Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Patternicity” is what scientists call the human tendency to find meaning in random events (seeing patterns where none exist—like faces in the clouds or Jesus in a potato chip—is known as “apophonia”). Connecting the dots can lead to false conclusions (“Paul is dead!”), brilliant insights (“E=mc2”), or the latest Malcolm Gladwell bestseller. I spent Sunday at Limmud NY, the annual festival of Jewish learning, sampling classes on Israel, Jewish spirituality, anti-Semitism, and even Israeli comedy. And though it is not the coincidence of th... Full story
A few years back, the following clue appeared in the New York Times crossword puzzle: “Curly ethnic hairstyle, colloquially.” The answer? “JEWFRO.” The word made Patrick Merrell, the Times’ puzzle blogger at the time, anxious. “JEWFRO! Really? Is that something we can say?” he wrote. Don’t worry, Mr. Merrell—most Jews that I know have embraced the word (if not the hairstyle), and this (straight-haired) Jew approves. I suspect it’s the use of “Jew” as an adjective—a la Archie Bunker talking about “Jew lawyers”—that makes people... Full story
When it comes to an even-handed look at Israel, the forthcoming film “The Attack” doesn’t sound very promising. Based on a novel by an Algerian army officer, directed and co-written by a Lebanese Arab and tackling a Tel Aviv cafe bombing from the perspective of a terrorist’s family, you might expect “The Attack” to show up as the Al Jazeera movie of the week. In fact, “The Attack” is a nuanced, intimate look at the complicated identities of Israel’s Arab citizens. And its reception in the Arab world is a case study in the failure of Israel... Full story
