Challah for Hunger: Creative loafing.Tonight, I was hanging out with a couple of friends, talking about this and that and a conversation about poaching pears turned into a conversation about baking which turned into a conversation about a particular challah recipe, which turned into the discovery that only a couple of degrees of separation stood between me and this organization: Challah for Hunger. I headed home, Googled it up, and, well, that pretty much brings us up to right now.

In an incredible stroke of luck, it being Social Justice Tuesday and all, the very first sentence seen upon entering the site is: "Challah for Hunger is a national organization centered around activism and social justice." Blammo. It continues, "With our weekly challah sales, we raise money and awareness for the victims of the genocide in the Sudan. Challah for Hunger has sent more than $20,000 to relief organizations and thousands of letters to Washington, urging elected officials to take action. We also work to inspire others, both on our campuses and around the world, to take a stand against genocide."

At the moment, there aren't too many chapters of this organization, but the site provides tons of information for starting your very own chapter. You can of course support their efforts by purchasing your challah from a chapter near you, as well, and if you take a little time and write a letter to an elected official or media outlet about Darfur, they'll give you a discount. Looking for inspiration? They have a sample letter available and links that point you to places to get a little more information or to find other ways to help the crisis in Darfur.

It's October 1st, which marks the start of Breast Cancer Awareness month. It's a big issue to me, in small part because of two scares I had this past year, and largely because some important people to me have been impacted by breast cancer, either personally or second-hand.Think Pink: But don't stop with a lapel ribbon.

In a brochure given to me recently by Sharsheret, an organization supporting young Jewish women affected by breast cancer, I read:

"Alterations in two genes inditified as BRCA1 and BRCA2 make carriers more susceptible to developing breast and ovarian cancers....Among individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, research scientists have found that approximately 1 in 40 carry an altered BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene compared to 1 in 345 in the general population. Among people with alternations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, three particular alternations have been found t be most common in the Ashkenzi Jewish population-- two in the BRCA1 gene and one int eh BRCA2 gene. While there is still debate as to whether breast or ovarian cancer rates are higher in Jewish women as compared to the general population, the proportion of breast or ovarian cancer that is heredity is higher in Jewish women of Ashkenazi descent."

Contact Sharsheret for a copy of one of their many information packets including Breast Cancer Genetics and the Jewish Woman, Facing Breast Cancer as a Jewish Woman, Facing Breast Cancer as an Orthodox Jewish Woman and The Jewish Family Facing Breast Cancer. Also, you might want to consider getting a breast self-exam shower card, a handy waterproof self-exam reminder that looks like the Do Not Disturb signs you hang on hotel doors.

Other organizations to keep on your radar and to help support are Hadassah's Healthy Women, Healthy Lives Program, Bikur Cholim's Women's Healthcare Project, in addition to organizations serving everyone such as Living Beyond Breast Cancer, National Breast Cancer Coalition, Susan G. Komen Foundation, Y-Me, Young Survival Coalition, Facing Our Risk and The Breast Care Site. Of course, breast cancer isn't just a women's issue, either, with men's resources like this page from the American Cancer Society and BreastCancer.org's men's section.

Of course, you can get active and raise some serious money in support of breast cancer, too. Events like Avon's Breast Cancer 3-Day (which I did a few years ago and can vouch for how well-organized it was and how meaningful it was to go 60 miles in three days and would do it again in a heartbeat), Race for the Cure events (which I've also done-- there are events in almost every city so check the website and see if there is one near you), Making Strides Against Breast Cancer (which I am doing this year) and and for the perhaps less-active, there is Wacoal's Fit For the Cure, where getting fitted for and buying a brassiere does a world of good and Brides Against Breast Cancer's 3-day bridal tzotch-fest raises funds. Or go test-drive a BMW, if that's your bag.

And, in addition to supporting these organizations or doing these events, you can make some of your purchases stretch your donation dollars with finds like this mezuzah case and these mezuzah cases. Here is a list of cosmetics that are tricked out in pink for October to benefit breast cancer research, all sorts of goodies at The Breast Cancer Site to wear and use, fabulous kitchen accessories and small appliances at KitchenAid's Cook For The Cure and even this pink Clean for the Cure vac. Things you probably need to buy anyway, right? Right.

Okay, okay, and because baseball is heating up this week, I have to share this t-shirt. Okay, wait, this one, too.

Happy Chanukah!: Latke soda and vodka, anyone? Bleh.Uh, just in time for the various winter holidays, Jones Soda Co. is introducing Christmas and Chanukah multi-packs of soda. The Chanukah pack boasts the four soda flavors of latke, sufganyiot, apple sauce and chocolate gelt. While I enjoy all four food quite a bit, the thought of drinking latke-flavored soda on ice makes me want to gag. But, I will try it with an open mind. Hang on, though, it get so much creepier. We can pick up a Christmas four-pack for our Christmas-celebrating friends with Sugar Plum (maybe), Egg Nog (hmm), Christmas Tree (pardon?) and Christmas Ham (come again?). Wait, wait, it gets even better. All the flavors are kosher. All kosher. Even the Christmas Ham. Oy. Ugh. Can you imagine? Can you imagine the rabbinic inspection the day the Christmas Ham flavor was launched?  Oy. Anyway, I think my favorite part of the entire line is that the Chanukah package "includes one completely functional dreidel".

I will give Jones a point for creativity, though, certainly. I mean, this is the company who brought us the Thanksgiving packs in years past with flavors like "wild herb stuffing", "Brussels Sprout with Prosciutto" and "turkey and gravy". Correction. Turkey and Gravy soda is available this year, if that's your bag.

