We have talked about Rosh Chodesh once so far on this blog. What we didn't mention there was the reason for why women were given the holiday of the Jewish New Moon as a gift of their own. The Jews were getting antsy and had the shpilkas. Familiar story? We are so anxious and nervous and chatty and just don't know how to wait and listen. See Woody Allen for more on that. Anyway, yeah so we just couldn't wait any more when Moses was up on Mount Sinai getting the holy words of the Torah from God. Believe it or not, but the story goes that they decide to build an edifice of their own. Forget you, God, essentially is what they were saying, and they built the Golden Calf. All the gold they had was thrown in to the bubbling pot. They danced and sang around their very own creation. Better than waiting, right?
Umm...wait a second, throw in your precious jewelry? To build an idol? A God-like symbol?
No, no, said the women. We will not part with our adornments! What foolish women would do such a thing? Not us Jewesses. No way! We keep our jewels, God or not.
So the women kept their gold and their mirrors. They had patience. They knew that God would eventually deliver. Just take a deep breath and rely on your intuition. And, indeed, Moses eventually appears with the written words. The women are gifted the holiday of the New Moon.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Independent Prayer Group aka Minyan
Ritually speaking, perhaps the biggest grassroots occurrance within the Jewish community in the past ten years is the Independent Minyan. Folks wanting traditional Hebrew liturgy without the structure of the large synagogue have formed their own prayer groups throughout the States and in Israel.
We are big fans.
We love the Hadar Shavout Retreat.
We'll avert any further writing responsibilities on the topic (since our Journalism degree didn't help us much with our writing skills) and leave it for you to check out this recent blog post on Jewschool about the trend.
And for some more fun, check out Kehillat Hadar's recent move:
We are big fans.
We love the Hadar Shavout Retreat.
We'll avert any further writing responsibilities on the topic (since our Journalism degree didn't help us much with our writing skills) and leave it for you to check out this recent blog post on Jewschool about the trend.
And for some more fun, check out Kehillat Hadar's recent move:
Sunday, January 30, 2011
And You Should be a Blessing
Two weeks ago, the Jewish world lost one of its most prominent musicians of our generation: Debbie Friedman. We didn't grow up with her songs, but it has become apparent to us over the past days that many others have, especially those who grew up in the Reform movement. We had the privilege of attending one of her women's seders in Manhattan in 1999.
Here is one of her more familiar songs:
She didn't just sing Jewish-themed songs. Here is her Thanksgiving Song:
May Debbie Friedman's memory be a blessing.
Here is one of her more familiar songs:
She didn't just sing Jewish-themed songs. Here is her Thanksgiving Song:
May Debbie Friedman's memory be a blessing.
Plain White T's: Rhythm of Love
We don't listen to much new music, but we simply love this tune that went live last July.
Plain White T's is the band.
No, we don't think they're Jewish.
And yet there are many reasons why this song earns its spot on the Whole Phamily:
Now just watch and listen, it's good stuff!
Plain White T's is the band.
No, we don't think they're Jewish.
And yet there are many reasons why this song earns its spot on the Whole Phamily:
- The tune itself is feel-good, positive, heart-warming.
- The band's name evokes minimalism as well as Hanes and Fruit of the Loom. Simplicity + 100% cotton = A good thing.
- The video features a vintage Mercedez-Benz: our dream car (we prefer a '79-'82 300 series, whereas the model in the video looks more early to mid '70s).
- The tune is featured at the end of the newly-released No Strings Attached, starring the lovely and soon-to-be Yiddeshe mammeh Natalie Portman (who we saw in 1997 in The Diary of Anne Frank on Broadway). We were psyched to learn that Ivan Reitman is still pals with our cousin Joe Medjuck who was a co-producer (no, we've never met Joe, have been told he's a great guy, and yes, Grandpa Archie loved kippered snacks and telling stories of his growing up; affect a Cape Breton accent: "When I was a little boy in Caledonia....]
- The length of the video itself is 3:29 minutes, which is a significant number for us as it is the 3 digit telephone exchange we grew up with. Remember, we like numerical synchronicity?
Now just watch and listen, it's good stuff!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Falafel Chips by Flamous Organics and a man named Sam
At our local greengrocer we came across a delicious snack (although they are not raw like we were touting in yesterday's post) called falafel chips. They are a corn tortilla chip base with falafel flavor. The high quality of this product us struck us immediately: No hidden ingredients (like MSG masked as the word spices, torula yeast or Autolyzed Yeast Extract), lots of certifications (they're kosher, USDA Organic certified, and even tout the Kid Kritics stamp of approval to name just a few), and offered in both spicy and original flavors. They are the perfect chip paired with hummus.
Remember when we wrote about why hummus should be found in every town in America?
The company's CEO, Sam Shehayeb, appears to be quite a nice man and we wish the company much success. We know nothing about the name Shehayeb except that obviously it is not Ashkenazic in origin. We doubt he is Jewish, although it certainly is possible. We venture to guess he is Lebanese-born.
Either way, we think that if we all share in some of these healthy falafel chips with a bowl of hummus (while listening to Michael Franti), the world will move towards a happier, more unified place. We are, indeed, the Whole Phamily, after all!
Will the Meditteranean Diet save the world?
At least it will get our hearts and brains healthier, which is a very good place to start.
Remember when we wrote about why hummus should be found in every town in America?
The company's CEO, Sam Shehayeb, appears to be quite a nice man and we wish the company much success. We know nothing about the name Shehayeb except that obviously it is not Ashkenazic in origin. We doubt he is Jewish, although it certainly is possible. We venture to guess he is Lebanese-born.
Either way, we think that if we all share in some of these healthy falafel chips with a bowl of hummus (while listening to Michael Franti), the world will move towards a happier, more unified place. We are, indeed, the Whole Phamily, after all!
Will the Meditteranean Diet save the world?
At least it will get our hearts and brains healthier, which is a very good place to start.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Getting Raw. Getting Back to the Land in a Final Frontier of our Good Ole U.S. of A.
Getting back to our roots as at least partially a blog about Jewish names, we are currently interested in the last name Safron.
We have mentioned one Safran who has hit popular culture big time. But we didn't get terribly into its meaning.
We have now come across a Jeremy with the last name Safron, and we venture to think that the names are related and they are simply different spellings.
(side note: How can we really trust what we can grab on the Internet? We need an Onomast. We also should read this article about Jewish names. Dr. Aaron Demsky is the person who could make sense of any of this. Safran and Safron the same thing? Does the Jewish version really lead to the yellow spice (this site states the "Jewish name is mainly ornamental," leading us to believe no connection there for the Jews)? Umm.. can folks with this family name in the Jewish world lay claim to the Safran family crest? Nah...that last part doesn't sound terribly kosher. It's not like we come from Sheffield, Shetland or Stuart stock. Those are all Other S's.)
Our humble guess is that Safran and Safron are connected to the Jewish name root Shapiro, which comes from the word "sofer," meaning scribe (our trustworthy torah, mezuzah and tefillin writers of yesteryear...add in another item writable on parchment and you get the whole megillah).
