Part 1 here.
Showing posts with label Judaism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Judaism. Show all posts
Monday, November 22, 2021
Faith & Fate | Episode 2 – The Implosion of the Old Order. 1911 - 1920
Part 1 here.
Sunday, November 21, 2021
Friday, November 19, 2021
Young, German and Jewish | DW Documentary
Feb 21, 2021 • "We’re not aliens!" say young German Jews. They want to be seen as normal young people. But even in 2021, fitting into German society doesn’t come easily.
What does it mean to be the only Jew in the whole school? This is a film about dealing with clichés and stereotypes in everyday life, from the sports field to the synagogue, from the Torah to Instagram, from Shabbat to parties.
In German schools, calling someone a Jew is a common slur. For young German Jews, anti-Semitic phrases, jokes and prejudices are part of everyday life. It’s a sad truth that they often can’t wear their kippah or Star of David necklace openly, for fear of abuse or assault.
At the same time, they want to escape the label of victim. Ilan (20) says: "For many people we are a marginalized group that’s always being insulted. But it’s wrong to reduce us to that." Paula (12) adds: "Yes, I wish we wouldn’t get funny looks all the time."
This documentary shows the young and vibrant Jewish culture in Germany today. As different as young Jewish people are in their religious beliefs, interests and talents, they all have one thing in common. None of them want to only be seen as what Roman (19) calls a "museum piece," but as active young people who live in the here and now.
This documentary dispenses with commentary and listens to the voices of young Jews between the ages of 12 and 25, whom filmmaker Jan Tenhaven met in Berlin, Frankfurt, Osnabrück, Essen, Munich and Wessling. The conversations are interspersed with reports of anti-Semitic incidents.
What does it mean to be the only Jew in the whole school? This is a film about dealing with clichés and stereotypes in everyday life, from the sports field to the synagogue, from the Torah to Instagram, from Shabbat to parties.
In German schools, calling someone a Jew is a common slur. For young German Jews, anti-Semitic phrases, jokes and prejudices are part of everyday life. It’s a sad truth that they often can’t wear their kippah or Star of David necklace openly, for fear of abuse or assault.
At the same time, they want to escape the label of victim. Ilan (20) says: "For many people we are a marginalized group that’s always being insulted. But it’s wrong to reduce us to that." Paula (12) adds: "Yes, I wish we wouldn’t get funny looks all the time."
This documentary shows the young and vibrant Jewish culture in Germany today. As different as young Jewish people are in their religious beliefs, interests and talents, they all have one thing in common. None of them want to only be seen as what Roman (19) calls a "museum piece," but as active young people who live in the here and now.
This documentary dispenses with commentary and listens to the voices of young Jews between the ages of 12 and 25, whom filmmaker Jan Tenhaven met in Berlin, Frankfurt, Osnabrück, Essen, Munich and Wessling. The conversations are interspersed with reports of anti-Semitic incidents.
Jewish Life in Poland | Free Full DW Documentary
May 5, 2020 • The Nazis murdered 90 percent of Poland's Jews in the death camps. Seventy-five years after the end of World War Two, life is returning to the Jewish community in Poland.
Jewish cultural festivals, kosher restaurants, klezmer bands and Jewish schools have returned to the Poland of today - the country that was once the location of the Nazi German Auschwitz extermination camp. The growth of the new, vital Jewish community is in part thank to the Chief Rabbi of Poland, Michael Schudrich. Visits to Auschwitz and other camp locations in Poland are for him simply part and parcel of the country's history.
Schudrich grew up on New York's Upper West Side. As a student, he traveled to what was then Communist Poland for the first time. His grandparents had emigrated to the US from Eastern Europe. At the end of the 1970s and later in the 1980s, many Jews looked for their families' roots in Poland. There were only a few left - among them were the Polish Jews who were closely linked to the Solidarity movement. They founded the "Flying Jewish University" at this time. A loose network of Jewish intellectuals even back then already believed that Jewish religious life would again find a place in Poland. The idea must have germinated in Schudrich's mind quickly. He decided to dedicate his life to rebuilding Jewish religious life in Poland. The concept was one he shared with billionaire Ronald S. Lauder, a key patron of Jewish religious projects around the globe who today is president of the World Jewish Congress.
Thirty years ago, after the fall of the Iron Curtain and the collapse of Communism, Michael Schudrich made his way to Warsaw. Here the son of a New York rabbi with a congregation in the Bronx became a chief rabbi. In the 1990s, he encouraged many more Poles to rediscover their Jewish roots. Several hundred learned the basics of Jewish religious life in the then newly-established Jewish school in Warsaw, leading them to become conscious of their long-suppressed Jewish identity. Now the Jewish communities in Poland have as many as 12,000 members who live according to the rules set out in the Torah.