Or, if you're feeling particularly inspired, maybe we can all put our heads together and suggest a flavor. Hammentaschen? Carrot tzimmes? Challah? Potato kugel? Matzoh ball soda? Bleh. Okay, perhaps not.

Earlier this month, I wrote about Jewish Living magazine, and I was really iffy about it. I was questioning the stated target market of the magazine, among other things. Bon Appetite, Goumet and the like are cooking and food magazines, yet they aren't marketed to women exclusively or even as a majority as far as I'm aware. And, with the magazine's comment about Jewish Living being for those of us in our 30s and 40s who have (supposedly) matured beyond Heeb magazine (Heeb, which is marketed to both men and women, snark, snark)... I was very skeptical of the rag, I'll admit.

Jewish Living: Maybe overlooking potential readers, but a good read, if you ask me.So, as promised, I read it. Cover to cover. Ads for upscale modern furniture. A section called Kvell that includes the kvell profile, the kvell of the book, kvell sound check, a national calendar of events, eco-friendly Chanukah gift-guide, cooking that included various ethnic/regional variations on a basic ingredient, Modern Practices-- a section addressing our traditions with a modern take, a huge styley/upscale Chanukah section, a nice article about that dear A.J. Jacobs, stuff about kids, an decently in-depth article about giving in various ways, Two Jews/Three Opinions, a quick list of notable organizations, a piece about Chinese Jews... I have to admit I really like this magazine.

I still think there's nothing inherently female about the magazine, and maybe an opportunity for a male readership is being glossed over in marketing efforts. Family sure, but female? Nuh-uh. Also, even mentioning Heeb and Jewish Living in the same breath is a stretch, as the irreverent brand of humor in Heeb is not found in Jewish Living. Granted, the proof will be in subsequent issues. That will do more in defining the magazine for what it is, so I might be speaking prematurely. But, on its own, I'm reporting back as I said I would, and I do like it. It covers come good basics-- food, home comfort, celebrations, thoughtful gifts, family, and thoughtful discussion of modern Jewish life. All things I enjoy in a magazine. 

I’m going to be honest and say that I have never had the problem described on the Yontifications Jewish Everyday Wine Markers website:

You’re going to love these Jewish wine markers. Beautifully designed, this set will add beauty and originality to your Jewish holiday, Shabbat or everyday table. Each marker is colorful and distinct, assuring no glass confusion for your guests. You'll never worry about setting down your Merlot and picking up Bordeaux!

See, you put these little bead-y Jew-y rings on your wine glass and then you don’t accidentally get Norman’s Manishevitz. Now, I know what you’re thinking is, “But I really wish I could get a special set for Passover,” and don’t you worry, babe. They’ve got you covered at Yontifications, what with their Passover Ten Plagues Wine Markers. Oh yes, you can have a little dead cow for cattle disease, or a tiny knife for the slaying of the first born.
You Need This: actually, probably not
Will someone explain to me who, exactly, buys this stuff?

Also, who is spending three hundred bucks on this? Seriously, who??

Oy Vey: that's really all there is to say about this

Several people I know are traveling in the next few days to be with their families for Thanksgiving, so I thought it might be nice night to make a little travel toolkit of sorts for any of youse who might be interested.

On The Road Again: Jewcifying your travel.Depending on which airports you find yourself in this approaching week, give a look and see if you find a kosher airport vending machine. Depending on how long you'll be wherever it is you're going, you might want to think about a travel shabbat kit, with items like travel candle holders (I have a hinged set similar to this set that is rad) or, if you're feeling crafty about it, you can always make your own set.

Maybe you're driving someplace. No worries with a car mezuzah, if that's your bag. (I feel weird about them. I roll with a hamsa on my keys instead, but whatevs.) And, last but certainly not least, if you use brachot and don't have this one committed to memory, here's a reminder:

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיךָ ה' אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ וֵא-לֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ,
שֶתּוֹלִיכֵנוּ לְשָלוֹם וְתַצְעִידֵנוּ לְשָלוֹם. וְתִסְמְכֵנוּ
לְשָלוֹם. וְתַדְרִיכֵנוּ לְשָלוֹם. וְתַגִיעֵנוּ לִמְחוֹז חֶפְצֵנוּ
לְחַיִּים וּלְשִמְחָה וּלְשָלוֹם וְתַצִּילֵנוּ מִכַּף כָּל אוֹיֵב
וְאוֹרֵב וְלִסְטִים וְחַיּוֹת רָעוֹת בַדֶּרֶךְ וּמִכָּל מִינֵי
פּוּרְעָנִיּוֹת הַמִתְרַגְּשוֹת לָבוֹא לָעוֹלָם וְתִשְלַח בְּרָכָה
בְּכל מַעֲשֵה יָדֵינוּ, וְתִתְּנֵנוּ לְחֵן וּלְחֶסֶד וּלְרַחֲמִים
בְעֵינֶיךָ וּבְעֵינֵי כָל רוֹאֵינוּ וְתִשְמַע קוֹל תַּחֲנוּנֵינוּ. כִּי
אֵ-ל שוֹמֵעַ תְּפִלָּה וְתַחֲנוּן אתה: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', שוֹמֵעַ
תְּפִלָּה.

(Transliteration: Y'hi ratzon milfanekha A-donai E-loheinu ve-lohei avoteinu
she-tolikhenu l'shalom v'tatz'idenu l'shalom v'tadrikhenu l'shalom,
v'tagi'enu limhoz heftzenu l'hayim ul-simha ul-shalom. V'tatzilenu
mi-kaf kol oyev v'orev v'listim v'hayot ra'ot ba-derekh, u-mi-kol minei
pur'aniyot ha-mitrag'shot la-vo la-olam. V'tishlah b'rakha b'khol
ma'a'se yadeinu v'tit'nenu l'hen ul-hesed ul-rahamim b'einekha uv-einei
khol ro'einu. V'tishma kol tahanuneinu ki E-l sho'me'a t'fila v'tahanun
ata. Barukh ata A-donai sho'me'a t'fila.)

