BAGELS

Just a bit about food. Because what Jew doesn't love food?

The Bristol Bagel Ballad

By Cyril Robinson


For Jews, eating is the covenant
A way to enter the holy tent
Consuming bread
Is leaven from heaven
Ingesting what God has said.

A bagel made of wheat
Had Mesopotamia.as its seat
It grew 6000 years ago
till it got just so.

The bagel is a kind of roll
You can tell; it has a hole
On any table, it is royal
The sole roll that needs a boil.

As you will see, its story features
Kings, cooks, all sorts of creatures
From the Middle East, it takes a walk
till it ends up in New York.

Its made of flour, water, yeast and malt.
Then you add a bit of salt
But to give that roll its soul
It needs mythology to fill that hole.

Without beginning nor end
Like Jewish life, it takes a bend
Warding off the evil eye
Bringing good luck by and by.

And because of its savor
It charms women in labor
When the teeth are incomin
It helps with the gummin.

They started out plain as sin
Now all kinds are in the bin
Garlic, onion cinnamon.
Chocolate chip, sprouted wheat, jalapena,.

At one time, men in yarmulkes
Made them with a twist
But, a machine came on, and
Thanks to you Brits
The real bagel called it quits.

As to its origins
Look to those twins
A cousin in the doughnut
Another in the pretzel, but
Then it gets more murkey
With a victory over Turkey.

Bagels might more likely please
Schmeared with lox and cream cheese
Me, I prefer returning to fundamentals
Though that might be bad for my dentals.

The bagel has become a symbol
A thimble, by which is sewn
A cloak, a rug, a ring on a finger
A crunch, all together in a bunch.

If you listen to the munch
You will hear a kind of kvetch
Sounding a clarinetish krekhts
Slowly ending its soulful life
Of strife.

All that’s left of the roll
Is its hole.

Conference at Northeastern University on November 11th!

Hi everyone,

I want to provide you all with more information about the big conference that Northeastern and CJP are hosting. We have spent months putting together a full-day Israel conference for Birthright alumni from all over the Boston area. A main selling point and focus of the conference will be "How to go back after Birthright." There will be representatives from 6-7 organizations who send students to Israel for long-term programs. We will provide transportation for students from far-away campuses.

I attached the flyer. I am printing over 1000 of them on glossy paper in color. Please let me know when this week would be a good time to come by and drop them off with you. I want to drop them off on every single campus. I will bring at least 100 to each campus, maybe more.

Programming:
Opening remarks will be given by Rony Yedidia, the Deputy Consul General from the State of Israel to New England.
A talk on Alternative Energy will be given by a visiting Professor from Ben-Gurion University ***This talk is being sponsored by HEAT*** - The NU Energy Action Team
A Wexner Fellow will be giving a talk on how the Election might impact the Middle East and the United States policy towards it. (The election will have occurred 1 week earlier.)
The David Project will be giving a talk about Israel's contributions to the world after 60 years of Independence.

Details:
NU's Curry Student Center Ballroom
Conference takes place on VETERANS DAY - I.E. - NO CLASSES - Tuesday, November 11th, 10am-5pm.
3 Free Kosher meals
Register by sending Name, School, Year, Email, and Phone # to: RegisterforNUIsraelConference@gmail.com or on facebook - just search Northeastern Israel Conference
If anyone has any questions or ideas how we might better promote this on your campus, please talk to me or Matt Lebovic. We are hoping for 75-100 participants.

Thank you so much.

-Nathan

Nathan Ciccolo
Israel Programs Coordinator
Northeastern University
NUBirthright@gmail.com
734-646-7490

High Holy Day Services Experience

Use this thread to comment on High Holy Day services at Emerson College and at other universities. What worked well? What could Hillel do to improve for next year? Your comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

What is Orthodox Judaism?

