We began class on the first day by watching a video from Birthright promoting the trip. We recognized Birthright was trying to show the aspects of Israel that would appeal to college aged students, the tourist aspects, the fun in going out with friends, the new friendships made. At that time, before we explored the different aspects of Jewish Identity, I would venture to guess most of the class associated Israel with being Jewish.
A very different answer would come now with that question of "does Israel= Jewish?" According to Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, it seems that these trips to Israel would try and associate the two together. I find her eight themes of the Israel Experience interesting, as I conducted ethnographic research last semester of how a trip to Israel through Birthright or studying abroad affects one's Jewishness. I conducted four interviews, two students went on Birthright, while the other two spent a year studying abroad at Hebrew University after their Birthright trip. I can see similarities in my research and the eight themes Kirshenblatt-Gimblett presents. All of my informants mentioned something on the lines of the Right of passage, where they felt a personal transformation in their experience. Additioanlly, I recognize they during Birthright they had the Israel and Tourist experience, while the two who studied abroad felt the Realities. More specifically, i beleive that those who studied abroad saw it as a form of aliyah.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Jewish Films and Festivals
Yesterday in class, we watched two Jewish Films, "The Unchosen Ones" and "The Tribe". Both were done in very different ways and both entertaining. While "The Unchosen Ones" depicted the various stereotypes of people in or visiting Israel, and had a comedic undertone. The second film was more about Jewish history and the current state of Jews and Jewish culture in America. What i found most interesting about "The Tribe" is that at almost no point were there any live actors or actual people on film. About 90% of the film entails a narrator talking while images, computer generated graphics, animations, and clips from other films are on screen. At the very end, we finally see people on screen, in the format of the Brady Bunch and one person in each of 9 squares on the screen. Each person is Jewish and standing in front of a white background wearing only black. I believe the overall film's objective is to portray the Jewish identity as many different things. Also, while it discusses the diaspora and assimilation of Jews in America, it seems as if the creators want to viewer(if Jewish) to not forget their heritage and continue on as a proud Jew. At one point, the films talks about all the different types of Jews one can be associated as, whether it be Orthodox, Conservative, Modern Orthodox, Ultra Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Reform, Cultural Jew, Atheist Jew, Culinary Jew, etc... Again, I interpret this to mean that there is no particular type of "right" way to be Jewish, but we must continue our ways to keep our people(The Jews) going.
On a different note, when I googled Jewish Film festivals, an assortment of festivals came up from many, many cities across the country. As Jews, we don't really reflect on our identity or heritage on a daily, or weekly basis. These films we watched in class are the types of films at these festivals, and I believe the festivals are so popular because it makes us reflect on our Judaism and Jewish identity.
On a different note, when I googled Jewish Film festivals, an assortment of festivals came up from many, many cities across the country. As Jews, we don't really reflect on our identity or heritage on a daily, or weekly basis. These films we watched in class are the types of films at these festivals, and I believe the festivals are so popular because it makes us reflect on our Judaism and Jewish identity.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Jewish Theatre
Today, I visited a website "All About Jewish Theatre". As I usually do with a website of any group, organization, or business I am unfamiliar with, I first looked under the "About Us" tab to get a flavor of this organization. it seems their overall goal is to provide a commonplace for discovery and communication about Jewish culture in terms of the stage. While the site doesn't explicitly say, I infer that they do not affiliate with any particular sect of Judaism, and therefore am not surprised they have no classification for who their material is intended for(including non-jews). When browsing the general content of the site, needless to say, I was impressed with the depth of the content concerning plays, musicals and shows revolving around Judasim. More specifically, under the recourses tab, they have a library of all types of cultural productions for all things Jewish.
While browsing the Play and Film sections, I decided to search for anything Purim, and found a lot less than I had expected based on the topic. Much of Jewish history is taught orally, and the traditional way to tell the story of Purim is through a play. When thinking further on this, I came to realize that many productions of this story are on a small scale, whether it be at local Synagogues or JCCs(Jewish Community Centers).
