False accusations of copyright infringement: “What the hell? I’m blocked from the internet because they’re saying I illegally downloaded a lecture on Jewish Mysticism. I didn’t.”       Copyright via Wikimedia Commons, Copyright

In which faith correspondent Lucy Sun finds tradition, and updates it. The Shabbat service at B’nai Jeshurun has already begun. “Shabbat is the place where we dare to dream,” the rabbi says of the Jewish day of rest. “We meet the angels halfway.” The music begins with a motley mix of instruments–cello, bongos, acoustic guitar […]

Armin Rosen spent the past couple nights seeing what The Tribe is up to. Jewish philosophical smack dooooooown! It’s about time the philosophical salon made a comeback: on Tuesday night, a couple dozen List College students gathered in the Mathilde Shechter music room for some laid back Judaically-focused philosophical disputation. The night’s topic was the […]

Armin Rosen reports on the big semi-annual, semi-mandatory sophomore class lecture. The title of this post is actually a wee bit inaccurate. This wasn’t just the biggest walkout of the year–it was also the biggest walkout of last year, and was probably bigger than any walkouts that were held the year before that one, too. […]

In which Bwog correspondent Josh Mathew reports on last night’s lecture about a book and all the hubbub it’s caused. The Underground Lecture Series: What Archaeology Tells Us About Ancient Israel Alan Segal, PhD, Professor of Religion and Ingeborg Rennert Professor of Jewish Studies, Barnard College What does Biblical archaeology tell us about the First […]

Yesterday, PrezBo dusted off the ol’ blue and white robes and headed north for the inauguration of JTS’s new chancellor. Bwogger Armin Rosen dressed less ridiculously for the occasion. During his inaugural address as the newly-minted seventh chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, former Stanford professor Arnold Eisen recalled how, as a staffer for the […]

…kind of. In what could be a cynically necessary (or unprecedentedly desperate) attempt to motivate Columbia’s legions of indifferent secular Jews, Aish is offering to shell out $250 to anyone willing to take their online course in general Judaism. While Bwog can’t help but question Aish’s methodology (even more in-your-face than a year and a half ago) its […]

Bwog salutes Israelites and Yankees today as opening days for tribe and team alike kick off.  For the Jews, it’s the first night of Passover, the celebration of the Israelites’ escape from Pharaonic tyranny.  For the Yankees and their fans, it was opening day, with a 9-5 victory over Tampa Bay; a good first step […]

Bwog correspondent Armin Rosen decided to spend part of his spring break hobnobbing with the stars at the America Israel Public Affairs Committee’s conference in Washington DC. His second dispatch follows. After hearing Dick Cheney drone through a half-hour long exposition on the danger that a premature American pullout from Iraq poses to Israel, I […]

DC on a Sunday is about as exciting as Butler on a Thursday. So with press pass in hand, Bwog contributor Armin Rosen attempted to stave off the ennui the only way Washingtonians know how: with a couple strong shots of special interest politics. My first thought upon arriving at the American Israel Public Affairs […]

Purim was the winning word for the 1983 National Scripps Spelling Bee.  It’s also a perfectly good excuse to get dressed up and drunk this weekend. 1) Midnight Masquerade: Megilahs of the Rich & Famous The Chabad of Columbia is organizing a massive party on the East side and you don’t need to be Jewish […]

The great thing about Hanukkah’s fourth night, said J-school professor Ari Goldman as he lit the lanterns of Chabad‘s traveling menorah this evening, is that the people who believe the candles should be lit in descending order and those who believe one should be added every night can at least agree that, on that night, […]

Bwog doesn’t have the cash to “pimp your room,” and we certainly don’t want to raid it and then date you. So we bring you our semi-weekly feature, the “Cribs-esque” Room Hopping, continuing with… You can graduate without walking into some places on campus even once. For most CU students, the Bayit is one of […]

Guest Bwog reporter Bari Weiss analyzes what the Jews are talking about now. The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS), the rabbinical committee of the Conservative movement, made international news today when it decided to allow gays and lesbians to be ordained as rabbis and rabbis to perform commitment ceremonies.  The Conservative Movement is […]

After the reform Kol Nidre service at Hillel, everyone wishing each other a good year:   (Jewish) Law Student 1: Rosenblum?  Yale ’02?  Seligman?  We graduated in the same class!   (Jewish) Law Student 2: Yeah, yeah, you’re in my litigation class now right?   (Jewish) Bystander (muttering): Bunch of Jews. Happy atoning! Heard outside […]