Orthodox is the most traditional expression of modern Judaism. Orthodox Jews believe the entire Torah - including "Written," the the Pentateuch, and "Oral," the Talmud) was given to Moses by God at Sinai and remains authoritative for modern life in its entirety. According to a 1990 nationwide survey, 7 percent of American Jews are Orthodox. American and Canadian Orthodox Jews are organized under the Orthodox Union, which serves 1,000 synagogues in North America. {1}

Orthodox Jews reject the changes of Reform Judaism and hold fast to most traditional Jewish beliefs and practices. Orthodox Judaism has held fast to such practices as daily worship, dietary laws (kashruth), traditional prayers and ceremonies, regular and intensive study of the Torah, and separation of men and women in the synagogue. It also enjoins strict observance of the sabbath and religious festivals and does not permit instrumental music during communal services. {2}

Orthodox Jews consider Reform and Conservative Jews adherents of the Jewish faith, but do not accept many non-Orthodox Jewish marriages, divorces, or conversions on the grounds that they were not performed in accordance with Jewish law.

The Orthodox Union dedicates significant resources to its OU Kosher division, which certifies an estimated 660,000 products in 77 countries around the world. {3} The OU symbol is one of the most common certification symbols seen on kosher foods.

Taken from http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/denominations/orthodox.htm

Hillel's Business Card

We have our very own business card-check it out!

Emerson College Hillel
Gary Fayman, President
Gary_Fayman@emerson.edu
(617) 824-8987

Hillel's mission is to enrich the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world.
Visit our group on Facebook, and join us in the Center for Spiritual Life (Walker, Suite 205) for meetings or just to chat! We would love to see and hear from you!

Picture It: Poland, 2009

Learn more about a unique Regional Jewish Student trip to Poland--open to ALL Jewish American college undergrads. The trip may be offered next summer (most likely during late May of 2009). Jewish college students will travel with Polish students, experiencing shared and individual histories as a cohesive team. Visiting multiple cities, they will engage in true dialogue, joining in projects of historical connection, from meetings with Polish leaders to civic projects, including cemetery restoration and synagogue renewal. The trip will attempt to connect Jewish American students with the towns of their families' histories, whenever possible, by spending time in the city or shtetl of at least one Jewish student of the visiting group. For more information, visit: http://www.dialog.org.pl/en/ Although we are looking into possible ways of subsidizing the cost of travel, it is currently estimated that this all-inclusive trip (with airfare, hotels, meals, etc. included) will cost around $2000. At this time, Hillel Council is looking to determine student interest. If this seems like something you would seriously be interested in, please e-mail Arinne at: abraverman@hillelcouncil.org to be placed on a waitlist. Space will be limited to a single bus and by demonstrating interest now, you will receive priority consideration (with no commitment/deposit required at this time).

Check out these links to learn more:

The Forum for Dialogue Among Nations
www.dialog.org.pl

American Jewish Committee
www.ajc.org

American Society for Jewish Heritage in Poland
www.asjhip.org

Galicia Jewish Museum (Krakow)
www.galiciajewishmuseum.org

What is Conservative Judaism?