The Magilla Gorilla Show
Uploaded by AH3RD. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.
(side note: No, neither Hanna nor Barbera were Jewish, but Barbera was born on the Lower East Side and presumably grew up around many Jews, having been exposed to the word megillah possibly while frolicking the halls of Erasmus Hall High School . Just our guess....)
Back to Safran-Safron-Sofer connection:
You get variations such as Schapiro (as in the wine), Sapir, Safer (as in Morley), Shufro, Shaefer (as in the beer, but highly unlikely those were Jews), Shaffer (as in Paul)...have you caught on to our groove yet?
Now back to Jeremy Safron.
He's a raw foodist, a pioneer in the raw food world. He is an inventor. He is youthful. He is into video games and martial arts, in a peaceful way, if you can imagine that. He bottles Living Clay (reminds us of Dead Sea mud, no?). He created the most delicious snack food, PowerWraps (he sold his idea), which we are trying to get more New Yorkers to enjoy. Would you believe you can only get them in one spot in NYC? Jeremy lives in one of the most beautiful places in our country on the island of Maui. Like all good hippies, we were there in 2002. We have visited the town of Paia, picked up necessities for our week, saw the road to Haiku up on the right before the infamous Road to Hana begins, spent time at the Tradewinds Cottages, hiked into the Bamboo Forest, and even ate a fresh meat coconut cut by Mike with a machete (for $5...we were ok with that). How can we forget the vintage bubble letter name mugs produced by Carmel-by-the-Sea that were hanging at Grandma's Coffee (they aren't for sale, just for use by locals...good thing we still have our own from 1980)
Perhaps we could have simplified the above-written paragraph into a haiku of our own.
Or not.
Amazing stuff way out there.
And a whole lotta Jews, too.
Further to our point: we are all linked and and if we seek out the goodness on the earth (as you might know, Ram Dass is doing much better than he had and is running his retreats), the earth will be a better place. So glad to learn that, indeed, the former Richard Alpert has met with Reb Zalman.
At long last, we present Jeremy Safron, author of The Raw Truth: The Art of Preparing Living Foods. We believe very much in illumination, however we do believe that Everything truly is connected.
We have mentioned one Safran who has hit popular culture big time. But we didn't get terribly into its meaning.
We have now come across a Jeremy with the last name Safron, and we venture to think that the names are related and they are simply different spellings.
(side note: How can we really trust what we can grab on the Internet? We need an Onomast. We also should read this article about Jewish names. Dr. Aaron Demsky is the person who could make sense of any of this. Safran and Safron the same thing? Does the Jewish version really lead to the yellow spice (this site states the "Jewish name is mainly ornamental," leading us to believe no connection there for the Jews)? Umm.. can folks with this family name in the Jewish world lay claim to the Safran family crest? Nah...that last part doesn't sound terribly kosher. It's not like we come from Sheffield, Shetland or Stuart stock. Those are all Other S's.)
Our humble guess is that Safran and Safron are connected to the Jewish name root Shapiro, which comes from the word "sofer," meaning scribe (our trustworthy torah, mezuzah and tefillin writers of yesteryear...add in another item writable on parchment and you get the whole megillah).
The Magilla Gorilla Show
Uploaded by AH3RD. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.
(side note: No, neither Hanna nor Barbera were Jewish, but Barbera was born on the Lower East Side and presumably grew up around many Jews, having been exposed to the word megillah possibly while frolicking the halls of Erasmus Hall High School . Just our guess....)
Back to Safran-Safron-Sofer connection:
You get variations such as Schapiro (as in the wine), Sapir, Safer (as in Morley), Shufro, Shaefer (as in the beer, but highly unlikely those were Jews), Shaffer (as in Paul)...have you caught on to our groove yet?
Now back to Jeremy Safron.
He's a raw foodist, a pioneer in the raw food world. He is an inventor. He is youthful. He is into video games and martial arts, in a peaceful way, if you can imagine that. He bottles Living Clay (reminds us of Dead Sea mud, no?). He created the most delicious snack food, PowerWraps (he sold his idea), which we are trying to get more New Yorkers to enjoy. Would you believe you can only get them in one spot in NYC? Jeremy lives in one of the most beautiful places in our country on the island of Maui. Like all good hippies, we were there in 2002. We have visited the town of Paia, picked up necessities for our week, saw the road to Haiku up on the right before the infamous Road to Hana begins, spent time at the Tradewinds Cottages, hiked into the Bamboo Forest, and even ate a fresh meat coconut cut by Mike with a machete (for $5...we were ok with that). How can we forget the vintage bubble letter name mugs produced by Carmel-by-the-Sea that were hanging at Grandma's Coffee (they aren't for sale, just for use by locals...good thing we still have our own from 1980)
Perhaps we could have simplified the above-written paragraph into a haiku of our own.
Or not.
Amazing stuff way out there.
And a whole lotta Jews, too.
Further to our point: we are all linked and and if we seek out the goodness on the earth (as you might know, Ram Dass is doing much better than he had and is running his retreats), the earth will be a better place. So glad to learn that, indeed, the former Richard Alpert has met with Reb Zalman.
At long last, we present Jeremy Safron, author of The Raw Truth: The Art of Preparing Living Foods. We believe very much in illumination, however we do believe that Everything truly is connected.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Seedlings Turn Overnight to Sunflowers, Blossoming Even As We Gaze
No, that's not Zeppelin.
Perhaps the above-mentioned quotation doesn't ring as quick a bell as the title of the song in which it appears: "Sunrise, Sunset." Seedlings and sunflowers don't right out there scream "Jewish." And yet, a simple utterance of the two words sunrise and sunset together in one sentence will get most American Jews (and even many non Jews) above a certain age swooning and swaying all at the same time. Yuck.
We must admit, Fiddler on the Roof was never a big draw for us. We had little desire to pay attention during a screening in a social studies class at Spanish River High School while visiting a teen tour boyfriend in Boca, instead dreaming up what crazy stuff his fellow Louis Vuitton wallet-carrying-buddies would do at their poker game and BBYO scavenger hunt later that night. We missed its 2nd and 3rd Broadway revivals, in 1981 and 1990 respectively. We have seen clips of the film, but never the whole thing. We figured that gazing down from the balcony on high holidays at the film's lead actor, Chaim Topol, who attended our family's synagogue in the '80s, was enough.
Honestly, the music never really grabbed us (yes, we know it received some Academy Awards. With music by John Williams. Yes, we know he's big. Still, no grab).
Until today.
Driving home from the pharmacy this afternoon, we were listening to our children's Jewish 'till You're Satisfied CD by the Funkey Monkeys. The CD has a lot of classics you may have heard at camp, Hebrew school, or youth groups, but these versions are updated, funked up, and totally raging.
So, check out this two-year-old soul version (complete with a horns section) of the classic song your grandparents cried to at the silver screen in 1971. And feel free to tell your Grandma Beverly about it in West Palm. It will get her rockin'. Maybe she'll even share it with her Mah Jongg group.
Here's the Zeppelin you were thought you might get. And it is from just 2 years after Fiddler, no less!
