The Recap

After almost 365 days, 42 posts, and a plethora of words, my blogging experiment comes to its final deadline. I, almost one year ago, decided to embark on a journey to blog every Sunday night, one post each week, about different topics that I found pertinent and meaningful.
This adventure was first designed to be an opportunity for me to experience a new form of media communications. My father suggested it to me as a way for me to share some of my ideas and allow my creativity to form an actual learning experience for myself and for others.
Now, after spending countless hours thinking up, writing, and posting these stories, I would have to say the experience was a success. I learned a great deal about how to communicate my thoughts and emotions, and attempting to say my words in a way that will convey my message while refraining from insult or injury to others.
This wasn't always easy. There were times when my posts caused people to get upset, and this was an excellent learning opportunity for myself as well. I had to learn quickly after my first real post that not everyone is going to agree with everything you have to say, but that it is important to say things so as to start conversations, rather than arguments.
I have wanted to be a Rabbi during much of the time that I have been posting these blogs. The opportunity to have this page as a form of pulpit, to practice writing as if it were for a sermon, was an excellent insight into the struggle that not only Rabbis but educators of all kinds undertake in an attempt to inspire others. I allowed the blog to educate me in the same way I hoped to educate others. In fact, I used the experience of blogging as a topic for two different college essays, which I hope will have some positive influence on my acceptance.
My favorite story pertaining to a blog posting was when I received a private message after the publication of one of my ideas. I don't remember what the exact post was about, but a member of my community who had been dealing with a particularly bad situation, who I had not spoken to for quite a while, wrote to me in a private facebook message. This person shared that he/she believed that my post had helped this person to see things from a different perspective, and that they had had a positive shift in thought process after having read one of my posts. Now this was coming from someone who I had believed wished to have nothing more to do with me, or with anyone who I was close with. The fact that they were willing to read my blog at all, let alone be moved by it, was emotional for me on a very meaningful level.
Another story of my blogging came during one of my classes at school. A fellow student of mine, who almost never interacts positively with anyone else, was talking with some friends. He was frequently disruptive, and he and I generally didn't get along well. At one point in his conversation, he brought up some topic (again I forget which, but it isn't important). Then, in passing, he commented on something that I had said in my posting the night before, and brought up the fact that he liked what I was saying and agreed with it. This was very meaningful to me because this meant that people I had no idea were even reading my blog were actually doing so, and learning from it as well.
Throughout this journey, many people have helped me in my posting. From my parents and grandparents who read every post and asked supportive questions, to my best friend who always kept me on schedule and even reposted to his own facebook page, I couldn't have come up with the end result I did without their help.
Even though I had no idea where it would take me, the year long experiment was enough of a success for me to continue. I will continue to post blogs through the coming year, although the format and style of posting will change come January 1. I am excited to learn from my past blogging and continue to grow and develop as a writer, speaker, and human being.
I hope that the Zoot Perspective has somehow impacted you positively. If you have ever enjoyed this blog, please feel free to comment on it either on this page or on facebook. I also encourage you to send me a private message if you would like to share a more personal connection with the postings I have shared.

B'Shalom V'Ahavah (With peace and love)
AZ

Uneeded Force Competitions

I now work at a sports bar, which I love. I love the human interactions that it comes with, and getting the opportunity to work with people of a wide variety of backgrounds and personalities is fascinating, and a fantastic life-experience. I honestly think that this experience will do better for me in understanding of the working world than any I have had thus far in my life.
At work on Saturday night, we had a UFC fight night. We payed for the ability to play the fight on our televisions, and geared up for a crazy night. Crazy we got. We had every table packed multiple times across the night. What began as a regular Saturday night crowd quickly turned into one giant group, no one leaving their seat, all staying for what seemed like the duration of the evening. This was, again, a great experience for me, as I got to work under a whole new set of conditions that I had never experienced before.
Then the fight began. I had never watched a UFC fight. I had only heard or read the end result on ESPN.com the day after. Wow. What an eye opener. The fact that thousands of people were paying to watch two grown men beat the living snot out of one another was not a little disturbing.
I found the entire fight to be somewhat sickening. The way that the two fighters were going at it was a whole new form of cruelty. It looked as though there were no rules to the match, and I'm sure there were few, if any at all. The pure brutality of the fighting was appalling in the society in which the media is now creating, because it seems so often as though we are being cushioned and sheltered from some of the nasty things in the world.
I also believe that the fight was very contradictory to the moral standards that we are striving for as a society. I would like to believe that we are striving to better ourselves with the actions we pursue, and this form of entertainment does not jive well with it. We need to ensure that our actions and our words are coinciding, and, when we take such pleasure in seeing this kind of violence, we are not doing as good a job as we intend.

Blacker than we thought

Happy thanksgiving everyone. I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday and found it to be a peaceful rest from the craziness of this time of year. Who would have known it was a harbinger for even more craziness.
Craziness is what occurred at 12, 3, 5, or 7 in the morning the following day, Friday. Friday after Thanksgiving is known as "Black Friday," a day on which consumers flock to stores to get the hot new deals and sales that companies offer for only a few short hours.
Black Friday started early this year. Usually, early is at 5 in the morning. Sometimes early is at 3 in the morning. Unusually, midnight is early. This year, however, we saw a whole new act of crazy. Stores began to open during the Thanksgiving holiday in an attempt to get even more shoppers to flock to their stores. The advertisers couldn't even wait until the single day on the calendar dedicated completely and entirely to them, but they also had to bleed over into the only day a year dedicated to thankfulness.
I see something vividly wrong with putting Thanksgiving and Black Friday next to each other on the calendar. Lets set up a full parallel. On one side, we have the day during which we are supposed to spend the day basking in all that is great about the lives that we live. We are supposed to acknowledge just how good we have it in life and to be happy with what we have. Now, on the other hand, we are supposed to sprint to the stores, fight in the aisles of stores, wait in hours long lines, and argue and heckle over prices just so that we may accumulate more STUFF. We aren't buying any prayer books here people (although I apologize if religious items were on your wish list). We were buying TVs, jewelry, appliances, and clothing.
The spirit of the holidays that of giving, and I understand that. Black Friday is most often about buying for others, about getting our holiday shopping list done for all of those people who we want to buy gifts for. That is admirable, that we are spending our time and money on others. Still, though, I am still critical of the day for a number of reasons. The first is that not all shopping is so benevolent. Much of it is just as selfish as on any other day of the year: going to get the hot deal so that we can get things for ourselves. Another reason is that I do not believe it is an emergency to good things for others. You don't need to rush out and cut short your day of thanksgiving to buy stuff for other people. We need to make sure that we are giving one of our most important holidays its due, and giving it entirely.
I am just as guilty of Black Friday spending. I purchased a new watch at a store for a mind-blowing price. I was pleased. My new watch makes me happy. But I did it at 2 in the afternoon, the day after I had celebrated all that I already had.
We can be consumers looking for the best deals, but we need to make sure that we are getting the important days in order. Thanksgiving is not merely a holiday that we have to get around simply so that we can get to Black Friday. It is, rather, one of our most important national celebrations, and should be given respect as such.

The boy who lived again, and again, and again

Harry Potter hysteria went up this past week, with ridiculous numbers of "pot"heads rushing to theaters to see the first part of the final chapter of the epic saga. I too was part of the rush to see the beginning of the end for "the boy who lived," and was not disappointed. Incredible effects, brilliant cinematography and a good plot line made for a great movie.

One thing I noticed while watching however, was the simplicity of the plot. Harry Potter is, at its most basic, a simple story of racism. Instead of the color of one's skin being the symbol for prejudice, the ability to use magic is instead. Voldemort (or rather, he who shall not be named) is simply a glorified white supremacist, a Nazi, a KKK member. All while missing his nose.

Voldemort develops a following of those who do not believe the "other" group is worthy of equal rights. They form an exclusive group to work together to terrorize the non-believers, and to make the lives miserable of all who do not agree with or act like them.

Harry is an exact representation of a freedom fighter. He, the underdog, the one who should have been dead before he even got started, is the only one who can vanquish the evil of prejudice. He, the young man, holds all the power. He is, of course, depicted as bold, brave, fearless, and most of all modest, all while standing up against great danger and fear to defend what he thinks is right.

J.K. Rowling is very talented at crafting a story. She didn't, however, make up the idea. In fact, she wasn't even born when the idea was first used. People have been being killed and tortured for their differences since before anyone can remember, and J.K. Rowling is simply talented enough to write about it and make an excruciating amount of money from it.

