So a guy at the gym this morning I talk to off and on once again started talking to me about various things and my being Jewish managed to come up, and he seemed surprised ( Read more... )

darkphuque asks ...

Have you always been religious, if not why and do you identify with a given ethnic background.. as in Russian Jew, Turkish Jew, etc.?
For more than a decade -- up until I was in college -- I wasn't religious at all. I'm not really sure what it is that brought me back, but it's an integral part of me now. Because of not having done ( Read more... )

gorkabear asks ...

Maybe an easy one, but I'm puzzled about your interest in Hebrew. Ok, and also why do you have such a "non-American" name.
Great questions ( Read more... )

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So our shlixa, Lior, kept pushing for me to go to this "Young Adult Division" havdalah dinner on Saturday. "And bring Carl! I want to meet him ( Read more... )

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I just had to roll my eyes. As non-frum as I am, I still think this is ridiculous...

Tfillin mistaken for bomb on airplane.

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Friday night I attended a shabbat service at Or Chadash in Chicago, as my friend Reuven was leading services that evening (and I promised that I'd show up more than once a year!). The service ended with a Ladino version of אין כאלהינו, Ein Keloheinu, "There is none like our God", and as I looked at the romanized lyrics, I thought to myself ( Read more... )

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