Perhaps the above-mentioned quotation doesn't ring as quick a bell as the title of the song in which it appears: "Sunrise, Sunset." Seedlings and sunflowers don't right out there scream "Jewish." And yet, a simple utterance of the two words sunrise and sunset together in one sentence will get most American Jews (and even many non Jews) above a certain age swooning and swaying all at the same time. Yuck.
We must admit, Fiddler on the Roof was never a big draw for us. We had little desire to pay attention during a screening in a social studies class at Spanish River High School while visiting a teen tour boyfriend in Boca, instead dreaming up what crazy stuff his fellow Louis Vuitton wallet-carrying-buddies would do at their poker game and BBYO scavenger hunt later that night. We missed its 2nd and 3rd Broadway revivals, in 1981 and 1990 respectively. We have seen clips of the film, but never the whole thing. We figured that gazing down from the balcony on high holidays at the film's lead actor, Chaim Topol, who attended our family's synagogue in the '80s, was enough.
Honestly, the music never really grabbed us (yes, we know it received some Academy Awards. With music by John Williams. Yes, we know he's big. Still, no grab).
Until today.
Driving home from the pharmacy this afternoon, we were listening to our children's Jewish 'till You're Satisfied CD by the Funkey Monkeys. The CD has a lot of classics you may have heard at camp, Hebrew school, or youth groups, but these versions are updated, funked up, and totally raging.
So, check out this two-year-old soul version (complete with a horns section) of the classic song your grandparents cried to at the silver screen in 1971. And feel free to tell your Grandma Beverly about it in West Palm. It will get her rockin'. Maybe she'll even share it with her Mah Jongg group.
Here's the Zeppelin you were thought you might get. And it is from just 2 years after Fiddler, no less!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
More on the Fleish...
We're all about the carne...I mean, who didn't love the classic 80's Wendy's commercial?
Just a few days ago we were all about names with Fleish in it...then we came across another Fleischer...and well, whaddya know, here's yet another...this time a Fleischer, purveyors of grass-fed meat with family roots in kosher meat, now full-on treif.
Martha Stewart has hooked in, but she ain't a Yid.
Not that we want to be preachy...
Just a few days ago we were all about names with Fleish in it...then we came across another Fleischer...and well, whaddya know, here's yet another...this time a Fleischer, purveyors of grass-fed meat with family roots in kosher meat, now full-on treif.
Martha Stewart has hooked in, but she ain't a Yid.
Not that we want to be preachy...
Smashbox Studios and the Factors
Thank you, Max Factor nee Maximilian Faktorowicz, for building a cosmetic empire that enabled your great grandchildren Dean and Davis Factor to have the wherewithall and chutzpah to open the groundbreaking Smashbox Studios in 1990 (the year yours truly graduated from high school!).
While we are so far removed -- geographically at least -- from LA culture (we feel blessed we do not have to endure freeways...though Bloomberg's roads ain't that well-cared-for), we totally DUG their ad appearing in this month's V Magazine for their Yello Creative Culture Blog they put out with Quixote Studios.
Can't find the ad online...and we're totally dinosaurs without a scanner...but pretty good blog. We love so many of their connections. Alphabetized words, written in black on a yellow background, listing all sorts of funky stuff.
Dug it, dig it, we simply thought pretty darn good shtuff.
Now, where on earth are there any Faktorowicz folks left?
Our friend Howard Factor, of no relation to the cosmetic family, was a fine, fine individual. We're trying to keep the place up.
courtesy of beverlyhillspeople.com
While we are so far removed -- geographically at least -- from LA culture (we feel blessed we do not have to endure freeways...though Bloomberg's roads ain't that well-cared-for), we totally DUG their ad appearing in this month's V Magazine for their Yello Creative Culture Blog they put out with Quixote Studios.
Can't find the ad online...and we're totally dinosaurs without a scanner...but pretty good blog. We love so many of their connections. Alphabetized words, written in black on a yellow background, listing all sorts of funky stuff.
Dug it, dig it, we simply thought pretty darn good shtuff.
Now, where on earth are there any Faktorowicz folks left?
Our friend Howard Factor, of no relation to the cosmetic family, was a fine, fine individual. We're trying to keep the place up.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Me Gustas Tu to Ahava
We just came across this lovely piece by Manu Chao, which we think promotes world unity through love.
If you haven't heard this beautiful Israeli song called Yachad - Shir La'Ahava by Gaya Band & Din Din Aviv, which is a song of love, together, heart to heart, you should.
We think this one is also universal...
Shabbat Shalom to the Ganse Mishpucha!
If you haven't heard this beautiful Israeli song called Yachad - Shir La'Ahava by Gaya Band & Din Din Aviv, which is a song of love, together, heart to heart, you should.
We think this one is also universal...
Shabbat Shalom to the Ganse Mishpucha!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The Aliyah Revolution...with an antelope sticker to boot!
Just a few posts ago we were discussing the name Fleicsher...
well, Kumah is doing it right, with their eye on the prize...Zion (aka Israel). And with a Fleisher leading the group. Let's get to Israel, or at least check out Yishai Fleisher's videos. He's got a great message and gets it across with fluidity. We like it. It speaks to us. And he even speaks at the conservative shul in Newton! Didn't you know someone at Newton North? Or was it South? Gotta love the library in Newton. Love that place. And, one final connected thought: fig newtons aren't as healthy as you once thought.
Check out that above-listed video - for current heads in the know, that antelope sticker in the first 5 seconds is spot-on! Love, love, love it! It surely made us smile, smile, smile.
Here's a great antelope we had the privilege of seeing at SPAC last summer:
Decent sound.
We happened to be outside of the pavillion that you see in this video. We were on the open grassy field just behind the family section. This beautiful upstate lawn was devoid of New York City crowds. Now that's the way to be. Especially for running antelopes.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Chaiken & Capone
Chaiken & Capone.
Remember them from the 90s?
Some people we knew called them fancy pants.
They were definitely pants for urban young women.
They were too expensive for us at the time, but we found one pair on sale.
We felt like a million bucks, no joke.
We imagine that the Chaiken element is Jewish, the Capone, um...not.
In any event, we are thrilled to hear that Julie Chaiken is back with her fashion label of urban contemporary women's clothing.
Mazal tov, congrats to Julie Chaiken!
In case you were looking for some meaning into the name Chaiken, here's a fun read.
Remember them from the 90s?
Some people we knew called them fancy pants.
They were definitely pants for urban young women.
They were too expensive for us at the time, but we found one pair on sale.
We felt like a million bucks, no joke.
We imagine that the Chaiken element is Jewish, the Capone, um...not.
In any event, we are thrilled to hear that Julie Chaiken is back with her fashion label of urban contemporary women's clothing.
Mazal tov, congrats to Julie Chaiken!
