Religious Divorce Dispute Leads to Secular Protest
By MARK OPPENHEIMER
January 3, 2011
New York Times
This should have been a good New Year’s for Aharon Friedman, a 34-year-old tax counsel for the Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee. He spent time with his 3-year-old daughter, and could have been thinking about the influence he will have starting Wednesday, when his boss, Representative Dave Camp of Michigan, becomes chairman of the powerful tax-writing committee.
Instead, Mr. Friedman, an Orthodox Jew, finds himself scrutinized in the Jewish press, condemned by important rabbis, and attacked in a YouTube video showing about 200 people protesting outside his Silver Spring, Md., apartment on Dec. 19. They were angered by Mr. Friedman’s refusal to give his wife, Tamar Epstein, 27, a Jewish decree of divorce, known as a get.
Showing posts with label New York Times. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York Times. Show all posts
Monday, January 3, 2011
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
American Football Gains a Following in Israel
December 27, 2010
American Football Gains a Following in Israel
By BEN SOLOMON
New York Times
JERUSALEM — On a Thursday night early in December, Pinchas Zerbib took off his traditional cotton skullcap. In its place, he put on a polyester one.
“It’s my Under Armour yarmulke,” Zerbib said. “For practice, it’s better. Plus, it’s still kosher.”
As an orthodox Jew, Zerbib, a native of Israel, believes he must always wear a head covering. He spends his days studying in a yeshiva, or a Talmudic learning institution. But three nights a week, he suits up as a linebacker.
“I sit down and learn all day,” said Zerbib, a 27-year-old student. “I love to do this sport and stay healthy.”
American Football Gains a Following in Israel
By BEN SOLOMON
New York Times
JERUSALEM — On a Thursday night early in December, Pinchas Zerbib took off his traditional cotton skullcap. In its place, he put on a polyester one.
“It’s my Under Armour yarmulke,” Zerbib said. “For practice, it’s better. Plus, it’s still kosher.”
As an orthodox Jew, Zerbib, a native of Israel, believes he must always wear a head covering. He spends his days studying in a yeshiva, or a Talmudic learning institution. But three nights a week, he suits up as a linebacker.
“I sit down and learn all day,” said Zerbib, a 27-year-old student. “I love to do this sport and stay healthy.”
Monday, December 27, 2010
Greek Bishop denies antisemitism; equates Zionism with Satanism
Greek Bishop Equates Zionism to ‘Satanism’
By ROBERT MACKEY
New York Time
A Greek Orthodox bishop who was criticized by Jewish groups, the Greek government and some coreligionists for blaming Greece’s financial problems on a conspiracy of Jewish bankers and claiming that the Holocaust was orchestrated by Zionists issued a statement on Thursday in which he denied that he was anti-Semitic but also equated Zionism to “Satanism.”
By ROBERT MACKEY
New York Time
A Greek Orthodox bishop who was criticized by Jewish groups, the Greek government and some coreligionists for blaming Greece’s financial problems on a conspiracy of Jewish bankers and claiming that the Holocaust was orchestrated by Zionists issued a statement on Thursday in which he denied that he was anti-Semitic but also equated Zionism to “Satanism.”
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
New York Times on Erica Brown, Jewish Educator
The Arduous Community
By DAVID BROOKS
New York Times
December 20, 2010
For the past few years, there has been a strange motif running through my social life. I’d go out with some writers, and they’d start gushing about someone named Erica Brown. “She has an inner light,” one of them once said. I’d be out with my wife and some of her friends, and they, too, would be raving about Erica Brown. “If she taught a course in making toast, I’d take it,” somebody remarked.
This Brown woman was leading Torah study groups and teaching adult education classes in Jewish thought, and was somehow inspiring Justin Bieber-like enthusiasm. Eventually, I went to her Web site to figure out what all the fuss was about.
By DAVID BROOKS
New York Times
December 20, 2010
For the past few years, there has been a strange motif running through my social life. I’d go out with some writers, and they’d start gushing about someone named Erica Brown. “She has an inner light,” one of them once said. I’d be out with my wife and some of her friends, and they, too, would be raving about Erica Brown. “If she taught a course in making toast, I’d take it,” somebody remarked.