Everyone who has bought into the HP phenomenon now has a social obligation. Yeah, that's right. Rowling tricked you. Now that she has you addicted, you have the obligation to be the next Harry Potter. No, race isn't as big of an issue today, although some races are just as abused. This connects much more to the obligation to stand up. Stand up against those who seek to destroy the dreams and hopes of others. Stand up for those who may have no idea that they are oppressed, but simply know that they are suffering. You don't need to wave a wand to create magic. Magic can appear in our daily actions, our weekly behavior, and our yearly commitment to doing what is right to benefit the community as a whole.

It may sound as though this is a giant tangent from the Harry Potter topic that was going on earlier. It really isn't. The story, as creative as it is, boils down simply to even the most famous book of our generation contains the same ideas that have been plaguing us for centuries, and it is our job, as this current movement to fix them.

May we have strength as we do so.

Pushing it around

The topic of bullying has taken the country by storm in the past few months. Almost every school, youth group, club, and social organization has discussed the numerous deaths this year due to bullying related incidents, many because of homosexuality.
This past weekend, I participated in a program through my youth group discussing bullying and what forms it takes, along with many ideas about how it happens, why it happens, and how best to stop it. These experiences inspired me to write down my thoughts from the conversation in a post.

First of all, bullying has evolved as I have gotten older. It used to be a physical thing, making one kid actually feel physically intimidated by another. One kid was bigger, thus better at football, thus the kid who could exert influence over anyone else. Now, bullying isn't even seen through the term "bullying". Instead, teasing, harassment, hazing, and a plethora of other synonyms pepper society. All in all, the terms may change but the feelings are the same: the horrible feeling of not being loved, not being accepted, and not being good enough.

Whether or not it was recent or more in the past, everyone has been on either the giving end or receiving end of bullying at some point in their lives. The fact that it is so common should, in theory, lead to its demise. It is not, however, so easy to buck the trend and to get over the social tendency to make other feel bad in favor of a more positive environment. Unfortunately, all too often people see these types of acts as needing vengeance, and therefore pay it forward in a negative way, rather than doing the right thing and braking the chain.

The easiest type of bullying to do and the hardest to break is the act of doing nothing. When we sit back and let other people get bullied or harassed, we are just as guilty of the pain that that person suffers as the person actually doing the bullying. It isn't easy to stand up to someone who is tormenting someone else. There is a fear sometimes that the person will turn their attack on you, instead of the original target. Despite this, we need to be the bigger person in these situations and take a stand against those who attempt to break down the community that we try so hard to build up.

It is each of our jobs to stop this behavior in its tracks. No longer is it acceptable to stand idly by and watch others be put down, hurt, and emotionally beaten for any reason at all, whether it be because of race, sexual orientation, religious view, or simply who they are and what they enjoy doing. We are the generation that will stop this sort of behavior and instead build communities that encourage everyone to become better, to live together happily and to be truly happy. This might sound idealistic, but if we don't try to make ideal situations realities, the only one who we are beating is ourselves.

Medium is the Message

I was recently watching a press conference after a baseball game. The game was between the Phillies and the Giants, and was during the National League Championship Series, so the expected viewership was high. During the conference, Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies was talking. In front of him sat two Gatorade bottles and a Gatorade paper cup. All of the objects were facing forward in a way that clearly depicted the world-famous G across the TV screens all across the country.
This blatant form of advertising is just one example of the thousands of areas in which we see similar product placement and ad manipulation. In the movie the social network, products ranging from Jose Cuervo to Mountain Dew, Gap to Under Armour ran rampant, displayed clear enough to see, yet so hidden that nobody would actually remember seeing.
Media has the ability to advertise without letting on to the viewer that they are being played. I learned in my Media Analysis class that we, as consumers, are most susceptible to advertising when we are least paying attention to it.
I personally feel as if I have been hoodwinked. I am just starting to notice all of the placed ads in the media that I consume, and am realizing that it has been going on forever, and that I was never noticing it because I wasn't truly paying attention.
Being able to look objectively at what we are seeing a truly taking it all into account when viewing is vitally important. It is so easy for us to be manipulated by advertising when we are oblivious to it, but the instant we open our eyes, the better equipped we are to avoid being played. Rather than being a passive watcher or viewer, become more active in analyzing what we are seeing.
This extends beyond simply the world of advertising. In fact, advertising is a depiction of what is really going on around us. There are so many times that we go through life with our heads down, only seeing what we are looking for. Stopping at taking in everything around us will not only allow us to have a better understanding of what is happening, but also a better appreciation for it.

My lasting legacy

This past weekend, I attended NFTY Northern's Fall Kallah. At the even, six of the best teen leaders Judaism has to offer led a program asking what we wanted our legacy to be. We discussed what the word meant and even some ways to attain one.

As much as I hate to say it, I won't be in NFTY forever. The end of the road is near for me. I will, at some point not too far away, have to leave the organization and move forward with my life. I will move on, as will NFTY. While this is happening, though, I am thinking of what I will leave to it? Will I be remembered for the hours I put into the organization? Will I even want to be?

My biggest legacy came, I believe, at Summmer kallah in August. At the event, after one of my services that I had written and led, I had two participants come up to me and say that they wanted to become RCVPs because I had inspired them. They wanted to follow in my footsteps and do what I had been doing for over a year.

Inspiration is the place where I want to leave my legacy. It is my job to help those leaders come up behind me and take my place when I can no longer lead myself. It is my duty to give my heart and soul to the members of my region to hopefully show them how much I care about them, about the movement, and about Judaism as a whole, in the hopes of creating an environment that will foster their growth to be the next leaders.

I also believe that it is my job to fix the problems that I see. We are, as it is commonly explained, a movement, and therefore are constantly looking to move our organization forward in a positive direction. We must continue to grow and develop ourselves so that we do not become stale. I want to make the changes that I see necessary to the motion of our movement so that it can be a stronger, healthier, more vibrant youth group for those to come. This is not making change just for the sake of making change. It is, rather, the ability to look at the way in which we conduct ourselves and improve the areas that we see need a little work. I want to be able to look back and say I did what was best for NFTY and helped it reach its best.

To those NFTY freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, I hope you see how much passion I have for our organization. I hope you see how much I want to do well for it, and for all of you. And I hope you see that I will need someone to be there for NFTY when I can't anymore. Let it be you.

To those NFTY seniors, it is our time to be the transitional leaders. We need to lead, and let others do so. We need to stand up and be in front, yet also have the ability to train our successor. And we need to continue to put everything we have into the youth group we have always loved.

Remove the Stumbling block

You just won the division and are headed to the playoffs for the first time in your career. What are you going to do now?
For most players the answer would be to go into the clubhouse and celebrate with your friends. Champagne will be flowing and the festivities will continue for the remainder of the night.
This was not the case for Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers. After his team clinched a playoff berth, something that is owed to the masterful performance of Hamilton, he chose to skip the post-game elation and instead go with members of the opposing team to discuss his faith with the Oakland fans, a discussion that Hamilton had committed to ahead of time.
Hamilton is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. After years of addiction and abuse to himself, he finally got clean through religion, throwing himself completely into his own personal faith.
When the idea of celebratory alcohol came up, Hamilton chose to avoid temptation and instead share his faith, the thing that had allowed him to get past that part of his life.
It would have been easy to go to the clubhouse. It would have been easy to grab a bottle and cover his teammates. It would have been easy to be doused in champagne by others. But, most importantly, it would have been easy to relapse and get deep into trouble that he had worked so hard to get himself away from.
Having the courage to admit that something that you want to do may bring about a problem is admirable. Having the ability to avoid situations that will cause events that may harm you takes an incredible amount of maturity and self-respect.
Hamilton's ability to use spirituality and faith to keep his life on track makes him one of my biggest heroes. I have so much respect and admiration for the experiences that he has endured, and the ability for him to take responsibility for his actions and learn from them makes him the type of individual who is a good role model for not only baseball fans, but all people.

Forgiveness

With the passing of Yom Kippur, the idea of forgiveness is one that has rattled around inside my head for a while. I am constantly puzzled by one thought: I apologize for things and strive to be better, yet I feel like I am inevitably going to make mistakes. These mistakes sometimes happen so quickly, I question whether or not I was really making an attempt to change. Even though I knew I wanted to be better, making a life change is a difficult thing to do.

Forgiveness is something that I struggle with. I have no problem forgiving others. I readily accept apologies that people give me, because I believe everyone is entitled to a second chance. But the hardest thing is to ask forgiveness; it is not easy to say to someone "I screwed up, please forgive me for it."

