Thoughts on being Jewish

My Grandpa Sam was a formidable figure. Just 5 ft. 6” tall, he was the epitome of an “old salt” – presiding over a succession of deep-sea fishing boats throughout his 90 years. He was tough and no-holds barred when it came to defending his family, lifestyle and even his religion. Assimilation, so in vogue among his peers, was for sissies. He was a semi-observant Jew and proud of it. I remember as a teen sitting next to my grandfather – Captain Sam - at the wheel of the Roam (amalgam of Rose and... Sign in to see full entry.

In the midst of the confusion, while authorities were trying to piece together the events surrounding the horrific massacre in Virginia on April 16th, I received an email from my cousin in Israel. It was a link to a couple of Israeli media websites, citing the death of one Professor Liviu Libresco; a senior researcher, lecturer and 20 year veteran of Virginia Tech who was teaching the morning of the shooting. Though names of the victims had not yet been revealed to the American public, leave it... Sign in to see full entry.

G-d is purple. At least that’s what I thought when I was a little girl, standing for what seemed like days, at the very end of the Yom Kippur Service for N’ila - the “Closing of the Gates.” This was the time that we would recite our prayers most fervently - the whole congregation murmuring and chanting in unison - so G-d would seal us in the book of life. We’d been imploring G-d to inscribe us in the Book of Life, and now, as the Gates of Heaven closed, it was our last chance. At this point in... Sign in to see full entry.

Two smart Jewish guys - Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman, graduated UPenn then started a band called the Hooters (not to be confused with Hootie and the Blowfish). Some of you (well I did anyway) danced to "And We Danced." And if you remember "All You Zombies" - that started Holy Moses met the Pharaoh Yeah, He tried to set him straight etc. etc. refrain; All you zombies hide your faces all you people in the street All you sitting in high places the pieces gonna fall on you The song was about the... Sign in to see full entry.

“I got a friend in Jesus” threw a bunch of us off when we first heard “Spirit in the Sky.” But Norman Greenbaum is indeedy-do, a Jew. With Orthodox roots (he kissed the mezuzah on the doorpost every time he went into a room), Greenbaum explained, “It was an artistic and commercial idea, not a religious epiphany.” Marc Feld, aka Marc Bolan – of T-Rex (Bang a Gong) fame had a Jewish father and Church of England mother. Kinky Friedman (and the Texas Jewboys) wrote one of my all time favorites,... Sign in to see full entry.