This Brown woman was leading Torah study groups and teaching adult education classes in Jewish thought, and was somehow inspiring Justin Bieber-like enthusiasm. Eventually, I went to her Web site to figure out what all the fuss was about.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Women writing in the Times credits her relationship to a Rabbi's blessing
December 17, 2010
What the Rabbi Said
By AMY KLEIN
“A husband you want?” the old rabbi mumbled in Yiddish-accented English.
I was probably the last person you would expect to be going to a kabbalist rabbi for a blessing to marry. I’d stopped being religious 10 years earlier, uninterested in pursuing the typical Orthodox Jewish lifestyle of settling down and having babies straight out of college.
But the summer I turned 38, I freaked out about the approaching Four Zero — which was old even for the nonreligious world — so I went to Israel, where I had lived in my 20s, to visit old friends and figure out where my life had gone wrong. On my last day there I ran into the mother and father of my best friend from high school. Without prompting, my friend’s mother insisted I go see the rabbi she’d entrusted with such weighty matters.
What the Rabbi Said
By AMY KLEIN
“A husband you want?” the old rabbi mumbled in Yiddish-accented English.
I was probably the last person you would expect to be going to a kabbalist rabbi for a blessing to marry. I’d stopped being religious 10 years earlier, uninterested in pursuing the typical Orthodox Jewish lifestyle of settling down and having babies straight out of college.
But the summer I turned 38, I freaked out about the approaching Four Zero — which was old even for the nonreligious world — so I went to Israel, where I had lived in my 20s, to visit old friends and figure out where my life had gone wrong. On my last day there I ran into the mother and father of my best friend from high school. Without prompting, my friend’s mother insisted I go see the rabbi she’d entrusted with such weighty matters.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Nearly 40 Years Later, Kissinger’s Words Stir Fresh Outrage Among Jews
December 16, 2010
Nearly 40 Years Later, Kissinger’s Words Stir Fresh Outrage Among Jews
By CLYDE HABERMAN
The New York Times
Richard M. Nixon has long been the Freddy Krueger of American political life. You know in your bones that he is destined to keep returning.
Sure enough, though dead 16 years, Nixon is back onstage, with the release of a fresh batch of tapes from his Oval Office days. They show him at his omni-bigoted worst, offering one slur after another against the Irish, Italians and blacks. Characteristically, he saved his most potent acid for Jews. “The Jews,” he said, “are just a very aggressive and abrasive and obnoxious personality.”
Nearly 40 Years Later, Kissinger’s Words Stir Fresh Outrage Among Jews
By CLYDE HABERMAN
The New York Times
Richard M. Nixon has long been the Freddy Krueger of American political life. You know in your bones that he is destined to keep returning.
Sure enough, though dead 16 years, Nixon is back onstage, with the release of a fresh batch of tapes from his Oval Office days. They show him at his omni-bigoted worst, offering one slur after another against the Irish, Italians and blacks. Characteristically, he saved his most potent acid for Jews. “The Jews,” he said, “are just a very aggressive and abrasive and obnoxious personality.”
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Kevin Spacey to Play Jack Abramoff in "Casino Jack"
NY Times
By, Melena RyzikDecember 15, 2010
But in the spring of 2009 the director George Hickenlooper (“Factory Girl”) wrote on his Facebook page that Kevin Spacey would be the right actor to play the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff in his new film, “Casino Jack.” A mutual friend saw that post and pointed it out to Dana Brunetti, Mr. Spacey’s producing partner, via a Facebook message.
“So I friended George,” Mr. Brunetti said. “And he friended me back, and we started talking back and forth.” They looped in Mr. Spacey, and Mr. Hickenlooper eventually flew to London to see him. He got the part.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Who's Top Kosher Chef? A Jewish Cuisine Cook-Off
December 12, 2010
At Kosher Chefs’ Cook-Off, Forget Foie Gras
By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM
New York Times
Culinary school had its frustrations for Seth Warshaw, the executive chef and owner of Etc. Steakhouse, a kosher restaurant in Teaneck, N.J. He had enrolled in a prestigious cooking school in Manhattan, but it quickly became clear that his religious restrictions rendered many hallmarks of fine French cooking — like rich creams and luscious crustaceans — off-limits.