Conservative Judaism (known as Masorti Judaism outside the USA) is a moderate sect that seeks to avoid the extremes of Orthodox and Reform Judaism. Conservative Jews wish to conserve the traditional elements of Judaism while also allowing for reasonable modernization and rabbinical development.
The teachings of Zacharias Frankel (1801-75) form the foundation of Conservative Judaism. Frankel broke away from the Reform movement in Germany in the 1840s, insisting that Jewish tradition and rituals had not become nonessentials. He accepted both the Torah and Talmud as enduring authorities but taught that historical and textual studies could differentiate cultural expressions from abiding religious truths.
In 1902, Solomon Schechter reorganized the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City and made it the flagship institution of Conservative Judaism. Future Conservative rabbis are still trained there. {1}
Conservative Jews observe the Sabbath and dietary laws, although some modifications have been made to the latter. As in Reform Judaism, women may be rabbis. In 1985, the first woman rabbi was ordained in a Conservative synagogue. Conservative Jews uphold the importance of Jewish nationalism, encouraging the study of Hebrew and support for Zionism. Beyond these basic perspectives, beliefs and practices among Conservative Jews can range from Reform to Orthodox in nature. It is more "a theological coalition rather than a homogeneous expression of beliefs and practices." {2}
The Conservative movement has been especially successful in the United States, where it is represented by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ). The USCJ was founded in 1913 and today encompasses about 1.5 million Jews in 760 congregations. {3} Future Conservative rabbis are trained at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in New York, NY, founded in 1883.
A number of studies have shown that there is a large gap between what the Conservative movement teaches and what most of its laypeople have incorporated into their daily lives. Conservative Judaism holds that halakha (Jewish law) is normative, i.e. that it is something that Jewish people must strive to actually live by in their daily lives. This would include the laws of Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath); the laws of kashrut (keeping kosher); the practice of thrice daily prayer; observance of the Jewish holidays and life-cycle events. In practice, the majority of people who have come to join Conservative synagogues only follow all these laws rarely. Most do follow most of the laws some of the time, but only a minority follow most or all of the laws all of time. There is a substantial committed core, consisting of the lay leadership, rabbis, cantors, educators, and those who have graduated from the movement's religious day schools and summer camps, that do take Jewish law very seriously. Recent studies have shown an increase in the observance of members of the movement. {4}
Notable People in Conservative Judaism
0. Elliot N. Dorff - Professor of philosophy at the Univ. of Judaism, theologian, member of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards
0. Louis Finkelstein - Talmud scholar
0. Zecharias Frankel - Founder of positive-historical Judaism.
0. Neil Gillman - Theologian, JTS Philosophy Professor
0. Louis Ginzberg - Talmud scholar and halakhic expert, early member of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards
0. Robert Gordis - Rabbi, theologian, educator
0. Judith Hauptman - JTS Talmud scholar
0. Jules Harlow - Primary liturgist of the Conservative movement
0. Abraham Joshua Heschel - Theologian and social activist
0. Louis Jacobs - Founder of Masorti Judaism in the United Kingdom
0. Isaac Klein Rabbi, expert in Jewish law, early member of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards
0. Saul Lieberman - Talmud scholar at JTS
0. Joel Roth - JTS Talmud scholar, member of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards
0. Solomon Schechter - Researcher, early leader of JTS, creator of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
0. Mathilde Roth Schechter - Founder of the Women's League of Conservative Judaism and of Hadassah
0. Ismar Schorsch - Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America

Taken from http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/denominations/conservative.htm

Kick-Off Shabbat Dinner D'Var Torah

Missed the kick-off dinner on September 19th? The D'Var Torah (sermon) can be found below:

Shabbat Shalom:

As the High Holy Days approach, every Jewish person should ultimately start reflecting on the past year: what he or she did and what he or she said. Sometimes, it is just easier to think about what happened. This weekend, Jews will read and study the Deuteronomy portion, “Ki Tavo.” In this Parasha, Moses gives instructions to the Israelites about the fruit offerings and the blessings and curses associated with following God’s instructions. You can find a more detailed summary and an interesting supplementary article in your packets. Tonight, I would like to focus on blessings and curses.

Dictionary.com, interestingly, gives six definitions for “blessing.” I happen to like this particular definition: “A favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness.” I grew up thinking that blessings were solely gifts. After all, why would people say, “Thank God”? Consider this: do all blessings really bring happiness? What are the reasons behind the “blessings” we receive? As you ponder over the meaning behind blessings, think about curses. Dictionary.com actually gives 15 definitions, but this particular one stands out: “An evil that has been invoked on one.” What makes a curse evil? Are all curses bad?

I will get back to these questions in a moment. First, I am going to tell you a true story about an event that happened to me this summer. As I am telling you the story, consider the definitions of blessings and curses that I just read, consider if there is a Jewish definition for each term, and if there is a Jewish way to react to blessings and curses.