Jewish cultural festivals, kosher restaurants, klezmer bands and Jewish schools have returned to the Poland of today - the country that was once the location of the Nazi German Auschwitz extermination camp. The growth of the new, vital Jewish community is in part thank to the Chief Rabbi of Poland, Michael Schudrich. Visits to Auschwitz and other camp locations in Poland are for him simply part and parcel of the country's history.
Schudrich grew up on New York's Upper West Side. As a student, he traveled to what was then Communist Poland for the first time. His grandparents had emigrated to the US from Eastern Europe. At the end of the 1970s and later in the 1980s, many Jews looked for their families' roots in Poland. There were only a few left - among them were the Polish Jews who were closely linked to the Solidarity movement. They founded the "Flying Jewish University" at this time. A loose network of Jewish intellectuals even back then already believed that Jewish religious life would again find a place in Poland. The idea must have germinated in Schudrich's mind quickly. He decided to dedicate his life to rebuilding Jewish religious life in Poland. The concept was one he shared with billionaire Ronald S. Lauder, a key patron of Jewish religious projects around the globe who today is president of the World Jewish Congress.
Thirty years ago, after the fall of the Iron Curtain and the collapse of Communism, Michael Schudrich made his way to Warsaw. Here the son of a New York rabbi with a congregation in the Bronx became a chief rabbi. In the 1990s, he encouraged many more Poles to rediscover their Jewish roots. Several hundred learned the basics of Jewish religious life in the then newly-established Jewish school in Warsaw, leading them to become conscious of their long-suppressed Jewish identity. Now the Jewish communities in Poland have as many as 12,000 members who live according to the rules set out in the Torah.
Saturday, October 02, 2021
My Big Gay Jewish Conversion
May 2, 2020 • When a nice Irish Catholic queer 'boy' falls in love with a nice English Jewish queer 'boy', he frets about whether he should change Gods too.
TV Presenter/Producer SIMON ATKINS decides to check it out, in order to see if there's more to the issue than just undergoing an (extremely painful) adult circumcision. His very entertaining search takes him from liberal North London to ultra-conservative Orthodox Jerusalem via Israel's gay hotspot Tel Aviv.
TV Presenter/Producer SIMON ATKINS decides to check it out, in order to see if there's more to the issue than just undergoing an (extremely painful) adult circumcision. His very entertaining search takes him from liberal North London to ultra-conservative Orthodox Jerusalem via Israel's gay hotspot Tel Aviv.
Sunday, July 25, 2021
Spain Pledged Citizenship to Sephardic Jews. Now They Feel Betrayed.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: In 2015, Spain said it would give citizenship to the descendants of Sephardic Jews expelled during the Spanish Inquisition. Then rejections started pouring in this summer.
MADRID — María Sánchez, a retired mental health therapist in Albuquerque, spent the past four decades tracing her Jewish ancestry from Spain. She created a vast genealogical chart going back nearly 1,100 years, which included three ancestors who were tried in the Spanish Inquisition. Her findings even led her to join a synagogue in the 1980s and to become a practicing Jew.
So when Spain’s government said in 2015 that it would grant citizenship to people of Sephardic Jewish descent — a program publicized as reparations for the expulsion of Jews that began in 1492 — Ms. Sánchez applied. She hired an immigration lawyer, obtained a certificate from her synagogue and flew to Spain to present her genealogy chart to a notary.
Then, in May, she received a rejection letter.
“It felt like a punch in the gut,” said Ms. Sánchez, 60, who was told she had not proved that she was a Sephardic Jew. “You kicked my ancestors out, now you’re doing this again.” » | Nicholas Casey | Saturday, July 24, 2021
Monday, July 19, 2021
Not A Still Life | Gay Jewish Documentary Portrait
Aug 13, 2018 • In this documentary portrait, a charismatic older, gay, Jewish man undergoes an evolution of awareness amid the joys and sorrows of his wild and fully lived life. In revealing his “naked truth,” he offers viewers an opportunity for reflection about the complexity of human identity.
In the words of the film’s spirited subject, “This is the story of a gay, Jewish, animal rights, vegetarian, recovering alcoholic ... individual.” Steve Stone is an ebullient, extroverted character and an engaging storyteller with a life full of captivating tales. He is also not unlike many gay men of a certain age who were almost brought to extinction with the AIDS epidemic of the 80’s. In that sense, this film, a portrait of a man, is also a chronicle of a time that was.