I began to think about what we were discussing in class how there is a comical aspect portraying Jew's influence in Hollywood and Broadway, and realized there are many productions that have one awards and accolades with Judaism involved. In particular, I was looking at the lists of films, and noticed "Brighton Beach Memoirs" by Neil Simon. In this instance, it is a show about a Polish Jew teenager living in Brooklyn and his coming-of-age tale.
While browsing the Play and Film sections, I decided to search for anything Purim, and found a lot less than I had expected based on the topic. Much of Jewish history is taught orally, and the traditional way to tell the story of Purim is through a play. When thinking further on this, I came to realize that many productions of this story are on a small scale, whether it be at local Synagogues or JCCs(Jewish Community Centers).
I began to think about what we were discussing in class how there is a comical aspect portraying Jew's influence in Hollywood and Broadway, and realized there are many productions that have one awards and accolades with Judaism involved. In particular, I was looking at the lists of films, and noticed "Brighton Beach Memoirs" by Neil Simon. In this instance, it is a show about a Polish Jew teenager living in Brooklyn and his coming-of-age tale.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Sephardic Jewish Music
This weekend, I attended a conference on Sephardic Jewish Music for class.
I attended a concert performed by Divahn. I had no prior knowledge so I had little expectations for what I was going to hear, and did not expect to enjoy it. The group is very talented instrumentally and vocally. While I could not recognize most of the music, besides a song about Yigdal and Havdallah, it sounded so familiar and comfortable to me for some reason. When trying to understand why, I came to the realization of how important music, melody and dance is to Judaism. Thinking back on my childhood, at synagogue, all prayers had a melody. At all holiday celebrations, there was singing traditional songs. In Hebrew school, songs were a popular way to teach young children many Jewish traditions.
In reading Richard Kostelanetz's piece "Sephardic and Me" I understand his point how Sephardic American Jews and different from Ashkenazi American Jews. While any Jewish community I have been apart of, I have rarely come across Sephardim(I will note unless it is stated, one can't entirely tell unless told). While I understand his perceptiveness, I can't comprehend why there is such a divide. As Kostelanetz explains there is quite a difference in cultural aspects such as pieces of Art, but for some reason I get the impression he sees a divide in these communities beyond the culture.
I attended a concert performed by Divahn. I had no prior knowledge so I had little expectations for what I was going to hear, and did not expect to enjoy it. The group is very talented instrumentally and vocally. While I could not recognize most of the music, besides a song about Yigdal and Havdallah, it sounded so familiar and comfortable to me for some reason. When trying to understand why, I came to the realization of how important music, melody and dance is to Judaism. Thinking back on my childhood, at synagogue, all prayers had a melody. At all holiday celebrations, there was singing traditional songs. In Hebrew school, songs were a popular way to teach young children many Jewish traditions.
In reading Richard Kostelanetz's piece "Sephardic and Me" I understand his point how Sephardic American Jews and different from Ashkenazi American Jews. While any Jewish community I have been apart of, I have rarely come across Sephardim(I will note unless it is stated, one can't entirely tell unless told). While I understand his perceptiveness, I can't comprehend why there is such a divide. As Kostelanetz explains there is quite a difference in cultural aspects such as pieces of Art, but for some reason I get the impression he sees a divide in these communities beyond the culture.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Jews and the net(b-linked)
While I was in B'nai Brith Youth Organization in high school I was elected Regional President and as one of my responsibilities, I attended an International Convention. At this convention in 2004 with all the youth leaders from each Jewish community in America, the International Director introduced to us b-Linked.com. He mentioned it would be a new portal for us(current BBYO-ers) to connect with ourselves around the country as well as with new and potential members. At the time, I thought it was a cool idea and glad to see BBYO had a new website, but didn't think much would come of it.
Let's move forward 4.5 years to taking a class on "Jewish Identity Today" and reading about b-linked in the Spring 2006 issue of the Journal of the Jewish Life Network. Upon reading this article by Matt Grossman(the director at the time), the words and message about b-linked, I had heard before. "With that in mind, BBYO fine-tuned its target audience, identifying a market of 100,000 Jewish teens who it considers to be “on the fence” Jewishly, and set out to create b-linked. It’s an unconventional entry point to Jewish involvement" (5). While at first 4 years ago I didn't think much of it, thinking now more analytically about the internet and it's uses within Judasim, I think BBYO took a great leap forward. It is clear that the current teen generation is extremely tech savvy and spends a substantial amount of time on the internet. As we have seen in class, there are tons of websites out there revolving around Judaism and connecting Jews together(providing information on various organizations); but b-linked allows for teens who are in BBYO or even Jewish to connect with each other. I think it's great that BBYO was able to be agile in understanding whats on the mind of a current teenager in America, and appeal to that.