The person who is most often the hardest to forgive is yourself. So often, it is easy to beat yourself up for mistakes, and to make it impossible to get past our faults. I find it frequently difficult for me to stop thinking about mistakes I make and to move on with my actions.

Being able to admit that we mess up is most of the battle. I don't think anyone expects us to be able to fix our problems at the snap of fingers. I think it is OK for us to screw up. Simply being able to stand up, apologize for our mistakes, and understand how to attempt to be better is what makes it OK.

Being able to look within ourselves is a difficult task, but attempting, making the effort, is what makes us into the people we hope to be.

We remember

Nine years have passed since the attacks on September 11th. Nine years of mourning, of fighting back, of patriotism. Since that day, we have gone to war with two countries to try and take back what we lost on that day. One thing we can never get back, though, are those loved ones who died.
Many people think that, now, nine years later, going to war was a mistake. But defending this country is something that can never be wrong. The way in which we do it may be flawed, but defending ourselves against those who would see our destruction will never be wrong. It is important to remember what we are fighting for, and to give constant and unending support to those who are making sacrifices for our well-being.
Now, nine years later, the time has come to move forward. Not move on; we can never completely move on from this. Instead, we must begin to change the way we think and feel.
Coinciding with the anniversary of September 11th were two events. The first event is the debate over the infamous "Ground Zero Mosque". People are in an uproar about a group of Muslims who are attempting to open a cultural center two blocks away from ground zero. The protest has been immense, and a debate has been going on for weeks.
We need to stop debating this. If the group owns the land, they are entitled to build their cultural center on this place. Just because the terrorists who were involved in the September 11th events were Muslims does not mean all of Islam is a group of terrorists. We have to stop our ignorance. We can no longer be prejudice against people because we choose not to understand their society and culture. It is our obligation to better understand these people and begin to relate to their culture.
Another situation has dominated our news recently. A man in Florida had planned a Quran burning to commemorate the date of 9/11. He and his church congregation thought that this was a way to remember that day.
To be perfectly clear, this behavior is unacceptable. To use destruction of an important, holy object to remember those lost is an insult to the lives that were taken. Hatred is not an acceptable or tolerable way to remember others, for it is that very hatred that brought about the attack in the first place.
One of the biggest problems with this situation is that we are lumping people together. We are making the assumption that because a few Muslim extremists did a horrible thing, that must mean all of Islam is a religion full of terrorists and America-haters. This is, at its most basic, a ridiculous assumption. We cannot overlook the fact that the "bad Muslims" are a small group within an overall peaceful religion. This assumption is on par with thinking that, because the Ku Klux Klan members are technically "White Christians" that all white Christians must be bad people. In truth, the KKK is a small group of protestants who are taking the horrible actions that the KKK does. Even more important, the KKK hates and targets Catholics, another sect of the same basic religion. This is the same way for jihadist Muslims. They killed other Muslims during the 9/11 attacks. How can we say, therefore, that we can never forget the lives that were lost, and yet we forget that it was not simply white Americans who died that day.
This all being said, we now have an obligation. We have an obligation to change the way we think about others. We have an obligation to buck our ignorance and get better at accepting others. And we have an obligation to move our world toward peace.


זכרונם לברכה
May their memories be for a blessing.

Changing it up

As school gets started, we all get into a groove. We wake up, we go to school or to work, we learn or work all day, we get home, do our homework, eat something, go to sleep and begin again the next morning. It can get rather monotonous day after day of the same basic schedule every day.

Even the people we interact with can become stale. Seeing the same people in the morning, the same people at lunch, the same people in the evening. It can get rather tedious.

This was happening to me today. It was a rather boring Monday, and everyone was going about their regular week. As I was walking to my lunch table, I saw a member of the staff at my school. I know her from around the building, and she is always friendly, but today she looked a little down. As I past her, I stopped and asked her how her weekend was.

Instantly, her face lit up and she smiled. She replied that she had had a nice weekend but it was short and asked me how my weekend had been.

This whole interaction took less than 20 seconds. There were no insightful conversations, no deep intellectual thoughts. But it was my favorite part of the day.

There is a concept that I learned in my time on youth group board called disrupting the pattern. This exercise teaches me to do things that one does not encounter on a regular basis to make some one's life a little nicer.

This experience with the staffer at school is a perfect example of this. I disrupted her monotonous routine by simply stopping and giving her the time of day. In truth, I did it for selfish reasons: It makes me feel as good to see someone else feel better as it does for them to feel good in the first place. But being able to make this woman's day a little more meaningful helped her to feel like she mattered to someone, and helped me to feel like I've made someone feel important to me.

So tomorrow, do something small to disrupt some one's monotony. Do something, even the most minuscule of actions to make someone feel good about themselves. Hopefully, the same will happen to you.

Part 4: Now is better than ever

This is the fourth in a four part series of posts that deal with some of my most significant feels about change in the current world.

Over the past three weeks, I have been very critical of a lot of things. Some people may not have agreed with me on many of my ideas; in fact, there are some that won’t agree with ANY of the ideas I put out. That, though, was not the point that I want people to take away from all of this. The point that I am hoping to make is that there ARE things in the world that need changing. There are areas where the world still needs fixing; our society needs to be brought together. Finding those areas that need attention and planning initiatives to ease the problems is what is the most important thing.

There is a phrase that I have heard frequently when discussing the ideas for these blog posts. That phrase is “That isn’t how the world works”. Frankly, I’m sick of that. That is no longer a good enough excuse. When we say “That isn’t how the world works”, we are accepting the way things are now, and refusing to allow ourselves to get any better. We are standing in our own way, preventing change that can lead to better. I agree that is important to understand how things work as of now, but to use that as a reason NOT to work harder and not to fix it is frankly not ok. The world is what we make it.

Every step that we take toward solving a problem is one step closer together.

These past few posts may sound as if I am sounding like a socialist. That is not the case. Pure and simple, I do not feel that things in the world are the way they should be. I feel like certain people are not getting a fair shot at life and are not being allowed to live the best way that they can to contribute to society. I feel that we can make strides toward helping to fix these issues and giving everyone the chance to have a chance. What they do with that chance is up to them.

Good enough is no longer good enough. It is time we start making this world the best that it can be, and the best that we can be.

Part 3: College Prep

This is the third in a four part series of posts that deal with some of my most significant feels about change in the current world.

Teenagers are expected to go to college. College has become an absolute necessity for all young people after high school. I see that as an excellent thing. I love the idea of more people receiving a higher level of education.

Students look at college as a great way of getting an education, as well as a great place to get a whole bunch of other things, including a plethora of social experiences. But colleges don’t always look back the same way. Often times, students are a dollar value to a college. We, as prospective students, are a number, a business investment. This is not always the case, but unfortunately it is the case sometimes.
Students, therefore, need to be much more selective about which college they choose to attend. This is most specifically important because college is just that: a choice. The possibilities are endless as to the locations one can attend. Someone can attend anything from an Ivy League school to a Big 10 school, to a private, small college and even a community college. The bottom line for the students is that college is a stepping stone for becoming professionals in certain fields of trade.

Universities should shift some of the focus as well. Some colleges spend so much money and time on athletic programs when there are thousands of bigger issues at play. Why spend so much extra money to make an already large stadium all the larger when that same money could have gone to technological advancements in science equipment or into scholarships toward making education less of a financial detriment to families.

Life is not always fair, but education should not be something that is a frustration and burden upon the people who are out attempting to get a good job or delve into a new market. Universities should be focusing on sculpting the young people of this nation to become the doctors who will save lives, the politicians who will lead justly and intelligently, the authors who will inspire, and the artists who will bring beauty to the world. There is no price-tag that can be attached to the value of a person bringing light to the world through their chosen area of expertise.

Part 2: Money matters

This is the second in a four part series of posts that deal with some of my most significant feels about change in the current world.

As much as I don’t like to admit it, money does make the world go round. For every good act or motion of kindness, at the very least money was needed to make it a possibility.

I just recently was exposed to an idea. This idea is referred to as the Pareto Principle. This principal states that, at least when used as intended, 80 percent of the wealth of a given area is owned by 20 percent of the people. This is fascinating, in that there are many statistics that show that even more of the percentage of wealth is owned by even less people. If so few people are making up so much of the wealth of a nation or of the world, then what is all of the money going towards?