Or, you can just click here and listen to it for yourself.

Safe travels and Shabbat Shalom.

Disguised As Clark Kent: Jews, Comics and the Creation of the Superhero BooksI went into Disguised As Clark Kent thinking it would be about the same book as Up, Up And Oy Vey!: How Jewish History, Culture, and Values Shaped the Comic Book Superhero by Simcha Weinstein (Oy Vey is jokier and with more Biblical parallels tossed in), but, despite having nearly the same title and subject, Disguised, I have to admit, is really the leader on the topic with greater contemporary historical detail and wonderful captured social and emotional subtleties. At least in my humble little opinion, it seems to be about Jews first, particularly the immigrant Jewish psyche, and comics we drew second.

A large number of the creators of the most famous superheroes were of Jewish background, secular, religious, or both. Disguised as Clark Kent explores how the Jewish consciousness of these individuals impacted the content of the comics and contributed to making characters such as Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and Wonder Woman into the most familiar popular-culture icons of all time... Fingeroth... reflects on the phenomenon of the heavily Jewish elements that, consciously or not, went into the creation of the superhero.

Well-researched, filled with interesting history and interviews, Disguised As Clark Kent:

centers on questions of Jewish identity, which is historically about the push and pull toward and away from that very identity. One sees this immediately and most famously in Superman by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the superhero "disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper." It is also a large part of Bill Finger and Bob Kane's Batman, Will Eisner's Spirit, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's Captain America.

Check this out. Some kids at Cornell are putting a little eco-kasher in their Shabbes, which I've always thought was a splendid idea. It's not a new idea, by any means, as Hillels and other groups have been hosting things like this for years. And, of course, lots of people are thinking along the same lines because, well, it's a vital aspect of Tikkun Olam and especially this year, the Shemitah, the year to let the land rest, there's certainly a lot of discussion about going greener.

Coalition for the Environment and Jewish Life made this cool list of conservation tips called Lo-Watt Shabbat, and while you're there, check out their list of tips for greening up several holidays.

Uh: It takes more than a green kippot to go green for Shabbes.

Sometimes, it can be overwhelming to go-green all at once, so what if we all just started with Shabbes? What things could be done to make Shabbes, specifically, more eco-friendly? Perhaps baking our own challah? I know, I know, easy for me to say. I cook. Okay, how about at least buying it locally? Right? Sure. In fact, maybe buying local/oranic produce for our Shabbes meals would be a nice thing, too. Or maybe trying out an "eco-veg" vegetarian Shabbes meal if you aren't vegetarian full-time? Add a little organic kosher wine, perhaps? That's not too difficult, right?

These recycled glasses could be a nice gift or addition to a Shabbes table. (However, although they'd have to be re-heated and such to be reshaped, I still wonder about the kashrut issues surrounding recycled glassware...? Know what I mean? The "previously used" aspect makes me want to say not kosher, the recycled part and the high-temperature part makes me want to say kosher. Discuss.) ChosenThings has a little post up about a cool idea for making a very naturey set of shabbes candleholders (might be very cute and thematic for Rosh HsShanaha or, as they suggest, Sukkot, no?) And, on the topic of candles, here is some interesting reading about selecting the healthiest Shabbes candles.

What about looking for a challah board made from a sustainable/renewable wood like bamboo? All sorts of ideas, folks, and every little bit counts. What eco-friendly things can you think of for a greener Shabbes? Hmmm?

Shabbat Shalom.

Hey, ho, let's go!: All sorts of Jewish entertainment history to dive into. A lot happened this week in Jewish history, and many of these events have the common thread of being creative contributions by Jews. This week in 1927 the Neil Simon Theater opens and George Gershwin's "Funny Face" opens in NYC, in 1928, Ravel's Bolero was performed in public for the first time in Paris, in 1929 Gertrude Berg makes debut in radio's The Goldbergs. In 1957 Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel appear n American Bandstand as "Tom & Jerry". And this week, we marked the yartzeit of poet Emma Lazarus.

Dig Jewish entertainment history? Here are some of my favorite reads on the subject: In Their Own Image: New York Jews in Jazz Age Popular Culture by Ted Merkin, The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk by Steven Lee Beeber (I really like that book), Something Ain't Kosher Here: The Rise of the 'Jewish' Sitcom by Vincent Brook, Vagabond Stars: A World History of Yiddish Theater by Nahma Sandrow.

Jewish Book Council: Next year, my books are totally going to be in the running for this. Uh, hello? Anyone?The Jewish Book Council, who is behind the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, has announced this year's five finalists for said prize, basing their selections on a "demonstration of a fresh vision and evidence of future potential to further contribute to the Jewish literary community. The prize honors an emerging author in the field of Jewish literature who has written a book of exceptional literary merit that stimulates an interest in themes of Jewish concern."

