Category
January 6, 2000
Mysteries of the Jews
The big surprise of the holiday season, if you caught it, was Jerry Seinfeld\’s wedding.\nIt turns out the man whose television persona perfectly embodied men\’s fear of commitment was, in real life, simply waiting for the right Jewish woman. Once he found her, baddaboom, baddabing, you\’ve got a traditional Jewish wedding, chuppah, broken glass, the works. It\’s so traditional, the crabmeat canapes come out only after the rabbi leaves. They even saw to a kosher Jewish divorce for the once-married bride. Who knew television\’s darkest satirist was such a sentimental traditionalist offscreen?
The Altered Landscape
For about 10 years now I have been telling everyone I\’ve met, with very little prompting, that America was becoming a partly Jewish nation. By that I meant that we were largely accepted within government, education, law, medicine and most of the elite institutions in the U.S.; that our children had access to the best schools; and that the job market was open to us. And, more to the point, that by occupying such a primary role in the making and dispersal of culture, high and low (novels and art, films and TV), we were imprinting the rest of this nation with a Jewish sensibility. So what\’s the great surprise that today Ruth Bader Ginsburg sits on the Supreme Court without any fanfare or that Madonna is \”drawn towards\” kabbalah or that everyone consumes bagels.
The More Things Change
Steve Glickman, Jewish Student Association (JSA) president at Georgetown University, is battling \”muffled intolerance on campus.\” He gives a small but chilling example.
\”Yesterday, when we were passing out blue ribbons… against intolerance and for diversity, two students approached and said specifically they don\’t support Jews here,\” he said, his voice thick with fatigue. \”The sentiment exists among a larger number of students than it\’s currently being given credit for… This shouldn\’t be glossed over by students or the administration.\”
Is Jewish the Next Next Thing?
Is Judaism the next big trend to sweep American society? Is there a downside to this, and if not, why do some of us feel vaguely uneasy about this seeming infatuation with things Jewish on the part of non-Jews?
Jews Report Less Workplace Discrimination
Religious discrimination in the workplace may be less of a problem for Jews than for other religious minorities, according to a new nationwide study.
Jewish Days of Wine and Roses
From a historical perspective, Myers believes that the present status of American Jewry represents the culmination of a long process of Jewish emancipation, the likes of which the world has not seen before.
Jewish Law Cited in Death Penalty Case
A man who will argue before the U.S. Supreme Court next year that his planned execution in Florida\’s electric chair constitutes \”cruel and unusual punishment\” can point to a 2,000-year-old Jewish law when he pleads his case.
Finding Independence
For the first time in Los Angeles history, a Jewish home for the developmentally disabled is opening. Situated in North Hollywood, the home, under the supervision of the Etta Israel Center, will house six males in their mid-20s.
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