Category: Culture

News From YU

April 4, 2006 Academia

A bunch of fun stories from this edition from my old stomping grounds in this edition of YU’s Commentator. Some may be old news to you insiders, but those of us out of the loop take what we can get.

  • The university offers its response to charges of discrimination. Apparently this case was thrown out once before.
  • There really is someone new heading YCDS meaning of course, Dr. Anthony Beukas has actually retired.
  • And speaking of retiring, so has Dr. Haym Soloveitchik. This is a major announcement with ramifications affecting YU’s entire Judaic Studies department in terms of philosophy, faculty, and future students.



Crossover Shopping

April 4, 2006 Culture

The increased visibility of Jews and Judaism in the mainstream media should be obvious to most people who actually partake in secular culture. On this blog we’ve recently discussed a new movie on competitive bar-mitzvahs and further back we noted a Comedy Central special titled Heroes of Jewish Comedy.
While these examples cover only the most superficial aspects of cultural or ethnic Judaism1 we are also noticing a more overtly religious Judaism being portrayed. Many blogs are covering the Orthodox Jew(s)2 on NBC’s The Apprentice, and the of course, there’s everyone’s favorite Lubavitch rapper Matisyahu who recently played MSG.
I’m bringing this up because just the other day I heard Matisyahu’s King Without a Crown (Stubb’s version) on Z100 in the middle of a party mix featuring your standard trance music and Reggaeton. But as odd as that cultural placement was, it *still* wasn’t the most bizarre I have seen.
That honor goes to MTV’s Real World Season 7 (Seattle). Cast member Stephen3 demonstrated his connection to Judaism4 in the casting special by lighting Shabbat candles. While such choreographed displays of ritual are commonplace, MTV did have chutzpa to play Just One Shabbos in the background.
MBD on MTV. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Still I’m curious if anyone out there can top it. Open question: what is the most surreal interpolation of Judaism in mainstream culture you’ve personally seen?

1. Also see Seinfeld and to some extent Jon Stewart.
2. As of this post, one of two was eliminated.
3. You know, the guy who slapped Irene.
4. I forgot if he actually converted or just hung out with Jews in college.



Roughs In the Diamonds

March 29, 2006 Jewish Culture, Law

There’s a great article in the L.A. Times about a diamond deal gone bad. What makes this so fascinating is that the diamond industry is one of the few which relies primarily on trust and where “word is bond.” Normally such scandals are rare since as the article notes, even the mere filing of lawsuits is enough to tarnish one’s reputation. I’m curious if the increase of globalization will turn the diamond trade into just another business.
For those with Lexis-Nexis or good Library access, I highly recommend the authoritative academic study by U of C law professor (and really cool person) Lisa Bernstein, “Opting Out of the Legal System: Extralegal Contractual Relations in the Diamond Industry,” 21 Journal of Legal Studies 115 (1992).



Chag Hasemikha Wrap-Up

March 28, 2006 Academia, Jewish Culture, Personal

To answer the question that’s been on everyone’s mind, I did not get hammered at Sunday’s Chag Hasemikha (although I probably could have were I keeping score). For the most part, everything went off as expected between the camaraderie, mixed emotions, and a really long ceremony.

For more of a play-by-play of the Chag Hasemikha, see Avraham’s comprehensive write-up of the details. Sadly, I wasn’t taking notes during the day so my recollections will be a bit fuzzier and stream-of-consciousnessy, but you’re free to check out the upcoming re-webcast.

The preliminary meet and greet turned into several mini-reunions from different chevras of shiur, Revel, Gruss, or the denizens of the 5th floor. Not surprisingly, the snark was fast and furious. The best line of the day goes to Rabbi Ben Skydel’s heter allowing the black-hatters to remove their haberdashery for the group photo on the grounds of sha’at ha-shemad. Nicely done.

But while there are many more humorously snide comments I could add – I even got in a whole slew of – IY’H By You’s – I believe I’ve already fulfilled my quota for sarcasm. Also to be truthful, the Chag Hasemikha is indeed a significant event, and perhaps the closest YU comes to having its own “State of the Yeshiva.” I don’t have the time now to get into the details, so I just share some personal reflections.

As expected, the speeches and presentations covered all the themes you’d expect from a YU Chag Hasemihka: the contributions of YU, the legacy of R. Soloveitchik, and of course the importance and challenges of being a Rabbi. R. Charlop’s honor was well deserved, and I’m still bewildered at the Marcos Katz receiving the “Etz Chaim” award. Yes he deserves recognition for his generosity and support, but the name of the award is ironic to say the least.

R. Lamm probably got too much flack for rambling (which in fairness, he did), but his message was probably the most important for future Rabbis. Short version: when things go badly, suck it up and move on because you’re really working for God. Granted he was more eloquent, but the point is well taken. Too many rabbis get caught up in the personal egotistical aspects of their job that they forget their mission and as such are more likely to get disheartened by setbacks.

On the other hand, there are several Rabbis out in the field doing excellent work – and YU showed a video to this effect, featuring Rabbis in the pulpit, education, chaplaincy, and outreach. I knew two of the featured Rabbis personally – one from Gush and one from R. Ben-Haim’s shiur – and both of whom are excellent people and well suited to their current positions.

On a personal level, the speeches, presentations, and socializations, all reminded me of how almost-but-not-quite fit in the YU model. By now it should be obvious to recurring readers that my hashkafa isn’t typical YU. Nor should it be surprising that my style is drastically different than most other Rabbis. But what I’ve been more aware of recently are the professional differences between myself and my colleagues. Many pursued careers in the Rabbinate, education, or academics with varying degrees of success. And as noted repeatedly during the ceremony, most of the musmakhim got married at some point and quite a few have already started having families.