This year, the prize of $100,000 will be awarded to a writer of non-fiction, with the winner to be announced at a spring awards ceremony, at which point, the identities of the contest judges will also be revealed. So, while we're waiting to hear the winner, we might as well read the finalists and start a betting pool:

Ilana M. Blumberg for Houses of Study: A Jewish Woman Among Books (University of Nebraska Press)

Eric L. Goldstein for The Price of Whiteness: Jews, Race and American Identity (Princeton University Press)

Lucette Lagnado for The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: My Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World (Ecco)

Michael Makovsky for Churchill's Promised Land: Zionism and Statecraft (Yale University Press)

Haim Watzman for A Crack in the Earth: A Journey Up Israel's Rift Valley (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Jewish Living: Awesome Martheleh goodness or feminist party foul?I'll probably read this. I mean, I am mostly in the demographic, it covers stuff I am into, but... what is it that's got my knickers in a twist? Is it that Heeb is selling itself short? Is it that I feel like I'm being told I'm too old to play with Heeb and that it's time to grow-up and read something more grown up? Is it that Martha, while her subscriber base probably is largely female, I can't say I've heard her ever specifically address her readership as female? Is it that I'm not too keen on the hearth and home magazines being addressed to me (I'm pretty sure that like that sort of thing because I like it, not because I'm female, etc.)? All of the above?

In any case, here's what's up. Ex-ad exec Daniel Zimmerman is set to launch Jewish Living magazine next week, a "thoroughly modern magazine" that covers the "Jewish home, family and cultural life":

The bimonthly magazine, boasting "How-To" features on Chanukah parties, Friday night diners and something entitled "Stop Coddling Your Kids", will launch with a rate base of 100,000-- part newsstand, part pre-launch subscriptions sold to Jewish associations-- targeting Jewish professional women ages 25-34 with a median household income of over $125,000.

(Full story from Folio)

So, maybe I'm iddly because it's dangerously close to promoting itself as the reader for the second-shift syndrome (when both parties of a couple are employed, and one, usually female, assumes the household responsibilities, or the bulk thereof)...? Would I feel differently if it billed itself as being aimed at Jewish professionals, rather than Jewish professional women? Or, am I coming to the table with a a notion of what women's magazines are and assuming this is just a Jewish Redbook? (Oy, can you imagine?) I mean, maybe it's a Jewish Bitch or Jewish Bust? Right, that would be cool. I could dig that.

Eh well, I have to reserve judgment until I've read it, to be fair. And, I will read it. And, maybe I'll keep a copy of it next to my copy of Heeb and read them both.

I'm not too old to read Heeb, right?

Relax: She's a mannequin.My younger brother informed me I no longer "dress cool". I protested, of course, as his primary reasoning to say such a thing is that I'm surely too old to have any cool shirts anymore. (Well, maybe if you'd visit once in a while, you'd know bettah, child, hello? Heh.) Anyway. So, primarily to prove my brother wrong, but also to hook you up with a few good deals in the process, I bring you t-shirts.

We all know about Rabbi's Daughters, yes? Tush pants, bubbeleh t-shirts? Yeah, them. Well, feeling the festival of lights nearly upon us, they're giving away "Oy Vey" belt buckles on orders over $50. That's fun. And cool. (Speaking of t-shirts. I saw a woman not terribly long ago wearing this extra-funny shirt and I chased the poor woman only to find out she couldn't recall where she'd gotten it. Never fear, though, I found her Feygeleh Hag t-shirt from Shalom Shirts.) Anyway, if you're into the Rock Star shirt (uh, or the porn star one... or the "Jews do it for 8 nights" one) over at That's Jewtastic, knock yourself out and score a few for friends because you get free shipping on orders over $36, or "double chai when you buy" as they so cleverly say. (And if you send them photos of yourself in their tzotch, they'll hook you up with a little store credit, too.) Not quite as great of a shipping deal, but a deal in any case, hit JewTees and dig their Manischewitz Gets Me Crunked shirt (Imagine that. Spellcheck doesn't recognize Manischewitz or Crunked. Who would have guessed?), or (the one I'm partial to) the Mensch shirt. Wait, that's kind of wholesome. Is that one not cool? Naw, it's always cool to be menschy. Anyway. Pick up five and they'll schlep it to you for free. This shirt, while no deal is attached, per se, is pretty great. If only it came bedazzled, then it'd be cool. (Kidding, I'm a kidder. Oy.) Oh, and the coolest Jewciest shirts (and other bits of fabulousness) around are, of course, right up in here on Jewcy.

I remembered this afternoon that I had a dream about Faithhacker. In the dream, I was sitting with Tamar Fox and we were talking about making a "Product of the Week" post. This evening, I was thinking about this dream, and if such a weekly post did exist, how long, I wondered, would take for me to run flat out of things to write about?

As I was considering this, just a bit ago, I got a pretty respectable (and entirely unrelated) headache and, thus, got sidetracked from thinking about Jewy-related products, and thinking instead about a great buckwheat pillow I used to have that felt fabulous to rest an aching head upon. So, I Googl'd, to see if such a thing still existed, and look at the way things come together:

It's not a pillow: It's a kosher, organic, buckwheat pillow. Not only do buckwheat pillows still exist, and in fact, might even be more popular now than they were a decade ago when I had one, but they exist in organic and kosher form. But not only as pillows, but also as mattress rolls. Who knew? Okay, probably a lot of you, whatever. Point being, not only do I not have to live without this fabulous pillow any longer, but I don't have to worry about sleeping in a pile of pesticide-ridden treyf, either.

To find out what on earth would be so great about sleeping on buckwheat (the kernels, not the guy), read this.

At a bris not long ago, a guest of a guest suspiciously eyed a bottle of kosher wine and asked me if it was "good". If you think grape jelly with the kickback of supermarket-brand vodka is "good" then, yeah, totally. (That said, there is something familiar and comforting about a sippy of Manischewitz on Shabbes.) She sipped, made a noise of approval and then declared it made her jones a bit for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Unfortunately, a lot of people have a bad taste in their mouths about kosher wine (sorry, that was a lame joke), but, really, there are some great kosher wines out there. Here are a few to try.

Kosher Wine: It's not all concord grape Manischewitz, yo.