A perfect example is the ever-more popular growth of ridiculous salaries in professional sports. Players are now making $100 million easily over a 6 to 10 year span. Such easy money makes me question why that money isn’t being sent elsewhere. As great as sports are, the bottom line is that they are not life and death situations. Why can’t all the money that one team was going to spend on one player go to one country to feed one population for one year? All of the ones add up.

There are lots of places that this can be seen. Whether it is one nights proceeds in a certain form of entertainment or certain sporting events or a thousand of other areas, if just a few corporations spent even one night giving away everything it raised, then why couldn’t we, as a people, completely annihilate hunger on a global scale.

Apple just released the new iPhone 4G. Thousands and thousands of people flocked to get this phone the instant it hit the market. I have an idea. Goodness knows that there will be SOME form of iPhone 5 (whether it is in the form of a phone or something all the more outlandish). What if every dime that was made by the selling of this item went to solving hunger problems in third world countries? Here is what I see happening: The iPhone 5 sells several thousand items in the first year. All of the money goes to saving starving African villages. Now when Apple releases a new computer the following month, all of the money goes straight to Apple to compensate for the lost money that they suffered (if you can call solving world hunger suffering) by giving the money away. Well, now that Apple has demonstrated a public interest in solving global issues, all of a sudden everyone wants to buy an Apple computer because the image of the company is one of compassion and selflessness. All of a sudden, not only has Apple made back every dime it lost from the iPhone experiment, but has grown their business in the process. Everyone wins.

Now this experiment may seem outrageous, and frankly I don’t know enough about organizations and how much profit certain groups make. Apple may not make enough per unit to make this feasible, let alone realistic. All I am saying is that steps can and should be made to make sure that important issues are taken care of, and if we continue to say things like “that isn’t the way things work,” we will never, ever see results.

Part 1: Picking Fix

This is the first in a four part series of posts that deal with some of my most significant feels about change in the current world.

Over the past several weeks, I have had several conversations with my father, as well as a wide variety of other people about a topic that has always fascinated me as well as haunted me. This idea is that of social change: How do we bring it about, what do we want to bring, and how long will it take are just a few of the questions. With all of the time that I spend in youth group and other similar organizations, the idea of social action is incredibly common to discuss and execute. What interests me is the difference between social action and social justice.

Whenever anyone asks me, I always say that I am much less interested in social action and much more interested in social justice. The primary difference is that social action works to try to ease an issue, whereas social justice works more to completely end an issue in society.

I am constantly thinking of things that bother me about society. My biggest issue deals with our selection of passions. Why is it that so many people are arguing about gay and lesbian rights? Why can’t we just let the homosexuals alone and let them live freely? At the VERY LEAST it doesn’t affect anyone else. It isn’t bothering some snooty heterosexual who before was taking an active stance against gay rights. There are so many more pressing issues: starvation, poverty, disease, and a thousand more life threatening problems. I’m not saying gays shouldn’t have rights. Quite the opposite. I think we should stop questioning and debating their rights and simply give them to them and move on to more pressing issues.

I think it is of vital importance to find the things that are most important to our society that we need to change and to start as soon as possible. The days of being able to sit back and let others fix the world are over. We, each and every one of us, needs to start the work to repair those things that are plaguing our society and make sure that we are going about our lives the right way.

Test mesage

Attention blog followers:

I have just set up my blog to upload on facebook when I post. This is a test to see if it is working.

See you next week.

Louder than words

I was listening to the radio in the car today. I heard a song that I have heard a thousand times. I heard the song "Shots" by LMFAO. I've hummed along to this song many times before, but this time, I stopped to listen to the words for a minute.

What a mistake that was. I have never heard a song quite like it. The language was so intense I'm not even comfortable putting it on my blog post right here. This was the type of radio station that my 12 year old brother would listen to, and that I would have on in the car while he is with me. Yet talking about women in a demeaning way, inappropriate language as if it were cool, and alcohol as if it were a glorified substance to be abused.

As I arrived at my destination, I shut off the radio and exited my car at the mall. At the mall, the song and its teaching kept running through my mind. Suddenly, I passed several stores that sold all sorts of products: clothing, makeup, jewelry, and more. What I found interesting was that almost everyone I saw had a bag of some kind. Everyone.

I'm a big fan of the saying "actions speak louder than words". But what is even louder than that is that money. What we as a society spend our money on is what defines us as a culture. The fact that LMFAO has sold thousands (if not millions) of songs on iTunes. The fact that so many people are willing to spend their money on this inappropriate type of "art" is, at first, somewhat surprising. What is not surprising is that most of the purchasing is done by ignorance. Many people do not take the time to listen to the words of each song, to understand what it is that we are endorsing with our credit cards and checks.

The same can be said at the mall. I'm sure that many people have purchased products that have been suspected of atrocities to either human or animal ways of life. Both the companies Nike and Ugg boots have been proven at some point in their histories to use sweatshop work and animal cruelty respectively. Whether they still do this I will not claim to know, but I am not buying Ugg boots. I know too many girls who are avid animal rights activists, enthusiastic defenders of ethical treatment of animals who wear these boots out of the ignorance for the process by which they are made.

Does this mean that you should research every object that you purchase? Not necessarily. But I find it to be important that if a person is to take a stand on a particular issue, to make sure that he or she is not talking out of both sides of their mouth. How can someone say that they find demeaning women to be offensive, and yet have paid money for LMFAO to make a profit from doing so? How can someone speak out against animal rights when such animals suffered for the production of the boots on their feet?

I have the song "Shots" on my iPod. I don't intend on taking it off because I heard the words today. I don't intend to petition iTunes to take it off of their website. But I am saying that I am conscious of what is being said in the songs I listen to and that I have an understanding of what I'm endorsing. I do not endorse this song; I do, however, like the rhythm and beat that is used in it. But I am aware of the content and DO NOT IN ANY WAY SUPPORT IT. I encourage everyone to be mindful of what is going on around them and make sure that they are representing they type of people they want to be.

All-star Selection

I am a huge baseball fan. I watch as many games as I can. I check all of the box scores online the day after. I follow almost every player and every stat.

One of the most fun things about baseball is the All-star game. Voting for the players that perform each and every day simply excites me. I love logging on and voting over and over again for my favorites. This year, I was an avid fan of my favorite player, Josh Hamilton. I voted the 25 vote maximum for him, as well as many of his peers.

Selection Sunday brings two very different emotions. The first is excitement. I can't wait to hear which players won the vote, and which were selected by their peers. The second emotion, though, is often one of confusion. People don't understand why player A got in and player B got "snubbed".

I can understand when people are strong advocates for certain players who SHOULD have made the team but didn't. What I don't like is when TV shows, editorial articles, and fans question why certain players DID make the team.

Case in point: Omar Infante is a utility player for the Atlanta Braves. He was selected to the All-Star team for the first time. When he was called by the General Manager of the Braves to be told he was selected, he thought he had been traded and thought that it was a cruel joke to have made the team. Once he believed it though, he was thrilled. Why is it, then, that ESPN should take that joy away from him by telling him he really isn't good enough to have made the team? Why is it acceptable to tell a man that all the work he has done has finally payed off and now it is called into quesiton?

Let the guy have his day. Don't take away one man's excitement just because there may have been a better candidate. Joey Votto, the Reds' first baseman was really snubbed. He should have made the team. He didn't. And although it is great to chatter over who should have gotten the nod, it isn't right to take away someone's pride just because of a game. Let's not forget that baseball, and really all sports, are just that, a game. This game is supposed to be for fun, not for tearing each other apart.

During the game and Home Run Derby beforehand, I hope everybody, fan, player, and even Umpire, simply enjoys the festivities,rather than wasting the fun by slamming certain players.

Thank you ATSJA. Good luck DJMRA.

At a gathering of 120 Jewish teens this past week, the incredible feeling of power as a movement was astounding. As a collective group, we were able to have conversations that not only demonstrated progress in the relationships we formed, but also in the entirety of Reform Judaism.

Over the course of the weekend, we discussed everything from prioritizing our goals for the future, to the need for advocacy themes in our organization, as well as the need to provide certain structure to our voting processes to both maintain the integrity of our elections process, as well as that of the candidates.

After one particularly long discussion that resulted in the tabling of a large decision to a later date, one of the greatest young men I have ever met said "It is not so much about the changes we are making, but rather that we are empowering people to make change." This was truly insightful.

As teenagers, people are always telling us we can accomplish great things. In most contexts, this sounds like a hoax. How can I, one teenager, make an impact on the world? It is when we get to practice decision making, practice standing up for what we believe in, and practice making necessary changes in our society that we can begin to make these lofty goals an actuality.

