I Want to Be a Producer!

Last night's Oscar awards (and yes, I did watch the entire thing from beginning to end...funny what 12 straight hours of Mardi Gras will do to you come Sunday night) rekindled my long-simmering desire to be a big-time movie star, or at least the awkward-looking guy who gets up on stage and accepts the award!

A few quick-hit thoughts on last night's Oscar ceremony, apropos of nothing directly Jew-related, but relevant none the less because, c'mon, it's the Oscars!

-Hugh Jackman, exactly what a host should be, just not used effectively. His opening song was creative and funny, would have liked to see more.

-Good to see two fellow Jews presenting together in Natalie Portman and Ben Stiller. Way to represent you two!

-There are a few movies I was not planning on seeing that now have piqued my interest, namely Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (Penelope Cruz won for Best Supporting Actress) and "Man on Wire" (Best Documentary).

-If you went for a snack during the Best Animated Short award, you missed the most memorable acceptance speech of the night, delivered by Kunio Kato. Check it out here!

-The winners confirmed my suspicion that "Benjamin Button" is a cinematic masterpiece of visual effects, that lack any sort of interesting story to tie it all together. Button won three awards for its effects, but no acting awards.

-Props to "Slumdog Millionaire," one of the only Best Picture movies in recent memory that I have both seen and enjoyed.

-That being said, I still say the best two movies of the year were Wall-E and Dark Knight. While they were both recognized (Wall-E for Best Animated and Dark Knight for Heath Ledger and an effects award) they should have gotten more.

-I want to be in the movies!



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The 20 Male Poses of Facebook

In the neverending quest to discuss the relevant issues of the day, I pass along this spot-on dissection of the male Facebook profile picture habits!

Guys, ever think that you are being wildly creative and unique with your latest Facebook profile pic? Well think again.

This post from 2birds1blog most definitely has you pegged, whether its the shot of you looking your best at the office hannukah party or the ultra emo shot you took yourself while standing on your head. (I for one am currently violating Rule 13: Do not allow Tupperware to share the spotlight in your picture... No, no there is a real Rule 13 and yes I am breaking it as we speak!)

So will this change the way we use Facebook or make us stop and think about its place in the world? Hell no. But it's guaranteed to make you laugh more than 6 times and give you a chance to make fun of your friends along the way. AKA, perfect Thursday afternoon entertainment. Enjoy! (And special thanks to the DC friend who was busy enough at work to pass this along!)

Disclaimer: This post does contain material that may not be suitable for young children...So if you are a young child, what the heck are you doing reading our blog anyway? Go away.
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Google Latitude

Tired of showing up to the bar on time and wondering just where everyone else is? Google (of course) has the answer!

As a late-to-the party (as in 4 days ago) smart phone owner, today's roll-out of Google Latitudes is the perfect oasis in the gift-giving dessert between Hannukah and Purim!

Google Latitudes is a part of Google Maps for Mobile and it allows you to share your location with friends and family members, and likewise be able to see friends and family members' locations. For example, a courteous and on-time friend could use it to see just how far away his or her companion really is when they say they are "on the way". And for someone who makes a habit out of being awkwardly on time, this is HUGE!

Disclaimer from Google for the privacy-hawks: "To protect privacy, Google specifically requires people to sign up for the service. People can share their precise location, the city they're in, or nothing at all."

So next time I show up to the bar on time, I just have to whip out my handy Omnia and see that Elliott (or Rosh or Y?) is actually in West County and will not be there in 10. It's a whole new level of knowledge to arm the fashionably late challenged!

Oh, and the best thing about all this? While Google is rolling it out for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile phones today, iPhone users can only expect to get the update "soon." Take that iPhone!

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Movie Watch: The Reader

After scoring a surprise Oscar nomination this morning for Best Picture, is The Reader just another Holocaust movie or is it something more?


The "Holocaust Movie" The Reader was unexpectedly nominated for Best Picture at this morning's Oscar nominations. Luckily, I just so happened to see the film this past weekend, and have a few thoughts to share.

