Shabbat Shalom and Chappy Chanukah!
I am usually one who bashes the pharmaceutical industry for the legal chicanery they and the US government have perpetrated on the addicted public for so many years, but this week, they are my heroes. We now have a vaccine! And while it may take a while for my place in line, there is now much hope that we can eventually return to some form of normalcy by summer 2021. And for those with any skepticism about the FDA and the approval process, I can assure you from my own personal experience working with them on approving a medical device, that they are consummate professionals that take their role very seriously, and are driven by science and data, not any pressure or pronouncements from an orange turd transitioning from the White House to the Jail House.
One of the things I love about The Forward is it’s ability to find a Jewish angle on just about anything! So, in keeping with that mission, I decided to google John Lennon and Jews since this week marked the 40th anniversary of his assassination. Turns out that a reporter for the Voice of Israel interviewed him in 1969 and asked the star Beatle if he knew any Jewish songs to which he replied ‘Only Hava Nagila, ha-ha-ha.’ The reporter then taught him to sing two lines from the Hebrew song “Oath to Jerusalem” which he did, and you can listen to it via this link: https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-tv-broadcasts-clip-of-john-lennon-singing-oath-to-jerusalem-in-hebrew/ I decided to honor the great legend by visiting Newbury Comics and buying Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, vinyl version of course.
So, let’s look at the News of the Jews from the week, courtesy of, you guessed it, The Forward:
- Chanukka: Festival of Lights? Celebration of a miracle? Or a holiday that like Judaism, bucks tradition? – You be the judge of this critique on a point of view I don’t share, that Chanukka/Judaism is too rigid and inflexible to be adapted to different interpretations and practices. Bah humbug!
- “Puupy for Chanuka”: finally a new song to add to the very short Chanukah song book – Sorry, call me old fashioned, but I just can’t get into the rap thing, even though I am a fan of beat poetry and can appreciate the artistry. But there is just no comparing the mellifluous sounds and songs of the Christmas song book to this lyrical drumbeat, although the lyrics are quite clever. Here is a link if you are interested in hearing “Puppy for Chanukah” by Daveed Diggs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8MkeIo2bUE
- Legendary Latkes – If you don’t have an air fryer, or an amazing son-in-law who owns one, this might be the recipe you have been waiting for! Or just pick up a box at Trader Joe’s in the frozen food section.
- Orthodox Jews leaving Lakewood, NJ for a nearby neighborhood and the impact of that migration – Who cares? Not me….i suggest you skip this one.
- Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts new Jewish Director has a rocky start, but making changes – A racial incident at the museum heightened museum director, Teitelbaum’s social justice sensitivities and paved the way for some interesting ways of making the museum more inclusive – Being from Boston, I was surprised by this news, and found it an interesting read about our own iconic art institution.
- A TV show called “Big Mouth” apparently cleverly written with a Westchester Jewish sense of humor – Havn’t seen it, so can’t comment, but I am generally not a fan of animated shows. I suggest we defer to the Rosen crew to give us the lowdown on this one, as they grew up in the area.
- The Right now turning their venomous attacks on scientists – Nothing surprises me anymore about what shameful and treasonous lengths the right will go to in order to hang onto power. I wish it were not so.
- Orthodox and a Biden supporter? Not an easy balancing act apparently – Among the orthodox, not surprising that Biden supporters might feel a bit stigmatized.
All for now, and hey, let’s be extra careful out there! This surge is freaking awful!
Brad out. https://assets.forward.com/121120_shabbat.pdf
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