We figured that by yesteday everyone knew they had gone viral...
And indeed by this morning Yeshiva University's Maccabeats cover of the Dynamite acapella video by Mike Tompkins appeared on the Today show...
Wishing you guys up in Washington Heights a Happy Hanukkah!
Now, we just want to know how your show was last night with Mattisyahu!
Everything happens for a reason. A cultural commentary with a lotta rock-n-roll, semitism, and parenting. See our Etsy Shop! Buy HeadyBands, Hoodies and more at www.wholephamily.etsy.com
Friday, December 3, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Did Dr. Dre ever spin the Dreidel?
Highly unlikely, but hey, ya never know.
The humble little dreidel is so part of our experience with Chanukah, and yet does anyone know why it's called a dreidel?
It's a Yiddish word, no doubt.
To "dre" is to spin. A dreidel spins.
When you add on the "el" that gives it diminutive, cutesy-ness element.
So it's a little spinning top.
The Whole Phamily loves Yiddish - it's part of our Ashkenasic heritage. And dreidel is in Yiddish.
But we like to say sivivon also, which is the Hebrew word for dreidel.
This is no Dr. Dre, but here's a familiar tune, "Oh Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah" in Yiddish.
The humble little dreidel is so part of our experience with Chanukah, and yet does anyone know why it's called a dreidel?
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| Ester Shahaf design |
It's a Yiddish word, no doubt.
To "dre" is to spin. A dreidel spins.
When you add on the "el" that gives it diminutive, cutesy-ness element.
So it's a little spinning top.
The Whole Phamily loves Yiddish - it's part of our Ashkenasic heritage. And dreidel is in Yiddish.
But we like to say sivivon also, which is the Hebrew word for dreidel.
This is no Dr. Dre, but here's a familiar tune, "Oh Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah" in Yiddish.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Hummus Place will one day nourish many more Americans than just some lucky New Yorkers
If the claims asserted by last week's New York Jewish Week article about the growing hummus market in the US materialize, our favorite chickpea dip-spread will soon be on the plates of Americans nation-wide.
It's a hummus revolution, and it's happening from sea to shining sea.
Whole families will buy it right alongside their butter and cream cheese.
Put it in wraps.
Bring it to school with baby carrots.
If it can be in supermarkets (Sabra is now America's #1 hummus) why not strip malls and food courts?
Enter Hummus Place in NYC. There is room for more hummus. The hummus revolution is brewing.
Here we are tonight at their St. Mark's Place location. They have 5 total. They want to franchise.
It's genius.
Middle Americans will soon be eating chummus from Mankato to Maui. But they'll also want to get it when they go out. What a nice healthy addition Hummus Place will be.
Tonight we tried Hummus Place's hummus fava: delicious. Topped with whole fava beans, Tahini, organic hard boiled egg, olive oil & spices. Delicious. Grilled eggplant with tehini: superb. Ambience wonderful, especially since we walked in 20 minutes before closing. We were celebrating a birthday, and just like that, a kadaif dessert was brought to the table. This delicious combination of shredded halva, ricotta cheese, and date honey was simply delectable.
We wish Hummus Place the greatest success possible.
Check out this You Tube from Keren Weinberg
It's a hummus revolution, and it's happening from sea to shining sea.
Whole families will buy it right alongside their butter and cream cheese.
Put it in wraps.
Bring it to school with baby carrots.
If it can be in supermarkets (Sabra is now America's #1 hummus) why not strip malls and food courts?
Enter Hummus Place in NYC. There is room for more hummus. The hummus revolution is brewing.
Here we are tonight at their St. Mark's Place location. They have 5 total. They want to franchise.
It's genius.
Middle Americans will soon be eating chummus from Mankato to Maui. But they'll also want to get it when they go out. What a nice healthy addition Hummus Place will be.
Tonight we tried Hummus Place's hummus fava: delicious. Topped with whole fava beans, Tahini, organic hard boiled egg, olive oil & spices. Delicious. Grilled eggplant with tehini: superb. Ambience wonderful, especially since we walked in 20 minutes before closing. We were celebrating a birthday, and just like that, a kadaif dessert was brought to the table. This delicious combination of shredded halva, ricotta cheese, and date honey was simply delectable.