More or less, Holocaust movies tend to get a bad rap as dark, depressing and all the same. With the national mood at such a low point, the wisdom of releasing yet another re-hash of one of the world's darkest hours could certainly be suspect.

However, the Reader presents a new side of the puzzle, with different questions abounding. Kate Winslet plays a mysterious yet likeable figure with some dark secrets regarding her Holocaust past. Without giving too much away, suffice to say that the movie presents moralistic questions and dilemmas in a way I have not seen before.

Make no mistake, the movie is dark and you will leave the theater more than a little uncomfortable. However where the Reader succeeds is that this unease is due to the questions left unanswered rather than to the handling of the sensitive subject matter.

So by all means, check it out for yourself, but don't say I didn't warn you to come prepared for what you are asked to debate within yourself.
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A Jewish Saddam Hussein?

Who better to play the role of Saddam Hussein than... Yigal Naor?

When Newsweek reporter Dan Ephron started watching HBO's ongoing series "House of Saddam," he thought the actor playing the 21st century's most famous dictator sounded familiar, a little like his grocer in Israel in fact.

Turns out, Ephron has an ear for Israel. The actor who plays Saddam Hussein is Yigal Naor, an Israeli. One of his co-stars, who plays "Chemical Ali", is Uri Gavriel. With a name like "Uri Gavriel", is there any doubt that he, too, is an Israeli?

New York casting agent Avy Kaufmann reasons that Israel happens to have some phenomenal actors. In addition, Israeli actors are preferred to Arab actors, because their English tends to be better and their acting style is more "Western".

Check out the full Newsweek article here.

And a shout-out to my dad (Mr. Zuz) for passing this along! As he said in the email... We are EVERYWHERE!
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Festival of Nations Recap

Food! Music! Dancing! Scotch! More Food!

Sounds like a stereotypical Jewish (or for that matter, almost any ethnic) get-together. In fact, it was the Festival of Nations, a weekend-long outdoor festival housed in Tower Grove Park.

Saturday started out with some Irie tuned from the Dubtronix, local Reggae outfit covering everything from Bob Marley and Black Uhuru, to more contemporary Dancehall.

Next Zuz and I took a walk up to the merchandise booths, which contained goodies from around the world.



After sampling the worldly wares, we were drawn to the sound of percussion (read: I was drawn and made dash for). It turned out to be a belly dancing demonstration, and was worth a few minutes in the brutal sun.


We filled up on food from around the world and hobbled home, much appreciative of multiculturalism.

On Sunday, I recovered early enough to catch the Kung Fu demonstration, but not early enough for the Israeli folk songs.

I did, however, get a sample a flight of whiskey. Never underestimate the power of a whiskey tasting to get you through your day.


I would like to commend the organizers of this event, for putting getting together so many different people and bringing them together in such a positive way. I will definitely be there next time around.
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Big. Free. Weekend.

Tower Grove Park is host to this weekend's 'Festival of Nations'.
The full list of events can be found here, but read on for the highlights.

Knowing from personal experience how mefahgerin' hard it is to plan an event like this, and seeing how much culture is represented here, you better believe I'll be there there whole weekend.

Tower Grove Park is located between Grand and Kingshighway, Magnolia and Arsenal.
Saturday at the world music stage
12:00 PM Dubtronix Reggae Band
1:30 PM Elsie Parker and The Poor People of Paris
3:00 PM Samba Bom Trio
4:30 PM Farshid & Friends Persian/Latin/Gypsy Fusion
6:00 PM Autumn's Child Native American

