Rabbi, Benjamin D. Sternman is the spiritual leader of Adat Chaverim in Plano, Texas. Rabbi Sternman received his bachelor’s degree from Cornell, followed by his MBA. He entered the world of corporate finance and soon found that while he loved solving the mathematical puzzles required for his work, he didn’t feel it was completely fulfilling. He finally decided to trade the world of high finance for the life of a Reform rabbi – and he has never looked back. Rabbi Sternman joined Adat Chaverim in 2012 and is thrilled to have found his own spiritual home within the congregation.
In Parshat Noah, G‑d instructs Noah to build a large wooden teivah (“ark”). A great deluge, wipes out all life from the face of the earth; but the ark floats upon the water, sheltering Noah and his family, and two members of each animal species.
Rain falls for 40 days, the waters churn for 150 days more. Then the ark settles on Mount Ararat, and Noah dispatches a raven, and then a series of doves, “to see if the waters were abated from the face of the earth.”
Noah builds an altar. G‑d swears never again to destroy all of mankind because of their deeds, and sets a rainbow as a testimony of His new covenant with man.
The people defy God by building a great tower to symbolize their invincibility; G‑d confuses their language, causing them to abandon their project and disperse across the face of the earth, splitting into seventy nations.
A wide-ranging conversation with former Ambassador Norman Eisen on the future of Europe, being Jewish in America, working next to President Obama and his new book, “The Last Palace.”
Feda Abdelhady-Nasser, a Palestinian ambassador who works as the Deputy Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, donated $250 to California Democratic congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar’s campaign in 2017.
Breitbart first reported on the matter, basing it off what was found on Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) website. The Journal looked at the FEC’s website and found this when looking up Abdelhady-Nasser’s political donations over the past year:
Abdelhady-Nasser’s past statements include accusing Israel of “ethnically cleansing” Jerusalem and “forcibly oppressing and besieging” the Palestinians. Abdelhady-Nasser also objected to a 2016 United Nations exhibit that called Jerusalem “the spiritual and physical capital of the Jewish capital,” as Abdelhady-Nasser felt it was “misleading and inappropriate.”
Campa-Najjar is challenging Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.)’s seat in the 50th congressional district, who has been indicted for stealing campaign money for personal use. Campa-Najjar is of Palestinian descent; his grandfather was one of the Palestinian terrorists who murdered the Israeli athletes in the 1972 Munich massacre. Campa-Najjar has called his grandfather’s actions “horrific.”
“Like many American families, my heritage bears a heartbreaking history,” Campa-Najjar said. “To achieve peace, Palestinians and Israelis will have to make the same personal choice I’ve had to make: leave the dark past behind so that the future shines brighter in the eyes of our children.”
Campa-Najjar has also said that any Israel-Palestinian deal would involve Israel admitting “its wrongdoings as the sovereign state and accept the Palestinian’s rights to self-determination, independence, and equality” while Palestinians “will have to renounce violence and fanaticism, acknowledge their Jewish neighbors and accept new realities.”
Campa-Najjar’s campaign and the Palestinian United Nations Observer Mission have yet to respond to the Journal’s request for comment.
The divide between secular and Orthodox Jews in Israel is taken to the next level in the Israeli drama series “Autonomies,” now being shopped in the international marketplace by its distributor, Keshet International.
In the series, which premiered in Israel in September, the Orthodox have seceded from secular Israel and have created a separate nation, The Autonomy. At the center of the story is a contentious custody battle over a child by adults on opposite sides of the wall. The show was described in the Israeli press as “Ultra-Orthodox society meets ‘Black Mirror,’” and “an original, impressive and fascinating dystopian drama.”
“The show really moves between the micro and the macro, and that’s what I like about it,” said Keshet International’s Keren Shahar. “It can resonate with audiences around the world, both as it is and as an adaptation, and you can really apply it to the most burning [societal] issues in almost any territory.”
In addition to selling the original to an American outlet, Keshet is working on an English adaptation of the show that would present a United States divided along red and blue state lines.
You’ve heard it before: the fact that the Jewish religion has survived in exile for more than 2000 years is nothing less than a miracle. And really, if you think about it, what are the odds that such an odd religion would persist, especially amidst the multi-billion strong titans of Christianity and Islam?