In case you were looking for some meaning into the name Chaiken, here's a fun read.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Three is, quite indeed, a Magic Number, but 18 is the highest and means Life
We didn't really love to watch TV when we were growing up in the 70s and 80s (strange, right?), but we became acquainted with Schoolhouse Rock's "Three is a Magic Number" at a Gathering of the Vibes outdoor music festival some time in the late 90s or early 2000's. Its writer, composer, and original performer, Bob Dorough, was there in Bridgeport, Connecticut on a side stage performing some of Gen X's most iconic memories from Saturday morning cartoons. While the main stage mainly occupied jam bands such as the Radiators (we linked you to their Zeke's copyrwritten "Fish Head Manifesto," a deep piece of prose in its own right), Rat Dog, Deep Banana Blackout and moe, we were drawn to the side stage. We remember getting really down with this song in particular. And we mean reallllllllllllllllly digging it, grooving to it, and thinking of its meaning other than simple math.
Wait, isn't that what Schoolhouse Rock intended to do?
Get its listeners to rock out?
First, a posthumous thank you to its brilliant creator, ad exec and Yalie David McCall. and industry exec Michael Eisner (whose Wikipedia entry attributes much of his success to canoe camp in Vermont as a boy...good stuff!), for bringing it to the American people. Wow, that is pretty early in Eisner's career.
A little bit of background with regard to the number 3 in Judaism:
1. The 3rd day of creation (Tuesday, duh) the only day during the creation of the world when the infamous line "and it was good" is mentioned twice. There is a custom among certain Jews to get married on this day because it offers good luck.
2. There were 3 patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob)
3. (Question: are you thinking, well, there is also the Holy Trinity in Christianity, so it's not just Jews who hold this number is high regard? Indeed, you are correct! Dorough himself said it is an "ancient magic trinity." There is something there, we agree, but this is a site leaning more Jewish but we'll give you that. There is something there. Indeed, when a person can be named after their father and grandfather and given the suffix "III" and then from there get the nickname "Trey" that, too, is significant.) Ok, so there's your answer for number 3. Meaningful and unifying all the same.
4. Three is strength, in Hebrew "chazakah." When something occurs once in the world, this is normal, this is usual. Two times, now we're talking. Three times? Now that is a miracle. And that miracle is strength. Check out Askmoses for more on that. The holiest of holies the Lubavitcher Stango, a concealed great of our time, said as much the eve of his wedding just moments before the start of Chanuka in the year of segula b'yisrael. For further reference, check the video Makin' it Halachic which is currently unavailable online. Hoping to upload it one of this many moons (if you read thus far, you should know that we aren't too terribly off on a tangent, but it's not like this is available to put out there for the masses. Yet).
Ok, we lost you there, let's get back to earth.
A quick check on the covers of this song include a sample by De La Soul, a cover by Blind Melon, and a modern version by Jack Johnson with regard to the environment.
Here is Blind Melon's cover, a nice sound.
Jack Johnson went to Hawaii to discover the meaning of aloha. (We are big believers in being here, now. Not sure if Johnson is acquainted with the Ram Dass, nee Richard Alpert.).
He gets to the number 18 (3 times 3 times 3) the 18th letter of the alphabet is R. He takes Bob Dorough's iconic song and uses it to talk about the environment.
We are only guessing that Mr. Johnson, who is singing the environmental message about reduce, reuse and recycle (very different 3 R's that existed in the mid-century rubric of reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic) didn't realize at the time that 18 is the numeric equivalent in Judaism to life. and one very important to Judaism and Torah values (indeed, we are approaching Jewish Arbor Day called Tu B'Shvat, the birthday of the trees) ).
Or maybe he did.
If so, he wasn't overt.
In any event, thank you to the Annenberg Foundation for funding this very wise re-writing of this iconic song for us Gen X'ers.
Back to the number 18. Or was it the 3 Rs?
L'Chayim! L'Chaim?
We actually never fully watched Fiddler from beginning to end, but you do remember this scene, we hope:
L'Chayim, that famous word to so many even bagels and lox Jews, is equal in gematria, or Jewish numerology, 18. To life, as it were, is a combination of the Hebrew letters "chet" and "yud." You know, "Chai"? How many Jews have you known to wear a gold chai around their neck (ugh, a bit gauche for us, but maybe that's just a hangup of ours). A nice, big hairy chest with a nice thick gold chai nestled somewhere in there. Reminds us of Grandpa Al, whom we loved so much, especially when he was all leathery tan after a winter in West Palm. Remember the trips to Boca and Delray, and how can we pass up Worth Avenue. End the day with an early bird special (dinner at 4pm, we are so glad we had grandparents in Florida) and pick up some groceries at Publix, and we're golden.
So essentially, we have been thinking a lot lately about how 3 is a magic number. It is currently a Tuesday as we write this, and we woke up in the middle of the night thinking about this tune. We didn't know that Jack Johnson made it into an environmental message. Our friends' connection to the Jewish concept of Teva, or nature, would appreciate that. (yes, there is also the Teva sandal company and Israeli-based Teva pharmaceutical company, both worthy ventures in their own rights...we aren't sure if the sandal company's founder, Mark Thatcher, is Jewish, but he spent time in Israel from which he borrowed the Hebrew word for nature).
And it's getting very close, about 2 weeks to go, to the Jewish Arbor Day, aka
Tu B'Shvat
In summing up, the moral seems a little bit obscure (it often comes back to Phish, doesn't it? Check out this video of their song Cavern where they perform the "in summing up" phrase towards the end of the song):
The moral:
Go hug a tree!
Julia Butterfly Hill , though not Jewish, surely did this in the 90s.
Our tradition has been loving trees for centuries. Click on the Eitz Chayim/Tree of Life link here for a beautiful expression of this idea by Oy Baby.
Wait, isn't that what Schoolhouse Rock intended to do?
Get its listeners to rock out?
First, a posthumous thank you to its brilliant creator, ad exec and Yalie David McCall. and industry exec Michael Eisner (whose Wikipedia entry attributes much of his success to canoe camp in Vermont as a boy...good stuff!), for bringing it to the American people. Wow, that is pretty early in Eisner's career.
A little bit of background with regard to the number 3 in Judaism:
1. The 3rd day of creation (Tuesday, duh) the only day during the creation of the world when the infamous line "and it was good" is mentioned twice. There is a custom among certain Jews to get married on this day because it offers good luck.
2. There were 3 patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob)
3. (Question: are you thinking, well, there is also the Holy Trinity in Christianity, so it's not just Jews who hold this number is high regard? Indeed, you are correct! Dorough himself said it is an "ancient magic trinity." There is something there, we agree, but this is a site leaning more Jewish but we'll give you that. There is something there. Indeed, when a person can be named after their father and grandfather and given the suffix "III" and then from there get the nickname "Trey" that, too, is significant.) Ok, so there's your answer for number 3. Meaningful and unifying all the same.
4. Three is strength, in Hebrew "chazakah." When something occurs once in the world, this is normal, this is usual. Two times, now we're talking. Three times? Now that is a miracle. And that miracle is strength. Check out Askmoses for more on that. The holiest of holies the Lubavitcher Stango, a concealed great of our time, said as much the eve of his wedding just moments before the start of Chanuka in the year of segula b'yisrael. For further reference, check the video Makin' it Halachic which is currently unavailable online. Hoping to upload it one of this many moons (if you read thus far, you should know that we aren't too terribly off on a tangent, but it's not like this is available to put out there for the masses. Yet).