Saturday at the forest stage
10:00 AM African American Ensemble West African
Nordic Dancers Scandanavian
11:00 AM OPENING CEREMONY
Fiesta Mexicana! Mexican
12:00 PM Shadi Zarghami Persian
Thai Classical Dancers Thai
1:00 PM Cossack Dancers European
Aalim Belly Dancers Middle Eastern
Bollywood Shuffle Indian
2:00 PM Community Performance Ensemble African American
Hawaiian Polynesian Revue Polynesian
3:00 PM Philippine Art Foundation Filipino
Folkloric Group Colombia Colombian
Djerdan Bosnian Folkloric Group Bosnian
4:00 PM Doorei Traditional Korean Drumming Korean
KidsMex Dance Group Mexican
Bon Odori Group Japanese
5:00 PM St. Nicholas Greek Dancers Greek
Cai's Classic Kung Fu Chinese
Viva Flamenco! Spanish
5:45 PM Psalms African American

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Olympic Rings

So Olympic fever has hit every corner of the globe, and Israel is right in the thick of things (kinda)

So I don't know about you, but I have been eating up the Olympics, guzzling gallons of Olympic Kool-Aid through my NBC-sponsored beer bong, and watching every second of Michael Phelps that I can. Which got me to thinking... when will I see my first Israeli in prime time, fighting for that gold medal? When will we hear Ha-Tikva ringing through Beijing's Forbidden City?

Turns out, the Israeli Olympic tradition is not so storied. Although they have competed since 1952, Israel has only won 6 total medals. That being said, things have been on an upswing recently, as 2004 saw an Israeli climb to the top of the medal stand in Athens, as Gal Fridman claimed the title as world's best windsurfer. Guess all that practicing in the Dead Sea paid off!

Anyway, if you are wondering what sports will give our beloved Israelis the best chance for gold this time around, keep on eye on Gal on the surf board again. But, also pay attention to the Bird's Nest, the home of track and field in Beijing. Russian-born Aleksandr Averbukh could win Israel's first ever track and field medal, in the pole vault.

So looking to rebuke all those jokes about Jews maybe not being the most athletic specimens? Sorry, but the Olympics probably will not give you much help.

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The Jewish Soul

Considering that we come from all over the world, speak a multitude of languages, believe a great many different things and choose to practice our beliefs quite differently (and that's just the Jews), how is it that I can so deeply identify my Jewish soul with something as simple as a melody?

I recently re-discovered a record (12" 33RPM), entitled "The Soul of Israel" in my lil collection. Many of the songs were hauntingly beautiful including the theme from Exodus, a movie set in British Mandate/Pre-State Israel, Kol Nidre (all our vows), a central piece of the Yom Kippur liturgy, and of course, Hatikvah.

Very few pieces of music have the effect of the aforementioned songs. I can always count on these cuts, and others like these, to send shivers up my spine.

These pieces exist in the part of my being that is totally irrational, without reason or doubt, without reality or pessimism. Filled with faith, superstition, and reverence, these songs resonate in my soul.

There are very few things which can totally capture my attention span. These songs not only capture my attention, they consume it entirely.

Interestingly, many of the cuts on this album are more recent additions to our national consciousness. Consider, for example, Hatikvah (a personal favorite, that, to this day, I can barely sing without choking up). Although the sentiments of the song are over 2000 years old, the words were written in the 1880's, and the melody is adapted from several folk sources.

This tradition of putting modern words or music to ancient feelings is also a part of Kol Nidrei, whose haunting melody Lewis Black often refers to as the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock movies. Even though no two synagogues or congregations will ever sing Kol Nidrei the same note-for-note, the integrity of the piece remains.

As secularized or assimilated as we may become, for many of us we cannot shake this connection to this music, and through it, to a deeper message and desire.

שִׁמְעוּ אַחַי בְּאַרְצוֹת נוּדִי
,אֶת קוֹל אַחַד חוֹזֵינוּ
כּי רַק עִם אַחֲרוֹן הַיְּהוּדִי
!גַּם אַחֲרִית תִּקְוָתֵנוּ
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Nutritious content

I recognize that up to this point, the blog has been mostly an exercise in vanity.

That is my fault, I apologize. That's not to say that there won't be excessive ranting or attempts to make ourselves look cool in the future, but I'll try to ensure that actual social/political/cultural content gets added as well.

First, check this out: CEO's for Cities's CEO blogs about Cincinnati, my hometown, and another post-industrial declining city.