But somehow, it did. For generations upon generations, people said the same prayers in an ancient language they often didn’t even understand. They followed the laws of a God they had never seen. And kept secluded in they’re communities, with one mission in mind: to survive and keep Judaism whole.
But in retrospect, a rift was inevitable. And indeed, it came in the 17th century, shaking the Jewish world to its foundations.
Shabtai Zvi was born in 1626, and from a young age, he was fascinated by the secrets of Jewish mysticism. When he was 22, he declared himself the Messiah. The huge cultic movement that he created in the years to come, is considered the single biggest rupture in Jewish history.
Dr. Alexander Van Der Haven studies Jewish history in the Ben Gurion University in the Negev desert. His new book: Sarah the Ashkenazi, the Queen of the Sabbateans, is depicting the fascinating story of Shabtai Zvi’s wife. We’re super excited to have him here to talk about the Sabbateans and his new book.
Dr. Van Der Haven’s website, his new book in English can be ordered here, and the Hebrew version here.
Few professional wrestlers have experienced the success or career longevity of Scott Levy, a man better known to millions of people as Raven. Beyond being a 39-time Hardcore Champion within the WWF (and WWE), Raven held championships within every other major American wrestling company. While Raven still makes appearances at fan events and wrestles at the occasional independent show, these days he is far more focused on non-wrestling projects.
Currently, Raven is the namesake of the weekly podcast known as “The Raven Effect.” Broadcast on the Jericho Network via Westwood One, “The Raven Effect” finds Raven showing off the comedic chops he has honed as a stand-up comic. Reportedly, Raven has also studied hypnosis and is currently working on a live show that melds together comedy and hypnosis.
Also coming up for Raven is a multi-show booking on the Chris Jericho Rock & Wrestling Rager. A cruise produced by Sixthman – a company that has also produced celebrity cruises for the likes of Kid Rock, 311 and Jon Bon Jovi – the almost-sold-out voyage will be hosted on the Norwegian Jade, setting sail from Miami on October 27.
Notably, Raven is also currently working with his old wrestling rival Diamond Dallas Page. As the founder of DDP YOGA – or “DDPY,” for short – Page has been known to help a lot of his peers from the wrestling world. Raven is the subject of an online web series called “We Can Rebuild You,” and fans can watch the former wrestling champion work hard at fixing his long-nagging injuries.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Raven by phone about “The Raven Effect,” DDPY, and what else is coming up for him. Below are some of the highlights from our chat.
Jewish Journal: How long did it take from the idea of “I should have a podcast” to doing one?
Raven: Before podcasting was big I started a video blog, and I didn’t know how to monetize it, so I just gave up after a while. I was doing it solo, and solo’s a pain in the ass. It’s more fun to do it with a friend. But since I wasn’t monetizing it, I couldn’t really ask any of my friends to lend their time. So I did that, then I kind of let it lapse after about six months.
Then podcasting got big, really big. I knew that I was onto something, but I was a day late and a short dollar short. (laughs) So once I realized there was money in it, it was, “How do I get myself involved?” My fame from wrestling has kind of… When I was in WCW, I was a big, big name. Then I was in TNA, lesser but a good name. Then I was doing independent shows and stuff, and by not being on TV, I didn’t feel I had the capital to get a show. Now, everybody and their mother has a podcast, but back then they didn’t. I didn’t feel I had the clout and I was lazy, anyway. “I’ll just wait until I can latch onto someone else.” (laughs)
Jericho was doing really well and I buzzed him. He said he didn’t really have the time to do a second one, but he’d think about it. Eventually, he decided to have his own [podcasting] network and he called me and said, “You want to be on it?” I said, “Sure.” It all worked in a sort of roundabout way, but if I would have been less lazy, and I could’ve figured out how to monetize my video blog, I could have gotten in on the ground floor. Before there was a ground floor, even.