We wish Hummus Place the greatest success possible.
Check out this You Tube from Keren Weinberg
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Here's another Buxbaum
Julie Buxbaum is also a story teller.
Just more of the mainstream type.
Sorry we missed ya just a post ago.
Julie is bright (Penn and Harvard-educated). She's likely a very good writer. And, judging by their covers, her books look like the type we'd want to read.
We don't watch Oprah, but they look like they'd be Oprah books.
We're quite sure that with the Harvard and Penn connections we'd do well at the Jewish geography game. Thus the Whole Phamily gets stronger and smaller all at the same time.
Now if the Whole Phamily could only employ good writers...
Just more of the mainstream type.
Sorry we missed ya just a post ago.
Julie is bright (Penn and Harvard-educated). She's likely a very good writer. And, judging by their covers, her books look like the type we'd want to read.
We don't watch Oprah, but they look like they'd be Oprah books.
We're quite sure that with the Harvard and Penn connections we'd do well at the Jewish geography game. Thus the Whole Phamily gets stronger and smaller all at the same time.
Now if the Whole Phamily could only employ good writers...
Buxbaum the Storyteller
There are variations: Buxbaum, Buckspan, Buchman, Buchweitz...we are only guessing that the meaning for "buch" is the word book. Perhaps families with this surname were involved with production or selling of books.
If this is the case, then Yitzhak Buxbaum's name is very fitting. He is a teller of sacred Jewish tales. A master storyteller or maggid, Reb Yitzhak is a unique soul and brings the stories from the alter heim (Eastern European towns where so many of us originate from) into the 21st century. His site is the Jewish Spirit Journal, a gateway to mysticism, spirituality and Kabbalah.
Maybe he can weave a story of the Whole Phamily and tell us exactly what we're doing here.
Maybe he can weave a story of the Whole Phamily and tell us exactly what we're doing here.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Jah Levi was Kid Goldstein growing up? Return!
We have just come across the reggae artist Jah Levi. He is a spiritual healer. According to his bio, he is a spiritual leader in two churches: Essene and the Peruvian Soga del Alma. We're not sure what it means to be a card-carrying member of the Native American church, but he's got one. He is an herbalist and acupuncturist. His music is entrancing. We aren't too educated in reggae music, but Bob Marley's One Love sounds good to us.
And his father was folklorist Kenneth Goldstein (a historian on Adirondack music...full disclosure: the Whole Phamily has deep roots to the ADKs...yes, we are all connected).
So give it up, Mr. Levi...we believe that you're connected deep, deep, deep. We believe you have healing powers. We believe you create great music.
Not a smidge mention of the Jewish factor other than your father's last name.
Hmm....
Time to come on home!
Raz Hartman had a vision. You can visualize it, too. It starts with being in the Sinai desert, nothing at all on the horizon. Then you see one little speck. That speck turns out to be a person. But it's not just one person, it's 10 people. They get closer. Not 10 people, it's 100 people. As the mass gets closer, you realize it's not 100 but 1,000 people. No, it's not just 1,000, it's more like tens of thousands. Then you realize it's hundreds of thousands of people, all the Nation of Israel and they are all dancing and singing in the desert, walking closer toward you. And you realize that the music is coming from the center of this mass of people.
This music is coming from the tribe of Levi.
This vision inspired a song called Shuva which is for sale CD Baby. You can listen to just this one sample which is Track #7 (this one little track does not do justice). This is the star song of the CD and it is not available to listen fully online. The liner notes are important, as well.
Simply put: Shuva means return.
In the meantime, we have a hankering to get back to the woods. Frolicking around in Paul Smith's isn't too far away...
And his father was folklorist Kenneth Goldstein (a historian on Adirondack music...full disclosure: the Whole Phamily has deep roots to the ADKs...yes, we are all connected).
So give it up, Mr. Levi...we believe that you're connected deep, deep, deep. We believe you have healing powers. We believe you create great music.
