Not helping

Disturbing thing I’ve noticed among at least one of the more obnoxious (generally right-wing) folks who post comments (ie its readers, not its bloggers–there’s one guy in particular that uses this a lot, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it by other people too) at JewSchool is that a new way to deride or put down other people posting is to “accuse” them of being… Muslim.

Like: “Since you are taking conversion classes to become a muslim, i really could care less what you do - i suggest you find a nice muslim girl and marry her.” Or: “dont interrupt [person’s name], hes off taking the advanced conversion classes to become a muslim.” (both quotes [sic], context is a fight about intermarriage and Jewish continuity.)

I guess guys calling each other “girl” or “faggot” isn’t charged enough in a Jewish context.

It is so scary to me that these guys think being Muslim is, like, the worst thing someone could be. Interestingly, the guy who gets it in the post I linked to is a fairly well-known refusenik–an Israeli who has refused to do his army service on political grounds. Which doesn’t in any sense make this whole dynamic any more messed-up, even if we get why the insulter has a chip on his shoulder about the insultee.

Can we NOT have this be the big new linguistic trend, people?

so wrong

That’s what Gwen Stefani’s semi-cover of “If I Were a Rich Man Girl” is. If it were musically or lyrically interesting in any way, I’d probably be into it. As it is, it just kind of makes me cringe. And musical theater’s really not my thing, so it’s not even like I have a particularly strong attatchment to the show from which the song originally derives. It’s just… that bad.

I wish Gwen were as good a musician as she is a dresser. She’s really talented when it comes to getting dressed, despite that annoying bindi-appropriation thing she was doing at the beginning of her career.

can anybody explain to me

why Gmail seems to take so long to load? I’m thinking of switching over, but that part’s a bit of a drag. Any other minuses I should know about using them before deciding if I should hop on this particular bandwagon?

(I’ll continue to check mail at the address posted here, and that will continue to be my preferred site of contact from folks reading this blog, tho, FWIW.)

happiness is zillions of books squished onto plastic

I now have in my hot little hands the Bar-Ilan Global Jewish Database, a CD-ROM with all of the everything you could ever think to ask for, including Sh”uT (Sheilot u’Tshuvot, or responsa) up the freakin’ wazzoo, extending pretty much up ’till today, Encyclopedia Talmudit, and pretty much everything else it would occur to me to ask for plus, you know, everything else. Searchable. Hyperlinked. It boggles the mind.

ANNND I got it on major student discount, for about half the price. (The full price is still, frankly, not a bad deal considering what you get.)

Due to a case of outrageous discrimination, however, they do not make a Mac-friendly edition. Good thing I did not get rid of my PC laptop when I got this computer. Now (OK, when I get back to LA) I get to use the computer I have and still rock the shut harder than a stadium full of AC/DC fans.

mazel tov to my dad

…who just got engaged to his girlfriend of 12 years. (He always wanted to get hitched, she was never interested in doing so, but I reckon now they’re gonna.)

Yay for happy parents.

I should be set,

having purchased and schlepped back Israelward enough weird herbal tinctures and Tom’s of Maine products to last me the remainder of my year here and probably 3-6 other people’s years, as well. I also bought tortillas. Tortillas, dude! Not available here, no no not at all. Burrito Shabbos will be mine once again!

Also got some decent scotch at the duty-free, natch.

Have also discovered–oddly enough–that I really love John Denver. Who knew? But I’m listening to him right now and he’s making me feel happy happy. Rock on John Denver.

Scotch and John Denver and tortillas. What else does one need at the end of a chilly Jerusalem December, really?
Answer: Long johns. But I got those, too. Hah.

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here’s my talk

To read my talk on “The Future of Jewish Feminist Scholarship,” click here.

AJS report

So, I am now safely returned from the Association of Jewish Studies meeting–three days of dizzying geektabulous fun, too much to report but I’ll do my best.

