Traditions of Satire and Anti-Semitism Collide at Harvard

There is a long history of anti-Semitism at Harvard University, though it is essentially gone today. There is also a long history of subtle — and not so subtle — grandiose acts of satire at Harvard. Last Friday morning, students who live in Harvard University’s nine River Houses awoke to find that the intersection of those two Harvard traditions had been slipped under their doors in the night. It was an invitation to “The Pigeon,” a mock final club. Across the top of the flyer it said, “Inclusion* Diversity** Love***.” Following the asterisks down to the bottom of the flyer reveals:

* Jews need not apply.

** Seriously, no f**king Jews. Coloreds OK.

*** Rophynol [an apparent misspelling of Rohypnol, a date rape drug]

The anonymous author(s) probably meant to poke fun at the final clubs that have a long history at Harvard. If you went to Harvard — or if you saw “The Social Network” — you know that final clubs are prestigious invite-only undergraduate social clubs, a phenomenon unique to Harvard. Unless you’re just good at guessing where this is going, they also have a shaky reputation when it comes to racism and anti-Semitism. And, Harvard being Harvard, the otherwise minor incident of the flyer has sparked controversy and outrage far beyond the school.

Most people see the see the situation in one of two ways. Many believe that statements such as “Seriously, no f**king Jews” make the flyer unforgivable, promoting hate speech and so forth.

Others counter that the flyer, while uncomfortable, falls completely within the bounds of free speech and should be treated as such. Indeed, the only speech that really needs any protecting is speech that causes discomfort. Some see the flyer as exemplifying precisely that notion.

Evelynn M. Hammonds, Harvard’s undergraduate dean, responded with the following statement: “As an educator, I find these flyers offensive. They are not a reflection of the values of our community. Even if intended as satirical in nature, they are hurtful and offensive to many students, faculty and staff, and do not demonstrate the level of thoughtfulness and respect we expect at Harvard when engaging difficult issues within our community.”

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On Meeting Jay-Z on the Subway

 Speaking with the artist Ellen Grossman about her chance encounter

The video shows Jay-Z was on his way to the last of his eight shows to open the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn (Jewcy reports that Hova actually lit a menorah for each of the eight nights). As Grossman explained to me, she was simply on her way to visit a friend in Brooklyn when a large crush of people unexpectedly entered her subway car at Canal Street. Grossman ended up having a chat with the rapper.

Adorable caveat:

“I hope this doesn’t sound canned,” she apologized. “I’ve spoken to a lot of people this morning.”

The scene:

“It was a fairly sparsely populated subway car and I was alone on three seats,” she explained. “There was a surge of people at Canal Street and my son was in the World Trade Center disaster…but he survived, it’s alright, but we didn’t know that for several hours so that’s kind of present in our consciousness. So, at first, I thought ‘Oh God, something terrible has happened up on the street.’ But everyone was laughing and smiling so I thought, ‘What a relief!’ And I thought perhaps it was a flash mob.”

When Jay-Z sat down:

“Jay-Z sat down next to me and I did not recognize him, but everyone was taking his picture. But I thought, because I didn’t recognize him, that it still could have been a flash mob. I know people do fake celebrity stuff. So I said what was on the video ‘Are you famous?’ and he said ‘Yes’ and I believed him. I asked what his name was and he said ‘Jay’ and I didn’t catch that it was Jay-Z and after we were talking for a while I thought ‘He’s pretty famous,’ I noticed his security people and we were in a little bubble because they were around us and then I asked ‘What’s your name again?’ and he said ‘Jay-Z.’ We had a really great conversation, it felt really genuine.”

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Chanukah and International Pressure

What induced Antiochus Epiphanes to attempt to eradicate Judaism? Some speculate that he had his own political motives. However, he initially had good relations with the Jews who had helped him take Jerusalem from his rival, the Egyptian Ptolemy. The chronicler of that era, Josephus Flavius mentions that Antiochus initially granted Jews the right to keep their laws. (Josephus Flavius, Antiquities, Book XII, chapter 3:3) He had also decreed that the Temple of Jerusalem continue to be respected by all as a Jewish institution under Jewish auspices. Furthermore, the attempt to eradicate an existing nation by outlawing their religious practices was unprecedented.

One might presume that all of Antiochus' predecessors who had ruled over the Land of Israel for over one hundred and fifty years since the conquest of Alexander the Great, had themselves imagined forcing Hellenism and idolatry, the universal creeds of the time, upon the Jews. All other nations readily accepted Hellenism, so naturally the question arose, what about the Jews? The Jews for the most part were left alone to practice their faith and live their way of life. The Greeks, initially on favorable terms with the Jews, had also understood that they were steadfast in their beliefs, and there was a futility of attempting to force them to accept other creeds and practices.

