Adam Dickter's Continuum blog

The Good Wife: Is Giselle Bundchen An Aishes Chayil?

Submitted by Adam Dickter on Thu, 02/09/2012 - 11:08

"A woman of valor, who can find her?"

Many Jews ask that question every Friday night with the recitation of the song "Aishet Chayil" at the Shabbat table.

One answer to the question: Tom Brady.

The Patriots quarterback may not have walked away with an MVP trophy or a Super Bowl ring after last Sunday's showdown in Indianapolis, but he did get a reminder that he is married to his No. 1 fan.

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Super Bowl Kaddish Conundrum

Submitted by Adam Dickter on Sun, 02/05/2012 - 12:45

I have one prediction today that doesn’t have to do with football. At least not directly.

Early mincha minyans, in the 12:30-3:00 range, are bound to be very popular on the East Coast.

With the Giants facing the Patriots in a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl, who wants to miss out on the pre-game show with a late afternoon/evening minyan?

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The Home Stretch

Submitted by Adam Dickter on Fri, 01/20/2012 - 15:47

As I drove past the local Young Israel this afternoon and saw a parking spot, I instinctively pulled into it, though my destination was elsewhere. Only then did I look at my watch. As it turns out, it was 12:45; time for early mincha.

That's how automatic the process has become in my life after more than 10 months of kaddish for my mother, Sondra, who passed away early last year.

In less than three weeks, it will be over.

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A Job For Chris Christie

Submitted by Adam Dickter on Wed, 01/11/2012 - 14:10

New Jersey's Gov. Chris Christie is a tough guy.

The former federal prosecutor is known for blunt talk and quick rejoinders to critics. The other day, up in New Hampshire, Christie had the back of the guy he probably hopes will tap him as vice presidential nominee. When hecklers shouted that Mitt Romney "kills jobs," the former Massachusetts governor politely said that view was unfortunate.

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Submitted by Bill Pearlman (not verified) on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 08:01.

I voted for the guy. And cetainly with MF global it wsas the right choice. But I'm getting tired of his act.

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Swimming With The Polar Bears

Submitted by Adam Dickter on Mon, 01/02/2012 - 22:12

It was a day like any other beach day.

Mortal combat for parking spaces along Surf Avenue. People carrying their gear to the boardwalk. Music in the air and the scent of hot dogs and french fries. Sunshine and balmy temperature.

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Submitted by Daniel Brenner (not verified) on Tue, 01/03/2012 - 21:24.

Adam,

Next year I hope that you will consider joining the Shlivovitz Bears, an esteemed group from Montclair, NJ who were in full force this past Sunday. Look for green and white striped Victorian bathing suits. I am proud to say that we had more than a minyan.

Daniel

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Free Speech And Student Journalism

Submitted by Adam Dickter on Thu, 12/08/2011 - 16:32

When I was a student newspaper editor in the late 80s and early 90s, there was a controversy across the country as newspapers (not including mine) were approached by a notorious Holocaust revisionist who wanted to take out ads promoting “open debate” about the Holocaust.

Some editors nobly turned down the ads, and others, in what I consider naïve idealism, published them in the spirit of what they called free speech. In some cases, campuses or fellow students took action against those newspapers for their decision to publish the ads.

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Submitted by Jett Rucker (not verified) on Sat, 12/10/2011 - 16:11.

SOME student newspapers make a big deal about being "independent." Reminds me of news channels claiming to be "objective." University administrations playing along with this "independent" meme are obligated to give the editors their heads, at least more than they would be otherwise.

By the way, Bradley Smith's Committee for Open Debate on the Holocaust (CODOH) continues his campus-newspaper crusade, and the debate he seeks to open continues to be closed by editors (for their own part and/or under pressure from administrations) who refuse to carry his advertising.

He seeks to discuss such disrespectful subjects as HOW MANY people are in those graves you say he tramples (by seeking to discuss...)

Submitted by Brad R (not verified) on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 18:25.

The article is comparing "an anonymous story about a female student's hotel-room tryst with fellow Orthodox Jew" to "ads promoting 'open debate' about the Holocaust."

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Fletcher's List: Many A Truth Told In Fiction

Submitted by Adam Dickter on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 14:39
Truth and Consequences: The List

When a journalist writes fiction, especially historical fiction, it’s natural for the reader to search for the point of departure from truth to imagination.

The lines are fascinatingly blurred in Martin Fletcher’s novel, “The List" (Thomas Dunne), which blends his parents’ experience as Austrian Jewish refugees in London with a tale of intrigue involving Lehi agents plotting the assassination of Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin in the waning days of World War II.

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A Whack To Remember

Submitted by Adam Dickter on Sun, 11/27/2011 - 19:17

If you were in shul today, as on any Rosh Chodesh, you may have heard the distinctive sound of a gabbai or chazan's hand whacking the bima immediately prior to the Amida (or Shemona Esreh). At many shuls this sound is accompanied by a verbal reminder to add the Rosh HaShanah prayer "Yaaleh b'yavoh," or in many cases the sound itself is meant to be a self-explanatory reminder.

This got me thinking about how this intriguing and efficient concept can be applied to other aspects of synagogue and Jewish life. Here are some humble suggestions:

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Jabs At Jobs

Submitted by Adam Dickter on Wed, 11/23/2011 - 11:47

The recent remarks by Britain’s chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, about Steve Jobs and his role in driving worldwide consumerism – the attachment of happiness and fulfillment to owning modern products – were refreshing in their bluntness.

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Submitted by Lou (not verified) on Tue, 12/06/2011 - 01:19.

Rabbi- Lighten up- I am sure you can sell more seats with a good App.
Live from the Lower East Side NYC..

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The Swastika Dance

Submitted by Adam Dickter on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 10:42

If you work in Jewish journalism long enough, certain stories begin to look like Mad Libs: Blocks of fixed text in which only the particulars are rearranged.

Examples: ______ calls for the release of Jonathan Pollard.   ________'s remarks about Hitler cause an uproar.

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Submitted by RABBI DR. BERNHARD ROSENBERG (not verified) on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 19:00.

My synagogue had swastikas painted on it two years ago on Yom Kippur night. There were 8 other incidents in Edison N.J. No one has of yet been caught. Tell the A.D.L. that the swastika is a symbol of hate against Jews and not a general symbol of hate. Order JUDGES to stop telling juvenile offenders to write a holocaust essay and do community service. Throw the book at them and make them serve real jail time. Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg

Submitted by Adam Dickter on Mon, 11/28/2011 - 10:17.

Rabbi;
The ADL does not argue that the swastika is not a hate crime when painted on synagogues, only that when used at a non-Jewish venue it should not automatically be considered an anti-Semitic hate crime for purposes of compiling statistics about such attacks.
Adam

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