Britannia Radio

Ambassador's Rescue Call, Jewish Bees in Kansas City and Go Blue!

@RabbiShumley: "The greatest misconception in pop culture is that religious people are pious in bed." My quote in NY Post on Mon, from Kosher Sex @kungfujew18 The High Holy Days near. The time of reckoning is nigh: do I stay on all these organizations' listservs? "Call me Jew," Sarah Silvermantold photographers at the Toronto International Film Festival. Seth Rogen, her co-star in "Take This Waltz," chimed in: "I also respond to Jew." And then there was Silverman's swastika joke. Speaking of Rogen... he and fellow funnyman Andy Samberg are using The Force to convince Star Wars fans to help fight cancer. Poll of the Week: Which Star Wars character is most Jewish? Plus: Birthday haiku for Ben Savage. "The Real Housewives of New York City" -- sans Jews?Roseanne loves the Israel protests.Drake remembers Tupac. Jews on Ice: Liev Schrieber and Eugene Levy in new hockey movie. Read more Soon after Tova Ostrinsky's death in 1992, a secret emerged -- she had a first love, Yosef Fulman, who died during World War II. Now her daughter, Tchiya Rosenthal, istrying to track down the descendants of Yosef's late sister, Lily “Lola” Perlov. Tchiya wants to learn more about Yosef and pass along a photo that her mother kept of him. Read more Dan Shapiro Makes the Smart Call With a mob closing in on six guards trapped in Israel's Cairo embassy, Jerusalem turned to Dan Shapiro, the U.S. ambassador to Israel. Apparently Shapiro’s smartphone had the smart numbers: Israelis reportedly say his urgent call to U.S. powers-that-be helped kick the Obama administration into "all hands on deck" mode and, ultimately, save the Israeli guards. Larry David is a Funny Semite It was a pretty, pretty, pretty Jewish season of HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Larry David gave us battles over Shabbat observance (to golf, or not to golf?), a fight between a Jewish deli and a Palestinian chicken, a cautionary tale about Jewish lawyer stereotypes, and even a gratuitous minyan scene. In total these plot twists were very much about something -- the flashpoints of modern Jewish identity, including secular-religious tensions and conflicting tribal and universalist loyalties. And, more importantly, they were hilarious. A collection of Jewish highlights from this past season are here. Shoshana Hebshi: It Won’t Fly Shoshana Hebshi, a 35-year-old Jewish Arab blogger from the Midwest was removed from an airplane Sept. 11 and strip searched when a fellow passenger reported that she (and two male Indians near her) seemed suspicious. Her online account of the arrest, questioning and alleged mistreatment has spawned thousands of outraged comments and several news articles. Johann Levy Apps the Question The iPhone application "Jew or not Jew" -- a database of Jewish celebrities created by Jewish developer Johann Levy, 35 -- is causing controversyin France. Levy has said his intentions were to show "pride" in being Jewish, but French Jews and human rights groups argue that it violates French law forbidding the collection of a person's religious data without express permission. Ed Koch, Still Doing Republican Bob Turner scored a major upset in winning the seat of disgraced ex-congressman Anthony Weiner. And Ed Koch deserves no small share of the credit/blame, thanks to his call for voters to convey their dissatisfaction with President Obama’s Israel policies by supporting the GOP candidate. The former New York mayor helped change the political calculus in the heavily Jewish and Democratic Brooklyn-Queens district and set the stage for a spirited nationwide battle for Jewish support. For Sabbath-observant students and fans of University of Michigan, the pervasive football culture poses a problem: Home games conflict with Shabbat. But last Saturday the Wolverines played a night game at Michigan Stadium for the first time ever -- making it possible for the longtime campus rabbi and rebbetzin to cheer “Go Blue!”from the stands. Read more RECESSION RUN: Richard Cohen, who lost his business to the recession and faced losing his house, responded by running across the country to raise awareness about people in his situation. “Even when I was hurt, I thought, ‘If I have to use crutches, I’m going to do this,’” the 60-year-old runner tells The Atlanta Jewish Times. COMMUNITY WITH BUZZ: Beekeeper Eric Korsten hooks up Kansas City Jewish institutions with their own beehives, but his wife has to steer clear because she’s allergic to stings. “So much so she swells up in a very unforgettable state,” Korsten tells The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle. REASON TO KVELL (AND SHVITZ): Chicago’s JUF News profiles three area Jews who will be playing football for Ivy League colleges this season. “I [get to play] Division 1 football and I’m also going to get a great education,” says Abe Dube, a freshman at Brown University.