http://www.jweekly.com en Copyright 2010 2010-03-18T21:25:30+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/41442/jewish-pride-and-omri-casspi http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/41442/jewish-pride-and-omri-casspi#When:23:29:19Z by andy altman-ohr | Have you encountered any non-Jews who can't understand why the Jewish community is so excited about Omri Casspi being in the NBA?   Do you have a sense of pride about Omri Casspi that you can't really explain?   CHECK OUT THIS blog entry on ESPN's NBA page titled "Omri Casspi and the Jewish masculine identity."   Whaddya think?   blogs 2010-02-22T23:29:19+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/41440/mother-of-15-grandmother-of-200-dies-in-brooklyn http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/41440/mother-of-15-grandmother-of-200-dies-in-brooklyn#When:21:27:52Z by stacey palevsky | 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 means "she may have generated one of the largest clans of any survivor of the Holocaust — a thumb in the eye of the Nazis," the Times said. Every Shabbat, Schwartz made six loaves of challah using 12 pounds of dough to feed her enormous family.  The obituary is well-worth reading in full. blogs 2010-02-22T21:27:52+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/41369/come-inside-the-activists-studio-this-sunday http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/41369/come-inside-the-activists-studio-this-sunday#When:18:02:53Z by stacey palevsky | 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 to Sunday's Inside the Activists' Studio. The event, organized by American Jewish World Service-AVODAH and Progressive Jewish Alliance, promises to be compelling, entertaining, provocative and useful for all you hopefuly change-makers out there. Inside the Activists' Studio was started in 2007. Then, it was a small operation that met in the Women's Building. IAS has since been polished and expanded to a larger venue in San Francisco, and has even grown beyond the Bay Area, with programs in New York and Washington, D.C. "It really embodied the purpose of our organization — which is to create community and inspire people to sustain a sense of social change from a Jewish foundation," said Jocelyn Berger, the Bay Area Program Officer for the AJWS-AVODAH Partnership. She added that she hopes that "people come out of this event with ideas for how to craft a life path that sustains work in the social change arena." I hope I do, too. So, you want the details? Inside the Activists' Studio begins at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21 at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco with a panel discussion moderated by Michael Krasny, host of "Forum" on KQED Radio. Panelists will convene at 3 p.m. and include: Caitlin Sislin, advocacy director at the Women's Earth Alliance Daniel Kaufman, president of the One Percent Foundation Erin Potts, executive director of Air Traffic Control Jon Gilgoff, founding director of Brothers on the Rise The panelelists will answer questions such as: What inspires you? What sustains your work? How does that work relate to your Jewish identity? After the panel, Josh Healey, a Jewish poet and activist, will share with the audience a spoken word performance. And then — the main event! Skills-share workshops (This is the really useful part.) Workshops are slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. Attendees can choose only one from the following options: Art is a Hammer: Spoken Word, Storytelling, and Social Change — with Josh Healey From the Farm to Your Plate: Jewish Perspectives on Food and Justice — with Sarah Leiber Church of PJA and Rabbi Dorothy Richman of Berkeley Hillel Making Change Happen: Moving from Ideal to Real — with Toby Rubin of UpStart Bay Area Toward Collective Liberation: Faith Based Organizing and Supporting LGBTQ Communities — with a Jew, Unitarian and a Baptist Unifying the Spheres: Social Change and Spiritual Transformation — with Josh Weisman and Eryn Kalish There will also be a "wildcard" workshop selected from community proposals. A little birdie told me that one might focus on privilege and power in social justice work. Juicy. And stick around after. You'll get dinner. And good, activist company. The event is co-sponsored by: Bay Area Tribe, Birthright Israel NEXT, Contemporary Jewish Museum, EcoJews of the Bay, Hazon, The Hub at JCCSF, Jewschool, LGBT Alliance, Moishe House, New Generations of the New Israel Fund, UpStart Bay Area, Young Adult Division of the Jewish Community Federation and Zeek. Co-sponsored by: Bay Area Tribe, Birthright Israel NEXT Bay Area, Contemporary Jewish Museum, EcoJews of the Bay, Hazon, The Hub at JCCSF, Jewschool, LGBT Alliance, Moishe House, New Generations of the New Israel Fund, UpStart Bay Area, the Young Adults Division of the SFJCF, and Zeek.     blogs 2010-02-17T18:02:53+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/41078/an-atheist-feminist-siddur-yep http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/41078/an-atheist-feminist-siddur-yep#When:20:18:30Z by stacey palevsky | 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 and Israel with Talmud scholars for parents. The siddur, tentatively titled "Liturgical Experiments: A Siddur for the Skeptical" is only available in Hebrew thus far. Yoreh intends to translate the siddur into English soon, at which point it will be the first siddur of its kind. My favorite quote from the article: "If you define [prayer] as communication between humans and a deity, I think that’s a very narrow conception. I think prayer is communal and private expression of hopes, fears, an appreciation of aesthetic beauty, good attributes. But that has nothing to do with God.” Read the story here, and check Yoreh's personal Web site here. blogs 2010-01-20T20:18:30+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/40950/j.-goes-to-the-crunchies http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/40950/j.-goes-to-the-crunchies#When:17:37:17Z by rachel leibold | The Crunchies are almost upon us - and j. (namely, me) will be there to witness them. The Crunchie Awards - sponsored by TechCrunch, GigaOm and VentureBeat and recognizing "compelling startups, Internet and technology innovations" - will be given out in a festive ceremony at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco this Friday night. Why am I going?  