Ok, we lost you there, let's get back to earth.
A quick check on the covers of this song include a sample by De La Soul, a cover by Blind Melon, and a modern version by Jack Johnson with regard to the environment.
Here is Blind Melon's cover, a nice sound.
Jack Johnson went to Hawaii to discover the meaning of aloha. (We are big believers in being here, now. Not sure if Johnson is acquainted with the Ram Dass, nee Richard Alpert.).
He gets to the number 18 (3 times 3 times 3) the 18th letter of the alphabet is R. He takes Bob Dorough's iconic song and uses it to talk about the environment.
We are only guessing that Mr. Johnson, who is singing the environmental message about reduce, reuse and recycle (very different 3 R's that existed in the mid-century rubric of reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic) didn't realize at the time that 18 is the numeric equivalent in Judaism to life. and one very important to Judaism and Torah values (indeed, we are approaching Jewish Arbor Day called Tu B'Shvat, the birthday of the trees) ).
Or maybe he did.
If so, he wasn't overt.
In any event, thank you to the Annenberg Foundation for funding this very wise re-writing of this iconic song for us Gen X'ers.
Back to the number 18. Or was it the 3 Rs?
L'Chayim! L'Chaim?
We actually never fully watched Fiddler from beginning to end, but you do remember this scene, we hope:
L'Chayim, that famous word to so many even bagels and lox Jews, is equal in gematria, or Jewish numerology, 18. To life, as it were, is a combination of the Hebrew letters "chet" and "yud." You know, "Chai"? How many Jews have you known to wear a gold chai around their neck (ugh, a bit gauche for us, but maybe that's just a hangup of ours). A nice, big hairy chest with a nice thick gold chai nestled somewhere in there. Reminds us of Grandpa Al, whom we loved so much, especially when he was all leathery tan after a winter in West Palm. Remember the trips to Boca and Delray, and how can we pass up Worth Avenue. End the day with an early bird special (dinner at 4pm, we are so glad we had grandparents in Florida) and pick up some groceries at Publix, and we're golden.
So essentially, we have been thinking a lot lately about how 3 is a magic number. It is currently a Tuesday as we write this, and we woke up in the middle of the night thinking about this tune. We didn't know that Jack Johnson made it into an environmental message. Our friends' connection to the Jewish concept of Teva, or nature, would appreciate that. (yes, there is also the Teva sandal company and Israeli-based Teva pharmaceutical company, both worthy ventures in their own rights...we aren't sure if the sandal company's founder, Mark Thatcher, is Jewish, but he spent time in Israel from which he borrowed the Hebrew word for nature).
And it's getting very close, about 2 weeks to go, to the Jewish Arbor Day, aka
Tu B'Shvat
In summing up, the moral seems a little bit obscure (it often comes back to Phish, doesn't it? Check out this video of their song Cavern where they perform the "in summing up" phrase towards the end of the song):
The moral:
Go hug a tree!
Julia Butterfly Hill , though not Jewish, surely did this in the 90s.
Our tradition has been loving trees for centuries. Click on the Eitz Chayim/Tree of Life link here for a beautiful expression of this idea by Oy Baby.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Shiva Ambulette in the heart of Da Bronx
Um...is this a morbid joke?
Are they on their way to or from the shiva house?
We thought that ambulettes transport the living.
For the clients of Shiva Ambulette, we wish the following:
1. Are unaware of Jewish reference
2. Look at the sunny side of the street
3. Find good bagels and lox at the shiva house itself.
Oy vey!
Fleischmanns and talking mano a mano
There is a town in the Catskills called Fleischmanns, which, loosely translated, means: meat man. Likely those with the root "fleisch" in their last name (Fleischer included) were, in the old country, butchers.
1/4/10 *edited to add*: Why we didn't mention Ari Fleischer is beyond us. I guess we're just not the politcal type.
And how it is that we just came to learn of the film Zombieland, directed by Ruben Fleischer, isn't too far fetched. We love Abigail Breslin...as family pholks, we recently watched her in American Girl: Kit Kittredge. Joan Cusack was, as usual, superbly entertaining. No neck brace ala Sixteen Candles, no water fountain, but all of her spunk and pizazz still there.
Back to the Fleisch...
For those of us who grew up Kosher, we are all familiar with Fleischmann's margarine, which as educated consumers now, we believe to be not working towards a positive goal...aside from margarine's proven track record as being bad for the body, they are owned by the corporate conglomerate ConAgra. Not big fans of corporate food industrialization. But that's for another day. Or at least for discussion with the Jew and Carrot folks.
Fleisch = Meat
There is also Fleischmann's Yeast, also owned by a large food conglomerate, albeit smaller-sounding and British-based.
Today we met quite an erudite, helpful man, a real landsman, who grew up in the '40s outside of the town of Fleischmanns. He is of the JTS-ilk, totally old school seminary style. Though he said he would never want to go back (he lives comfortably in Manhattan), his upbringing there helped him form solid memories of a good life. Phone calls were made via picking up their old rotary and connecting to an operator who would then make the connection to a call down in the city.
We were talking about computers that run automobile dashboards.
How they often fail.
How a manual car, with a 6 speed engine and no computer behind it, can run smooth as a whistle for years.
But we need the computers. We are, indeed, in a digital age, there is no denying that.
But going back to a time when we just connect face to face.
Real, live interactions with our peeps.
Talking about fleisch and meat, did you catch the multi-ethnic Meatstick at MSG on 12/31/10?
Now, *that* is fun stuff!
1/4/10 *edited to add*: Why we didn't mention Ari Fleischer is beyond us. I guess we're just not the politcal type.
And how it is that we just came to learn of the film Zombieland, directed by Ruben Fleischer, isn't too far fetched. We love Abigail Breslin...as family pholks, we recently watched her in American Girl: Kit Kittredge. Joan Cusack was, as usual, superbly entertaining. No neck brace ala Sixteen Candles, no water fountain, but all of her spunk and pizazz still there.
Back to the Fleisch...
For those of us who grew up Kosher, we are all familiar with Fleischmann's margarine, which as educated consumers now, we believe to be not working towards a positive goal...aside from margarine's proven track record as being bad for the body, they are owned by the corporate conglomerate ConAgra. Not big fans of corporate food industrialization. But that's for another day. Or at least for discussion with the Jew and Carrot folks.
Fleisch = Meat
There is also Fleischmann's Yeast, also owned by a large food conglomerate, albeit smaller-sounding and British-based.
Today we met quite an erudite, helpful man, a real landsman, who grew up in the '40s outside of the town of Fleischmanns. He is of the JTS-ilk, totally old school seminary style. Though he said he would never want to go back (he lives comfortably in Manhattan), his upbringing there helped him form solid memories of a good life. Phone calls were made via picking up their old rotary and connecting to an operator who would then make the connection to a call down in the city.
We were talking about computers that run automobile dashboards.
How they often fail.
How a manual car, with a 6 speed engine and no computer behind it, can run smooth as a whistle for years.