On Saturday, July 19, I was involved in my first car accident. Coming home from schul, I pulled into a left turn lane at an intersection. There was no one in front of me, so I pulled up to the double white line in front of the left turn arrow. I saw people do it before, and no one ever got in trouble for doing it. Thus, I was directly in front of the cars that would be traveling east and west on the intersection. The light was green, and cars were coming north and south. Therefore, I could not turn. Then, the light turned amber. I wanted to make the turn so I could get out of the opposite traffic’s way. However, I checked to make sure that no one was coming. Indeed, at that second, there was no oncoming traffic. Therefore, I proceeded to make my left turn at a normal turning speed. Then, as I am making my turn, I hear a blaring honk from a Jeep that was heading right for my front passenger window. I honked back and attempted to complete my turn. Yet, it was too late, and the Jeep hit my rear passenger fender, dented the back, and continued driving. As this was my first accident, I was naturally shaken up and upset. In spite of that, I managed to pull over in front of a church driveway not far from the intersection. I waited a few minutes to see if the Jeep would pull behind me, so I could exchange information with the other driver. A few minutes passed, and no one showed up. The other driver never turned around or came to the street through a shortcut. Nor did she check to see if I was okay. Although the state of New Jersey claims that the driver making the left turn is responsible and that the other party would be the victim, I considered myself the victim because the other driver hit me. Because the other driver was not in plain sight, I concluded the accident was a hit and run. Since it was Shabbos, I did not have my phone on me and could not call the police. Still shaken, I drove home (which was less than a mile from the scene of the accident). As I drove, I checked my mirrors in case the other driver found me. If that happened, I would have pulled over. Nevertheless, that was not the case. Within the hour, I contacted my insurance company and filed a hit and run report at the police station. About five minutes after I returned home, the police called me; the officer said that I had to come back because my report was incomplete. My father and I went back to the police station, and a female officer met us in the hall. The officer told us that the other driver called, and according to this officer, the other driver did not want to make a big deal out of the situation. The officer said the woman saw me go in the direction of the high school, so the officer said the station sent three police cars to look for me. The officer then said that since she now had the other woman’s statement, she would shred my initial report and compile a new one that would be ready in a few days. On Tuesday, July 22, I picked up the report, which was completely erroneous; 99 percent of the report was the other woman’s statement. She claimed that she entered the intersection when I sped up, cut her off, and fled. The one sentence that was supposed to be my statement was incorrect because it said I was directly in the intersection. To add insult to injury, the officer issued me a court summons for leaving the scene of the accident. About a month later, my attorney, my parents, and I are in court. The township prosecutor said he would reduce the charge to a fine of $100. We all assume that the other woman is not there and that the judge would dismiss the case. However, the woman was there. She marched into the prosecutor’s office, showed him pictures of my “skid marks” (which she took the day after the accident) and squawked that I fled. In short, she wanted to take me to trial (which she did) and file a civil suit against me. We were all incensed. I did fight back, however. I filed two charges against her: one for careless driving and another for leaving the scene of the accident. Even if she did pull over to call the police, she never came looking for me. A week later, all of us are back in court. The other woman is present with her attorney. My attorney and her attorney went into the prosecutor’s office. Surprisingly, both the prosecutor and the woman’s attorney believed me. The two men thought very lowly of the other woman (I cannot quite tell you what they called her, but you get the picture), and they agreed to reduce my charge to failing to report the accident. In return, I would drop my charges against her. My attorney said I should plead guilty because it would just result in a small fine, and the case would be over. That is what happened. Even though some might consider the whole thing a draw, I believe that I won; the other woman wasted her money on an attorney for a trial that never happened, and she ruined her reputation the minute people met her. Here is another interesting fact: the woman fabricated her pictures. I am certain that those were not skid marks but the shadows of the cables of the telephone poles. Knowing her, she tried to frame me for something she did.

In retrospect, I think my accident was a blessing in disguise. It taught me that a) no one is infallible and b) while there are truly rotten people out there, one has to deal with them in a professional and respectful manner (no matter how hard it is). This was a gift bestowed by God because even though the accident happened, no one was injured. The incident also encouraged me to be even more alert. In addition, justice always triumphs in the end. I will admit that at first, I thought this accident was a curse, or an evil bestowed on me. Then I wondered: would God really do this to me or to anyone, for that matter? I believe that most bad things are blessings in disguise. One needs to look deeper into the matter to see its true significance. Good things are only curses if we take them for granted and allow our egos get the best of us. Moreover, we all at some point want to “get back” at someone who wronged us. For the longest time, I wanted to sue the other driver and the officer who issued me the summons. Yet, that would not have gotten me anywhere. “Cursing” these women would definitely have worsened the situation; my mother even said that it would have opened a new assortment of problems. To be honest, my getting revenge would not have made me feel any better about the situation.

