New Endeavors

I wrote a piece on Beyond BT and you can read it here: www.beyondbt.com.

Chinese Food and A Movie

Yesterday, I participated in an age old Jewish ritual hence the title. I went out with friends to Buddha Bodai, a wonderful kosher vegetarian place downtown, followed by drinks near Union Square and we saw 'Stranger Than Fiction" in the theatre on 11th St. and 3rd Ave. A fun time was had by all, maybe at some point later this week, I'll comment about the movie.

Moving Day

No, I'm not moving apartment. My company is moving next month, January 22 to be exact. The next 2 weeks will be spent throwing junk out, and beginning to pack up some of my office. I've been at this job for 5 years so we shall see how much junk one person can accumulate after 5 years at a job. I can't wait....

From One Chanukah Party To Another

I went to two parties this week in my synagogue; the one on Tuesday night was held by Hineni, http://www.hineni.org. Even though it seemed that the average age of people at the party was 45, my friend and I had a good time. There was good food (what Jewish event would be complete without food?), music, and a very festive feeling in the air. We couldn't stay there long because we had to go to Colbeh to meet two friends of his for dinner. The service at Colbeh was excellent, and the food was delicious. I normally eat meat only on Shabbas and holidays, it was a treat to go to Colbeh during the week and eat their yummy chicken and steak dishes.

Last night, I went to another party at my syangogue, this time in conjunction with Isralight, http://www.isralight.org. I knew alot more people at this party and there seemed to be a younger crowd which was much more to my liking. To my surprise, Improvodox was performing (http://www.improvodox.com). Improvodox is a new Jewish improv group that started performing 2 months ago. Their show was fun to watch, the performers' enthusiasm was contagious.

Tonight, there are no Chanukah parties for me since I'm working at my part time job tonight. It looks like I'll have a quite Shabbat, followed by a bridal shower on Sunday and the next week I do not have to work my part-time job so at least I will have my nights free. There are some interesting developments in my full time job, which I will talk about next post.

Chanukah questions

I am participating in a special project for Chanukah. The woman behind this wonderful project is Amy Guth. On every night of Chanukah, a certain number of bloggers will answer a fun list of Chanukah related questions (1st night, 1 blogger, 2nd night, 2 bloggers and so on). If you want more information on Amy Guth go to www.guthagogo.com.

On to the questions:

1. Quick! You must turn a plate of latkes into an upscale gourmet delight(as if they aren't already?). What would you add to them to dress them up,flavor and/or garnish them?

I would put a dollop of sour cream on each latke, sprinkle some basil on the latkes, and arrange some slices of yellow and orange peppers around the latkes. It's all about presentation : )

2. What is the dumbest thing you've ever heard anyone say about Chanukah?

I can't recall at this time.

3. What's the best possible use for olive oil?

Combine with lemon juice or lemon and it is the best salad dressing. Olive oil is also wonderful for dipping challah in or as a sauce for pasta with some red pepper flakes and dried garlic.

4. Settle it once and for all. Latkes or hammentaschen? Which do you prefer? What about pitting the winner of that contest against sufganiyot?

Hammentaschen definitely kicks latkes' butt but sufganiyot rules all, specifically my mother's sufganiyot. Her sufganiyot are great with powdered sugar.

5. What's the best way to mix up a game of dreidel?

Put a little alcohol in the mix. I think Godiva liquer would go great with a game of driedel.

6. My novel, Three Fallen Women, shockingly enough, is about the lives of three women. Which three women would you like to have over this year for latkes and why?

My mother (I love her company, she is such a kind woman yet can make some sarcastic yet insightful comments), my grandmother (my mom's mom, she passed away several years ago; I have such wonderful memories of times spent with her when I was a kid, she always dressed impeccably, was never without her jewelry and her hair done just right) and my best friend (she is my longest-standing friend, we've known each other since we were 5-6 years old and since I don't have any sisters, she is the closest thing I have to one).

7. Other than Three Fallen Women (har har), what book do you think would make a great Chanukah gift this year? What book would you like to receive as a gift this year?

