. Diddy
• Has a music video that is a parody of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
• Has a little blue hat that he believes brings him luck

And the mystery Jew is…

Today’s Jew:

And the mystery Jew is…

Today’s Jew:

And the mystery Jew is…

Today’s Jew:

And the mystery Jew is…

Today’s Jew:

And the mystery Jew is…