“I sat there with my container of water, drinking while everybody ate,” Mr. Warshaw recalled, sounding a bit pained.
“I didn’t eat foie gras. I wanted to. I wanted to take it home and take a bath in it.”
Mr. Warshaw, an observant Jew, had been asked to ruminate on this topic because he found himself in an unusual role on Sunday: a judge for the taping of an all-kosher cooking competition called “The Next Great Kosher Chef.” It was held at a commercial kitchen in Long Island City, Queens.
The event was being sponsored by the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts, a three-year-old organization in Midwood, Brooklyn, that offers instruction to kosher chefs seeking the secrets to fine dining, minus the tref, or nonkosher. Its founders claim the school is the only all-kosher culinary academy outside of Israel.
“They can come, they can taste, they can eat,” Elka Pinson, the school’s owner, said of her students. At secular institutes, she said, “you pay $45,000 and can’t taste a thing!”
At Kosher Chefs’ Cook-Off, Forget Foie Gras
By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM
New York Times
Culinary school had its frustrations for Seth Warshaw, the executive chef and owner of Etc. Steakhouse, a kosher restaurant in Teaneck, N.J. He had enrolled in a prestigious cooking school in Manhattan, but it quickly became clear that his religious restrictions rendered many hallmarks of fine French cooking — like rich creams and luscious crustaceans — off-limits.
“I sat there with my container of water, drinking while everybody ate,” Mr. Warshaw recalled, sounding a bit pained.
“I didn’t eat foie gras. I wanted to. I wanted to take it home and take a bath in it.”
Mr. Warshaw, an observant Jew, had been asked to ruminate on this topic because he found himself in an unusual role on Sunday: a judge for the taping of an all-kosher cooking competition called “The Next Great Kosher Chef.” It was held at a commercial kitchen in Long Island City, Queens.
The event was being sponsored by the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts, a three-year-old organization in Midwood, Brooklyn, that offers instruction to kosher chefs seeking the secrets to fine dining, minus the tref, or nonkosher. Its founders claim the school is the only all-kosher culinary academy outside of Israel.
“They can come, they can taste, they can eat,” Elka Pinson, the school’s owner, said of her students. At secular institutes, she said, “you pay $45,000 and can’t taste a thing!”
The point is fast approaching when further talks between Israel and the Palestinians will be useless
December 14, 2010
Nothing Left to Talk About
By HUSSEIN AGHA and ROBERT MALLEY
The New York Times
Amid speculation over how Israelis and Palestinians might resume their talks, a reality is taking hold: The point is fast approaching where negotiations between the two will be, for all practical purposes and for the foreseeable future, over. As emissaries are dispatched and ideas explored, discussions could well carry on. But they will have lost all life, energy or sense of purpose.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might not have been wholeheartedly committed to a peace deal with the Palestinians, but upon taking office, several factors tugged him in that direction. He worried about U.S. and regional pressure; had concerns about his own public opinion; was unsure about how Palestinians would react to a prolonged impasse.
Nothing Left to Talk About
By HUSSEIN AGHA and ROBERT MALLEY
The New York Times
Amid speculation over how Israelis and Palestinians might resume their talks, a reality is taking hold: The point is fast approaching where negotiations between the two will be, for all practical purposes and for the foreseeable future, over. As emissaries are dispatched and ideas explored, discussions could well carry on. But they will have lost all life, energy or sense of purpose.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might not have been wholeheartedly committed to a peace deal with the Palestinians, but upon taking office, several factors tugged him in that direction. He worried about U.S. and regional pressure; had concerns about his own public opinion; was unsure about how Palestinians would react to a prolonged impasse.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Carmel Fire Unites Some Arabs and Jews
Israel’s Arabs and Jews, United by Flames
By ISABEL KERSHNER
New York Times
December 13, 2010
EIN HOD, Israel — The flames encircled Ed Sernoff’s house in this Israeli artists’ village in the Carmel hills near the northern port city of Haifa, licking a corner of the stone structure and cracking a window but otherwise leaving it intact. A small child’s playhouse survived in the middle of the mostly charred garden, but the chalet-style home that Mr. Sernoff’s son had built next door was destroyed.