"The Bamboo Cradle" is a great gift for Chanukah. The book details the story of a Jewish couple in China who adopts a baby girl and the couple write about their journey. It is an inspirational book and very fitting for this holiday. I love reading historical fiction novels; I view it as a way of travel if you don't have the money and time. I have also been reading biographies and memoirs lately. Any biography on Jewish women (past or present) would be a great gift to get me.

8. What bloggers didn't participate in Chanukah Blog Tour 5767 and you think should have?(link to them)

Devora at http://devorasadventures.blogspot.com and Arona at http://whoneedsalastname.blogspot.com

The other bloggers participating today are:

http://trueancestor.typepad.com

http://theshalvster.blogspot.com

http://fakejew.blogspot.com

http://wwwjackbenimble.blogspot.com

Happy Chanukah to all who are celebrating this holiday and if not, then I want to wish you Happy Holidays.

A Very Special Wedding

Yesterday, I went to a friend's wedding in Connecticut. The bride is a friend of mine from synagogue, she converted to Judaism this year and her journey to Judaism is inspiring. She was a high school English teacher and we were touched to see so many of her former students celebrating. Her husband is a rabbinical student and I have no doubt in my mind that he will make an excellent rabbi, he is a sweetheart and is so intelligent.

Since I am at work, I can't write all that I want to now on this wedding. I will say that I witnessed an unbelievable gathering of love for the bride and groom and my blessing to them is that they live a long, healthy life full of joy and inspiration.

What is The World Coming To?

Exhibit A: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/14/books/14cart.html?ref=arts

Jimmy Carter, former President of the US, wrote a book on the situation in Israel and from my limited understanding, it apparently does not paint Israeli in a favorable light. I will refrain from commenting any more until I have read the book.

Keep in mind, I will not spend my hard-earned money buying the book. That leaves me with two options: wait until it gets to my local library or go into Barnes and Noble and read it over a latte.

Borat and the Tarot Card Reader

I had a fun-filled weekend. I spent Shabbat with old and new friends. I had someone stay with me for Shabbas; lately I've been having friends of friends stay over which, thank G-d, has worked out very well. I went to a friend's place for dinner on Friday; I actually contributed a home-made dish for the meal; I made a corn souffle and switched the dairy ingredients to parve ingredients (thank G-d for tofutti). In case anyone is interested, I can give you the recipe.
Just to show you that there is truly 6 degrees of separation in the Jewish community, one of the guests at the dinner is the brother of one of my roommates in Jerusalem when I studied there.

Borat was a topic of discussion both at the Friday night dinner and on Shabbat, where my synagogue held a Kiddush conversation on whether Borat was comedic or anti-Semitic. It was set up as a debate followed by comments and questions. There was a huge turnout for the discussion and I would want to see the movie, although I've heard so much about it that it's sort of been ruined for me. There was also a special kiddush for a couple that recently had a baby girl, she is their first child and it was special because they were among the people that I first studied with at Aish in NY back in 2002. She is a very cute baby, I call her "Little Peanut".

Motzei Shabbas (after Shabbat), I took a bus to NJ and got in later than I would have liked. I learned the hard way that it is better to take a subway to Port Authority than a taxi on Saturday evening. To make up for the hellish cab ride, I was able to get on the next bus pretty quickly and the bus ride did go smoothly. My best friend took me to her company holiday party.
It was a pretty casual affair; it's held at the head's home, catered food was bought in along with a ton of alcohol. We each had to bring in a wrapped gift for "Robbers X'mas", you pick a number and choose a gift. Your gift can be stolen at any point in the game, at which point you can either steal someone else's gift or choose a new gift on the table. This goes on until all the gifts are taken. At least 60% of the gifts were bottles of alcohol. I had my eye on a Ghiradelli Chocolate gift basket which we stole only to have it stolen from us on the next turn.

There was also karaoke, a jewelry bazaar (we each got a piece of jewelry for free) and a tarot card reader. I've had palm readings and tarot card readings before and I thought it was all a bunch of crap. In my opinion, it seems that the readers say general statements that can apply to everyone. Also, I'm not sure whether tarot cards and palm readings are frowned upon in Orthodox Judaism; could that be looked at as a form of idol worship? Whatever the case, I decided to get a reading for fun and she definitely said some interesting but good things that apply to goals I'm trying to accomplish in 6 months time.

