Blog Entries by stacey palevsky

Spoken word artist wows at ‘Inside the Activists’ Studio’

I was mesmerized.

In front of me stood a young guy, mid-20s, who appeared comfortable in his own skin. I was mesmerized the moment he opened his mouth to share his poetry with the audience at "Inside the Activists' Studio," Feb. 21 at the Contemporary Jewish Museum.

Mother of 15, grandmother of 200, dies in Brooklyn

The New York Times has reported that Yitta Schwartz, a member of the Satmar Hassidic sect, died at age 93. She had 15 children, 200 grandchildren, and upwards of more than 1,000 great- and great-great grandchildren. Her family told the Times that Schwartz could claim nearly 2,000 descendents — which…

Come inside the ‘Activist’s Studio’ this Sunday

I have often told myself that I want to change the world - and yet I'm not sure how to do so. My intentions are good. But my actions? Um, does reading and writing about activists count?

If you've ever felt the disparity between your aspirations and your actions, come…

Westboro: My encounter with people who hold signs that read “God Hates Jews”

Last week, a crowd gathered outside of my office building to gawk and shout at -- and be shocked by -- the posse of Midwesterners holding signs that said "God hates fags" and "Jews killed Jesus."

Ah, Westboro Baptist Church. These are the people from Fred Phelps' Topeka, Kan.…

An atheist-feminist siddur? Yep.

A professor at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles has composed an atheist-feminist siddur - seriously. The Jewish Daily Forward chronicles his creative, spiritual and translational process in a great feature story this week.

Tzemah Yoreh is a bible scholar and former IDF soldier who grew up in Toronto…

Mr. Nebbish Is Mr. January - because everyone needs a new calendar

We've got only one day left in the 2009 before we roll into a new decade. There's no better time to choose your next wall calendar!

This year, forgo the temptation of Anne Geddes babies, Van Gogh prints or recipe of the day.…

Famed NY Review of Books cartoonist dies at 83

David Levine, the Jewish cartoonist who gave the New York Review of Books its biting, compelling and often unflattering illustrations, died yesterday in New York. He was 83.

Over the years, Levine made nearly 4,000 drawings for the Review of Books. Among his most famous images:

What’s east of Siberia? The Jewish Autonomous Region, of course!

I had no idea Jews ever lived east of Siberia (okay, actually, I had no idea anyone lived east of Siberia given that the term has an end-of-the-earth-like connotation). I began reading about the history of this part of the world, known as the Jewish Autonomous Region, in a

Fashionable and good for the planet!

This weekend I strut my stuff on the catwalk. I've got to bask in the glow of such an endeavor -- considering I'm barely 5'2", it's unlikely that I'll be a runway model on a different occasion.

The fashion show was organized by American Jewish World Service, Progressive…

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