Tag Archives: jews

Your Weekend Guide to Jews in the Wild

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Shamelessly taken from Gothamist

If you intend to be out and about in New York City this weekend, you MAY run into some of what many people called “Hasidic Jews.” You’ll recognize these creatures by their ubiquitous black hats, beards, and forelocks. When you see them, you may freeze, unaware how to act among these strange individuals. Never fear! Gothamist has you covered:

[The] Jews have also survived under such difficult circumstances by getting along well with their neighbors, treating them fairly in business, and establishing mutually rewarding personal relationships. Sure, it may take more time for you to make your first Orthodox pal, but if Shmuley Boteach and Cory Booker can be best friends, you can probably get to at least a first name basis with your local Kosher butcher. Try starting with a friendly “Hello! How is the chicken liver today?”

No, but seriously, read the link. It’s actually a pretty thoughtful dive into the history of Orthodox Jews in New York.

Also, be sure to tell them about my podcast.

Swinging Chickens

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Yom Kippur is tonight. Most of you probably know that means observant Jews will stop eating, drinking, bathing, fucking, and wearing hedonistic leather and head to synagogue for the next 25 hours to pray their guts out. What you might not know is that some of them will be swinging live chickens over their heads to atone for their sins in a ritual call kapparot.

If you’re a bit weirded out it’s because the custom is a bit weird. Episode 5 guest Esther Werdiger, who hangs out somewhere on the Orthodox spectrum, grabbled with this ritual in a beautiful post on Tablet:

I’ve done kapparot in gardens, slaughterhouses, city streets, and shul parking lots. I’ve done it with my family, with other peoples’ families, with friends, and alone. I’ve done it during the day, before sunrise, and in the middle of the night. I’ve followed the ritual with vows to never eat chicken again, and I’ve also followed the ritual with a meal of chicken. But the thing is, I hate kapparot. It’s a jarring and nauseating experience—extremely unpleasant, to say the least.

For Esther, kapparot is an incredibly complicated practice. It’s at once extremely upsetting, an entree into the world of ethical consumption, and a way to connect with the vanishing past of her lineage. But don’t take my word for it, go read the article.

Shana Tova!

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Happy Jewish New Year! If you’ve not heard of Rosh Hashanah, this is the Onion article for you:

Jews to Celebrate Rosh Hashana or Something

JERUSALEM—Jews the world over are preparing to celebrate Rosh Hashanukah or something this weekend, the traditional Jewish holiday marking some sort of rebirth and new beginning, or maybe the Jews’ liberation from some foreign ruler 55,000 years ago. “Rash Kishansha is a very holy time for the Jewish people,” said Paul Castellano, a guy from Houston whose gastroenterologist is Jewish. “I think Dr. Futterman said it’s the holiday where they light that chandelier and blow that horn.” Lasting 12 days, Ran Hosea is followed by Yor Kiplach, the Festival of Sand, during which no buttered bread may be eaten in remembrance of the flooding of the ancient Temple of Hosea.

Meanwhile, I continue to plug away at editing In the Beginning and getting the next episodes ready. And planning our big Year 2 extravaganza in October. Big things coming down the line!

OMGWTFBIBLE at the Magnet

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Episode 11Episode 10 is in the can! Last night was a hell of a lot of fun. As always, the folks behind the scenes at the Double Wide were nice as can be, incredibly helpful, and just generally great to work with. John and I are working diligently to clean it up and get it ready for your downloading and listening pleasure by August 5.

Last night, though, I shared some very exciting news with the audience. In August, OMGWTFBIBLE will have the honor of being part of the Test Drive series at the Magnet Theater–one of the top improv comedy theaters in New York. The Magnet uses Test Drive to find shows to add to their regular schedule. So if the next episode goes well, OMGWTFBIBLE could find a new home at the Magnet Theater. This would mean a wider audience, a space designed specifically for comedy, and, more importantly, a better show. If OMGWTFBIBLE becomes a Magnet show, I’ll be working with the artistic director there to give you a show that’s even funnier, tighter, and more insightful than it already is. Continue reading →

Breaking: Jews Like Booze

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Did you know that Jews like whiskey? It is true! Jews like whiskey! A lot of my early Jewish memories are closely tied to whiskey. Every holiday and wedding and Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah featured whiskey. And not just any whiskey, but good whiskey. Single-malt Scotch Whiskey.

And Purim? Forget about it.

Anyway, I guess this was a secret? Something people didn’t know? Well, New York Times found out and wrote an article about the decades-old trend, covering a new WhiskyFest-related event called “Whisky Jewbilee:”

The bond with whiskey goes way back. Mr. Blashka said early Jewish immigrants to America, unable to trust the provenance of local wines, turned to certain distilled liquors, including whiskey. “Because the wine was an issue, typically spirits was their avenue for drinking,” he said.

It’s a good thing whiskey wasn’t mentioned in the Torah!

As recent decades have ushered in a revival in Scotch, bourbon and other whiskeys, Jews, like many other groups, have moved beyond the usual blends and have developed more sophisticated tastes. “Now we have many whiskeys that we know are kosher,” said Rabbi Aaron Raskin of Congregation B’nai Avraham in Brooklyn Heights, whose preferred whiskey is the smoky Laphroaig, a single malt from Islay. “It is used to add to our joy.”

But really, Rabbi Raskin, what’s the real reason you’re so excited about all this whiskey?

“And it helps attendance at synagogues,” he added.

I can only imagine that this news will only increase the mourning on Tisha B’av.

<h/t: Heeb>