I first discovered artist/satirist Miriam Libicki when I read a profile of the former IDF soldier on Zeek. Miriam 's now famous comic serial Jobnik documents her experiences in detail as a young American/Canadian women in the Israeli army. Additionally her illustrated short Towards A Hot Jew grapples with traditional cultural/ethnic Jewish stereotypes. Not only does Miriam's work tackle her own sexual coming-of-age and cultural immersion in a foreign land, but its backdrop, Israel in the early 2000s, lends itself to an equally charged and tumultuous environment.

Given all this fodder, I couldn't help but immediately drawn to Miriam Libicki which is why I had to contact her personally. The result, which can be seen below, was an email exchange which drew upon all of the subjects I mentioned above and more.

Misogynism in the Israeli Army: How prevalent in your experience?

No matter how individual soldiers treat each other, it is a misogynistic system. Women end up being seen as spoiled, less valuable, and there for their sexual uses, just because the IDF paints them into these roles.

I don’t think women who are unfit should be in combat, but when no woman is in combat unless she can rigorously and determinedly prove she is fit, and all men are in combat unless they can rigorously and determinedly prove they are unfit, I think it’s clear there is discrimination occurring. Misogyny isn’t a bad word for it, though it hurts both male and female soldiers.

Women are seen to have an “easier” time of it, their basic training being shorter, almost irrespective of what their eventual role will be. They have more choice in their hairstyles and footwear, and often have more relaxed relationships with their chain of command. But I think these facts lead to women looking like lesser soldiers than the men, and any achievements can be explained away by having fewer obstacles to overcome (allegedly) than a man.

 

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What is worth a king’s ransom?

According to the musical, "Oliver!," it’s food, glorious food! ... Gulped, swallowed or chewed..

Throw in a Vermont cheese company and two New Yorkers, and you have “Food, Glorious Kosher food.”

At the World Championship Cheese Contest held in Wisconsin, Cabot Creamery’s Cheddar Cheese earned the title of “World’s Best Cheddar.” Now, the “World’s Best Cheddar” has the OU-D kosher for Passover stamp. Cabot’s sharp cheddar, which is aged for five-months, has already received rave reviews.

In a December 2006 press release, Cabot estimated 6 to 8 million Americans eat Kosher products. This prompted the Vermont Cheese Company to seek Kosher certification. “Our Kosher products are in keeping with our commitment to provide our consumers with dairy products that fit their desires and lifestyles,” commented Dr. Rich Stammer, President of Cabot Creamery.

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Was there hemp in the Garden of Eden?

Hemp has increasingly been spotted on the list of kitniyot, or legumes, that Ashkenazi Jews abstain from eating during Pessah, according to several influential rabbinical Web sites, including kashrut.com. But not everyone agrees that hemp qualifies for the ban, and the debate has led many to question the definition of kitniyot

 

The ban on kitniyot during Pessah began because rabbis were concerned that certain legumes would come into contact with the grains forbidden during the holiday. Farmers often grew wheat and rice in adjacent fields, and families frequently stored all of their grains and legumes in the same containers. The kitniyot tradition only applies to Jews of Ashkenazi descent, since Sephardic Jewry never adopted the practice.

Of the dozen rabbis whom The Jerusalem Post questioned on this issue, none offered a conclusive statement about how hemp should be classified for Pessah. As Rabbi Daniel Kohn of Bat Ayin explained, the issue ultimately boils down to an individual decision by each rabbi about whether hemp seeds themselves could be considered edible. If a rabbi decides that the seeds are edible, then hemp - and, by extension, marijuana - would not be considered permissible for Pessah.

Well, at least here's some news that might make this year's Seder more palatable, but this also raises the stakes of eating way more matzah than is good for one sitting. 

Asterix

Both translators said they had had to adapt the text to reality, but had decided to keep the wild boars that people the albums despite religious objections to pork.

"We left the boars in though they're not kosher," said the Israeli translator.

Syrian Shehayeb said an earlier Asterix album translated into Arabic had used "wild beasts" rather than "boars" to avoid offending fundamentalists. "I kept the original because you have to face reality as it is," he said.

Ironic as it sounds, Asterix might have found a ripe audience for its socio-political values lesson after all.

In the books, the diminutive Gallic warrior's friends "live in peace and friendship with all other people as long as nobody bothers them", said Israeli Dorith Daliot Rubinovitz.