Our youth movement is just what it's title is. A movement. We are constantly moving forward and developing our priorities, as well as setting up systems that will allow us to better the work that we are doing. Yet, our most significant act of motion is simply growing up.

Another of the amazing parts of this past week was the installation of the coming year's board that occurred on Saturday night. For this ceremony, each of the outgoing board members shared some words about their discoveries during their term and imparted their wisdom unto the rest of the general assembly.

Seeing the leaders who helped to train me and shape me as a leader in this movement leave it was a sad thing. I was disappointed to see them no longer called NFTYites. But they gained a new, even more significant title: JEWISH LEADERS. After all of the movement in the youth organization, it was time for the movement to grow beyond its borders and escalate into a lifelong journey. Who could possibly have set a better example for me than these five outgoing board members, and who can possibly be more capable to take their place than the five incoming.

In the coming year, there is so much excitement to follow in the footsteps of those who came before us as well as to pave our own trail. Being given the opportunity to be empowered to make change is something that I will cherish for my entire life, as well as an excellent opportunity to not only make my way along a path, but to leave behind ideas, proposals, guidance and support, so that those who come after me can see the way as well.

Summer Sun making fun

Top 20 things to do over summer vacation:


20: Watch 10 movies in three days.
19: Stay up til 2 in the morning finishing your 10th movie in three days.
18: Wake up at 11 every morning.
17: Clean your room for 15 minutes and get distracted by facebook again and again.
16: Get a visit from friends who show up at your door unannounced and have a meeting in their car.
15: Write blog posts a day late and deep into the night.
14:Go for a Slurpee run the minute school lets out.
13: Become a hockey expert overnight.
12: Make a list of all the things you need to do today... and then do one a day for a week.
11: Move your phone charger closer to your computer so you can Skype and text at the same time.
10: Go to Panda Express twice in two days.
9: Play baseball 3 times in a week.
8: Hide school backpack in a corner so it doesn't ruin your fun.
7: Go outside, complain its too warm, go outside and complain its too cold.
6: Stay up until 2 in the morning on facebook.
5: Watch the end of the hockey season, which makes little sense because there is no ice in the summer.
4: Take three naps in one day.
3: Play disc golf four days in a row with your dad.
2: Fly home from Boston at 8 at night and leave for New York at 4 the next morning.
1: Lose your keys at a baseball park at 9:15 at night when it is dark.

Taught Teacher

This past Friday night, I was invited to an adult B'nei Mitzvah for the mother of my best friend. I arrived at temple expecting your run of the mill service, maybe a little longer than usual, but, overall, nothing out of the ordinary.

Instead I received one of the greatest lessons that I could ever have learned. As my friend's mom read from the Torah and performed the ceremonies necessary to becoming Bat Mitzvah, I saw a great lesson. I saw this mother giving her son the greatest gift she could possibly give. She was, in fact, having this Bat Mitzvah to coincide with her mother's birthday, as a sort of gift to her mother. She also was giving a gift to her son, whether he realized it or not.

This woman, who, after the fact, said that she was immensely afraid of speaking in front of a group, was showing her son, who, incidentally had just been elected president of the temple's youth group, that learning Judaism does not stop after you are 13 years old when the traditional bar mitzvah time occurs. It does not stop at 18 years old when you graduate the high school program. It does, in fact, continue into adulthood and for the rest of a Jewish life, continually pursuing education and learning. The fact that this mother was able to teach her son that she was still learning and that he too had to continue to pursue his Judaic education, was something that I found incredibly meaningful, and possibly the most exciting part of the event.

Life lessons seemed to be on a two-for-one sale, because I learned something else that was really important to me. The group of adults who were officially becoming Bar or Bat Mitzvah that night all had something in common. They were all nervous. And they all had reasons why they had put this off for many years. One was afraid of public speaking, another didn't want to take time away from her family. All of them did it, however. They all stopped making excuses for their own fears or insecurities and did something that they are all proud of. I was incredibly moved seeing someone who wanted to accomplish something overcome their fear and do it, throwing caution to the wind on those things that scared them.

Without even knowing it, these four members of the community taught me something with their learning. The student became the teacher without even knowing it.

Remember what we are fighting for

Memorial day is a day to remember all of those brave men and women who are out on the front lines, defending our country and standing up for what they believe in. I love the holiday, not just because of the bar-b-ques and the relaxing, but because of the symbolism and meaning behind the event.

The day is, however, a sort of catch-22. I am someone who believes a pair of ideas that don't always coincide, most specifically in this situation. On one hand, I am a person who believes that fighting is the result of stubbornness, and that most often it is important to forgive each other and move toward a peaceful agreement on both sides of any argument, no matter how big or how small. On the other hand, though, I believe that it is incredibly important for us as individuals, as well as as a nation, to stand up for ourselves and defend the ideas that we believe are right. Standing up for one's self is vitally important, because without standing forcefully, your enemy will believe that they can reach their objectives more easily using force than peaceful agreement.

So basically, I am a big supporter of our troops. They are defending our land, standing up against those who attempt to plague our country with terror and destruction. But I'm also cautious of war, as I believe that no peace can be found when one fight remains.

Some people believe that to support the troops is to support the war. This is, frankly, rather ridiculous. The troops are doing the work, putting their lives on the line, because their country needs them. They are the human beings that make up this great nation, and as other members of that community, we are obligated to care for a support those who are taking up that important job of defending us. We can never thank them enough, but we have an obligation to try.

Thank you to all of those who have served this great nation against those who seek to destroy us. God bless America.

"I have a dream"...and YOU do too

You are 5 years old. You are sitting in a kindergarten classroom and your teacher asks you "What do you want to do when you grow up?" You think for a moment, and then throw something out there. Sometimes it is an astronaut, sometimes a fireman, sometimes a scientist, a president, and any other profession. But there is an answer. Something you want to do.

I recently turned the tables and asked one of MY teachers what SHE wanted to be when she grew up. At first she laughed, chuckling at the concept of "growing up" for an adult. But, after a minute, I repeated the question. I wasn't joking; I wanted to know.

Everyone has dreams. Whether they are short term or long, lofty or basic, insignificant or momentous. But all too often they disappear. You grow up, realize how hard it can be to attain them, and stop trying.

I find it especially disheartening when I see people stop striving for what they reach for. I can't help but feel responsible. That may sound ridiculous, but I feel that I could have helped them, no matter how big a goal, at least in some way.

Interestingly enough, one of MY goals right now is to avoid just that. My goal is to be there to help people realize those dreams that may be seemingly out of reach. I want to help facilitate those who think their dream is impossible, but really just need a little extra help in reaching the peak of the mountain.

So whether it be something as little as visiting some restaurant, or as lofty as becoming president of the United States, don't let your dream slip away. Don't get wrapped up in how hard it is to attain. Get wrapped up in how amazing it will be to get to the goal. And if you ever need inspiration, look for me. Ask me. Or ask anyone. All you need is a kick in the butt to get you rolling.

Guitar Hero

Rick Recht is one of the most prestigious singer/songwriters in Jewish contemporary rock music today. He has created dozens of songs to prayers, hymns, and ideals that are sung in congregations all over America, and even globally.

Today, I got the opportunity to play with him in a concert he gave at Temple Beth-El. This was, simply, one of the most meaningful musical experiences of my life.

Let's start with some back story. When I was about 10 years old, I heard that, at my temple, a young performer was coming to sing for us. It sounded like fun, so I went to temple early to get a close seat. It turned out it didn't matter, because Rick called us all up onto the lower stage to be closer to him and to the music. From that first song on, I was in love with his music, and I wanted so badly to be able to create it.

I began to pick up a guitar that my dad had purchased, and never got good. It sucked. It was hard, I couldn't get the notes to sound right, and I wasn't making the songs I had in my head.

I saw Rick a few more times, and every time he would tell me that I should play with him. I always politely came up with some reason to say no. The real reason was that I stunk. I never had the guts to practice hard enough to get any good.

Well, through some hard work and forced practice, I began to get better. I only really started working hard a year ago, when I was elected to my youth group position in which I felt obligated to be able to play songs and prayers that I was leading.

After a year of practicing, I was again presented with the opportunity to play with Rick, this time in front of all of my youth group friends. I decided to take the chance, and play. It was, in simple terms, amazing.