Hagafen Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002, from Napa is a good, heavy red, which usually retails for around $40. I buy a lot of Yarden Merlot, 2002, from Israel, for about $25-$30 a bottle, which goes well with a wide variety of pastas and spicy foods (which I love). Arbanel Brut Cremant D'Alsace is a great light kosher sparkling white wine, which you can usually pick up for around twenty bucks. In fact, most of the Arbanel family of wines are pretty good. Try the pinot blanc, the reisling for a bit sweeter wine, or the pinot noir. Baron Herzog's Special Reserve Chardonnay, 2003, is another good one, that I usually serve with hummous, pita, babaganouj and the like. Recanti wines are pretty solid and reliably good, too. Try the Merlot or the Cabernet Sauvignon, my personal favorite of the two. New Zeland's Goose Bay Pinot Noir is not a bad choice, either, and it's usually only about $20 a bottle. For a real treat (and about $50 a bottle) give the Chateau Rollan de By Bourgeois a try. It's heavy and spicy and really quite good.

To stay in-the-know about what's what in kosher wines, check out The Kosher Wine Review, The Kosher Wine Guy, and Wine.com's Kosher wine section, including their informational section on meshuval and what makes a wine kosher. Some good reading on the subject can be found in Maurie Rosenberg's L'Chaim: Users Guide to Kosher Wine 1.0, and though it doesn't deal exclusively with kosher wines, Rogov's 2007 Guide to Israeli Wine is an interesting read. And, with all that information under your belt, you can even join the Kosher Wine Society. Mmm, and here are a few kosher goodies to pair with your new wine collection.

* Also in Jewcy: Sure, the Holy Land's got terror. But does it have terroir? Max Gross samples Israel's best wines.

When I stumbled across a copy of Erotica Judaica: A Sexual History of the Jews in a used bookstore, I don't think I knew what I was getting myself into. I opened the font cover and read: "Erotica Judaica, A Sexual History of the Jews, views the remarkable role that sex has played in the development and destiny of the most vital, viable, and influential culture in the history of humanity." Hmm. Pretty lofty claim, I thought, but it sounded intriguing, so I picked it up.

Cue Slow Jams: Wanna step into my tent? Aww, yeah. So, you want to discuss sexuality with Talmudic references and with many footnotes? Yeah, I thought so.Bearing in mind that it was written in 1967, and uses a style that is part clinical/academic, part Victorian, and  part giggling envelope-pushing; I was anticipating Jewcy-erotic tales, but what I got instead was, admittedly way better. I say "way better" not to knock a good schtup-tale, of course, but because this book is a buffet of cited sources and of references Talmidic and literary, a hint of intellectual WTF-ism with a similar feel to Codex Seraphinianus' genius-absurdist vibe, with a good dose of bleh, bleh, bleh thrown in for good measure. For example:

"And Y-hweh said to Joshua, 'This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you' (Yahuahu; Midrash Rabbah. The verb galal, to roll away, refers to the removal of that reproachful ring of flesh encircling the glans penis.) 'When Joshuah circumcised the children of Israel,' states Midrashic Rabbi Levi, 'he made a heap of their foreskins. And the sun shone on them and they bred worms, and the odor arose to the Holy One like the odor of incense from the fire offerings..."

That's all well and good, but just because we're talking about a sex organ does not erotic history make. Fortunately, keep reading and you get your fill of lit-schtup in the very next chapter, a chapter called "Sexual Hospitality":

"...the ancient Arabian traditions of hospitality. Jeal, Heber's comely wife, gave Sisera to drink of the milk of refuge, she invited him to share her carpet bed in physical rest and restorative emotional release. Talmidic Rabbi Johanan deduced, from the text of Judges 5:27, that Sisera had seven sexual connections with Jael: Between her legs he squat, he lay he spurted; between her legs he squat, he lay; where he squat, there he lay stiff."

(Original Shoftim reads something like: bayn ragliyeh kara' nafal shakab, bayn ragliyeh kara' nafal, b'ashr kara' sam nafal shadud.) And with footnotes like:

"The verb kara' (to squat) expresses a coital posture common to Easterners... the pregnant verb nafal (to fall, to lie prostrate) is used in the sense of a man allowing a woman to mount and ride him, which in the patriarchal East is indicative of feminine domination.... Shakab (to lie with a woman) is literally the Arabic sakab (to pour out, to ejaculate... Bayn ragliyeh, consistently mistranslated as at her feet, is too clear for comment."

...it's not, you know, hot-and-bothered, but it's a fascinating, geekin'-on-the-freakin' read.

Wicked stylish: But, unfortunately, not terribly fire-resistant, I'm afraid.A friend of mine has the Crate & Barrel chanukiah that, while terribly chic, was unfortunately recalled a few years ago after a few of them burst into flames. Oops. She's "tinkered" with it, she insists, so it won't ignite when the candles burn out. I didn't push beyond that.

Anyway, if you missed the recall info, Crate & Barrel made a chanukiah in 2003 that had an acrylic base and later issued a statement saying "The acrylic base of the Hanukkah menorah can ignite if the candles are allowed to burn completely." Which, you know, we're supposed to do. So, there's that.

Crate & Barrel isn't the only one making spontaneously combusting chanukiot, either. If any of your little darlings have the M&M's chanukiot, bad news there, too. It's plastic, too, and equally, you know, eager to catch on fire. Ditto these cats and dogs-themed chanukiot, too. Sigh.

Lastly, I can't say I actually know anyone with this rig, exactly, but in the event any of you have this chanukiot manufactured by Aviv Judaica that involves something called "Chanukah Oil Candles With Jelled Extra Virgin Olive Oil" (Bleck!), do avoid a huge fire-y mess and get your return underway. Or think of something really outrageous to do to repurpose your gelatinous olive oil...? Whatevs.