This one man’s story, his struggles with sexual orientation and various addictions, love and loss, taps into themes that encompass all our lives. His quirky and entertaining reflections come from a unique perspective. We cannot help but see ourselves in, and be inspired by, his distinctive outlook because for all the ways that we may not share his “outside the box” personality, his evolution, his journey through life and his deep desires are ours. They exemplify the conflicts and complexities in every human heart.
Not a Still Life punctuates the stories of Steve’s personal journey through the decades with a judicious use of title graphics to reflect key aspects of gay social history in America. His is the tale of a man who, in the homophobic period of the 50s, was ridiculed and dismissed as a child which led his irreverence, hyperactivity and rebelliousness. Determined to be himself rather than conform to social mores that made him uncomfortable, he came out to everyone in the early 60’s at the age of 17. Eight years before the Stonewall Rebellion, this was a brave move. Steve Stone has been openly gay for fifty years!
Viewer discretion is advised. Warning: Not suitable for children! – Mark
In the words of the film’s spirited subject, “This is the story of a gay, Jewish, animal rights, vegetarian, recovering alcoholic ... individual.” Steve Stone is an ebullient, extroverted character and an engaging storyteller with a life full of captivating tales. He is also not unlike many gay men of a certain age who were almost brought to extinction with the AIDS epidemic of the 80’s. In that sense, this film, a portrait of a man, is also a chronicle of a time that was.
This one man’s story, his struggles with sexual orientation and various addictions, love and loss, taps into themes that encompass all our lives. His quirky and entertaining reflections come from a unique perspective. We cannot help but see ourselves in, and be inspired by, his distinctive outlook because for all the ways that we may not share his “outside the box” personality, his evolution, his journey through life and his deep desires are ours. They exemplify the conflicts and complexities in every human heart.
Not a Still Life punctuates the stories of Steve’s personal journey through the decades with a judicious use of title graphics to reflect key aspects of gay social history in America. His is the tale of a man who, in the homophobic period of the 50s, was ridiculed and dismissed as a child which led his irreverence, hyperactivity and rebelliousness. Determined to be himself rather than conform to social mores that made him uncomfortable, he came out to everyone in the early 60’s at the age of 17. Eight years before the Stonewall Rebellion, this was a brave move. Steve Stone has been openly gay for fifty years!
Viewer discretion is advised. Warning: Not suitable for children! – Mark
Sunday, July 11, 2021
Jewish in Europe (2/2) | DW Documentary
Jul 11, 2021 • What is life like for Jews in Europe today? What are their stories? How do they combine traditional and modern life? And how do they deal with marginalization and threats?
"There is an everyday Jewish life in Europe that rarely gets shown. Debates about politics, the Middle East and anti-Semitism overshadow the diversity of Jewish life. That's why it was important for us to be able to capture it, just by spontaneously going there and seeing what was happening." This was the mission statement that led Swiss writer Yves Kugelmann and German film producer Alice Brauner, both Jewish, on a journey across Europe.
The first part of this two-part documentary takes Brauner and Kugelmann to Marseille, Strasbourg, Frankfurt and Berlin. They talk about life in the Jewish quarter with Harold Weill, Chief Rabbi of Strasbourg, and ask whether he and his community feel threatened. Alon Meyer, chairman of intercultural soccer club Makkabi Frankfurt and president of the Jewish sports organization Makkabi Germany, describes the hostility his team faces away from the field. In Berlin, Brauner and Kugelmann meet the writer and dramatist Sasha Marianna Salzmann.
"There is an everyday Jewish life in Europe that rarely gets shown. Debates about politics, the Middle East and anti-Semitism overshadow the diversity of Jewish life. That's why it was important for us to be able to capture it, just by spontaneously going there and seeing what was happening." This was the mission statement that led Swiss writer Yves Kugelmann and German film producer Alice Brauner, both Jewish, on a journey across Europe.
The first part of this two-part documentary takes Brauner and Kugelmann to Marseille, Strasbourg, Frankfurt and Berlin. They talk about life in the Jewish quarter with Harold Weill, Chief Rabbi of Strasbourg, and ask whether he and his community feel threatened. Alon Meyer, chairman of intercultural soccer club Makkabi Frankfurt and president of the Jewish sports organization Makkabi Germany, describes the hostility his team faces away from the field. In Berlin, Brauner and Kugelmann meet the writer and dramatist Sasha Marianna Salzmann.