Now lets be realistic. I still didn't know how to play almost any of his songs, and definitely not well. But it didn't matter. Songleading is only about 10% guitar. Its really 90% excitement and enthusiasm. I sang my heart out on every song, played what chords I knew, and faked what I didn't, and bounced and smiled to the music. To hear that I was leading a group in song, no matter what notes I was playing on the guitar, was incredible. It was amazing to be able to be part of a community and create something with the person that inspired me to pick up Jewish music in the first place. I am forever grateful to Rick for inspiring in me that excitement. Now, it is my job to pass it on to the next Jewish musician.

Advanced Placement, not A Punishment

Its AP season. I know. I get it. You know how I know? Less people sleep, more people cry, everyone is on their last nerve, and nobody can hang out with friends because they are all studying.
I hate AP testing. Not because of the tests themselves, I can handle that. Not because of the studying that goes into them, I can handle that (if I do it at all). It is the freaking out that so many students do over the test. A test is, first and foremost, supposed to be an exploration into what it is that you remember and understand from the past year, testing not your ability to spit back information, but rather to assess whether or not the class was valuable in education.
Why, then, do so many people lose sleep, lose patience, and lose fun when the big bad test comes into view?
The reason for this, I think, is because of the society in which we live. So much focus is put on academic excellence. We have to get an A on everything. We have to take the highest level courses. We have to do as much schoolwork and extracurricular activities as we can possibly pack into one day, and not give any thought to what will keep us moving.
Where did we get this "Failure is not an option" attitude? I read, in English class, an article written by a writer, William Zinssler, who said that we, as people, have "a right to fail." This right has, however, been slowly taken away from us.
Failure does not, or rather should not, carry the negative connotation that it most often has. If we do not occasionally fail, how will we ever learn? We are told to learn from our mistakes, but how can we do this if we are not allowed to MAKE them?
I believe, in a society where we are taught that failure is not an option, the only people who tell us we are not allowed to fail are also the ones doing the failing. When a school tells us we cannot fail by stressing grades and making standards that are unachievable, they are failing to instill the ability for their students to learn from their experiences, both good and bad. When parents tell their children that they cannot fail and set ridiculous grade quotas, they are not instilling the values that are necessary for human life: The ability to fail, get back in the game, and succeed despite previous failure.
OK, I get it. I may not be the most popular AP student anymore. I am not accepting the breakneck attitude of kamikazeing my way to the test. Because guess what? There will always be a new test. There will always be a new bench mark, a new goal. If I can just stay up all night studying for ONE MORE TEST, I can finally relax. Unfortunately, when someone has this attitude for too long, it begs the question: When? When will you relax, take a deep breath, and enjoy just being a kid? Never. If you waste the few years of teenage life that we have on studying, we won't ever be able to look back and enjoy our past. We SHOULD study, we SHOULD set goals, but we should never let them contaminate our lives to the point where we don't have anything more to live for than just the next benchmark.
Stop. Right now. You may have a test tomorrow, or the next day, or the next. But it doesn't matter. In ten years, it won't matter how you did on an AP French test. It will matter if you lived your life to the fullest, and had the best life you could have had.

The power of mass

Today marks the Walk with Israel, coinciding with Lag B'omer, a time to join together and celebrate Israel's independence, as well as the excitement of a free Jewish state. With locations all over, it was easy to find a place to gather with other Jews and celebrate our homeland.

One of the things that I noticed as I walked was the visual effect that we were demonstrating. This was a group of Jews taking up entire blocks of suburban neighborhoods, filling the streets with people walking together. If any one member of the group had walked alone, the mental effect would have been positive, but it would not have held the same outwardly visible effect as it did when hundreds of people took to the streets to make this bold statement.

As we walked, we also saw motorcyclists driving by with Israeli flags attached to the back of their bikes. This too was valuable because it was a display of solidarity, a proclamation of emotion.

This got me thinking though: What would happen if we all joined together for things more often? It is often almost a cliche to make a facebook group "lets see if we can get X amount of people to join this group," but what if we were joining together for something in particular?

My first thought is peace. It seems to me as though the reason we don't have peace on Earth is because of blame. Everyone blames someone else. He did this, so I'm going to hate him. She did that, so I'm not going to agree with her. One person needs to be able to put aside their feelings of pain and their grudges and move on. If one person finds personal peace, as well as the power to forgive, it can spread. Just as our bad actions can often be contagious, so too can our good actions. Allow this acceptance to grow. Soon, if we all are able to accept each other, and not hold grudges, we can move forward without hurting each other. The only thing standing between us and peace is, well, us.

This may seem like a random idea in connection with the Walk with Israel, but they are very much the same. Just as I saw a march of hundreds of people in just my town parading through the streets, it is the same with the opportunity for peace. If we create peace, and foster it, we can walk around with it, demonstrating the excellence of peaceful interaction. Soon, it will spread as quickly as a wildfire. "Seek peace and pursue it" goes hand in hand with the idea of "once you've found it, shout it from the rooftops and spread it" (nothing quite like making up your own quotes)

So go out, and pursue your own peace. When you find it, encourage it in others. This isn't something that will happen quickly, or all at once. But hey, that's why God put us here. We might as well dedicate our lives to it.

For the love of the game

It has been two weeks since I last posted, and I apologize for the week off. Last week was an especially taxing week, both emotionally and physically, and I took a week away from writing.

Now, though, I wanted to talk about something that I saw on television yesterday. I was, in fact, one of hundreds of thousands of people who saw it. I am referring to a baseball game, a game between the Houston Astros and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This game started like any other. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown, both teams took batting practice, both pitchers warmed up in the bullpen. It was, however, in the top of the first that something changed.

After Astros first baseman Lance Berkman stepped into the plate, Pirates pitcher Chris Jakubauskas threw a 1-0 pitch. As Berkman took a mighty swing, the ball went flying straight into the head of Jakubauskas. The pitcher hit the deck while the ball flew back in the direction of home plate, over the head of the catcher.

As the play came to an end, the attention shifted from the game to the people playing. Trainers and doctors rushed the field to aid the young pitcher. It was one individual's actions, however, that was the most significant.

Lance Berkman reached first base to conclude the play, and instantly turned, approaching the mound. He was there the entire time the trainers were examining Jakubauskas. He was there when Jakubauskas took his first steps. And he was there when Jakubauskas arrived at the medical cart, patting the man on the shoulder and sharing some words.

Lance Berkman is paid to play a game. He is payed to go about his business and perform at a high level of skill and efficiency. Nowhere in his contract does it say you have to be compassionate to your fellow man. Nowhere does it require him to care about the other players. Yet, he, this baseball player, has shown in one moment more kindness and consideration for human life than most people do on a given day.

I found this to be especially moving because of the time at which it occurred. So many professional athletes play with a chip on their shoulder, a nasty attitude, and a selfish personality. It was especially refreshing and moving to see a man playing a game, but being able to put that game aside when more important things are at stake.
It is for that reason that Berkman is one of the best players in the game. Not because of his home run totals, or his batting average, but rather because of the size of his heart.

Picking up a good read

I have, in the past two weeks, found a new way to spend the first 45 minutes of my weekend. As a member of my congregation who attends services almost every Friday night, I am constantly handling the temple bulletin, but rarely ever looking through it very deeply.

It was on one particular Friday night that a member of the community gave announcements from the brochure, reminding everyone of the Torah study session that would take place the next morning. It was during spring break, a week in which I had slept a very large sum of hours, so I decided to cut my sleep short that morning and go to the 9 a.m. study session.

When I got there, I was the youngest member of the group. I was welcomed with open arms, making me feel instantly like part of this small, yet cozy, community.

As the other group members got coffee and mingled, the Rabbi entered, and began to lead the discussion based on the weekly portion.

Instantly I was amazed. The deep thinking and search for meaning was breath-taking, form the first lines of the Torah to the last sentence of the conversation. I was overwhelmed with the insight of my fellow knowledge-seekers, and felt as though this, THIS, was what Judaism, but more specifically, religious practice, was all about.

After the 45 minutes were up, everyone talked for a few minutes, and departed on their separate ways. I had enjoyed this so much that I was considering coming back the next week.

That is when the first rough patch showed up. After a week of homework, stress, and sleeplessness, I was faced with a decision: Give up an hour or two of sleep on Saturday morning, or catch up on the lost relaxation.

I finally decided that I would set my alarm and get up. I could sleep some other time, but Torah was waiting.

Again, I got to the group, and again we discussed, debated, disagreed, and deliberated on the best ways to interpret the words. What was most striking was that we all were reading from the same book, yet of the twelve people in the room, each was reading the black letters a little differently.

