Articles written by Rebecca Spence
Sorted by date Results 1 - 8 of 8
The rise of the menorah bong, and how Chanukah became a 'high' holiday
(JTA)—The menorah bong is having a moment. By now, you may have seen the year-old YouTube video of a bearded guy in a blazer lighting all eight bowls of the Grav Menorah—a cross between a glass bong and a traditional hanukiah—and taking one massi...
Le'Or aims to put marijuana legalization on the Jewish agenda
(JTA)-"You know, it's a funny thing, every one of the bastards that are out for legalizing marijuana is Jewish. What the Christ is the matter with the Jews, Bob, what is the matter with them?" That...
Documentary reveals Jewish mother's 'Little White Lie'
SAN FRANCISCO (JTA)-When Lacey Schwartz celebrated her bat mitzvah more than two decades ago in her hometown of Woodstock, N.Y., a synagogue-goer turned to her and said, "It's so nice to have an...
From Bible heroines to Bernie Madoff: Alicia Jo Rabins strikes new chord
BERKELEY, Calif. (JTA)-Plucking a violin on an empty stage, an animated scene of Manhattan skyscrapers scrolling behind her pregnant body, the musician, poet and Torah scholar Alicia Jo Rabins begins...
DIY shechitah: Kosher slaughter in the backyard
ASHLAND, Ore. (JTA)- It's a crisp fall day in southern Oregon and Josh Shupack, 32, is gently whispering in a chicken's ear. "We're going to return your soul to heaven, your blood to the earth," he sa...
Naser makes music for peace
TOPANGA, Calif. (JTA)—Few world musicians get to play with rock bands, but 15 years ago, Hani Naser christened his new electric oud performing “Blister in the Sun” with The Violent Femmes. In May,...
Sridhar Silberfein's long, strange trip from New York Jew to Hindu honcho
JOSHUA TREE, Calif. (JTA)—In 1968, only six years after founding the AEPi chapter at his Long Island University campus, Steven Silberfein took one of the thousand names of the Hindu god Vishnu and b...
For Los Angeles investigator, exposing kosher meat fraud was a 'mitzvah'
LOS ANGELES (JTA)—A semi-automatic weapon sits propped beside the front door of the ranch-style home that Eric Agaki shares with his wife, a couple of goats, some chickens and a horse. Only it’s not t...