Not a smidge mention of the Jewish factor other than your father's last name.
Hmm....
Time to come on home!
Raz Hartman had a vision. You can visualize it, too. It starts with being in the Sinai desert, nothing at all on the horizon. Then you see one little speck. That speck turns out to be a person. But it's not just one person, it's 10 people. They get closer. Not 10 people, it's 100 people. As the mass gets closer, you realize it's not 100 but 1,000 people. No, it's not just 1,000, it's more like tens of thousands. Then you realize it's hundreds of thousands of people, all the Nation of Israel and they are all dancing and singing in the desert, walking closer toward you. And you realize that the music is coming from the center of this mass of people.
This music is coming from the tribe of Levi.
This vision inspired a song called Shuva which is for sale CD Baby. You can listen to just this one sample which is Track #7 (this one little track does not do justice). This is the star song of the CD and it is not available to listen fully online. The liner notes are important, as well.
Simply put: Shuva means return.
In the meantime, we have a hankering to get back to the woods. Frolicking around in Paul Smith's isn't too far away...
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Talk about world unity!
Michael Franti is not a Jew, but he is clearly a peace-lover and positive thinker. He is hopeful for the world. He is hopeful for world peace. We're not quite sure about his Israel politics, but we welcome him onto our humble blog here, and hope to serve as a reminder that we are all connected and all want the same good things for our families.
Check out this American-born musician's video entitled Hey World.
Check out this American-born musician's video entitled Hey World.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
New beginnings & Invisible Touch & Phil Collins (clearly not a Jewish name)
This week Jews all over the world start reading the Torah from its beginning. In Hebrew, it is called b'reishit. The common English translation for this is Genesis.
However you call it, the biblical creation story is recounted, complete with the world created in 6 days followed by the first man and the woman that was fashioned out of his rib. So the story goes. For any of you with a problem with that unbelievable-sounding story, just remember you gotta dig deeper. Not a single thing there is quite literal. But we ain't no rabbis or nothin'.
Getting back to Genesis, naturally we thought of one of our first concerts in the 80s to see Phil Collins' band (aptly named Genesis). Take a listen to their "Invisible Touch." Is it possible that Phil is belting out lyrics describing the biblical Eve? She tempted Adam, was mysterious, he fell for her, and they got kicked out of the Garden of Eden forever.
Sorry Chava (the Hebrew name for Eve), we think you weren't the best heroinne in Jewish history.
Collins is clearly not a Jewish name (wasn't that what Whole Phamily was originally about? Jewish family names?), but in a way yes you are part of the Whole Phamily too in that we think "Invisible Touch" could have something to do with the creation story, and that your band's name clearly comes from our tradition.
Finally, here is a shout out to our friend Noah who is moving on to new beginnings of his own.
However you call it, the biblical creation story is recounted, complete with the world created in 6 days followed by the first man and the woman that was fashioned out of his rib. So the story goes. For any of you with a problem with that unbelievable-sounding story, just remember you gotta dig deeper. Not a single thing there is quite literal. But we ain't no rabbis or nothin'.
Getting back to Genesis, naturally we thought of one of our first concerts in the 80s to see Phil Collins' band (aptly named Genesis). Take a listen to their "Invisible Touch." Is it possible that Phil is belting out lyrics describing the biblical Eve? She tempted Adam, was mysterious, he fell for her, and they got kicked out of the Garden of Eden forever.
Sorry Chava (the Hebrew name for Eve), we think you weren't the best heroinne in Jewish history.
Collins is clearly not a Jewish name (wasn't that what Whole Phamily was originally about? Jewish family names?), but in a way yes you are part of the Whole Phamily too in that we think "Invisible Touch" could have something to do with the creation story, and that your band's name clearly comes from our tradition.
Finally, here is a shout out to our friend Noah who is moving on to new beginnings of his own.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Love Song to Islamic Fundamentalists (From a Jew)
We're all about the big picture, one love and one family here at the Whole Phamily. We are all connected and want good things for our own families.
Check out Pesach Stadlin's earnest song about this very idea.
Check out Pesach Stadlin's earnest song about this very idea.
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