As we discussed in class, the vast internet can be many things, good and bad. Some are afraid of its content, freedom, and insecurity, while others appreciate its how easy it is to learn, connect with others, and get information. As soon as Jewish communities and organizations understand the importance of the internet, such as how BBYO has, the more modern these groups can become for the 21st century.
In terms of the websites to look at, I enjoyed seeing www.2lifemagazine.com. It is a magazine based on an entire virtual world!! Ha! Second life is a computer network where people can create an Avatar(person) in a virtual 3-D computer world. I find it amusing that people created a Jewish magazine about a virtual world.
Let's move forward 4.5 years to taking a class on "Jewish Identity Today" and reading about b-linked in the Spring 2006 issue of the Journal of the Jewish Life Network. Upon reading this article by Matt Grossman(the director at the time), the words and message about b-linked, I had heard before. "With that in mind, BBYO fine-tuned its target audience, identifying a market of 100,000 Jewish teens who it considers to be “on the fence” Jewishly, and set out to create b-linked. It’s an unconventional entry point to Jewish involvement" (5). While at first 4 years ago I didn't think much of it, thinking now more analytically about the internet and it's uses within Judasim, I think BBYO took a great leap forward. It is clear that the current teen generation is extremely tech savvy and spends a substantial amount of time on the internet. As we have seen in class, there are tons of websites out there revolving around Judaism and connecting Jews together(providing information on various organizations); but b-linked allows for teens who are in BBYO or even Jewish to connect with each other. I think it's great that BBYO was able to be agile in understanding whats on the mind of a current teenager in America, and appeal to that.
As we discussed in class, the vast internet can be many things, good and bad. Some are afraid of its content, freedom, and insecurity, while others appreciate its how easy it is to learn, connect with others, and get information. As soon as Jewish communities and organizations understand the importance of the internet, such as how BBYO has, the more modern these groups can become for the 21st century.
In terms of the websites to look at, I enjoyed seeing www.2lifemagazine.com. It is a magazine based on an entire virtual world!! Ha! Second life is a computer network where people can create an Avatar(person) in a virtual 3-D computer world. I find it amusing that people created a Jewish magazine about a virtual world.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Listening to Moshav
After a highly debated and trade of our Jewish music CD(we traded "Camp Songs" and got Moshav's "Misplaced") I can honestly say I was surprised and enjoyed the music. Upon hearing the other albums given out in class, I wasn't expecting much to say the least. I do enjoy Rick Recht's music and am a huge fan and listen often to the tunes of Matisyahu, but didn't imagine what we got in class to be similar...I was wrong.
But getting back to Moshav, it kind of reminded me of The Fray, or a mix between Ben Kweller, John Mayer, Jack Johnson and others of that rock/pop/alternative variety. Here is what I thought about the music as in relates to class:
How does the music relate to Judaism?
While not coming off as very "religious" music, these artists definitely have a strong connection to their Judaism as well as G-d. The first song in the album is titled "The one and only", and after listening it clearly refers to G-d. The track with the album name "misplaced" is about Hashem as a guide in life. Side note: one song not directly related to Judaism, is about the wars in Israel.
What companies are putting these albums out?
Jewish Music Groups LLC
How does the artist identify with Judaism?
The group compiled of three artists was raised in Israel. Their parents came to Israel from America and settled on a Moshav lifestyle, which is similar to a kibbutz but with more independence. The group grew up listening to Rabbi Shlomo and eventually started playing with him. Teens coming from America visiting Israel began hearing Moshav’s music and they slowly became popular and raised money to come to the United States. the primary relate to Judaism through their music as explained above.
How does the artist fit in terms of genre/Judaism/media exposure?
