pop culture - Building a Jewish Life

Last Minute Thoughts before Rosh Hashanah

September 28, 2011

Aish Connections has asked me to pass along information about their No Membership Required campaign: it’s “a complimentary database of synagogues across the country that offer social, engaging and unique services for non-members. It lists Synagogue details (and prices where relevant) and indicates what range of services are offered including additional programs such for youth, teen, and explanatory […]

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Falling Into the Rabbit Hole of Orthodox Pop Culture

September 23, 2011

It is 3am, and I have a post that has to go up today, but I know all of you want to be “in the know,” so we’re going to have a double post today! The Maccabeats released their new video tonight, while mysteriously everyone but the Maccabeats were at a Jewish rock concert. In

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It’s Elul, What Are You Doing to Make Your Soul Bigger?

September 21, 2011

During this time of growth, what have you been focusing on to make your soul “bigger”? I’ve been focusing on my davening, especially in Hebrew.

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UPDATED: Why Out of Town Girls Move to New York City

September 18, 2011

I apologize for the wind and the talkers. It’s a loud day in NYC. But here is a live taste of the Maccabeats from their performance today at the Yeshiva University Homecoming. And now why those girls SHOULD be moving to NYC…the Y-Studs. If you go to their website, you can get a free song!

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Word of the Day: Shuckle

September 15, 2011

If you don’t know the word shuckle, you probably still know what it is! In fact, if you have been davening with an orthodox congregation for at least a few months, you probably already do it. Shuckling is a swaying and/or rocking movement Jews tend to do while praying. It apparently comes from the Yiddish

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Orthodox Inside Jokes: Mixed Dancing Makes Babies

September 8, 2011

If you really want to pass as orthodox, you have to be able to appropriately use “mixed dancing” in a conversation to evoke the most humor possible. You may think you can be orthodox without this skill, but that simply is not true. But in all seriousness, people have thought I was frum-from-birth based solely

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New Video from the Groggers!

September 7, 2011

I know I’ve foisted the Groggers on y’all plenty already, but it’s my blog, so you have to indulge me sometimes. Power pop is my favorite genre of music, so I can’t resist anything combining that with Jewish pop culture humor. The Groggers released their latest video yesterday, Upper West Side Story. The Upper West

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Like Israel? Then Support Israeli Artists by Seeing the Voca People! To Boot, It’s One of the Top Shows Ever

September 2, 2011

Today, I’m going to tell you why the Voca People are awesome. But I’m not going to make you take that on faith. I’ll tell you a little about myself so that you can know I am a clear authority on their amazingness. First, I saw it. Second, I’ve seen a lot of performances of

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News: Gwyneth Paltrow Announces She’s Raising Her Children Jewish …Huh?

August 22, 2011

Gwyneth Paltrow has announced that she is raising her children Jewishly. US Weekly has one version of the story: “Gwyneth Paltrow: I’m Raising Apple and Moses Jewish.” However, the story is wrong in that the episode did not show anyone giving Paltrow lessons in Jewish halacha about matrilineal descent. While I’m sure it came up in

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Phrase of the Day: Talmid Chacham

August 16, 2011

For your post-Tu B’Av pleasure… Doesn’t every man want to be a Talmid chacham? I know every woman wants to marry one. Even more than they want to marry the Old Spice Guy. (Old Old Spice Guy Isaiah, not New Old Spice Guy Fabio.) Talmid chacham just means Torah scholar. An illustration of such a

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