Tag: culture

Egyptian intellectual Tariq Hagi speaks frankly and openly about the many deep flaws that exist in Arab cultures. His message is different from that of most Arab spokesmen, because most Arab spokesmen strive to cover up the flaws in their societies, to conceal them and repress them - mainly because of the shame and the feeling of inferiority that these flaws arouse in them.

For the past several weeks I have been focusing on hashgachah pratis – personal, individual and national guidance that comes from heaven. Sadly, in our secular, high pressured, very often decadent society, many voices assail us and we have difficulty hearing the still small voice of G-d leading and prodding us.

"Under the Prayer Shawl - Secrets of the Priestly Blessing", was shot on location at the 2011 annual massive blessing by the Jewish Priests...

This reality show we'll watch. Producer Noah Scheinmann has been pitching to the networks (with some early interest) a new reality TV show with the working title "The Unchosen Ones." He says it's less about religion and more about the culture shock that the main characters—two men and two women—face after leaving the insular Ultra Orthodox Jewish community.

Bird’s Head Haggadah Revealed The Medieval Haggadah: Art, Narrative & Religious Imagination By Marc Michael Epstein, Yale University Press, New Haven and London 2011

A traditional Purim in Hong Kong requires an obligatory visit to Pottinger Street in the bustling Central District. Also known locally as Stone Step Street, Pottinger Street is more of a steep, irregularly paved pedestrian stone path (with steps too small for Western feet) than a street. My children run ahead up the stone slabs as I carefully balance my size nine feet on the thin, uneven stairs. My five year old stumbles but quickly recovers and catches up to the big kids.

What's more important - love or money? Let's hear what a 90-year-old woman sitting in front of two elevators in a nursing home had to say. I asked her, "If both elevator doors opened at the same time, and out of one came the richest man in the world, and out of the other came the nicest man in the world, who would you want to marry?" She thought about it for a good while and then answered, "Both of them."

A new video by a young Israeli from New York earned 57,000 views in two days, taking comedic aim at the life of the average young English-speaking immigrant to Israel.

In pre-Oscar television interviews, actors Shlomo Bar-Aba and Lior Ashkenazi, stars of the Israeli Oscar nominated "Footnote," which last night became the tenth Israeli nominee to not win the big prize – were telling anyone who would listen that it was definitely going to be Iran this year. And they were right. The Hollywood elite which decides these things gave the nod to Iran's "A Separation," from what we hear a fantastic family drama, and Director Asghar Farhadi has taken home the Oscar for best foreign language film. While Director Joseph Cedar, an observant Jew, went home empty handed for the second time in his career. Bummer.

As military analyst Yaakov Katz wrote recently in The Jerusalem Post, “Something has changed in Israel.” Once, Israel was renowned for daring military operations like the 1972 capture of five Syrian intelligence officers, the 1976 raid on Entebbe and, even as recently as 2007, the air strike on a Syrian nuclear reactor.

JERUSALEM – A 21-member delegation of Hollywood actors and New York media executives known as the Creative Coalition received a crash course in Israeli and Palestinian arts, politics, business and culture during a weeklong excursion in Israel and Palestinian-controlled areas.

The article last week in The New York Times concerning the explosion of anorexia and eating disorders in the Orthodox community highlights a tragedy that has long been buried.

In last week's column I published two letters regarding simchas (joyous occasions). One was from a grandmother and the other from a gentleman who had just made his daughter's wedding - the first simcha in his family.

A great human tragedy is taking place before our eyes, yet few can see it. A singles event in Jerusalem, co-sponsored by no fewer than five groups or organizations, advertised the following: "Ask yourself this question: Do you really want to get married? If the answer is NO, then carry on having a good time going to all those parties, Shabbat meals, lectures, supermarket aisles . If the answer is YES, then we'll see you at the MEGA EVENT."

JERUSALEM - Actress Meg Ryan's decision to cancel her appearance at this week's Jerusalem Film Festival didn't garner the same attention in Israel as British rocker Elvis Costello's nixing his Israel concert this spring.

JERUSALEM - Actress Meg Ryan's decision to cancel her appearance at this week's Jerusalem Film Festival didn't garner the same attention in Israel as British rocker Elvis Costello's nixing his Israel concert this spring.

Very soon we will sit around the Seder table and tell the story of the Exodus. We have arrived at Z'man Cheiruseinu, the Season of our Freedom. The Children of Israel are about to leave Mitzraim. What a story. But it's not a story. It's reality.

As Pesach draws near and the wine frenzy is at its peak, anyone interested in more than just a glass of Kiddush wine may have a hard time making sense of the literally hundreds of labels available from dozens of countries. As the selection in the liquor store may be a bit overwhelming, most people pick out one or two favorites and drink them on a regular basis.

As Pesach draws near and the wine frenzy is at its peak, anyone interested in more than just a glass of Kiddush wine may have a hard time making sense of the literally hundreds of labels available from dozens of countries. As the selection in the liquor store may be a bit overwhelming, most people pick out one or two favorites and drink them on a regular basis.

As Super Bowl weekend approaches the signs at the local takeout stores in Modern Orthodox neighborhoods (and even some haredi ones as well, but I limit my discussion here to the former as that is my community) abound with signs advertising gigantic food package options with catchy names such as the "Linebacker" or the "Halftimer."

While once it may have seemed possible to shelter our children from inappropriate exposure to sexuality, today it seems to be an impossible goal. While some families have been successful in insulating their children from the Internet, movies, and other harmful aspects of secular culture, many families have not been as successful. And, even those parents have made every effort to appropriately safeguard their children may find themselves unhappily surprised at what they have been exposed to by their friends. In addition, outdoor secular media such as billboards, bus ads and newspaper covers portray disturbingly graphic images that force us to confront the fact that our children are being exposed to ideas and ways of life we may consider to be harmful to their souls and their mental health.

Note to Readers: Going against the grain of most of the Orthodox community, I've never been enamored of the Catskills – to put it mildly. "The mountains" give me the creeps; it's a deep-bred animosity that just won't go away. I'm a city boy through and through.

You may think you said “I do” to just one person on your wedding day, but the reality of married life is that you actually vowed to honor several people. Marriage comes with new challenges; some of which you had no idea were waiting for you.

He's not Jewish, he's not Lithuanian and he's not a librarian but Wyman Brent, an American from San Diego, is building a Jewish library in Vilna.

There is no rain in Israel. The weather is sunny and warm.That is bad news.

The first half of the following poem is loosely based on a true situation as shared with me by a very close friend whose family "culture" was to "good- naturedly" tease one another or make gentle fun of each other's looks and actions.

The religious Jewish dating scene is severely broken. In the secular world men and women date by meeting each other at co-ed schools institutions or at events like parties and weekend getaways.

Last week I wrote how important it is that the second generation of Holocaust survivors begin to take over the work of preserving the memory of Jewish life and culture in the many towns and cities that had been mostly destroyed during the Shoah.

For all of those waiting to see Olmert forced out of office, I suggest that you don't hold your breath.

In the course of researching this article, I found out two truths about myself.