Chag Sameach and a safe, recall-free holiday to all. Oy.

Hyperion, 2006Face it. Life is tricky, isn't it? Just when we think we're going along fine, something inevitably pops up that makes us question ourselves, our choices, and once in a while, causes us to struggle to suppress an idea, a desire or a notion.

Winner of a Books for a Better Life Award and selected as one of "The 10 Best Spiritual Books of 2006" by Spirituality and Health magazine, Yearnings: The Sacred Messiness of Life (Hyperion, Hardcover: Aug. 30, 2006/Paperback: Sept. 18, 2007) by Rabbi Irwin Kula and Linda Lowenthal suggests these inner nudges are more of a map for learning to listen to ourselves and towards spiritual discovery and growth. The book aims to explore:

"...desire in spiritual life. Rather than leading us astray, our longings are gateways to self discovery. Our yearnings, once understood, can lead us to discover an expansive vision of G-d or a wider reality. And when we embrace even our most painful or taboo desires, we can love more deeply and live more fully. The Biblical authors wrote about characters who, rather than leading perfect lives, actually struggled with their longings for success, love, sex, and happiness. Through interpreting those stories and other spiritual traditions, as well as exploring his own desires and those of regular people, Rabbi Kula shows that 'The more we allow ourselves to unfold, the less likely we are to unravel. The more we dive into our desires, the more exquisite life becomes.'..."

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell's and independent local book retailers near you, I'm sure.

I read this book mostly with welled-up eyes, and I cried hard when I finished the book. That heavy, deep cry we do sometimes when moments of the unimaginable and unchangeable are revealed to us. A Wall of Two, is a book of poems written by two sisters, Ilona and Henia Karmel, while first in Skarzysko-Kamienna and then later in HASAG-Buchenwald and recently translated by Fanny Howe. The poems are beautiful, heartbreaking and written with such a sense of care and love, and, in moments, simultaneous selflessness and dread, like in The Mark on the Wall:

Praxia Dymitruk, Praxia, Praxia

why did you write your name all over the walls?

Is this pain written down

or resistance to life’s passing?

Were you, too, afraid to disappear?

Without a sound? No one to miss you

because you belonged to no one?

Is your name all you owned, Praxia?

I understand you, little Russian one.

Such a sweet stem of a name.

For a girl so familiar though never known.

Praxia Dymitruk, Praxia, Praxia.

(more here)

The synopsis goes like this: Ilona and Henia Karmel were 17 and 20 years old in 1943 when they entered labor camps from the Krakow ghetto. The sisters wrote the poems on worksheets stolen from the factories where they worked by day and hid them in their clothing. During what she thought were the last days of her life, Henia entrusted the poems to a cousin who happened to pass her in the forced march at the end of the war. The cousin gave them to Henia's husband in Krakow, who would not locate and reunite with his wife for another six months.

Get A Tissue: and cry your heart out for and with the Karmel sisters. This is the first English publication of these extraordinary poems. Fanny Howe's deft adaptations are presented with a biographical introduction that conveys the powerful story of the sisters' survival from capture to freedom in 1946.

After the war, the sisters immigrated to the United States and continued to write. Henia Karmel is the author of two novels written in English including Marek and Lisa, and Ilona Karmel is also the author of two novels written in English including An Estate of Memory.

The Flying Camel: Essays on Identity by Women of North African and Middle Easter Jewish HeritageI will open by admitting that I haven't yet read this book. But, It was just recommended to me by someone I trust to not recommend crappy reads, so I'm going to put my stamp on it because this is a topic I've been really interested in for some time, the topic of expanding awareness of "Jewish" looks like.

Of The Flying Camel: Essays on Identity by Women of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Heritage, edited by Loolwa Khazzoom, trusted recommend-er said, "I really appreciated the collection of essays, and how they treated struggling with being in the States and figuring out Jewish identity in an environment that didn't realize there were Persian, Libyan, etc. Jews." The publisher, more specifically states:

"Many of us have stereotypes of what 'Jewish' looks like—and for many of us that image is white and European. Yet, with the blossoming Jewish multiculturalism movement, led by the dynamic Loolwa Khazzoom, the myth of a 'monolithic Jewish community' is about to be debunked. Focusing on the experiences of Jewish women of two rich and varied regions, The Flying Camel reveals the hidden worlds of Jewish women often misunderstood or maligned by both the cultures in which they live and the European-Jewish community. Stories include one woman and her family’s flight from persecution in Libya, a writer’s exploration of the category 'Arab Jew,' and a lightskinned, Moroccan-born woman trying to 'pass' in order to gain acceptance among European Jews in Tehran"

Editor Loolwa Khazzoom (if she wants to trade names with me for, maybe a day or so, I would love it) has a more in-depth description of the book on her website, and you can find the book online at Amazon (as we already know), Powell's and the like. 

Jewish Origami: Oy.I can almost guarantee this is totally not the sort of thing darling Jewcy had in mind when "On The Nightstand Thursday" was hatched, I'm sure. But, this week, shuffling through book after book, trying to find just the right, heavy, thought-provoking title to share with all of you, I found these early on and kept coming back to them. Was it the paper hammentaschen? Maaayyyyybe. The little horrible stereotype of a shrugging guy made from folded paper on the cover? Maaaaaayyyyyyyyybe. An any event, I couldn't let this one go, so humor me. I promise you a more impassioned essay of greater intellectual clout next week. But for now: Jewish Origami.

