Out of the Closet, Into the Fire

This March, history was quietly made in a Saturday morning Orthodox minyan (prayer quorum) at Brandeis University. Avi, a 22-year-old then-college junior from the Boston area, was called up to the Torah for an aliyah. While nothing was said outright, and he had been chosen for no particular reason, the unintentional message was clear: complete acceptance. Two days before his aliyah, Avi (some names, including this one, have been altered for confidentiality) tacitly confirmed his sexuality in front of a weekly Jewish learning group for the Brandeis Orthodox Organization (BOO) known as Mishmar. For Avi, coming out was “a whole process,” that began with informing “a few close friends” during his sophomore year. Avi then told his family, who, despite being shocked, were “wonderful about it.” Avi told friends who knew he was gay to let the...

Continue reading

The (Soul) Doctor is In

The rabbi is dancing and singing, his congregation swooning, his synagogue…absent. We are watching an actor only pretend to be a rabbi and are sitting in the (not-so) holy confines of a Broadway theatre, watching a preview of the new musical Soul Doctor. The musical chronicles the life of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (Eric Anderson), focusing on his active years as a “troubadour.”  The show also gives insight into the relationship between Carlebach and the famous jazz singer Nina Simone (Amber Iman), as friends who inspire one another. (The show doesn’t delve into real-life rumors of a romantic relationship). Born in Germany in 1925, Carlebach moved to America in the late 1930s to escape the Nazis. In the U.S., Carlebach excelled as a Torah scholar and was a member of the Lubavitch movement. Carlebach gave up the...

Continue reading

The English Girl: A Kidnapping That’s Part Mirth, Part Mayhem

The English Girl, Daniel Silva’s most recent novel featuring Israeli super-spy (think James Bond meets Jack Bauer) Gabriel Allon, tries to break out of the successful but increasingly stale formula that has made its author a best-seller. For those new to the series, Allon is an on-again-off-again “retired” Israeli spy, who moonlights as an art restorer, and is the top Secret Agent for the Israeli government when he does decide to comeback to action. After 13 books featuring Allon, originality may be hard to summon, but Silva manages to use the spy formula to his advantage to craft a suspenseful, page-turning tale. In fact, the inclusion of a fortuneteller known as the Signadora (a first for the series), is the book's most ridiculous element, and a rarity for a series which, despite occasionally indulging in...

Continue reading

In Praise of Pop Culture’s Jewish Fathers

Behold, the Jewish father: an oft-forgotten figure, generally second fiddle to the much-discussed Jewish mother. Though pop culture tends to be focused on the matriarchs of the Jewish family, a few notable fathers have broken through. Here are a few of our favorites: 1. Ari Gold--Jeremy Piven (Entourage) The wheeling-and-dealing Hollywood agent who loses his temper at everyone except his children. Likes: Swearing, hugging it out, heated phone calls. Dislikes: Adam Davies, Amanda Daniels, losing a deal. Famous for: Making Vinnie Chase a Hollywood legend, despite the numerous setbacks. “LLOYD!” 2. Bernie Focker--Dustin Hoffman (Meet the Fockers/Meet the Little Fockers) The attorney turned stay-at-home dad who lavishes praise upon his son and saves his every participation trophy Likes: His son’s accomplishments, positive reinforcement, his wife Roz. Dislikes: Negativity, his in-laws' parenting methods. Famous for: Being a proud dad, sexual innuendos.   3. Guido Orefice--Roberto Benigni (Life is...

Continue reading

The (Chosen) Man of Steel

This summer’s Man of Steel, opening June 14th, marks the return of Krypton’s Last Son to American cinemas. Above all the fanfare, a question remains: Do Superman and his Jewish roots still have relevance to today's American Jews? The superhero's origin story is fairly well known: Born Kal-El on the soon-to-be-destroyed planet Krypton, Superman is sent in a ship down the canals of space to Earth by his parents; a kindly Smallville couple, Jonathan and Martha Kent, pick up baby Kal-El and adopt him as their own upon his arrival to this planet, renaming him Clark. On Earth, Kal-El (which means vessel or voice of God in Hebrew), leads a double life as a mild-mannered journalist, using his powers to save the people of Earth, his secret identity preventing anyone from realizing who he truly is. The story may...

Continue reading