It has typical rock and alternative sounds, it is a new type of genre, not necessarily classified as either Rock or Pop or Alternative.
I would imagine my colleagues may have had very different music than Becca and i did, and I am interested to hear their reactions in class.
But getting back to Moshav, it kind of reminded me of The Fray, or a mix between Ben Kweller, John Mayer, Jack Johnson and others of that rock/pop/alternative variety. Here is what I thought about the music as in relates to class:
How does the music relate to Judaism?
While not coming off as very "religious" music, these artists definitely have a strong connection to their Judaism as well as G-d. The first song in the album is titled "The one and only", and after listening it clearly refers to G-d. The track with the album name "misplaced" is about Hashem as a guide in life. Side note: one song not directly related to Judaism, is about the wars in Israel.
What companies are putting these albums out?
Jewish Music Groups LLC
How does the artist identify with Judaism?
The group compiled of three artists was raised in Israel. Their parents came to Israel from America and settled on a Moshav lifestyle, which is similar to a kibbutz but with more independence. The group grew up listening to Rabbi Shlomo and eventually started playing with him. Teens coming from America visiting Israel began hearing Moshav’s music and they slowly became popular and raised money to come to the United States. the primary relate to Judaism through their music as explained above.
How does the artist fit in terms of genre/Judaism/media exposure?
It has typical rock and alternative sounds, it is a new type of genre, not necessarily classified as either Rock or Pop or Alternative.
I would imagine my colleagues may have had very different music than Becca and i did, and I am interested to hear their reactions in class.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Heeb
For our assignment to read a Jewish magazine, I decided to read Heeb. In high school, I had read it once or twice before and at the time enjoyed seeing a popular national publication similar to any other pop-culture orientated magazine, but centered around things Jewish. Since then, I had almost long forgotten about the magazine until our assignment.
I enjoyed browsing the current edition. Just like in the past, I enjoyed the satirical humorous articles, such as the one about Bacon Wellington(clearly a food that violates the Kosher laws). It seems that the magazine is targeted at Jews who are fairly assimilated into American culture(probably not very religious) between the ages of 16-30. In this context, the Bacon Wellington article shows that even though one doesn't follow the laws of Kahrut, they aren't less Jewish. In a way the magazine presents Jewish culture for the modern day. I got this intention also from the article about Heeb reaching out to the three Jews live "where a bustling community of three Jews live among the throngs of Gore-tex –clad ski bunnies"(www.heeb.com).
Unlike most of my colleagues in class, I do not see much wrong with what Heeb does. Do not get me wrong, I in no way support mocking the Holocaust IN ANY WAY, but I do believe there is a reason and purpose for the competition. Just as we discussed in class, and has gotten national attention on Oprah; there are some Holocaust survivor stories that are stretching the truth. I think that the publicity this competition gets will actually bring to light the fact that some of these stories have been wrongly dramatized and made up. I am not insensitive to the subject at all, and again do not support mocking the Holocaust survivors in any way; but I do recognize this magazine is intended for humorous purposes.
I enjoyed browsing the current edition. Just like in the past, I enjoyed the satirical humorous articles, such as the one about Bacon Wellington(clearly a food that violates the Kosher laws). It seems that the magazine is targeted at Jews who are fairly assimilated into American culture(probably not very religious) between the ages of 16-30. In this context, the Bacon Wellington article shows that even though one doesn't follow the laws of Kahrut, they aren't less Jewish. In a way the magazine presents Jewish culture for the modern day. I got this intention also from the article about Heeb reaching out to the three Jews live "where a bustling community of three Jews live among the throngs of Gore-tex –clad ski bunnies"(www.heeb.com).
Unlike most of my colleagues in class, I do not see much wrong with what Heeb does. Do not get me wrong, I in no way support mocking the Holocaust IN ANY WAY, but I do believe there is a reason and purpose for the competition. Just as we discussed in class, and has gotten national attention on Oprah; there are some Holocaust survivor stories that are stretching the truth. I think that the publicity this competition gets will actually bring to light the fact that some of these stories have been wrongly dramatized and made up. I am not insensitive to the subject at all, and again do not support mocking the Holocaust survivors in any way; but I do recognize this magazine is intended for humorous purposes.
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