However, as Antiochus Epiphanes ruled, the numbers of Jews who had embraced Hellenism were increasing. Those Jews known as, 'Mityavnim,' sought to popularize Hellenism among the Jews. The book of Maccabees quotes the Hellenists who proclaimed,"let us go out and make a covenant with the heathen around us." (Maccabees 1:11)

As two brothers, both Mityavnim, and heirs to the position of the High Priesthood vied for that position, one of the brothers, Menelaus, went to the Emperor, and told him that the Mityavmin were "desirous to leave the laws of their country, and the Jewish way of living according to them, to follow the king's laws, and the Grecian way of living." (Josephus Flavius, Antiquities, book 12, Chapter 5:1) He then proposed the construction of a Greek style stadium in Jerusalem, to which the emperor consented.

When Antiochus eventually issued his infamous decrees outlawing Jewish practices, the Jewish Hellenists readily consented. "They (the Mityavnim) profaned the Sabbath and sacrificed to heathen altars." (Maccabees 1:43)

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 Is your child away for Chanukkah and you're not sure if s/he has a chanukkiah and candles? Oy Toys has the perfect Complete Travel Hanukkah Kit. 

Includes:

• One Festive Tin Menorah 
• One Box of Candles 
• 4 Plastic Dreidels 
• One fillable dreidel 

Best of all, if you go to Oy Toys through your synagogue's Marketplace site on the homepage, your organization earns money on every dollar you spend.

Repairing the World

 Mobilizing Jews to Protect the Environment

This Hanukkah, in a season of rededication, let us dedicate ourselves to repairing the world through protecting our environment.

What’s Jewish about caring for the environment? This is a core question that we, as leaders of Jewish organizations, ask ourselves all the time. The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) was formed at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) in 1993 to face humanity’s looming environmental crisis and to mobilize the Jewish community to protect God’s creation. Inspired by the Jewish traditions of stewardship, respect for God’s creatures, injunctions not to be wasteful and traditions of social justice, our shared mission is to unite the Jewish community in environmental efforts.

For the past 10 years, we have focused more and more on climate change and energy security as part of our commitment to the notion of tikkun olam, repairing that which is broken in the world, a central value in modern Jewish life. As it says in a Jewish commentary on the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes:

“When God created the first human beings, God led them around the Garden of Eden and said: ‘Look at my works! See how beautiful they are – how excellent! For your sake, I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it.’” (Midrash Kohelet Rabbah, 1 on Ecclesiastes 7:13)

This inspires the urgent need to transform the world’s energy sources and to reduce fossil fuel consumption. As Jews, along with all Americans who care about these issues, we are constantly reminded of our responsibility to care for the most vulnerable and to be aware that those who have contributed the least to causing climate change often suffer the most from its impacts. We are also particularly aware that reducing dependence on oil from unfriendly and repressive regimes is an important national security goal.

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How do hipsters celebrate Hanukkah? Ironically

These are a few of Chicky Winkleman's favorite Hanukkah things: ironic, ugly sweaters adorned with Stars of David, his roommate's Christmas tree and making latkes, alone in the afternoon.

The vegetarian living in Burlington, Vt., knows of what he speaks when it comes to marking the eight-day holiday, hipster style. He's co-founder with older brother Duckie of hipsterjew.com, which ran a make-your-own menorah contest last year and enjoys about 50,000 page views a month, presumably among like-minded young Jews.

The problem with hipster Hanukkah, said Winkleman, whose given name is Charles, is once you identify out loud as a hipster, you've likely lost the descriptor for life. But the preschool teacher who dabbles in standup comedy sees a variety of differences between regular Hanukkah and a hipster's touch.

On food: "There are latkes but it's usually never with people. I'm usually alone making latkes one day. It's a little depressing, but it has to be to get the true hipster Jew Hanukkah experience. It's gotta be a little bit lonely."

On the emerging tradition of ugly Hanukkah sweaters (see Geltfiend.com): "The sweaters are a way for us to get involved with the whole Christmas celebration but still separate ourselves from it." They come with Stars of David and menorahs inside brown circles that look like chocolate gelt.

On an idea his brother (real name Ari) is working on: "You know those big saint candles? He's working on a Jewish version with Woody Allen and, I don't know, maybe Barbra Streisand."