I always wanted to talk radio, when I finished wrestling, but it’s a matter of getting a set-up. But I’m very, very lazy… (laughs)
I had to find a partner. The first partner I picked was my buddy Johnny Swinger who’s funny, he’s funny in private but he’s not outgoing in a public arena. He was getting better at it, but it was taking away from his family time because it was an hour drive to me and then another hour back… Then I called one of my best friends, Chad Damiani, who I’d wanted to do it in the first place but he’d been too busy with screenwriting. I think now that knowing that we’re on the Jericho Network, that we’re definitely going to make money selling ads, and he also had a break in his schedule, so he agreed to do it. We’ve been going ever since it’s been over a year now.
JJ: Before you were podcasting, you were doing stand-up. Before becoming a wrestler, had you been considering a career as a stand-up comic?
R: No, because I could never write a joke. I was always funny in situations, but I could never write a joke, it’s two different animals. I was watching Jimmy Carr, this filthy, hilarious British comedian, and this joke just popped in my head. This 45-second bit just popped in my head and wrote itself. I then knew how to write bits, it just came to me out of the blue and stayed with me.
JJ: Nowadays do you see yourself as a podcaster or a comedian? I’ve heard you describe yourself as a “raconteur.” What’s your preferred way of being introduced?
R: Madman? No. (laughs) I’m also a hypnotist. I started learning hypnosis and now I’m working on a hypnosis stage show, comedy, and hypnosis. It’s amazing, hypnosis is completely real, I never believed it myself until I hypnotized people. Like that stuff they do on-stage, it’s totally real, its crazy.
JJ: Before you were describing yourself as being lazy, but it sounds like you do pursue a lot of things and stick with them.
R: I pursue them, but I don’t really pursue them hard. Wrestling, that’s all I ever wanted to do, more or less, and that was something I was really good at. I pursued it to the bitter end. But since then I haven’t had the passion for anything. So stand-up, as much as I enjoy doing it, I don’t have the passion to put in the time and the effort to improve past a certain point. I’m good enough to the point that I get laughs, I don’t bomb, I always do really well. It enabled me to be lazy again, but I also don’t take a whole lot of bookings because I don’t like to work very much. (laughs)
I like being semi-retired, I spent 30 years on the road. Now I like being at home. For what it’s worth, I used to prefer being on the road than being at home, the baggage I carried. I was more happy on the road than I was at home. But once I got used to being home, and I chased all my demons away and spent time on a therapist’s couch, I didn’t want to go on the road very much. I’ll work for six out of eight weekends, and then I’ll take off two or three months, and then I’ll do it again. I don’t pursue it that hard, although I’m going to pursue the stand-up more next year. Then I’m also going to start pursuing the hypnosis next year, and I’ll still do my wrestling personal appearances, and I’ll still do my podcast.
I’m content, that’s the best way I can describe it. I don’t have to chase anything. I don’t need to be a success anymore. I was already famous, been there, done that. If I get any more fame, great, if I don’t, it doesn’t bother me… I had the highest highs, the lowest lows. I did every drug imaginable and did them well to the point that I can’t do them anymore. (laughs) I was so good at it I had to retire. But I don’t have any interest in it either, I’m really lucky. My addictionologist said, “I don’t think you were truly an addict, but I’ve never seen anybody abuse drugs as bad as you.” (laughs) I’m lucky I don’t have to wake up every day saying, “Do I have a drink or not?” I have no interest in it. I’ve done it, checked off the box — I’m moving forward.
Now I just like living the easy life. I love doing the podcast, I could see doing it more days a week if we got an offer. By the same token, if I needed to do a full-time job, that’s what I’d want to do, I guess; some stand-up on the side. But I don’t need a full-time job, and nobody’s clamoring for it anyway… It all kind of worked out perfectly. I’m very very lucky and blessed.
JJ: Was it tough being Jewish back in your WCW heyday?
R: I’m not religious, my parents weren’t religious. It doesn’t affect me one way or another. I was probably one of the only Jews, not bar mitzvahed.
JJ: Was that by design? Or you had the choice?
R: I wanted the big pay-off, but my mom was like, “If you want the big payoff, you’ve got to go to Sunday school and study. It’s okay if you’re not religious because we’re not religious either. But if you’re going to be bar mitzvahed, at least go through the training.” I’m like, “Nah, not worth the money.”
JJ: I think that goes back to the old you that doesn’t want to do very much.