Got there Sunday morning, and the shmoozing was already in high gear. First session I hit was on images and mystical traditions–talking about the mapping of God’s big ol’ mystical body in Hechalot literature, the use of diagrams in Kabbalah, and, most ass-kickingly good, Aramaic incantation bowls used to expel demons. Duuude. Then there was lunch and writer talk and running into lots of folks, some running around getting checked into the room I was sharing with the always-asskicking Tobin . Then I sat in on a few minutes of something on the theology of the patriarchs of the Torah before I realized I was crashing from lack of sleep and an already high level of shmoozification, so I went in for the nap before the big ol’ cocktail party with the kosher sushi and flowing wine.

The whole thing really was a trip. It was kind of like a high-concept “This is your life” parade. I saw professors with whom I studied in college, people I knew in college, people with whom I’ve worked in a writerly way, people I met through doing Yentl’s Revenge, cool activist friends from my days in the Bay Area, and other folks from back when I was cooler and not just a crazed rab student, brainy music friends, some of my teachers, people who are married to friends, people I’ve met at Shabbos tables, people with whom I’ve worked on projects, loads of people from my L.A. universe, and the whole Jewish feminist kit and caboodle. Plus, you know, all the new people. It was great fun, really, and of course the real conference tended to happen more at the social swirly parts than during the sessions. That always happens. Some interesting potential projects were cooked up and a lot of fun was had.

Of course, it was a Jewish academic conference, so there was more than enough pontificating and weenie waving to go around–plenty of people who should receive one of my t-shirts–that is to say, the one that says, “I [heart] the Sound of My Own Voice.” (I figured out pretty early on in rab school that most people should probably get one upon ordination, but evidently academics are–shocker–also sometimes worthy.) But a lot of the whole thing was chunky goodness.

Monday started earrrrly with the Women’s Caucus breakfast, and then my panel–on the “Future of Jewish Feminist Scholarship” was on. It was chaired by Rebecca Alpert, and featured Lori Lefkowitz, Judith Plaskow, Susan Weidman Schneider, Chava Weissler and little ol’ me. Needless to say, it was a pretty big honor to be up there in such esteemed company, I did my best to make the Third Wave proud. Overall it went well; people said very smart things, tho the Q and A wasn’t as exciting as I would have hoped it to be–some of the questions seemed to come from people who haven’t read any feminism since like 1986, which was too bad. But props to my fellow panelists for rocking hard like they did, and to Laura Levitt to making it happen. There were too many thoughts and ideas to be able to report fully, but on one foot, people seemed somewhat split between feeling very cynical given how much discrimination and how many descrepencies still exist, and brainstorming new ideas (theoretical/academic and practical) on how to make things better. I think both things are true: we’ve come a long way, the situation is still not really so hot for women in academia, and there are things we can still do. I’ll post my talk here in a sec.

The rest of Monday was, variously, going to panels (one highlight was Shaye Cohen on circumcision and blood, though all of the rabbinics panels to which I made it were pretty good; the media panel (eg), on the other hand, was so full of buzzwords it made me dizzy) wandering around the book fair and of course more hanging out with folk, plus another nap to get me ready for much socializing and many cocktails in many locations Monday night. Tuesday was something like rolling out of bed late, bolstering my sorry self with muuuuuch coffee, and finally abandoning the attempt to hear brainy things in favor of more social.

All in all, a grand time was had by me, though I think I did hit my limit of the Jewish and the social and the academic by the time 2 1/2 days were up. And tomorrow, I head back to Jerusalem, where there are, yes, Jews and socializing and academics–just not all stranded in a hotel together.

American grocery stores

Are blinkey and shiny.

There are a lot of choices.

I went to Whole Foods today, on my own, after a week cocooning in Epicopalianville. After not very long it started to feel like I’d been at the circus all day.

You know that scene in Moscow on the Hudson where Robin Williams’ just-defected Russian character has a breakdown in front of the peanut butter section of the grocery? Chunky, creamy, plain, extra salty, extra chunky, extra chunky with salt and cream and plain and salt. I feel like that. Just tell me which one is the one with the peanut butter in it.

I need to lie down now.