But we need the computers. We are, indeed, in a digital age, there is no denying that.
But going back to a time when we just connect face to face.
Real, live interactions with our peeps.
Talking about fleisch and meat, did you catch the multi-ethnic Meatstick at MSG on 12/31/10?
Now, *that* is fun stuff!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
A Tiny Island in Tunisia in North Africa
The island named Djerba off the coast of Tunisia is home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. Its synagogue., the oldest in North Africa, houses the oldest sefer Torah. On the earth. That exists anywhere.
Every year Jews pilgimmage there during the holiday of Lag Ba'Omer. We just learned about this place that seems worlds apart from our cozy lives here in the U.S., and yet we are so connected.
And the population there?
Most of the Jews there are cohanim, descendants of the highest priestly tribe. The ones who give you the famous "live long and prosper" blessing that Spock made famous on Star Trek (remember, Leonard Nimoy, too, is a cohane). A whole community where literally all its Jews are cohanim? Whoa.....talk about holy stuff. Our question is, when it comes time for duchening, who is sitting in the shul to receive the priestly blessing?
What is the big deal you might ask?
We recently met someone who's father's family came from this town. The father was raised in Tzfat, one of more than ten children in his family. For anyone who knows about the town of Tzfat, this is the epicenter of the development of kabbalah. Many of our great mystics learned there, and many are still drawn to the town's deep spiritual roots.
Deep stuff. Deep, deep stuff.
Every year Jews pilgimmage there during the holiday of Lag Ba'Omer. We just learned about this place that seems worlds apart from our cozy lives here in the U.S., and yet we are so connected.
And the population there?
Most of the Jews there are cohanim, descendants of the highest priestly tribe. The ones who give you the famous "live long and prosper" blessing that Spock made famous on Star Trek (remember, Leonard Nimoy, too, is a cohane). A whole community where literally all its Jews are cohanim? Whoa.....talk about holy stuff. Our question is, when it comes time for duchening, who is sitting in the shul to receive the priestly blessing?
What is the big deal you might ask?
 |
| from travelblog.org |
We recently met someone who's father's family came from this town. The father was raised in Tzfat, one of more than ten children in his family. For anyone who knows about the town of Tzfat, this is the epicenter of the development of kabbalah. Many of our great mystics learned there, and many are still drawn to the town's deep spiritual roots.
Deep stuff. Deep, deep stuff.
Friday, December 3, 2010
By now everyone has heard about the Maccabeats
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!
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!
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?
 |
| 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.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Look! There she is. Just ask the Bernsteins.
It's not a bird and it's not a plane. It's the moon, and she's right up there waiting for you to notice her. Recently we met a very bright young 3rd year student at the Law School (as if there's only one) who was wrongfully convinced that the ecocult which he'd ultimately like to establish will be based around solar energy. "The sun's bright and full of energy," he extorted as we departed our conversation on the steps of a summer camp dining hall. Au contrare, my friend, how mistaken you are.
Lunar power is where it's at. And she's all woman. Any thinking woman will tell you that just as the moon waxes and wanes (gets bigger and smaller for the lunar-jargon challenged among us), so too do women have their highs and lows. Call it what you want: soul sistas, girl power, or women's intuition...it's all the same deal. The moon is cyclical. What goes around comes around. Isn't that what life is all about?
Some tunes to recall at this point include Sir Elton John's"Circle of Life." Even Disney is capable of words of wisdom.
We also recall Harry Chapin's "All my Life's a Circle."
Finally let us always remember Joni Mitchell's "Circle Game" which, it is claimed in this YouTube's comments section, was written with Neil Young. Don't doubt that one.
We have the moon to thank for those.
The moon may be smaller than the sun, but she's a lot smarter and got her head screwed on straight. She ain't the one in the news on a seemingly daily basis. With the current energy crisis, the words climate change, global warming and greenhouse gases are all connected to the sun and enough to drive any middle American batty. Just the other day, the White House said no thanks to solar panels. Uh oh, we're in big trouble.
If you are a girl or woman, stare at the moon for as long as you can every night. Once we locate the moon, that's when we usually say, "look, there she is!" For Jewish women, it is a way of participating in the celebration of Rosh Chodesh, the new month in the Jewish lunar-based calendar. At this moment, the moon is waxing gibbous, getting fuller and fuller to that point next week when she's a glorious full moon and Jews the world over will rejoice during the harvest festival of Sukkot (note to self: check out sukkah city), also known as the "time of our happiness" (remember our blog post referring to Joy at its end? Same deal).
If you want to get all astrological and womyn and some say wiccan about it, you can even check out We'Moon. How interesting that their publisher is called Mother Tongue Ink.
In Yiddish, mother tongue is rightfully referred to as mamaloshen. Now that's something to talk about.
Just ask Inigo Montoya.
Mandy Patinkin will belt it out in the mother tongue at Queensboro Community College on September 26th. Maybe the Bernsteins want tickets?
Lunar power is where it's at. And she's all woman. Any thinking woman will tell you that just as the moon waxes and wanes (gets bigger and smaller for the lunar-jargon challenged among us), so too do women have their highs and lows. Call it what you want: soul sistas, girl power, or women's intuition...it's all the same deal. The moon is cyclical. What goes around comes around. Isn't that what life is all about?
Some tunes to recall at this point include Sir Elton John's"Circle of Life." Even Disney is capable of words of wisdom.
We also recall Harry Chapin's "All my Life's a Circle."
Finally let us always remember Joni Mitchell's "Circle Game" which, it is claimed in this YouTube's comments section, was written with Neil Young. Don't doubt that one.
We have the moon to thank for those.
The moon may be smaller than the sun, but she's a lot smarter and got her head screwed on straight. She ain't the one in the news on a seemingly daily basis. With the current energy crisis, the words climate change, global warming and greenhouse gases are all connected to the sun and enough to drive any middle American batty. Just the other day, the White House said no thanks to solar panels. Uh oh, we're in big trouble.
If you are a girl or woman, stare at the moon for as long as you can every night. Once we locate the moon, that's when we usually say, "look, there she is!" For Jewish women, it is a way of participating in the celebration of Rosh Chodesh, the new month in the Jewish lunar-based calendar. At this moment, the moon is waxing gibbous, getting fuller and fuller to that point next week when she's a glorious full moon and Jews the world over will rejoice during the harvest festival of Sukkot (note to self: check out sukkah city), also known as the "time of our happiness" (remember our blog post referring to Joy at its end? Same deal).
If you want to get all astrological and womyn and some say wiccan about it, you can even check out We'Moon. How interesting that their publisher is called Mother Tongue Ink.
In Yiddish, mother tongue is rightfully referred to as mamaloshen. Now that's something to talk about.
Just ask Inigo Montoya.
Mandy Patinkin will belt it out in the mother tongue at Queensboro Community College on September 26th. Maybe the Bernsteins want tickets?
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Talkin' Hava Negiliah Blues
Who hasn't done a hora to hava nagila at bar and bat mitzvahs in the United States? It is an unavoidable Jewish American cliche. Over the years, we have grown to prefer other, less-trite Jewish songs, but just when we thought it was out of our lives...