This was, quite possibly, one of the most meaningful events of my Jewish life to date. I have never been able to have conversations with such a range of ages and life experiences as I did in those two sessions. I was able to grow on a personal level, finding my own interpretation of the words, and yet grow as a member of the community.

Additionally, the ability to question what we are taught is a principal in Judaism that makes it so intriguing. In some religions, people are taught to simply "drink the coolaid" and not ask questions. Judaism, on the other hand, encourages people to question. In fact, Yisrael, the name that Jacob took up and would later lead to the name of our homeland, means "one who struggles with God" and is where we get our drive for debate and struggle.

I love these classes. I love the ability to find a place in my community. And I love the struggle. Especially, I love to know that I am not struggling alone, and that I am, rather, grappling with the same words that my ancestors have been discussing for thousands of years. That is what Judaism is all about.

I'll Pass

This week marks the time when Jews remember our exodus from Egypt, celebrating with the holiday of Passover. Huge Seders, forty family members around one table, and more matzo than anyone knows how to eat is the way we Jews commemorate our freedom.

The most notable custom of observance, however, is the avoidance of bread, and other leavened products. It doesn't stop at bread, though, on the list of banned foods. Pasta, corn, anything with corn syrup, and anything that, oh, I don't know, tastes even remotely edible.

My brother hates Passover. Really, who can blame him? All of his favorite foods are banned. He has to go to three Seders, each lasting quite some time. He has to explain to his non-Jewish friends why he has to eat that flat, tasteless sheet of cardboard.

Passover is a holiday that is met with more complaining than I've ever heard. If God had heard the kvetching that the Jews would put up, God might not have passed over the opportunity to shut us up.

From a selfish, narrow-minded perspective, Passover sucks. But in the greater picture, it is probably one of the most meaningful holidays on the calendar. In our avoidance of leavened products, we are being more mindful about what enters our mouths, rather than just stuffing it with anything that crosses our path. By being aware of our own dissatisfaction with our food opportunities, we are better able to empathize with those who are hungry and who have no choice at all in what they eat. And by taking this one element out of our diet, we are able to form a connection, from generation to generation, ledor vador, between all of the thousands of generations before us who have had to fast in kind.

I am especially saddened when someone gives up fasting, after years of practice. I have friends who have kept Passover for many years, but decided this year that it just wasn't worth it, so they are chowing down on their sandwiches and other bread-filled treats. How can someone so simply abandon something that has been a fixture of our faith for, literally, five thousand plus years?

A week is a long time to change something so habitual as eating. You can't eat what you want at restaurants, can't have the freedom to blindly fill your mouth. Yet a week, in the grand sceme of things, really isn't a big deal. Gam Ze Yaavor, this too shall pass. Our ancestors were able to attain their freedom, something that we take for granted today. They wandered for forty years in the desert. We can't suffer for eight days?

And the Youth Shall See visions

I just got back from the opportunity of a lifetime. This past weekend, I received the opportunity to participate in NFTY (my youth group)'s Junior Youth Group Kallah (JYG). This event was for all 7th and 8th graders interested in a taste of NFTY. I was given the chance to act as a liaison to the Senior Youth Group, leading programing and services to give the participants the chance to experience what it is that I, and so many other Jewish teens, love so much.

Over the course of the weekend, I got to know many of the kids and got the chance to foster relationships with them. Some were already excited about joining NFTY and wanted to get started already, some were just there to get a taste and trial run of the organization. Either way, I was very touched by the experience that I had.

Right now, I serve as the Religious and Cultural Vice President. But next year, I may be something different. And the year after that, I will graduate and move on to another position in life. Every year, changes will occur, sending me to new, uncharted territory. But in my place, there will be young, excited people to take up my work, doing some of the same things I did, while other things differently.

At the event this weekend, there most likely was a future Religious and Cultural Vice President. There may have been a future Membership Vice President. There may have been a future President. The possibilities for this generation are endless, just as mine were, and still are.

It may seem a little strange that a high school junior is talking about "the youth" as if it were a different body from himself. I will admit, I am still very much a part of it. I have a very bright future ahead of me if I make it that way, and am excited to reach new heights in my life. But at this stage of the game, I find it interesting to stand back and look in both directions. In front of me is my own expansive future. Behind me, however, is a list of accomplishments, experiences, and feelings that have come and gone, and I am waiting for the next set of people to come and take up where I left off.

As a very insightful Rabbi told us this weekend, King Solomon once received a ring that could make those who are happy sad, and those who are sad happy. This ring was said to be magical. The ring itself was simple silver, with three letters written on it. These letters were Gimmel, Zayin, Yud, the first letters of גם זה יעבור‎, gam zeh yaavor, which means this too shall pass. The symbolism is that no matter what is happening, good or bad, it will always change, move on, end in some way. My time as an RCVP may be coming to an end, but someone new will take my place. And when I am done in NFTY, something new will come up that will be just as exciting, just as thrilling, just as meaningful. I just don't know what that will be yet.

Day late

As many observant readers may have noticed, it is not Sunday night, but rather Monday night that I am writing this blog. I was, unfortunately, sick all weekend, and was unable to write yesterday because of a nasty headache.
As I lay there, sick as a dog, I was considering why people like being sick? This may sound silly, as nobody WANTS to be sick, but I believe a large part of the population of school or working age people DO enjoy that scratchy throat that signals a short respite from the hard grind of the work week.
It is for this reason that I have compiled a list of the top 5 good things about being sick and the top 5 bad things about being sick. Here it comes:

Good Things:

5- Don't have to go to school, work, or any other kind of laborious task. This can be great if the past few weeks have really caught up with you.
4- If you have a list of movies you are ready to plow through, audio/visual sources are quite a fun way of distracting yourself from the suffering of being ill.
3- Sympathy from parents/relatives/friends. Facebook statuses and texts wishing me to get better fill the inbox and it feels nice to be missed.
2- March Madness. I happened to be sick during the second round of March Madness, so while my friends were in school, I got to chill and watch college basketball. That's a pretty good deal.
1- Food. As a good Jewish boy, the food is a big plus. Soup, orange juice, ice cream, and anything else I can claim will help me feel better is laid out before me, and I wait happily, ready to consume it all. I eat high on the hog when I'm not feeling so well.

Bad Things:

5- Headaches. The worst sort of sickness in the world is a headache. I can work through a runny nose. I can go about my day despite a sore throat. Heck, I can even function with a fever. Add a headache to the mix, and I'm instantly done. I can't stand headaches and the inability to do any sort of moving activity, thinking activity, sitting activity, sleeping activity, or anything in between.
4- Have you ever watched 30 hours of mindless TV in a row? It can get to the point where every sound-board added laugh makes you want to throw a rhinoceros against the TV screen.
3- Sleeping sucks while I'm sick. I hate laying down and hearing the pressure in my ears, and not being able to breathe through my stuffed nose or my sore throat. Try to get a good night sleep without breathing. If it works, you may not wake up.
2- Isolation from society sucks. Missing important events like youth group events and meetings stinks when you WANT to go to things. I have to miss the things I want to miss, plus the things I want to go to.
1- I'm sick. Hello? There must be something wrong with me or else I wouldn't be lying on the couch. How much fun can all this really be.


Overall, there is quite a few reasons why being sick can be fun, and a lot of ways it sucks. But overall, being sick does suck. No kidding. That's why people don't do it more often.

Taking the leap

Those who think are regarded as the intelligent, thoughtful, smart people of the world. I believe this to be the case. More thought that is put into a decision most often results in a choice that the person who makes it can be proud of, whether it is successful or not. Thoughtfulness is, all and all, a valuable trait to be had in individuals.

There are times, however, when thinking can become a negative. There are situations where thinking can hinder one's ability to make good decisions and healthy choices. I, personally, tend to over analyze things. I think and think about something, taking a look at every possible angle, and never let go. Even after decisions I will occasionally look back and see whether I made the right choice. This can be detrimental to mental health. If a person can't do something without painstaking thought, there can be frustration associated with even the smallest of decisions.

It is at times when I am over thinking things that I need to remind myself of one important part of my life. This idea is Faith. Faith is a pivotal part of my life, as it revolves around being Jewish. Faith is the root of religion, the source from which all practice stems.

When I realize that I am over analyzing things, I take a step back. I look at myself in the mirror, and I tell myself three things. I tell myself:
1) Have faith in yourself to make the decision that will be best for you.
2) Have faith in your community, who has offered you the ability to face this decision, and have faith that they did so for good reason.
and 3) Have faith in God, that God put you on the path that will lead to the best result.