Fedoras for yarmulkes, Fair Trade olive oil or candles via the wax of locally sourced bees — there are lots of ways to pull off a hipster's Hanukkah, even if you're not an active member of the tribe's subset. Or a tribesman of any kind.

Sage Saturn, 22, puts the "ish" in Jewish. He's fresh out of college, not a Jew but hangs out with many and works as a graphic designer for Moderntribe.com, a site loaded with ways to dive into hipster Hanukkah.


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Why I Keep a Separate Bank Account from My Husband

As part of our Women, Work & Money series, Carla Naumburg enlightens us on the joys of a separate bank account.

Soon after my husband and I got married almost 9 years ago, we set up a joint bank account. My husband closed the personal account he had maintained since college. I did not. I kept my own account, under my own name. Nearly a decade later, I still have it.

We each have a checkbook and ATM card for our joint account. I also have a checkbook and debit card for my own account. My husband’s credit card is linked to our shared account; my credit card (which is also under my name alone) is linked to mine. My husband is the primary earner in our family, and his income is deposited into our joint account each month. My inconsistent income from writing, teaching, and advising, goes into my account.

The monthly bills and major expenses get paid out of the joint account, while daily expenses such as trips to the grocery store or medical co-pays come out of mine. To be honest, there’s no rhyme or reason to it. If I’m low on funds, I’ll pay for something out of the joint account, and vice versa. All of our assets are shared; both of our names are on the mortgage and the car titles. My decision to have a separate account is not about division of funds or hiding anything from my husband. (We both have online access to both accounts; my husband can see my bank statement or credit card bill any time he wants.)

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What I Learned About Life and Judaism from the 1965 Watts Riots

Learning for Life is the Jewish Way of Life

I came to Los Angeles in 1965. It was shortly before the Watts riots that took place for six long days in August of that year. I had taken a job working for a service company at that time. When the riots broke out we sat in the office of the dispatcher who was frantically radioing to the mobile service units that he knew and suspected of being in the Watts area to warn them to get out. I can still recall the tension in the office as one of the drivers spoke with such fear of his life; fortunately he got out unharmed.

For the duration of the riots, I, like so many people, followed on the television the senseless destruction and pillage that continued. At that time I remember the chant that the blacks would say, over and over again: ‘Burn, baby, burn’. To me, it was a senseless, insane manner to resolve perceived inequalities.

I grew up in a traditional but liberal Jewish home. I never heard any negative words about blacks or anyone else. My parents worked hard to pay for a modest home, food and clothing for their children; they were certainly not rich. But my parents encouraged us kids to get ahead in life via hard work and education. For me to hear the blacks chant, ‘burn, baby, burn’ seemed exactly the opposite of what they needed to get ahead (or just to maintain a decent life style). To me, it seemed the phrase should have been, as my Jewish friends at that time were wont to say, ‘learn, baby, learn’. It was not just me, but many of my friends that used that phrase, ‘learn, baby, learn’.

From that time onwards, I noticed that myself and most of my Jewish friends continued in furthering their job skills: some took advanced college courses, others took what were called ‘extension’ courses and in general I, together with my Jewish friends, slowly climbed up the ladder of success. Success here does not mean being the top of the field in one’s profession. By success, I mean living and enjoying a good, clean, healthy and happy life, which includes marrying and settling down and raising a family with out major disasters, divorces or catastrophes that bring sorrow.

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The Jewish Chinese Revolutionary

Did you know that during the Chinese Cultural Revolution a Jewish man headed the Chinese Broadcast Administration? The new documentary The Revolutionary (trailer here) explores the fascinating life of Sidney Rittenberg, who went from Southern Jewish gentleman to Cultural Revolutionary to prisoner, and back again. 

Rittenberg grew up in a prominent South Carolina Jewish family, and spent his student years as a labor and civil rights activist. When World War II broke out, he was drafted, sent to Stanford to learn Chinese, and then shipped off to China. Afterward, Rittenberg stayed in the Far East, where he joined the Communist Party and mingled with legendary figures like Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedung.

Rittenberg's fortunes took their first turn when Stalin accused him of espionage. He was sentenced to solitary confinement, and was released only upon the Soviet Premiere’s death six years later. He quickly made up for lost time, becoming a leading proponent of the Cultural Revolution, and leading the Chinese Broadcast Administration, a position of power never before—or since—held by a foreigner. But everything came crashing down when he ran afoul of Jiang Qing, Mao Zedung's wife and one of the Gang of Four. He was thrown back into solitary for another 10 years.