Yesterday was spent relaxing at home with the family and I had a long bus ride back thanks to a car accident or two by the Lincoln Tunnel that caused some serious backups. Now starts another work week and I am very grateful to have a couple of 3 day weekends coming up.

Conservative Judaism* in the News

There are lots of interesting articles in the NY Times today, this article first and foremost: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/07/us/07jews.html?ref=us

For those of you who haven't read the article, the leaders of the Conservative Movement in Judaism have voted to allow the ordination of gay rabbis. I think about how I view homosexuality and it seems to be opposite of Orthodox Judaism, which presents a conflict. I daven in a Modern Orthodox synagogue and the way I practice Judaism is headed in that direction. Let me explain:

In my life, I try my hardest to be non-judgmental. I have a 'live and let live' attitude, meaning that you can live your life however you want as long as it doesn't impede the way I live my life. I find that some of my beliefs are opposite of Orthodox Judaism, specifically homosexuality.

The thing is, I don't view homosexuality as 'wrong'. If every human being is made in the image of G-d and the only difference between two specific people is that one person is homosexual and the other is not, what's the problem with homosexual couples wanting to get married, or wanting to be ordained as rabbis?

Orthodox Judaism holds a strong view against homosexuality, as seen in the Torah*, specifically Leviticus 18:22 "And you shall not cohabit with a male as one cohabits with a woman; it is an abomination." and Leviticus 20:13 "And if a man cohabits with a male as with a woman, both of them have done an abominable thing; they shall be put to death; their blood falls back upon them." No shades of gray in those verses!

You can see how the 'live and let live' attitude isn't in sync with Orthodox Judaism. What if I believe that the Torah is from G-d, and I observe Shabbos and Kashrus but I don't share the same views on homsexuality? Can I still be a Modern Orthodox Jew and believe that its' okay for homosexual couples to get married or for a gay rabbi to be ordained? Do I have to change my beliefs in order to be accepted as a Modern Orthodox Jew?

* A branch of Judaism that is more traditional than reform but less stringent than Orthodox Judaism. Look at www.uscj.org

*Torah, otherwise known as the Bible, separated into 5 portions (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)

Reason #1 Why I Want to Live in Canada

I love living in New York City but when I read this article in the New York Times today, I was a little jealous of people living in Canada.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/07/arts/television/07mosq.html?pagewanted=1&ref=arts

To summarize the link, the article is about a new TV show in Canada called "Little Mosque on the Prairie", a comedy on life for Muslims in North America after 9/11. I hope to get a chance to see the show; any show that gets people to think about things they wouldn't normally think of is worth a viewing.

The Beauty of Ugly Betty

One of my favorite new TV shows this year, besides Heroes, is Ugly Betty. I don't get to see that show too much since I work on Thursday nights but I have caught up on almost all the episodes by catching them on abc.com (limited commercials, yea!).

You can't call Ugly Betty a comedy or a drama since it has elements of both. I love how each episode goes back and forth between showing Betty in her job at Mode. Her work environment looks so pretty and modern but there's alot of ugly stuff going on under the surface. There's jealousy and back-stabbing between co-workers, and a "murder" mystery. Then, you see Betty's life in Queens with her family and her boyfriend Walter (Uggh!!). Her home life is a little chaotic but underneath you can see there's genuine love and affection between her family.

All the characters on the show are awesome in their own way but the person that ties the show together is Betty, she is the one you root for every week. At one point in our lives, we have all been Ugly Betty. We can all identify with sticking out in a crowd, feeling that we are not understood, being picked on because we are different. Betty is not perfect, a little too eager to please at times and don't get me started on her fashion choices, but there is such a sense of integrity and loyalty to her. America Ferrera is a major reason why this show works. If you were to see a picture of her outside the show, you will realize that she is very beautiful. It is very ironic that she stars as Betty because she is the most beautiful person on this show. I know we've heard this message a million times before but it bears repeating: there is nothing wrong with being yourself, in fact that is the best thing you can do in this world.