The first book I found was Jewish Holiday Origami by Joel Stern. Tracking down a copy and giving it a whirl, I have to admit challenging as it may be, making tiny origami Torah scrolls might be my new thing. It might. It was fairly easy to follow and didn't make me feel like a complete paper-folding failure, so I liked it. What to do with all of my efforts, I wondered? Well, there's no shortage of tiny Jewish kids on my radar, and they were at first curious, then amazed, then delighted to shred, stomp, hide and otherwise enjoy their paper treasures. My cat was pretty gung-ho about a few things, but lost interest once he realized they weren't too stalkable.

So, I moved on to Jewish Origami by Florence Temko. I kind of sucked at making the tiny origami dreidels, but there was some improvement with each. So, I tried out Jewish Origami II, and had a bit less success, but all in all, I have to admit my Jewish origami experience was kind of fun. So, run right out and try it for yourself and totally, completely impress your friends silly with your folding-savvy.  Plus, you know, if I'm not the only one doing Jewish origami, I'll feel a little less-weird about it all. Heh.

My dad is notoriously straight-laced. For many years his Purim costume was an orange kipah. For him, that was radical. But recently he’s come out of his shell a bit, and it’s all because he went to a bar mitzvah and realized he’d forgotten his standard brown crocheted kipah at home. He had to snag one of the complimentary ones offered by the parents of the bar mitzvah, and those were not the normal black suede numbers with the bar mitzvah boy’s name printed in gold on the inside. At the bar mitzvah in question, the kippot provided had been imported from Guatemala. They’re called Mayaworks Kippot, and the website gives a really cool explanation of how a bunch of women in Guatemala started crocheting kippot:Get Yourself a Socially Conscious Yarmulke: You'll be the most popular guy at the bar mitzvah bash

MayaWorks kippot are crocheted by Mayan women who live in San Marcos, Guatemala, on the shores of Lake Atitlan. They began making kippot a few years ago, thanks to the idea of a MayaWorks volunteer who saw their crocheted hackysacks and small purses. After a few lessons in how to make the kippot rounded and shaped, the women set to work creating this new product. Some months later, a MayaWorks volunteer realized that the Mayan women had no idea what they were creating. A discussion ensued that talked about religious customs, both Mayan and Jewish, and explained the use and meaning of the kippot.

The work of the kippot crocheters makes a difference in the daily life of families: it means more food on the table; it means children can continue their education; it means the family might be able to bring electricity into their home; it means there is money to take the bus to town to visit a doctor.

MayaWorks Kippot come in various colorful designs and are approximately 6" in diameter. The cost is $8/each. Orders over $200 receive a 10% discount and orders of 100 kippot or more receive the bulk rate of $6/each. Your purchase of MayaWorks kippot brings income to the artisans who create them--that means better food on their family table, better access to health care and school for their children. You can make a difference in the lives of a Mayan family!

To order kippot, mezzuzot, and other Judaica products made by these women, click here. MayaWorks is a fair trade organization, making sure that their artisans make market wages, and can be proud of their work.

And my dad? He’s a loyal MayaWorks customer now, with a bright red, green, blue and yellow kippot for every day of the week. He gets complimented on them all the time. What with my purple hair and his neon yarmulkes we are SO taking Jewish heads to a whole new level.

Since I’m nearing the end of my summer at Yeshivat Hadar, there have been the requisite discussions among students about what would be most appropriate as gifts for our teachers.  And as usual, the debates have been heated and somewhat personal.  Besides negotiations as to how much everyone will give, we have to decide if and how much we want to donate back to the yeshiva.  And of course, everyone has an idea of what would be fantastic, and what would be a horrendous faux pas. 
Tis A Gift To Be Simple: and simplicity is a good guideline for gifts, too.
I am something of a gift maven.  I am the kind of person who buys something months in advance of someone’s birthday simply because I think it’s a very appropriate gift for that person, and I’m afraid it will be gone when I come back for it.  I write long personal cards full of superlatives, and I wrap things with pretty paper, and tie them up with sparkly bows.  That said, I don’t find gift giving to be easy.  In fact, sociologically, giving someone a present is a sign of aggression and I find myself acutely aware of this when I’m searching for the perfect birthday present.  I want to find something that my friend will like, and that will make it clear I was searching for exactly the right thing.  I’m also aware of this whenever I enter any Jewish institution, since they tend to be plastered with the names of donors, who kindly or generously gave this elevator, this classroom, this desk, this siddur, etc.  Jews, in fact, seem to be the progenitors of the aggressive gift, and while it seems to have gotten us in with some helpful types in the Bible, giving things away hasn’t exactly done wonders for contemporary Jews. 

Still, I think it’s important to show gratitude to our teachers and friends, and as a result I’ve come up with three golden rules of Jewish gift giving.  These should work for almost any Jewish occasion that would require a gift.

The Three Golden Rules of Jewish Gift Giving

1. Unless the person in question has died, giving money to a charity in someone’s name should at the very least be supplemented by a beautiful card.  Ideally, charitable donations will come with an additional small gift/keepsake for the giftee.  Because unless Aunt Sylvia can walk around with the Sylvia Glass Classroom, she has nothing to put on her coffee table so that her friends will sneak a peak and be jealous of how wonderful her great nieces and nephews are.  Plus, the classroom will soon be studded with old gum and wadded up pages from textbooks, but she’ll keep the card in her hope chest forever.

2. There’s a reason they call us the people of the book.  I highly recommend books for any and every occasion. If you can’t come up with an idea on your own find a medium sized independent bookstore (you can search for one close to your home at Booksense) and ask an employee.  At indie bookstores (a category that includes Judaica bookstores) the employees are far more likely to be well read and able to guide you towards an appropriate and classy choice. 