Well, it's a night to fete some of Silicon Valley's hippest and brightest, and you wouldn't believe (okay, maybe you would believe) how many of them are Jewish. The scene at last year's Crunchies (photo courtesy of nandorfejer) The Crunchies feature awards ranging from best Internet application to best VC firm to CEO of the Year. Some of the nominees you've heard of - Facebook, Twitter, Google Wave - and many you probably haven't (Brizzly? Animoto?). Think of it as a big Silicon Valley group hug! This year's Jewish noms include: -Yossi Vardi for best angel (for those not fluent in VC-speak, an angel investor is a wealthy individual who invests heavily in a startup). Vardi is Israeli and was the first investor in ICQ, one of the first instant messaging programs, which was founded by the Israeli company Mirabilis and later purchased by AOL. He has numerous awards and accomplishments to his name, including Israel's Prime Minister Award. -Jeremy Stoppelman, co-founder and CEO of Yelp, for Founder of the Year. Yelp is also up for best Internet application. -Josh Silverman, CEO of Skype, for CEO of the Year. -Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, for CEO of the Year. Salesforce is also up for best enterprise (Chatter). -Richard Rosenblatt, CEO of Demand Media, for CEO of the Year. -Mark Pincus, CEO of Zynga, for CEO of the Year. Zynga is also up for best social app (Farmville) and best overall startup or product of 2009. At least four of the six CEO of the Year noms are Jewish - an interesting achievement. Who will win? We'll find out Friday night at the Crunchies! blogs 2010-01-07T17:37:17+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/40946/friends-romans-countrymen-...-lenders-me-your-bagels http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/40946/friends-romans-countrymen-...-lenders-me-your-bagels#When:22:02:14Z by andy altman-ohr |   You'll never catch me saying anything good about a Lender's bagel — let along eating one ... except if they happen to be a featured part of La Quinta's sumptious free breakfast "buffet" on those rare occasions when I'm not overnighting at the Ritz.   But I will let you know that Lender's is sponsoring a contest titled "Now That's A Bagel That ..." now through March 31.   All you have to do is submit  a sentence that completes the phrase, "Now That's a Bagel That ... "   There is a small catch, of course. You do have to describe what LENDER'S BAGELS does for you or your family. Also, each entry needs to accompanied by a photo that brings the sentence to life. For example, if you make Tofurky sandwiches on a Lender's bagel for your kids' lunches, snap a picture of such. And your sentence might read: "Now That's a Bagel That ... makes my kids smile during lunchtime."   The grand-prize winner will receive $1,000 and a year's supply of Lender's Bagels. (Disclaimer: My joke inserted here: The loser gets a two-year's supply of Lender's Bagels!)   FREEBIE ALERT: All entrants will receive one free package of Lender's Bagels. DEADLINE: All entries must be postmarked no later than March 31, 2010. Click here for all the details.   blogs 2010-01-06T22:02:14+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/40882/mr.-nebbish-is-mr.-january-because-everyone-needs-a-new-calendar http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/40882/mr.-nebbish-is-mr.-january-because-everyone-needs-a-new-calendar#When:21:09:18Z by stacey palevsky | 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. This year, check out the Nice Jewish Guys calendar, started by Los Angeles-based Adam Cohen, a nice Jewish guy himself. The calendar looks adorable and hilarious. This is the second year Nice Jewish Guys is available for sale. "It's about time nice Jewish guys have their moment in the sun," Cohen said in a video interview. Buy your own for you or a friend (we know you want to) at http://nicejewishguys.net/. blogs 2009-12-30T21:09:18+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/40878/are-you-ready-for-a-steampunk-menorah http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/40878/are-you-ready-for-a-steampunk-menorah#When:16:40:35Z by emily savage |   Though it is (sadly) coming to an end, it is still Chanukah and I just can't resist this - steampunk menorah! This amazing piece was crafted by Canadian clock maker Klock Werks. Do you know what steampunk is? If not, click here then return to this image and bask in its glory. Thanks Boing Boing! blogs 2009-12-18T16:40:35+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/40815/our-little-copy-editor-is-all-grown-up http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/40815/our-little-copy-editor-is-all-grown-up#When:19:40:01Z by andy altman-ohr | Last week, you might have read Rachel Freedenberg's column about her wedding in New Zealand at the southernmost synagogue in the world!    (If not, click here).   Of course we at j. thought this was big news, but so did a newspaper in New Zealand. Check it out right here.   Congrats to our ace kopy edutor ... (you see, we miss you !)     blogs 2009-12-16T19:40:01+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/40675/let-me-see-you-kosher-tootsie-roll http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/40675/let-me-see-you-kosher-tootsie-roll#When:22:47:28Z by rachel leibold | Yes, we're kosher! Kosher consumers, REJOICE. The day has arrived when you may finally, finally enjoy one of America's greatest treasures: the Tootsie Roll. According to a press release sent out this afternoon by the Orthodox Union, Tootsie Roll Industries has announced that the venerable OU symbol will now appear on Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Fruit Rolls, Frooties and DOTS. Some of Tootsie Roll Industries' candies are already certified kosher by other certification agencies, including Charleston Chew (KVH) and Andes mints (Chaf-K). No word on when yeshiva bochers can start noshing on Sugar Daddies, though. Kashrut status uncertain All this exhaustive research brought me to this website that lists kosher chocolates and candies, as well as regional and local kosher chocolate companies. Some candies made by San Francisco stalwart See's and Annabelle in Hayward (maker of Abba-Zaba, Big Hunk, etc.) are certified kosher by KSA, and the Guittard Chocolate Company in Burlingame (the source of the delicious chocolate cookie smell that permeates the Millbrae BART station) is certified by the OU. So eat with impunity. blogs 2009-12-02T22:47:28+00:00