Saturday, July 03, 2021
Rabbi Mark Solomon Interview for Rainbow Jews
Thursday, July 01, 2021
Not A Still Life | Gay Jewish Documentary Portrait
Aug 13, 2018 • In this documentary portrait, a charismatic older, gay, Jewish man undergoes an evolution of awareness amid the joys and sorrows of his wild and fully lived life. In revealing his “naked truth,” he offers viewers an opportunity for reflection about the complexity of human identity.
In the words of the film’s spirited subject, “This is the story of a gay, Jewish, animal rights, vegetarian, recovering alcoholic ... individual.” Steve Stone is an ebullient, extroverted character and an engaging storyteller with a life full of captivating tales. He is also not unlike many gay men of a certain age who were almost brought to extinction with the AIDS epidemic of the 80’s. In that sense, this film, a portrait of a man, is also a chronicle of a time that was.
This one man’s story, his struggles with sexual orientation and various addictions, love and loss, taps into themes that encompass all our lives. His quirky and entertaining reflections come from a unique perspective. We cannot help but see ourselves in, and be inspired by, his distinctive outlook because for all the ways that we may not share his “outside the box” personality, his evolution, his journey through life and his deep desires are ours. They exemplify the conflicts and complexities in every human heart.
Not a Still Life punctuates the stories of Steve’s personal journey through the decades with a judicious use of title graphics to reflect key aspects of gay social history in America. His is the tale of a man who, in the homophobic period of the 50s, was ridiculed and dismissed as a child which led his irreverence, hyperactivity and rebelliousness. Determined to be himself rather than conform to social mores that made him uncomfortable, he came out to everyone in the early 60’s at the age of 17. Eight years before the Stonewall Rebellion, this was a brave move. Steve Stone has been openly gay for fifty years!
Viewer discretion is advised. Warning: Not suitable for children! – Mark
In the words of the film’s spirited subject, “This is the story of a gay, Jewish, animal rights, vegetarian, recovering alcoholic ... individual.” Steve Stone is an ebullient, extroverted character and an engaging storyteller with a life full of captivating tales. He is also not unlike many gay men of a certain age who were almost brought to extinction with the AIDS epidemic of the 80’s. In that sense, this film, a portrait of a man, is also a chronicle of a time that was.
This one man’s story, his struggles with sexual orientation and various addictions, love and loss, taps into themes that encompass all our lives. His quirky and entertaining reflections come from a unique perspective. We cannot help but see ourselves in, and be inspired by, his distinctive outlook because for all the ways that we may not share his “outside the box” personality, his evolution, his journey through life and his deep desires are ours. They exemplify the conflicts and complexities in every human heart.
Not a Still Life punctuates the stories of Steve’s personal journey through the decades with a judicious use of title graphics to reflect key aspects of gay social history in America. His is the tale of a man who, in the homophobic period of the 50s, was ridiculed and dismissed as a child which led his irreverence, hyperactivity and rebelliousness. Determined to be himself rather than conform to social mores that made him uncomfortable, he came out to everyone in the early 60’s at the age of 17. Eight years before the Stonewall Rebellion, this was a brave move. Steve Stone has been openly gay for fifty years!
Viewer discretion is advised. Warning: Not suitable for children! – Mark
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
13 Principles of Jewish Faith, Explained
Monday, May 10, 2021
‘I Seek a Kind Person’: The Guardian Ad That Saved My Jewish Father from the Nazis
On Wednesday 3 August 1938, a short advertisement appeared on the second page of the Manchester Guardian, under the title “Tuition”.
“I seek a kind person who will educate my intelligent Boy, aged 11, Viennese of good family,” the advert said, under the name Borger, giving the address of an apartment on Hintzerstrasse, in Vienna’s third district.
The small ad, costing a shilling a line, was placed by my grandparents, Leo and Erna. The 11-year-old boy was my father, Robert. It turned out to be the key to their survival and the reason I am here, nearly 83 years later, working at the newspaper that ran the ad.
In 1938, Jewish families under Nazi rule were scrambling to get their children out of the Reich. Newspaper advertisements were one avenue of escape. Scores of children were “advertised” in the pages of the Manchester Guardian, their virtues and skills extolled in brief, to fit the space.
The columns read as a clamour of urgent, competing voices, all pleading: “Take my child!” And people did. The classified ads – dense, often mundane notices that filled the front pages, and coffers, of the Guardian for more than 100 years – also helped save lives. » | Julian Borger | Thursday, May 6, 2021
Monday, April 05, 2021
Breaking Down Judaism | Rabbi Wolpe | Rubin Report
Thursday, April 01, 2021
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Monday, March 29, 2021
Why Jews Don't Accept Jesus as the Messiah
Why Does Jewish Law Prohibit Cremation?
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