From the Israeli Arab village of Ayn Hawd on a nearby hilltop, Zakaria Abu al-Hija looked down at the rooftops of Ein Hod, the village his father and other relatives fled, or were driven from, during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, when Israel was established, and to which the family was not allowed to return.
Most of the original Arab residents of what is now Ein Hod became refugees, landing in refugee camps in the West Bank city of Jenin or in Jordan. Yet Mr. Abu al-Hija says that those who stayed and became Israeli citizens have good relations with their Jewish neighbors in the artists’ colony, and that the deadly wildfire that broke out nearly two weeks ago and raged for four days did not distinguish between Arab and Jew.
“It hurts all of us that Ein Hod burned,” Mr. Abu al-Hija said, “no matter who is living there.”
By ISABEL KERSHNER
New York Times
December 13, 2010
EIN HOD, Israel — The flames encircled Ed Sernoff’s house in this Israeli artists’ village in the Carmel hills near the northern port city of Haifa, licking a corner of the stone structure and cracking a window but otherwise leaving it intact. A small child’s playhouse survived in the middle of the mostly charred garden, but the chalet-style home that Mr. Sernoff’s son had built next door was destroyed.
From the Israeli Arab village of Ayn Hawd on a nearby hilltop, Zakaria Abu al-Hija looked down at the rooftops of Ein Hod, the village his father and other relatives fled, or were driven from, during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, when Israel was established, and to which the family was not allowed to return.
Most of the original Arab residents of what is now Ein Hod became refugees, landing in refugee camps in the West Bank city of Jenin or in Jordan. Yet Mr. Abu al-Hija says that those who stayed and became Israeli citizens have good relations with their Jewish neighbors in the artists’ colony, and that the deadly wildfire that broke out nearly two weeks ago and raged for four days did not distinguish between Arab and Jew.
“It hurts all of us that Ein Hod burned,” Mr. Abu al-Hija said, “no matter who is living there.”
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Failed US Attempt to Bribe Israel
Reality Check
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
NEW YORK TIMES
December 11, 2010
The failed attempt by the U.S. to bribe Israel with a $3 billion security assistance package, diplomatic cover and advanced F-35 fighter aircraft — if Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu would simply agree to a 90-day settlements freeze to resume talks with the Palestinians — has been enormously clarifying. It demonstrates just how disconnected from reality both the Israeli and the Palestinian leaderships have become.
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
NEW YORK TIMES
December 11, 2010
The failed attempt by the U.S. to bribe Israel with a $3 billion security assistance package, diplomatic cover and advanced F-35 fighter aircraft — if Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu would simply agree to a 90-day settlements freeze to resume talks with the Palestinians — has been enormously clarifying. It demonstrates just how disconnected from reality both the Israeli and the Palestinian leaderships have become.
NYT on the Chevra Kadisha
Reviving a Ritual of Tending to the Dead
By PAUL VITELLO
THE NEW YORK TIMES
The volunteers are taught to begin at the head, washing the face before proceeding to the neck and right shoulder. The right side is to be washed before the left side, the front before the back. There are prayers to say. Small talk is forbidden.
The Jewish protocol for tending to the dead governs almost every interaction between the living and the deceased from the moment of death until burial. The ritual, which has been part of religious law for two millenniums, mandates the protection of the physical and spiritual remains.
By PAUL VITELLO
THE NEW YORK TIMES
The volunteers are taught to begin at the head, washing the face before proceeding to the neck and right shoulder. The right side is to be washed before the left side, the front before the back. There are prayers to say. Small talk is forbidden.
The Jewish protocol for tending to the dead governs almost every interaction between the living and the deceased from the moment of death until burial. The ritual, which has been part of religious law for two millenniums, mandates the protection of the physical and spiritual remains.
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