R: No, exactly. It wasn’t fun, I was addicted to fun. I could never be content because I always had to find a better party, a higher drug. I was notorious, I’d be at a club and go “Let’s go somewhere else.” “But we just got here.” “Someplace is better, somewhere else is better.” Everything had to be improved upon, better. You can never be content when you’re like that.
JJ: So finally, any last words for the kids?
R: You get what you put into life. I really believe that life should be as much fun as possible as long as you don’t hurt anybody else. That’s my motto. You should try to leave the world at least a little bit better than when you got here. That’s how I see life. I don’t think it’s about all the other reasons people give, or the spiritual, life’s meant to be enjoyed…
I was never too lazy if it meant something to me. For all my laziness talk, I’m only lazy when it comes to things that don’t have any wealth of attraction to me. It’s why I’m putting in the effort with DDP YOGA, I’m putting in the effort because I know what I’m going to get out of it. Same with the hypnosis, the stand-up, I’m happy doing what I’m doing. I’m not looking to get to the next level, because I’ve already been to the next level and it doesn’t interest me if I have to work at it anymore. Does that make sense?
More on Raven can be found online at www.theraveneffect.com, while Raven himself can be followed on Twitter via @TheRavenEffect.
Named a James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef Southeast in 2014 and 2015, Chef Todd Ginsberg has made a name for himself in the cutthroat culinary world.
Together with his partners, Ginsberg, 44, has five restaurants in Atlanta. The wildly popular The General Muir has received several awards and serves elevated New York deli food, while another of his restaurants, Yalla, is inspired by Israeli cuisine. Next up for Ginsberg will be Wood’s Chapel BBQ, set to open in early 2019.
Although Ginsberg is a nice Jewish boy, his upcoming restaurant takes its name from a church that was established to serve the post-Civil War community in the Atlanta neighborhood of Summerhill. Many of Summerhill’s early residents were Jewish immigrants and freed slaves. Ginsberg’s incredibly successful career includes working in Paris and New York, before embarking on his restaurant empire in Atlanta.
Jewish Journal: What was your Jewish culinary experience growing up and how did it influence your cooking?
Todd Ginsberg: Both my parents are Jewish, and there were not many meals in my house or my grandparents’ house that weren’t Jewish inspired, except for the occasional lasagna. There were a lot of cold cuts, matzo ball soup, cabbage soup. But it never occurred to me to start cooking Jewish food until later. I was classically trained at CIA [Culinary Institute of America] and everything was cemented in French traditions. So all I wanted to do the first 14 years of my career was French food.
JJ: What changed?
TG: Seven years ago, I was [about to have] a son, and one day I had lunch with my dad at Gruby’s [New York] Deli in Atlanta. [He] said that I should think about opening a deli because I would have better hours and have my nights free. I took this seriously and did research. Then my future partners reached out to me about the resurgence of the deli, and it seemed like a great idea to give something like that to the community.
JJ: Have you always had a love of cooking?
TG: I was cooking at 22, 23, but working in restaurants since I was 18. I was watching chefs cook. One day I cooked an Italian meal for my then girlfriend and her mom. Her mother saw how happy I was doing it and how I liked making other people happy. I think more than the meal itself, she recognized those traits in me and tapped into that. She suggested culinary school and, within a few months, I enrolled at CIA.
JJ: What role does Judaism play in your life?
TG: I associate more as culturally Jewish than religious. But I was invited to LimmudFest and when I went, I was surrounded by very passionate, intelligent Jews that I related to on many levels. I’d like to become a better Jew. I’m 44 and I have a family, and being around Jewish food and a lot of Jewish people made me realize how important it is to me.
JJ: Do you get a mix of people at your Jewish deli, The General Muir?
TG: Yes. The General Muir is a secular, inclusive, modern American tribute to the New York deli. We want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable. It lends itself to the whole community, so we get some people who are nostalgic and Jewish people celebrating the High Holy Days. We do a Passover seder and two Rosh Hashanah dinners. But we also get other people; we don’t have just one type of clientele. We have a lot of food that’s approachable: homemade bagels, homemade cured fish, homemade pastrami.
JJ: Was there a Jewish population in Atlanta actively seeking the type of food experience you created?