In that vein, I want to write about something that continues to be an issue of both great pride and consternation to me. That issue is the relationship between the Jewish community and the African-American community, specifically the descendants of Africans who were brought to America to be slaves.

This is an important distinction to make, as a side note, because there are very large splinters in the African diaspora community within America. Generally this tends to revolve around the relative economic mobility that more recent African immigrants have had as opposed those aforementioned descendants of slaves.

In fact, it might be argued that the only thing that unites the Black community (and perhaps the only shared aspect of identity) is racism and prejudice, real or perceived. I direct your attention to Amadou Diallo.

So here we are in 2008, with Crown Heights acting up again, world image of Israel at a low point, young Jews in America struggling to figure out where we fit in the whole equation.


Let me reign this back in with a thesis statement:
Although Jewish- and African-Americans have historically had higher levels of interaction and often cooperation than either group had with any other ethnic minority, the 'golden age' of this relationship has been allowed to pass, and without focused attention the issue, the two groups face mutual alienation and further antagonism.

When I was in Chicago, Elena, one of the more interesting people I am fortunate enough to know was talking to me about Black-Jewish relations in this country.

She broke it down as follows:
Why care? Really, why should African-Americans trust that Jews in America are any different than the rest of the white population, purveyors and enablers of slavery and rape, prejudice, racism, and humiliation?

Why should Jews care about African-Americans, with whom they currently seem to have little in common?

She was basically pointing out that Jews became bougie, that with the economic mobility that we have enjoyed, we have forgotten from whence we came, save a few Holocaust remembrance days and Yiddish-colloquialisms. In a sense, Elena is saying that we became white, trading in our identity for a ticket on the bus, or in this case, a suburban house in a quiet (white) neighborhood, a big (goyish) SUV, and private schooling.

If this is true, than it is truly frightening, clearly for the wider implications, but specifically in regards to Black-Jewish dialogue. Jews have succeeded wildly in America, despite having come (mostly) as poor immigrants and refugees while African Americans have been plagued by high incarceration rates, low incomes, and poor outcomes.

The only remaining point of contact seems to be popular culture. What can explain the fascination of generations of American Jews with American African culture, the Beastie Boys, Mattisyahu, Scott Storch, back to Benny Goodman and Irving Berlin?

Perhaps the core explanation is an identification with suffering, at least from the Jewish perspective. The ideas that A. we were slaves in the land of Egypt and B. we have an obligation to heal this imperfect world are essential to the psyche of the American Jews who fought in the civil rights movement. The oft-referenced Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner murders are constantly used as evidence of the sacrifices of Jews for the Black struggle for equality in America, and is a personal point of pride for me (and AEPi, to whom both Goodman and Schwerner belonged).

Another, perhaps less altruistic, perspective is that Jews understood that African Americans were one of the few groups lower on the ethnic pecking order and were effectively a canary in a mine shaft. That is to say that Jews recognized that they had better improve the situation for Black folk in America, because the same racism that was targeted at Blacks, could just as quickly and easily be shifted in the Anti-Jewish sentiment (antisemitism includes other Semitic peoples).

In any case, the great strides that Jews and Blacks had made together, as embodied by Rabbi Heschel walking arm and arm with Dr. King, Jr. was shattered and we have a responsibility to pick up the pieces.

There is so much more to write on this topic, but really, we just need to be out there in the community, we have created a physical distance between ourselves and the black community, and only proximity will force us to improve that relationship.

Which is why we moved to the sanctuary.

--edit-- Rosh thinks I need to provide more solutions instead of diatribes, so here we go.

1. Live in a neighborhood in which you come into contact with people who don't look, talk, or believe what you do.

2. Take some time to read about the history of civil rights in this country, learn about some of the challenges still faced by African-Americans.

3. Turn the radio off. The 'Blazing Hip Hop and R&B' on the radio today is an extension of Blackface and Minstrel shows. This is clearly a personal diatribe, but that's what the internet is for right? Read More......