Like most people at reunions, I started thinking about how things in my life have turned out in the three years since I finished semikha. And like my time spent in YU, I was once again made perfectly aware of how I’m hardly a typical model of, well, anything.

Not that this necessarily a bad thing, but the constant reinforcement of “outsider” status can be grating eventually. Case in point: Richard Joel said that it is impossible to get through semikha without the support of our spouses, which made me question if in fact I did somehow manage or if my mystery spouse was working behind the scenes in some way doctoring my Contemporary Halakha exams.

The thing is that even during my RIETS tenure I didn’t exactly follow the crowd either. R. Katz’s (AH’S) shiur wasn’t a popular choice, and despite the random acts of shehita, neither was R. Ben-Haim’s. I was one of three or four Talmud majors in Revel, though now it’s apparently “cool” again. Outside of YU, I participated in Meorot and Clal and held a computer job on the side. Maybe I shared individual experiences with a few people, but as you could expect, there was very little overlap between the different experiences.

As someone told my father during one of the receptions, my reputation is that I follow my own beat, but I’m serious. An accurate description, but I also must say that the Chag also reminded me that there are a few other intruments who do join in periodically. All those people from the different chevras went their own ways as well, and it just so happened that our paths converged every so often. I’ve often noted that althought YU will never admit it, it is the most religiously diverse and I daresay pluralistic Jewish institution such that it was possible for such various chevras to even exist.

In bringing back everyone under one roof, the Chag reminded me of the opportunities which are out there, as well as what is actually possible to accomplish. I’d say that’s four hours well spent.



The Rising Costs Of Integrity

March 21, 2006 Academia

It seems that Yeshiva University is in yet another scandal over it’s policies and treatment of homosexual students. According to the NY Post, AECOM student Jeevan Padiyar, a homosexual student, was harassed over the passed three years and eventually dismissed from the school. Padiyar alleges that his treatment was purely based on his sexual orientation. While such allegations are normally difficult to prove, Padiyar has produced a particularly incriminating memo (pdf) allegedly sent by Dr. James David, the Associate Dean for Students.

[Continue Reading...]



Sarna On Israel

January 8, 2006 Politics

Newsweek has an online interview with the always insightful Jonathan Sarna regarding Sharon, Israel, and their relationship with American Judaism. Sarna, as expected, is insightful and makes some excellent points but the inherent limitations of such an interview prohibit fully sophisticated answers.
For some examples, on describing the relationship between Sharon and the American Jewish population:

    Here, a man [Sharon] who had so strongly advocated settling every inch of land, and was more responsible than anyone else for the settlements, was pulling Jews out of those settlements in an effort to create a viable Palestinian state and Israeli state. I think even those who disagreed had enormous respect for his ability to really change his position.

This this is a very nice thought, but I think it’s overly optimistic. Yes, it is noteworthy when people change their minds and in many cases it is commendable. However, when dealing with such incendiary issues such reversals are more often then not seen as betrayals, especially when someone is elected under those pretexts. (Think Bush nominating to the Supreme Court a judge from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals). How such reversals are perceived is completely dependant on which side you happen to find yourself.
On the question “Is there a feeling among Jews in the United States that if you criticize the government of Israel, you’re criticizing Israel itself?” Sarna describes an evolution in popular thought:

    But I think as time has gone on, it has become clear that the question is how one dissents. Certainly the Jewish community was not unanimously in support of the removal from Gaza. But I think it’s now well understood that American Jewry, where church and state are separated, [are] really unable to give unwavering support to a religious situation in Israel where religion is deeply enmeshed within the state.

This is a fascinating response as Sarna attributes political dissension to different ideologies of religion and politics. It is nearly impossible to discuss Israel without at some point addressing the religious impact,1 but in the more secularized American society it is significantly easier to overlook or minimize religion’s real significance.
On the effect of Sharon’s absence on American Jews:

    American Jews, in some ways, are going to feel lost with whoever succeeds Sharon. They don’t know the next generation of Israeli politicians, with the exception of [former prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. But he seems very unlikely at this point to take on the center. I think it’s going to take time before the American Jews get to know these people, and I think the same is true on the national scene.

Jewish Americans are probably familiar with only a handful of Israeli politicians. This is probably due to the fact that the same people keep running Israeli politics. Most of those old timers have long and well documented histories such that even the uninitiated can more easily catch up on their background and ideologies. But once you get to even the party leadership, things get a little murkier.
On the change of American Jewry’s opinion of Sharon:

    Sharon was a man of very great personal charisma, and I think that many American Jews, even if they weren’t in love with his policy, came to believe that even though it may be difficult to watch settlements uprooted, this seemed like the most sensible policy.

Here Sarna is guilty of something many writers do – the ambiguous qualifier of “many.”2 Still I think Sarna is correct considering the politically liberal political tendencies certainly among the religiously liberal Jewish communities. I will also suggest that the Rabin Factor probably discourages militant rhetoric from the right.
I’d recommend reading the whole article if nothing else to inspire some intelligent conversation.

1. On this point I highly recommend reading Arther Hertzberg’s The Fate of Zionism.
2. Yeah, I know.



Sharon Colored Hashkafa

January 6, 2006 Politics

Some people took me up on my odds yesterday regarding fundamentalist rhetoric. Returning blogger and former protocols elder Avraham noted that organizations like the OU are publicizing Sharon’s name for prayers.
However, in the comments Hillel pointed to