5 Surprising Differences Between Ashkenazi & Sephardic Jews

Oftentimes, Jewish people depicted in the media typically appear to be of European descent, yet most Jews don’t fit into this category. 

While the two largest groups of Jews in North America are Ashkenazi Jews from countries like Germany, France and Eastern Europe, and Sephardic Jews from Portugal and Spain, there are also Mizrahi Jews from the Middle East, Ethiopian Jews, and so many more across the globe. 

Although there are many differences between these groups such as the languages they speak, the foods they eat, or even the Jewish customs and traditions they keep, they all share the core connection of Judaism and are a part of one peoplehood. 

This video, part of the The Z3 Project, an initiative of the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, CA. Promoting a stronger relationship between Diaspora Jewry and Israel, the Z3 project is dedicated to modeling how Zionism can evolve, and how Jewish communities can come together for meaningful discussions about the Diaspora and Israel. 

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Unexpected Traces in Jewish Places: Judaism and Buddhist Meditation

In its series of Yiddish videos, the Jewish Daily Forward reported on elements of Buddhism appearing in some Jewish communities. (There's an old joke about this, but we'll save it for tomorrow's Joke to Start the Week.)

Today we're not joking, but just sharing reporter Shmuel Perlin's observations as a Jew in China. Speaking in Yiddish with English subtitles, Perlin says that in the 1960s and 1970s many Jews were attracted to Zen and Tibetan Buddhism. 

There was a lama from Tibet that remarked that most of his followers were Jews and that they should be called the Oy Vey school of Buddhism. Today there are a few lamas who were born Jews, such as Surya Das, who was born in Long Island as Jeff Miller. He is close to the Dalai Lama and travels, teaches, and leads meditation retreats around the world.

In today's video, Dr. Brenda Shoshanna, author of Jewish Dharma: A Guide to the Practice of Judaism and Zen, and Yael Shy, Co-Director of the NYU Center for Spiritual Life, discuss connections between Judaism and Buddhism.

Enjoy!

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From the "Unbelievable But True" Dept. - Haredi Newspaper Erases Angela Merkel and Other Women From Paris March Photo

Every once in a while we come across an unbelievable but true news story that makes us say "You just can't make this stuff up." Over the last few days such a story has been making headlines worldwide.

A small Haredi newspaper in Israel called HaMevaser is getting lots of exposure that they probably weren't looking for when they published an edited version of the now iconic photo of 40 world leaders marching arm in arm at the Paris rally against terrorism on Sunday.

The front row of marchers included German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, and the European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini. But you wouldn't know it from the HaMevaser photo because the images of all three women were erased.

Papers such as HaMevaser rarely include any women in their photos. The editor was quoted as saying "including a picture of a woman into something so sacred can desecrate the memory of the martyrs." But some members of the Haredi community, like Shmuel Pappenhym, an ultra-Orthodox commentator and educator, said that while the community must preserve its values, the newspaper had gone too far. 

"The Hamevaser newspaper does a thing like this, tomorrow it appears in Germany, it appears all over Europe, the rest of the world. It mocks the Jewish Orthodox community. It makes us look narrow minded. It makes us look obtuse," he said. 

Any obtuseness was compounded by the shoddy photo manipulation. A close look at the photo shows that part of a woman's blue scarf was left on a man's coat and one man's hand is actually a disembodied woman's gloved hand.

The photo gave an opening to an Irish satirical website, Waterford Whispers, to post a version of the photo below with all men cropped out. 

The whole story was told on MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell. The video clip below sums it all up. Enjoy, laugh, or cry. We're doing a little of each.

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Joe Lieberman on How He Strayed From Shabbat Observance and How He Returned

Former Senator Joe Lieberman has been a role model for many observant Jews in combining their observance with full participation in the greater society.

Before leaving office he sat down for an interview with Allison Josephs, founder and director of Jew in the City, a blog dedicated to to breaking down stereotypes about religious Jews and offering a humorous, meaningful outlook into Orthodox Judaism.

Jew in the City is reshaping the way society views Orthodox Jews and Judaism by publicizing the message that Orthodox Jews can be funny, approachable, educated, pro-women and open-minded—and that Orthodox Judaism links the Jewish people to a deep and beautiful heritage that is just as relevant today as it ever was.

We thought that you'd like to see Senator Lieberman talk openly about a religious crisis that he faced while a student at Yale University. In the interview he tells Josephs how he stopped observing Shabbat and the role of his grandmother in guiding him back to Shabbat observance.

The senator also discusses, with an engaging sense of humor, the changing roles of Jewish women and overcoming misconceptions about gender roles in Judaism.

Enjoy and Shabbat shalom!

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