TG: There were enough temples where we felt comfortable opening a deli. There are Jews from New York here at Emory (University), and Jewish people living in the neighborhood where The General Muir is located. So we felt that could be a backbone for the opening.
JJ: Jewish food sometimes gets slammed as bland or boring. How do you make the Jewish food experience appealing?
TG: You wat first with your eyes. The ambiance and décor of The General Muir is modern American. There aren’t dark walls. It’s fresh and white with pops of color. There are a lot of window and bright light. Walking in, you’re not going to think of the old-school type of deli or a diner. Our food approach to cooking is buying local and sustainable whenever possible, and doing everything in house, from pastrami to all of our breads. We also use Angus beef. So while it’s a deli, it’s also high quality.
JJ: How has Yalla been influenced by your visit to Israel?
TG: The stars lined up when we were opening Yalla. We all agreed that I should go to Israel to check out the food in the homeland. There’s something inspirational and spiritual about having hummus in and being in the Old City of Jerusalem. While I couldn’t bring back the actual experience, what I did bring back was the power of taste. And that’s something that’s been strong for me my whole life, and I associate it with memories.
JJ: What is your favorite food to eat and your favorite food to cook?
TG: Japanese is my favorite food to eat. I love sushi. And my favorite food to cook is either fish or Italian food. I think Jewish and Italian cooking have similarities. You take core ingredients, cook them for a long time, you work with what you have and you break bread with people.
Allison Futterman is a writer based in Charlotte, N.C.
Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) has a new report noting that the United Nations’ translation of a recent speech of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas didn’t mention his praise of the PA’s “pay-to-slay” policy.
The report noted Abbas’ speech at the U.N. General Assembly in Arabic translates to him stating, “I pay tribute to our pure martyrs and our heroic prisoners.”
Abbas then says, “Why is the one who murdered [Yitzhak] Rabin considered a hero and we – our people – are criminals whom it is forbidden to pay?”
The United Nations’ translation of Abbas’ speech, on the other hand, states that Abbas said, “I pay tribute to all freedom-loving countries and peoples and our martyrs” and he lamented, “Why is that who killed Rabin is a hero while our people are criminals?”
The authors of the PMW report, Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik, called these translation differences “very significant,” noting that the “freedom loving countries” translation made his comments “sound benign.” And the “forbidden to pay” quote was missing altogether from the U.N. translation.
PMW’s report appears to be corroborated by the Times of Israel’s translation of Abbas’ speech:
I pay tribute to our honorable martyrs and courageous prisoners. Israel considers them criminals. Why? It has thousands of people who have attacked everyone? They are heroes. Why is Rabin’s killer considered a hero and we, our group, is considered criminals who should not be paid? I salute our heroic martyrs and heroic prisoners.
Abbas’ speech also included him calling Israel’s “nation-state” racist and that it ill turn Israel into “an apartheid state.” He then referred to Israel as the “occupying power.”
The PMW report comes on the heels of UNESCO calling a couple of Jewish holy sites part of “Occupied Palestine.”
The United Nations has not responded to the Journal’s request for comment.
Here’s an easy and affordable way to brighten your school or work day. Transform your ordinary pens into a veritable garden of flowers. They’ll not only look great on your desk, they’ll make studying or working super fun. (OK, maybe that’s stretching it.)
What You’ll Need: Pens
Scissors or pliers
Artificial flowers
Hot glue gun
1. The type of pen needed for this project is the basic ballpoint pen on which a pointed plastic cap covers the ink end and a flat plastic cap covers the other end. They’re very cheap and come in packs of 10 or more.
2. Use scissors or pliers to pry off the flat plastic cap at the top of the pen. You’re not using the scissors to cut into the plastic, but to jiggle the cap so it comes loose. Don’t worry if the top of the pen cracks a little — it will be hidden by the flower.
3. Cut the stems of the artificial flowers to about one-half inch. Place a drop of hot glue at the top of the pen where you removed the plastic cap. Then insert the flower stem into the opening.
If you make this project, we’d love to see it! Post it on social media with #JJcrafts.
Jonathan Fong is the author of “Flowers That Wow” and “Parties That Wow,” and host of “Style With a Smile” on YouTube. You can see more of his do-it-yourself projects at jonathanfongstyle.com.
