The Future Lies Ahead

by Mordechai Shushan It’s time to break down barriers. In our richly diverse and vibrant community, we need to cross borders and build bridges, and empower new voices. Celebrating our rich heritage, we must lower barriers to understanding, and in an atmosphere of transparency employ best practices to think out of the box. In that spirit, I want to begin by calling for us all to have a conversation. It may be a new conversation, or it may continue the existing conversation, or it may begin a different conversation about a conversation we’ve been having. They key is to engage in dialogue, so that we can grapple with issues honestly and without preconceptions. And there’s no better way to have a dialogue than to start a conversation. What’s more, if we are serious and committed to a conversation,... Continue Reading

The Organizational World Responds: A Comedy

A humorous must-read from Gary Rosenblatt in The Jewish Week: Jewish Organizations Respond To Crisis: A Fantasy ITEM: THE SIDE DOOR OF A SMALL SYNAGOGUE IN LARCHMONT, N.Y., WAS DEFACED LAST NIGHT WITH THE WORDS “JEWS GO HOME,” ACCORDING TO LOCAL OFFICIALS. THERE ARE NO SUSPECTS AT PRESENT. How would our Jewish organizations respond to the fictitious but all too common incident described above? Last week’s column explored how our national defense agencies dealt with charges of duplication, wastefulness and competition between and among them – 60 years ago, and today. For the most part, leaders justified the need for the wide, if not dizzying, alphabet soup of organizations, insisting they each have a unique approach and style to bring to the overall cause of support for Israel and Jewish... Continue Reading

The Power of Video

By now, you’ve probably all heard of “The Great Schlep” and Sarah Silverman’s video. In it she urges young Jews to encourage any grandparents who live in Florida to vote for Mr. Obama and to withhold visits to their bubbes and zaides if they don’t comply. For those of you who are still unbelievers, consider this number: more than seven million views in two weeks. Do you still think video has no place in your organization??? source: The New York Times, Message to Your Grandma: Vote Obama [Translate] Bookmark:  Read More →

Birthright Israel Does Rosh Hashonah

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJhSKW9n13s[/youtube] The presidential candidates for 2008 atone for their sins for the New Year. Happy Rosh Hashanah from Taglit-Birthright Israel! Cartoon by JewishRobot. [Translate] Bookmark:  Read More →

Hey, Yiddle Diddle

This past Thursday night, the PresenTense Institute concluded their 2nd summer fellowship program with a presentation to the community on the extraordinary projects they have been hard at work on these past six weeks. eJewish Philanthropy will be profiling many of them for you over the next two weeks. So today, as we introduce our newest project, Cool People, Cool Stuff ™, I find no better candidate for our first profile than Hey Yiddle Diddle Productions, one of the coolest initiatives from this summer’s PresenTense cohort. For me, this was an easy choice. For as the summer went by, and without exception, every time I walked into the PrersenTense ‘home’ in Arnona, I was greeted by the cheerful and huge smiling, Chari Pere – the creative mind behind Hey Yiddle Diddle, Old-fashioned... Continue Reading

Shabot Does Pesach

“Don’t Eat The Brown Matzah” for more on this week’s comic strip and the cartoon archives visit www.shabot6000.com [Translate] Bookmark:  Read More →

He That Believeth

ShaBot 6000, the continuing cartoon saga of a pious Jew who purchases a robot to work as the Shabbos Goy for his household. The inquisitive robot, ShaBot, decides that he is Jewish, and is therefore unable to fulfill his duties as servant. ShaBot spends his days asking questions about Judaism, trying to find logic in a religion that sometimes just DOES NOT COMPUTE. ShaBot 6000 a comic strip for the 21st century. for more ShaBot 6000, check out Day of Rest. for an explanation of this week’s comic strip and more cartoon archives visit www.shabot6000.com [Translate] Bookmark:  Read More →

Ra’anana to Become a Territory of the United States

(AP) April 1, 2008: Senator Ted Kennedy has put forward legislation in the US Senate today calling for a 20 square mile area in Israel (Ra’anana, Kfar Sava, Tel Mond) to become a territory of the United States. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert welcomed the move stating that this area would then act as an Democratic Free Trade Zone creating countless jobs for both Israelis and Palestinians. “A US territory placed in the middle of Israel would also become an influential defense and economic boost for both the US military and the IDF as it has become policy for America to establish military bases on its territories, ” said an Israeli defense official. Ra’anana Mayor Nachum Hofree, who has difficulty reading and speaking English, has given the bill to a translator saying: “If... Continue Reading

Haman’s Song

Launching this Motzei Shabbat here in Jerusalem, another great new project birthed from the cutting edge Creative Zionism incubator. HyperSemitic, a Jewish edu-tainment company that fuses the ancient and modern Jewish experience for young Jewish audiences. Set to hip-hop, world music and heavy beats, their performances will excite Jewish youth through the creative expression of ancient text and modern music. Their debut music video “Haman Song” is a a collaboration of 5 PICZ fellows and members. Be sure to also check out, Kid Tested, Rabbi Approved. BTW, Matt’s first Bible Raps CD is in production! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vTLxpz9HKs[/youtube] [Translate] Bookmark:  Read More →

Day of Rest

ShaBot 6000, the continuing cartoon saga of a pious Jew who purchases a robot to work as the Shabbos Goy for his household. The inquisitive robot, ShaBot, decides that he is Jewish, and is therefore unable to fulfill his duties as servant. ShaBot spends his days asking questions about Judaism, trying to find logic in a religion that sometimes just DOES NOT COMPUTE. ShaBot 6000 a comic strip for the 21st century. for more ShaBot 6000, check these previous posts… In the Closet, Out of Line, The Next Level Chodesh Tov. [Translate] Bookmark:  Read More →

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