Archive for October 2012
Hurricane Sandy Aftermath
Posted by: erika on: October 31, 2012
All Photos from Weather Channel. Hello All. B”H my partner and I were not affected by Hurricane Sandy. When the storm came in our house shook violently with every wind gust freaking out our cats and definitely scaring us, but we had power for the entire storm and still have power. Unfortunately,the newscasts are not [...]
Sandy
Posted by: erika on: October 29, 2012
So far so good here in Brooklyn, NY. I live in Flatbush, Brooklyn-which is not in an evacuation zone, though my office is. As of 10:53 AM all New York transit is suspended and the Holland and Brooklyn Battery Tunnels will be closing at 2PM. They’re also going to be closing the highways and [...]
Wise Words
Posted by: erika on: October 28, 2012
Why I’m Pro-Life By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN NY Times Op-Ed HARD-LINE conservatives have gone to new extremes lately in opposing abortion. Last week, Richard Mourdock, the Tea Party-backed Republican Senate candidate in Indiana, declared during a debate that he was against abortion even in the event of rape because after much thought he “came to [...]
A Political Cross-Post
Posted by: erika on: October 26, 2012
I’m continually shocked to hear people pronounce that issues around women’s health, LGBTQ rights, the rights of undocumented immigrants, or the economy don’t effect them. When I hear things like this I try really hard not to commit murder. I try not to smack people across their faces or grab them by the shoulders and [...]
Jewish Geography Project-Lekh Lekha
Posted by: erika on: October 22, 2012
Lekh Lekha, Genesis Chapters 12:1-17:27, is one of the most pivotal texts in the Torah. It’s the text in which Gd speaks to Abram and tells him to go into the wilderness to the land that He will show. It is this passage that is at the crux of the dispute between Muslims, Jews and [...]
Reflections
Posted by: erika on: October 19, 2012
Boredom. Uninspired. Lost. Unmotivated. Empty. Those are things I felt after Rosh Hashanah. I lamented to my Rosh Chodesh group and when the words left my lips, thoughts I hadn’t voiced to anyone let alone a group of virtual strangers, (it was my first meeting)I felt a rush of emotions. I felt guilt and relief [...]
Chava Talks The “Curse” of Ham
Posted by: erika on: October 18, 2012
No I’m Not Cursed Cross-posted from Chava at Not a Contradiction. This week we read Parshat Noach, which contains one of the most well-known stories in the entire Torah. What a lot of people don’t realize is that this popular story also contains the curse of Ham (or the Hamitic Myth as it is sometimes [...]
The Curse of Standing By
Posted by: erika on: October 16, 2012
- In: Obama 2012
- 6 Comments
I’m straight. Gay rights don’t matter to me. I’m white. The rights of people of color don’t apply to me. I practice abstinence. Abortion doesn’t apply to me. I’m an American, the rights of undocumented immigrants don’t concern my family. I’m upper-middle class, the rights of the poor don’t concern me. I’m a Jew, Christian [...]
Ask Erika:Is Conversion Necessary?
Posted by: erika on: October 12, 2012
- In: Ask Erika
- 4 Comments
I received the following question via Facebook and while I answered J’s question I began to ponder it more. So I decided to post my initial response to J and flush it out a bit as well. As always, if you’d like to ask me a question you can send me an e-mail at blackgayandjewish@gmail.com [...]
Why Would You Tell Your Children to Hide Their Race or Heritage?
Posted by: erika on: October 10, 2012
This summer, Alina Adams wrote a piece for Kveller in which she explained why she thinks it’s important to hide certain aspects about children’s race, ethnicity or religion when convenient. She was interviewed for NPR this morning and I just don’t know what to think. Chava has written her thoughts here and I encourage people [...]
My New Obsession
What You’re Saying