A month into the new and perhaps final season of \”The Sopranos,\” it\’s high time to consider our favorite TV mobster\’s predilection for Jews. Of course, \”The Sopranos\” features its share of corrupt Jews as well as several marginally anti-Semitic wiseguys. Yet Tony Soprano has evinced a decidedly philosemitic streak.
Offering a korban (from the word karov, to come close) is a hands-on project.
But this very human need is not given free rein; rather, the offering of sacrifices is governed by strict regulations, in order that we tangibly relate to God in a true, proper way.
The title, \”Madame Dread: A Tale of Love, Voodoo and Civil Strife in Haiti,\” comes from the nickname given to her by the kids in her Port-au-Prince neighborhood. In Haitian tradition, women take on the first names of their husbands; in her case she was named for the dreadlocks of her boyfriend (who later became her husband). She also refers to herself as a \”Voodoo Jew.\”
\”When Do We Eat?\” centers on the Stuckman family, which includes grandfather Artur (Jack Klugman); father Ira (Michael Lerner), who tries to lead \”the world\’s fastest seder\”; his neglected wife, Peggy (Lesley Ann Warren); and their children.
It is not only illegal immigrants for whom the Passover tale holds appeal. The story of the Exodus can be easily updated for any of the numerous people in the Third World seeking freedom from oppression.
Zeroing in on 30, rocker Jen Trynin gave herself an ultimatum: either make it now or get out of the game. Her youthful looks belied the years she spent slogging through the Boston music scene without much to show for it besides too many hangovers.
\”I really loved your story,\” Tante Mina said to me in a nearly inaudible gasp. She looked at me and it gave me hope, for her eyes still held that sparkle, that fight, that desire to live. As I walked out of the critical care unit of the hospital to let the next family member into the room, I had no way of knowing that those would be the last words I would hear her speak.
>Speaker after speaker at the recent immigration march in Los Angeles told the 500,000-strong primarily Latino crowd that racism and anti-immigrant sentiments lie behind the debates on Capitol Hill about border enforcement. This was the focus at the march and subsequent student walkouts, even though the House and Senate have debated competing immigration reform legislation, which has included discussions of some sort of guest worker or amnesty plan.
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