... wouldn't ya know, along has come a documentary on the song.
While they didn't say it by name, hava nagila is, essentially, based on a chassidic nigun, or wordless religous melody invoking prayer and spirituality.
Spare yourself the 9 minutes. Despite the much-appreciated academic analysis of the song,
we'll stick with Bob Dylan's rendition.
... wouldn't ya know, along has come a documentary on the song.
While they didn't say it by name, hava nagila is, essentially, based on a chassidic nigun, or wordless religous melody invoking prayer and spirituality.
Spare yourself the 9 minutes. Despite the much-appreciated academic analysis of the song,
we'll stick with Bob Dylan's rendition.
Shake Sugaree and how nice it is to be with your brothers and sisters, including Matisyahu
Not to be confused with (fellow MOT) Danny Meyer's Shake Shack (no doubt: treif and not kosher, but you can learn how to make their Shack Burger at home), tonight, in memory of Jerry Garcia (he died 15 years ago, August 9, 1995) we were listening to the Dead's Shake Sugaree.
I got to thinking how the Dead sang about themes such as American love, loss, and heartbreak, and how this song is connected deep deep within our roots.
Elizabeth Cotten wrote the original Shake Sugaree. This woman knew how to sing and write the blues. She was a real southern church-goin' mama.
Here is a nice blog about Elizabeth Cotten.
She must've been connected in some way to the generations of African American women who followed the drinking gourd and had wisdom from their mamas and just by being connected to the earth.
Speaking of being connected to the earth, The Topsy Turvy Bus,
we have heard, plans to be in the lots for the 8/17/10 Phish show at Jones Beach theater. This will be a great time to learn what the Jewish Climate Change Campaign Tour was all about. Or maybe what Teva Learning Center is all about (shh...this visit to enlighten Jews and the world about caring for the earth is officially off the books and not really a Teva event...I mean, where is the bus even to be found on the home page? That's another story...) We could always chat with the folks about Eden Village Camp. Maybe we could give each other a hug. Or be nice. Or just Speak Nicely.
Here's a little history of the bus, with an interivew with Ben Cohen from Ben & Jerry's, at the end.
Or maybe, before the show, we can hang out in front of the bus and sing a good old fashioned hinay matov, arm in arm, camp-style.
Now if we could only beat-box like Matisyahu, we'd be golden..
I got to thinking how the Dead sang about themes such as American love, loss, and heartbreak, and how this song is connected deep deep within our roots.
Elizabeth Cotten wrote the original Shake Sugaree. This woman knew how to sing and write the blues. She was a real southern church-goin' mama.
She must've been connected in some way to the generations of African American women who followed the drinking gourd and had wisdom from their mamas and just by being connected to the earth.
Speaking of being connected to the earth, The Topsy Turvy Bus,
we have heard, plans to be in the lots for the 8/17/10 Phish show at Jones Beach theater. This will be a great time to learn what the Jewish Climate Change Campaign Tour was all about. Or maybe what Teva Learning Center is all about (shh...this visit to enlighten Jews and the world about caring for the earth is officially off the books and not really a Teva event...I mean, where is the bus even to be found on the home page? That's another story...) We could always chat with the folks about Eden Village Camp. Maybe we could give each other a hug. Or be nice. Or just Speak Nicely.
Here's a little history of the bus, with an interivew with Ben Cohen from Ben & Jerry's, at the end.
Or maybe, before the show, we can hang out in front of the bus and sing a good old fashioned hinay matov, arm in arm, camp-style.
Now if we could only beat-box like Matisyahu, we'd be golden..
Friday, March 19, 2010
Shwekey
For those of us familiar with Ashkenazic names, Shwekey wouldn't initially strike you as Jewish. But if you're outside this mold, and familiar with the Syrian community, this name will be as familiar to you as kibbeh and ma'moul.
Probably the most public person with this name today is the Israeli-born, New Jersey-based Yaakov Shwekey . A Jewish singer-songwriter, Shwekey has played at venues around the world, including the Beacon Theater in New York last December. We have no clue as to the origin of his name, but would love to know. According to his Wikipedia page, originally the surname was Choueka and his father is of Egyptian and Syrian background.
We're not quite sure if he's our style, but this performance with Yonatan Razel offers a taste.
The whole reason you read this far?
Click to 2:57 for a hilarious interlude.
Probably the most public person with this name today is the Israeli-born, New Jersey-based Yaakov Shwekey . A Jewish singer-songwriter, Shwekey has played at venues around the world, including the Beacon Theater in New York last December. We have no clue as to the origin of his name, but would love to know. According to his Wikipedia page, originally the surname was Choueka and his father is of Egyptian and Syrian background.
a poster promoting a performance in France
We're not quite sure if he's our style, but this performance with Yonatan Razel offers a taste.
The whole reason you read this far?
Click to 2:57 for a hilarious interlude.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Kentridge or Kantorowitz, a fine artist indeed
William Kentridge, a South African artist (and a Jew), has hit the scene in New York. Currently, you can see his work at MoMa and the Met, and starting May 2nd, at the Jewish Museum.
How's that for a triple whammy?
Kentridge's work ranges from original opera to film to collage to sculpture to performance art. He grew up in a liberal Jewish family in South Africa who was involved in the liberal elite and fighting apartheid. The nose that is featured on the sets of his opera "The Nose," Kentridge has said, is inspired by his own Ashkenazic Jewish nose.
And what about the name?
Kantorowitz comes from the same place as Kantrowitz and even Kantor, Cantor and various other spelling variations. Way back when their family in Poland or Russia were probably cantors, or hazzanim. So belt it out, Mr. Kentridge. You should be singing your halleluyahs that you've got such a fine showing in NYC this spring.
How's that for a triple whammy?
Kentridge's work ranges from original opera to film to collage to sculpture to performance art. He grew up in a liberal Jewish family in South Africa who was involved in the liberal elite and fighting apartheid. The nose that is featured on the sets of his opera "The Nose," Kentridge has said, is inspired by his own Ashkenazic Jewish nose.
And what about the name?
Kantorowitz comes from the same place as Kantrowitz and even Kantor, Cantor and various other spelling variations. Way back when their family in Poland or Russia were probably cantors, or hazzanim. So belt it out, Mr. Kentridge. You should be singing your halleluyahs that you've got such a fine showing in NYC this spring.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Haim = Life or Home?
This morning we learned of the tragic death of Corey Haim, the child actor who reached fame and glory in the '80s. We will forever love Lucas. As Jews, we wish his family great comfort among the mourners of Zion.
Corey Haim during the '80s
Jewlicious has presumed that his last name meant "life."
While the Hebrew word chayim translates as life (as in L'chayim), it is also possible that Haim could have been from the Yiddish word, heim, which means home (as in heimish - - homey, cozy - - or alter heim, referring to the old country/home).