Now 91 and back in the U.S., Rittenberg and his Chinese wife run a consulting firm for companies looking to expand to the Chinese market. Needless to say, he's no longer a communist.

Teach Children to Be their Own Internet Filters

I learned may things about many things while a Jim Joseph Fellow at the Lookstein Institute for Jewish  Education in the Diaspora at Bar Ilan University. One of them is to "Listen to Dr. Eliezer Jones." He is usually funny and nearly always right. This past Sunday Orthodox Jews did what the New York Mets couldn't - they filled Citi Field. And they did it to hold a rally against the internet (the rally was advertised on the web, curiously. I dismissed the whole thing when I first heard about it as just another example of an insular part of the of the Jewish people becoming even more insular. Today, my friend Eliezer and a colleague of his from Yeshiva University made me think again. And again. They taught me something (more than one something).  Let them tell it as published by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency...

By Eliezer Jones and David Pelcovitz 

OPINION

NEW YORK (JTA) -- Tens of thousands of Jews filled Citi Field in Queens on Sunday and heard from haredi Orthodox leaders that the Internet should be avoided in the home at all costs and used sparingly at work, and then only with a filter blocking content that could be damaging spiritually.

Debate as you will what some may see as draconian edicts to protect the Jewish community from moral corruption. But at the heart of the matter is a question that should concern us all: How do we keep our children safe on the Internet?

We know that we cannot work around the Internet. Research from the Pew Foundation indicates that 54 percent of children say they go to Google first when they have a question, as opposed to only 26 percent who say they go to a parent and 3 percent to a teacher. Rather we must figure out how parents and teachers can make this important tool work safely and effectively for our kids.

The difficulty is that even the simple solutions are incredibly complicated. Powerful filters can block illicit images and material, but those filters often block out the good with the bad and limit far too much useful information. This solution has been discussed and debated on our own campus concerning Internet access in dormitories.

Continue reading Davar Acher Blog.

The Black Bar Mitzvah

Rick Ross’ Mixtape ‘The Black Bar Mitzvah’ Gets Release Date & (Ridiculous) Cover Art

 

Rick Ross on Wednesday (October 3) made a surprise announcement to all his Twitter fans: he’ll be releasing the free mixtape The Black Bar Mitzvah on October 8 via DatPiff. In the process, he revealed the iconic-for-its-absurdity cover artwork. Yes, that’s a fur-clad Rozay superimposed on the Star of David. Does it signify a conversion? An inside joke with Drake? We don’t know, nor do we care; we’re just glad it exists.

The Bawse has been busy this year. In addition to brawling at the BET Hip-Hop Awards, he released the mixtape Rich Forever in January, then the Maybach Music Group compilation Self Made Vol. 2 in June and his #1 album God Forgives, I Don’t in July. Ross will also tour with his MMG cohorts beginning in November. Perhaps they’ll break out “Hava Nagila.”

Religion in College: How Has Your Faith Changed?

How does a college education affect one's religious beliefs? Given that college is a period of intellectual engagement and exploration, many scholars have believed that a college education weakens one's religious beliefs. In 1977 researchers David Caplowitz and Fred Sherrow wrote that college is "a breeding ground for apostasy." In 1983 sociologist James Hunter claimed that it was a "well-established fact" that education, even Christian education, "secularizes."

However, the secularizing effect of higher education has come into question in the past decade with new research suggesting that young adults who never enrolled in college are currently the least religious Americans.

In a study published in 2007 by the Social Science Research Council, sociologists Mark D. Regnerus and Jeremy E. Uecker reported on religious service attendance and religious dis-affiliation among young adults. According to their analysis of data collected by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health: 

1. While 64 percent of those currently enrolled in a traditional four-year institution reported a decline in religious service attendance, 76 percent of those who never enrolled in college reported a decline.
2. Twenty percent of those who did not attend college renounced all religious affiliation, whereas only 13 percent of four-year college students did the same.
But behind this hard data lie rich stories of religious and spiritual transformation in college. HuffPost Religion put out a call to our community to ask how their religious and spiritual outlook changed during their college years. Click through the slideshow on the website to see their responses.
If you are a college student or a recent graduate we want to hear from you. Tell us how your religious and spiritual outlook has changed in college. Did you increase in your understanding of your own religious practice? Did you lose your faith? Did you convert to another religion? Submit a 100-word response to religion@huffingtonpost.com along with your headshot and the name of your school, and we might feature your response on our website.
To learn more about the religious engagement of American undergraduates, visit this website.