3. Buy them an unusual ritual object.  Everyone gets candlesticks and a Kiddush cup for their bar or bat mitzvah, but the best way to ensure your gift doesn’t end up in the bag of returns is to give something different, but still useful.  Consider an etrog case, a matzah cover, or a challah knife.  Other oft overlooked ritual items: an omer counter, a blech/hot plate, or a noisemaker for Purim.

What's in a Name?: The Riviera Scarf, by AlloyNot too long ago, Cameron Diaz stumbled from her shining path with a fashion faux pas that took the form of a messenger bag. The olive green accessory bore a red star and declared "Serve the People" in Chinese lettering. Sounds nice enough, but oops. Unfortunately for Cameron, that was one of Mao Zedong's most famous political slogans, and the tote turned an innocent jaunt through Peru into a fashion (and PR) disaster. After all, most of us are familiar with the classic lyric from the Beatles song, "Revolution": But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow. Here's a general rule of thumb for public figures: If you don't know what it says, don't wear it. I have a good amount of sympathy for Cameron Diaz. I mean, shoot--I don't speak Chinese, either, and could easily have made the same mistake.

It's different when the same "mistake" is repeated again and again by large corporations who should (and do) know better. I realize that at this point, the ongoing popularity of the keffiyeh in fashion forward, alternateen circles is old hat--or old scarf, as it were--but that doesn't diminish my overwhelming sense of incredulity that yet another retailer is marketing this "breezy, global-chic" symbol of hatred and terror to tweens, teens, college students, and "young independents." Back in January, Urban Outfitters briefly offered and quickly assassinated what they called an "anti-war woven scarf." In March it was Ark Clothing with their "Arafat Scarf" (way to be upfront, guys!). Then we had Delia's who first called it a "Peace Scarf," but later changed its name to "Euro Scarf" in response to complaints and protest.

If You Like That: ...You'll Love These!Delia's, as it happens, is where this trend turns from annoying to disturbing. See, I realize that "radical chic" is nothing new. From Berkeley college students to British hipsters, the keffiyeh has been around the necks of wannabe-revolutionaries and misguided-mutineers for decades.

What's creepy is that the most recent marketer of the keffiyeh is Alloy. Why creepy? Because Alloy owns Delia's.

Now, I'm not really the paranoid, conspiracy-theorist type, but this is no mere coincidence. Having already gone through this with their Delia's brand, Alloy can't plead ignorance about the symbolism of said scarf. Alloy, a multi-faceted advertising, clothing, publishing, film, and television company, bills itself as "a widely recognized pioneer in nontraditional marketing." Nontraditional marketing, eh? I'll say. The company is calling its unique brand of keffiyeh the "Riviera Scarf," because, um, that's where all the terrorists go on holiday?

Oh, and by the way, Cameron: you got a "Get Out of Jail Free" card for the Mao thing, but sporting a keffiyeh is not gonna fly.

Why Do You People Always Answer a Question with a Question?: why not?Early in my adolescence, I discovered Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet. I devoured the book, and 78 pages later, my life had been permanently changed. Quotes from the potent little tome, meticulously typed and printed from my parents' computer, began to find their way onto my bedroom walls. Here was the answer to all of my innumerable adolescent questions:

"Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."

I was well-accustomed to the impact of books on my life. As a child, Maurice Sendak's eerie children's tale, Outside Over There, compelled me with enchanting force. I was 5 years old when my mother brought the book home, and it didn't take more than one reading to recognize myself in its pages. There we were--all of us, so vivid--a family falling apart, and one little girl striving desperately to sustain and protect them.

"What are you going to do to save your family?" The book seemed to ask me, and I didn't know the answer, so I just read it, over and over again, hoping that a solution would manifest.

Later, The Catcher in the Rye let me in on a profound little secret or two: I wasn't the only one who didn't fit in, and yes--they were all a lot of phonies.

The way I see it, each of these books is distinctly Jewish. "How will you put your fragmented family back together?" Outside Over There demanded. "How will you learn self-respect in a world where you don't fit in?" The Catcher in the Rye challenged. And Rilke, with his Letters to a Young Poet, gave the most Jewish answer of all: Live the questions.

Judaism teaches that good questions lead to even better questions. We've all heard (and lived) the old joke:

Someone asks a Jew, "Why do Jewish people always answer a question with a question?"

To which the Jew responds, "Why not?"

Judaism encourages us to ask questions from earliest childhood. For most of us, The Four Questions of the Passover Seder is some of the first Jewish text we learn by heart. It teaches us that we all ask questions differently, but that each of our questions is important.

With the Days of Awe approaching, we all have our own set of questions to grapple with. I like to focus on positively phrased questions: "How can I be a better daughter, a better sister, a better girlfriend, a better dog-owner, a better friend, a better writer, a better citizen, a better Jew...ad infinitum...in the coming year?"

For those seeking a little extra help with their questions in 5768, Rabbi Jennifer Krause has the answer, and yes: True to form, it comes as a series of questions. Her new book, The Answer: Making Sense of Life One Question at a Time will hit the shelves on October 2. Krause's aim is not to give people answers, but rather to reintroduce the power of the questions themselves, a method of self-improvement which she believes is deeply Jewish.

Why? Why the heck not?

I stumbled across a beautiful Shabbes quilt not long ago, and when I inquired about it, I was pointed towards various resources online for Jewcy-crafty types. I had no idea! Anyway, sewing and general Martha Stewarting (I know, I know, I want to resent her, too, but sister makes some great stuff) is sort of a secret pleasure of mine, so here's what I know:

For some inspiration, try my two faves: hit the campy and wonderful Judaikitsch: Tchotchkes, Schmattes & Nosherei by Jennifer Traig for projects like the Neil Tzedekah Box and a beaded matzah purse. With a description of &qu