Perhaps Haim was shortened from Haimovitch, meaning the "son of a Hayim". This discussion talks about a Haimovitch family who emigrated from Romania to Montreal and since changed their name to Haines. Perhaps the Haines and Haim family are related, since Corey was raised in Canada. Unless Bernie Haim, Corey's father, wants to chime in here, we'll likely be in the dark.
For now, we're motivated to finally watch Lost Boys, which we somehow missed in 1987.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Aaronson is also a Cohen
Riding the Katz and Cohen wave, let's talk about the last name Aaronson (interestingly, this week's Torah portion T'zaveh, discusses at length the priestlihood). By obvious definition, it means "son of Aaron." Let's go back historically and look at the original Aaron. He was the brother of Moses, who led the Children of Israel from Egypt out of slavery (remember the Passover story where frogs were here, frogs were there, frogs were jumping everywhere?). Aaron was selected as the first High Priest (in Hebrew, kohen gadol). It would make sense, then, that the descendents of Aaron are also from the priestly lineage and are cohanim as well.
There are, indeed, Aronsons and Aaronsons who are not Jewish, and come from Norweigan backgrounds.
We don't know if composer Jack Aaronson is Jewish, but it sure looks like his gigs down in the West Village in NYC are lots of fun.
If belting out current Broadway tunes is your thing, then pop in on a Tuesday night and let us know how it goes!
Marie's Crisis Cafe
59 Grove Street
New York, NY
212-243-9323
There are, indeed, Aronsons and Aaronsons who are not Jewish, and come from Norweigan backgrounds.
We don't know if composer Jack Aaronson is Jewish, but it sure looks like his gigs down in the West Village in NYC are lots of fun.
If belting out current Broadway tunes is your thing, then pop in on a Tuesday night and let us know how it goes!
Marie's Crisis Cafe
59 Grove Street
New York, NY
212-243-9323
Monday, February 22, 2010
Katz = Cohen...Live Long and Prosper
We have decided to return to our roots and reinstate the Whole Phamily as a blog about Jewish names. Names that you've heard. Names that you haven't. Ashkenazic names. Sephardic names. We will focus on one Jewish name per blog post, and perhaps bring up a person, business, work of art, or all of the above that bears this name.
To say that Katz is a vintage Jewish last name is an understatement. If you're from New York, or simply a deli maven, you know Katz's Deli. Many folks say that their pastrami is the real deal.
Katz's Deli, NYC
We were blown away when, many years ago, we learned that Katz is a priestly name. Saying Katz is just like saying Cohen, but in German. Do you recall Spock's Vulcan Salute in Star Trek?
Ask a random male Katz today, and he will tell you that the traditional blessing he says in synagogue (be it once in a while or every week) that was passed down by his father is eerily reminscent of the Vulcan Salute.
Leonard Nimoy as Spock giving the Vulcan Salute
Shlomo Katz, Israel-based musician
Another Katz of note is Shlomo Katz, a musician bringing on down some of the most beautiful Jewish-infused (hint: Torah) music out there today.
We heard him perform tonight at an intimate evening of music and story. We bless him that his music should spread far and wide among alle yidden!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Annie's Goddess Dressing
*note* this blog post has pretty much nothing to do with Jewish names, and has no right being here. But since we wrote this when we were off the derech of our blog's direction, we grandfather it in
You haven't tasted salad bliss until you have had it drizzled with Annie's Goddess Dressing.
Problem for those dietary guideline-following Jews among us (hint: Kosher) is that we can't eat it. Cuz it ain't Kosher!
You haven't tasted salad bliss until you have had it drizzled with Annie's Goddess Dressing.
Problem for those dietary guideline-following Jews among us (hint: Kosher) is that we can't eat it. Cuz it ain't Kosher!
The Whole Phamily has written in recent years to the company. We have received bogus responses. Many companies can find Kosher ingredients for their products. Surely Goddess Dressing, whose ingredients contain nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to kosher food, could do the same. We encourage you to write to Annie's join the cause. Better yet, write them a letter at their Napa offices. We're certain they'd appreciate anything fun and colorful. We sent in a letter using pastels.
You can also join the Facebook group. All 37 of us. join the cause. Better yet, write them a letter at their Napa offices. We're certain they'd appreciate anything fun and colorful. We sent in a letter using pastels.
You can also join the Facebook group. All 37 of us. join the cause. Better yet, write them a letter at their Napa offices. We're certain they'd appreciate anything fun and colorful. We sent in a letter using pastels.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Jonathan Pollard in light of the December 25th terrorist attacks
We are not that political and don't aim to get political in the future at the Whole Phamily, yet we can not help ignore the media discussions on the recent terrorist attempt in Detroit.
Whatever your politics, we can not ignore that one of our very own, Jonathan Pollard,
recently marked his 25th year in prison for trying to help limit terrorist acts. His sentence for the crime of providing Israeli intelligence information was unfair. He has been placed in the harshest part of the harshest Federal prison. The calls for commutation of his sentence have gone, thus far, unanswered by the United States Government
At the very least, we urge you to take a few minutes.
Pull out some stationary or some scrap paper.
Slap on a .44 cent stamp.
And let Jonathan know that we are all part of the same Ganse Mishpucha..
"Letters are 'oxygen' for Jonathan."
Write him at:
Jonathan Pollard #09185-016
c/o FCI Butner
P.O. Box 1000
Butner, NC
U.S.A 27509-1000
Finally...
Now for the origin of Pollard. Perhaps his name was originally Pollock? Here's what we found online with regard to the Jewishness of Pollard.
Whatever your politics, we can not ignore that one of our very own, Jonathan Pollard,
recently marked his 25th year in prison for trying to help limit terrorist acts. His sentence for the crime of providing Israeli intelligence information was unfair. He has been placed in the harshest part of the harshest Federal prison. The calls for commutation of his sentence have gone, thus far, unanswered by the United States Government
At the very least, we urge you to take a few minutes.
Pull out some stationary or some scrap paper.
Slap on a .44 cent stamp.
And let Jonathan know that we are all part of the same Ganse Mishpucha..
"Letters are 'oxygen' for Jonathan."
Write him at:
Jonathan Pollard #09185-016
c/o FCI Butner
P.O. Box 1000
Butner, NC
U.S.A 27509-1000
Finally...
Now for the origin of Pollard. Perhaps his name was originally Pollock? Here's what we found online with regard to the Jewishness of Pollard.
Tracing the Tribe blog
As the Whole Phamily is inspired by, but not limited to, Jewish Geneological research, we highly recommend the Tracing the Tribe blog if you have any interest in learning about your own family's history.
The author of the blog, Schelley Talalay Darsashti, also writes the blog for My Heritage.com (a for-profit venture).
which we have recommended in the past. We like that it is an Israel-based family tree building website.
We need our own personal IT guy here at the Whole Phamily and don't have down yet how to get this blog glossy, pretty, and image-linky (that My Heritage image is just an image, not an actual link to their site!!?!? Argh!!) , so bear with us while we tweak the system!
We need our own personal IT guy here at the Whole Phamily and don't have down yet how to get this blog glossy, pretty, and image-linky (that My Heritage image is just an image, not an actual link to their site!!?!? Argh!!) , so bear with us while we tweak the system!
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