On that note, I rid myself of this horrid experience. Rosh Hashanah is only a few days away. Yes, I regret some of things I said and did this past year. However, I am not going to let them or my accident affect the decisions I am going to make for this coming year. I will pray for forgiveness, but I will also make it my goal to act differently: to not judge anyone, to not engage in “L’Shon Hara,” and to treat everyone with respect. I plan to change myself spiritually in hopes of becoming closer to God. I now leave you with these questions to think about and to discuss:

1) We all ponder why bad things happen to good people. Are bad things really blessings in disguise? Are good things really curses or false blessings?
2) When something we consider bad happens to us, we sometimes consider acts of revenge. I know I did. However, does the desire to take revenge mean that we want to put a curse on someone? What good would it do to curse the opposing party if that would only worsen the situation? Even if the other party who supposedly wronged you received retribution, would you REALLY feel better?
3) How should someone react to a blessing? How should someone react to a curse? Is there a right way to react? (Is there a Jewish way to react?)
4) When bad things happen to us, we sometimes think that God is punishing us. Conversely, when good things happen to us, some of us feel God is rewarding us. Do you think this is really the case? Is it up to God, or is it up to us? Is up to both God and us?
5) The High Holy Days are periods for reflection and for thinking about our actions for the New Year. Take a moment to reflect on some things you did and said this year. Some were great, and others were not. Think about your own "curses" and "blessings" this past year. How can you turn your curses into blessings? How will you hold on to your blessings while not taking them for granted? What will you do differently this coming year than you did this last year?

Missed the First General Meeting? ("I Am Jewish")

Here, you can find the agenda and discussion items from the October 2nd meeting.

HILLEL

First General Meeting: “I Am Jewish”

Thursday, October 2, 2008

AGENDA

I. President’s Introduction and Announcements

A. Join the Facebook group—remember to keep checking back for updates

B. Sign up for the listserv if you have not done so

C. We will start accepting payment ($5) for the Kosher Chinese Food Shabbat Dinner and Services, to be held on Friday, October 24th. Hillel will table outside the Dining Hall on Thursday, October 16th to collect payment and to answer any questions.

D. We have a new e-mail address: emersonhillel@gmail.com

E. What’s in store for Hillel: Fall 2008

II. Introduction of Board Members

III. Ice Breaker

IV. Explanation of Text Studies

A. Volunteer(s) to facilitate text study on Thursday, October 23rd.

V. I Am Jewish: Personal Reflections Inspired by the Last Words of Daniel Pearl. Eds. Judea Pearl and Ruth Pearl.

A. What does it mean to be “Jewish”?

B. Are you a Jewish-American or an American Jew? What is the difference? Is there a difference?

C. Discussion of significant quotes

D. Conclusion

VI. Closure/Wrap Up

VII. Adjournment
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HILLEL

First General Meeting: “I Am Jewish”

Thursday October 2, 2008


Description: Most of us were born into Jewish families. Many of us grew up going to Hebrew School several times a week to prepare for our own Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Some of us came from religious backgrounds, and others did not. Some of us may not even be Jewish. It is also possible that some of us decided to embrace Judaism with an agnostic/atheist outlook. Despite our differences in upbringing and religious preference, we are all commonly linked. How so?


Objectives: (1) To understand what it means to be Jewish

(2) To examine the question of identity and how our identity as Jews (or Jews-at-heart) affects our lives in the 21st century

(3) To see ourselves as Jews through the eyes of others

(4) To learn about and respect others’ ideas of Jewish identity (both individual Jewish identity and communal Jewish identity)

(5) To learn about and become more tolerant of the various Jewish sects and their varying beliefs

(6) To be more comfortable with ourselves


Text: I Am Jewish: Personal Reflections Inspired by the Last Words of Daniel Pearl. Eds. Judea Pearl and Ruth Pearl. Woodstock, Vermont: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2004. [Copies are available in the Center for Spiritual Life Library.]


Questions: (1) Don’t think about your religious identity for this question. How would you normally identify yourself?

(2) How would you identify yourself spiritually?

(3) How were you raised? Think about your answer from the previous question. Do you base your spiritual identity on your religious upbringing, or do you base your spiritual identity on personal discovery?

(4) To you, what does it mean to be Jewish?

(5) What does it mean to be a Jewish-American or an American Jew?

(6) What can you learn from others that will help further shape your personal and spiritual identity?

Welcome to Emerson Hillel's Blog Page!

Can't make the meetings but want to keep the ball rolling on discussion? Is there something else that piques your interest that you want to write about? This is the place for you! Feel free to write about anything (Jewish or culturally related to Judaism) that interests you. The blog is an outlet to vent your feelings on current events and practices or to make any announcements. Anyone can join and blog at any time. All entries are subject to the approval of the site administrator.