eScapegoat App Collects Your Sins in Preparation for Yom Kippur

A new app is circulating on computers, tablets, and smart phones that lets users get rid of their sins electronically before Yom Kippur. 

The app, half serious and half funny, was developed by Sarah Lefton and her team at G-dcast, the media production company that strives to mash up media literacy with traditional Jewish learning to help educators and parents share biblical and other Jewish content with their children in a fun way.

Here is the introduction to the app, which can be accessed at www.escgoat.com: 

In Bible Times, Israelites atoned with sacrifices. Once a year, on what we now call Yom Kippur, the High Priest placed all the Israelites' sins on a goat and set it loose in the wilderness.

Today we reflect and try to clean our slates during Elul, the Hebrew month before Yom Kippur. 

The High Priest took two goats. He sacrificed one, and then he laid his hands on the other, transferring the community's sins onto it. Then, he sent the scapegoat off into the wilderness. From the goat's perspective, neither path ended well. 

After this introduction, users are encouraged to enter their own sins anonymously, but include their email address, after which they are shown some of the other sins that have been entered by users. 

The app says: In preparation for Yom Kippur, atone* with the eScapegoat, but note that the asterisk is followed by a footnote that states "No actual halachic atonement implied." 

Here are some of the sins that have already been tweeted:

• "I use walking the dog as an excuse to leave a party I don't want to be at."
• "I steal olives from my restaurant. A LOT of olives"
• "I am sorry for being unreliable at times, cancelling plans just to make life easier. "
• "I'd tell old lady co-workers my wife doesn't cook so that they'd make me lunch."
• "I download Music from Torrent instead of buying legally from iTunes/beatport."
• "I stole a boy's shirt just because I had a crush on him. I wear it to sleep every night. "
• "Sometimes I pass gas near a group of my students and let them blame each other."
• "I was angry with my partner for being so career driven, I felt neglected but really I was being self centered."
• "I love bacon!" 

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)

Aly Raisman Wins Gymnastics Gold and Honors 1972 Israeli Munich Athletes

Olympic Gold Medal winning gymnast Alexandra (Aly) Raisman was a double source of nachas for the Jewish community worldwide on Tuesday when she became the first American to win the gold medal for the floor exercise in gymnastics. 

After receiving the medal, she said that it was a special victory because it came on the 40th anniversary of the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972.

As Agence France-Presse reported:

Alexandra Raisman said winning a gold medal on the 40th anniversary of the Munich massacre made her achievement "special" after she triumphed in the Olympic women's gymnastics floor final on Tuesday.

Raisman, who is Jewish, performed her floor routine to the backing of Hebrew folk song 'Hava Nagila' and earned a score of 15.600 points to claim her third medal of the London Games at North Greenwich Arena.

The 18-year-old American said that she had not selected the music specifically to coincide with the anniversary, but added that she was proud to have marked the occasion.

"Having that floor music wasn't intentional, but the fact it was on the 40th anniversary is special and winning the gold today means a lot to me," she said.

"If there had been a moment's silence, I would have supported it and respected it."

Here's the video of Raisman's winning performance. Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)

It's Time For Cholent! No, Not the Dish -- The Card Game

There's a new card game in town, just right for the whole family to play on a long Shabbat afternoon. After getting up from the dining room table after putting away a pot full of cholent, what could be better than playing the game of Cholent!

Just in case you haven't had the pleasure of eating a bowl of this heavyweight traditional dish, cholent is a delicious, piping-hot stew eaten by Jewish people all over the world, typically on Shabbat. The tradition has produced thousands of unique cholent recipes, many of them going back generations.

Cholent, the Game! is not a video game that you play on your computer, iPhone, or iPad. It's a non-electronic, old-fashioned card game that is likely to take its place on your shelf next to Uno, Milles Bornes, and Go Fish.

Players are dealt a secret recipe card and venture out into the shuk--or market--to collect the ingredients they need, like meat, potatoes, eggs and spices. Using their gelt--or money--, players outbid each other for the ingredients. But don't forget your chevra! The other characters you meet in the market, like The Rebbe, The Bubby, the Prophet and more--will help you get your ingredients before anyone else.

The game, created last year by three 27-year-olds from Elizabeth, New Jersey, is available from Amazon.com for $19.95. Here's a video describing the game.  Enjoy!