I'm not saying God is deciding whether or not you win or lose your soccer game. I'm simply saying that God puts each and every one of us on earth for a reason. When life gets stressful and decisions have to be made, realize that, with a little faith, the whole process can be easier. Take a total leap of faith, putting yourself in a position for success. If things don't work out, its not a big deal. If things do work out, though, faith paid off.

Support System

Every Rabbi and teacher has stories that they tell, to explain an idea or theme that they want to convey. This is my first attempt to come up with a story that conveys an idea very close to my heart.

There was a little town that did not have very much. There weren't many people, there weren't many shops, there weren't many of anything. The one thing that they did have was a lot of heart. Well, one night, a large storm swooped in a toppled the little temple where the community would gather on Friday nights to join in worship.
The congregation gathered at the Rabbi's house the next day to discuss what to do next. One congregant stood and shouted "It is now Monday! What will we do if we do not have a temple by Friday night?" Another stood and said "We have nowhere to pray! What ever will we do?" One man named Jacob in the middle of the room took the center of the discussion and boldly and proudly said "I will rebuild the temple. I will take care of it. Nobody needs to worry."
Well the Rabbi stroked his beard (as all rabbis do) and looked the man up and down. "Jacob, we thank you for volunteering to rebuild the temple, but you will need much help to accomplish this task." "No," Jacob said. "I will do it by myself. I can do it. I am strong, and smart. I don't need to bother anyone else."
So the Rabbi let the man attempt to build the temple the next day.
Well Tuesday morning came, and Jacob went to the site of the temple. He spent all morning cutting the wood, hammering the nails, and constructing the first wall. Well as he set it up, and began to create the second one, the first came crashing down, destroying all the work he had already done. He went to the rabbi and said "Rabbi, I tried to build the temple but when I went to build the second wall, the first fell down. I need to attempt it again tomorrow." The rabbi stroked his beard and looked Jacob up and down. "Why don't you look for some other citizens to help you in your construction?" "No, no, I have it under control. I don't need help," Jacob replied adamantly.
The next day, Wednesday, Jacob went out again and began his work. He spent all morning cutting the wood, hammering the nails, and constructing the first wall. As he set it up and moved to construct the second wall, the wall came crashing down, destroying his hard work. Jacob again went to the rabbi and said "Rabbi, I tried to build the temple but when I went to build the second wall, the first fell down. I need to attempt it once again tomorrow." The rabbi once again stroked his beard and looked Jacob up and down. "Why don't you look for some other members of the community to help you in your construction?" "No, no, I have it under control. I don't need help," Jacob replied adamantly.
So the next day Jacob went once again to the site of the temple. He constructed the perfect first wall, and as he set it up, he went to build the second wall. As he began to hammer in the nails of the second wall, the first slowly began to fall. As it did so, however, a young boy ran forward to catch it. As he strained to keep the wall from collapsing, another man from the community came forward, he too working to keep the new building from destruction. Eventually, the whole community had turned up to help, either by holding up a wall, or by helping to construct the roof. By the end of the day, the temple was built, constructed in beauty. The congregation found it to be even more beautiful than the one before it, for the simple reason that they, themselves had helped to create it.

The purpose of this story is to convey the message of community, as well as the need to share burden. When one man tries to do it all, he is bound to fail. When a community works together, they are nearly unstoppable.

Masked identity

Last night and today, Jews all around the world celebrated the holiday of Purim, the one Jewish holiday on which a Jew is supposed to get so drunk that they can't tell the difference between the name of Haman (the villain) or Mordachai (the hero).

Other than public drunkenness, though, the story of Purim covers the identity crisis of a woman who becomes queen of a kingdom in which the Jews have been threatened by a wicked man (Haman). This queen happens to be a Jew herself, and is forced to make some serious decisions that decide the future of her people.

On Friday night, at temple, my Rabbi discussed the idea of masks, and how Queen Esther had to wear several different masks, from those in front of her husband, the king, and in front of her own people, her fellow Jews. The idea of masks got me thinking of my own life, and how this story, which sounds distant and ancient, is actually very close to our hearts today.

As a high school teenager in America, I am forced to wear several different masks. I have to be one person in the classroom, another in the temple, a third in the newspaper room. This multi-faced beast becomes a web, entangling the many facets of what makes an individual who they truly are. It also becomes difficult, at times, to tell which face you are looking at, when looking upon another person. Are you seeing the true person, or merely a persona, overshadowing the truth bellow? When that person acts in a pompous and arrogant manner, are they truly feeling this way? Or is that a defense mechanism against possible underlying insecurity? When someone is cruel and insulting, is that a way for that person to head off a possible attack, one that they may be anticipating, possibly erroneously?

At times, this web of identities can even ensnare the person himself, not allowing the wearer of the masks to get a glimpse of who and what they are, at their deepest and most honest form. It is in these situations that we, as teenagers, are faced with the difficulties of trying to figure out who we are. The pressure that this can cause, most specifically on teenagers, is immense, as identity is one of the most important aspects of a thriving individual.

This all taken into account, we, as human beings, have an obligation to understand the predicament of our peers. We have no business judging others, when we ourselves are all too incapable of figuring out who we really and truly are. Therefore, it is important for us to delay overly cruel judgement until we have a full understanding of who a person truly is. Sometimes people will never have a full understanding of the other people they interact with. This being the case, it is best to not judge too cruelly upon your fellow man, as you never know how true the persona you are interacting with is to the true identity of a person.

On the flip side of that coin, however, is the situations in which people can get a fair and accurate view of who a person is, at their core. When these flashes of insight occur, and you are able to see who someone is really, at their most holy self, those are the times that must be cherished and praised, for that interaction is in the image of God. When human beings interact on a holy and meaningful level, being able to be their honest selves, it is a situation that accurately personifies the amazing works of God.

So I ask everyone not necessarily to take off the masks, but at the very least, to show glimpses of the person under them, as well as to have compassion for those who may struggle to see the difference between what is a mask, and what is real. For all of those who may struggle to find who the really are, it is important for those who know to have compassion. And for those who think they know, you may be. But you could be wrong. You may be someone completely different. Find out for yourself.

Five Rings

From torches to brooms, skis to half pipes, there is truly something for everyone at the Olympic Games. For a week the world's top athletes have been competing to bring home the top prize for the country, the payoff for, most often, years and years of practice, competition, and struggle.
One of the biggest, most valuable parts of the Olympics is the feeling of national pride that countries feel toward their team. It is hard not to smile when you think about the valiant work of American athletes like Lindsey Vonn and Shani Davis. Nothing brings a country together better than the thrill of seeing Apolo Anton Ohno shoot around competitors as he busts from fifth to first in his first heat.
This feeling of camaraderie is a vital part of why the Olympic games are so important to today's culture. In a world where Americans are constantly questioning their government, arguing within their nation, and disputing every act of legislature, it is immensely important to have the opportunity to band together for one common goal, one common pursuit. The competition simply gives us someone to focus all of our frustration and competitiveness toward.
Even as we speak, two of the most dominant hockey teams in the world are taking each other on, pitting the US versus their neighbors to the North and the hosts of these Olympic games. The intense media attention associated with these games is a great act of national competition.
The games may be for fun, but there is a lot more at stake than just a medal. The pride, of a nation is at stake. I for one, am excited to see who wins most.

Why didn't God post it on my Facebook?

I was supposed to be in Dallas this weekend. I was supposed to spend the weekend with friends from all over North America. I was supposed to elect the new leaders of my Jewish youth group.

None of these things got to happen howevever. On Thursday night, I found out that my flight was cancelled, do to snow, rain, and ice storms all across Texas. I was told by American Airlines that I would not be able to arrive in Texas until Saturday night, leaving me only 36 hours to be with my youth group, the people who I love more than anyone else. With some decision making by my parents and some introspection, it was decided that I would not pay almost $700 for 36 hours, and that instead I would stay home. As much as this decision was logical, it was most definitely not enjoyable, or an easy one to make.

Over the course of the weekend, I have considered why I didn't go to this event. I understand that nature caused the trip to be too trecherous, but why? Was God trying to tell me something?

My mother said many times that there were signs at play here. Maybe this was a sign of a bigger lesson or reasoning. God was trying to tell me something.

I questioned also if there were some hidden things I didn't know about the trip. Maybe if I would have gone, the airplane I was on would have crashed. Maybe I would have accidentally prevented someone being elected who would have been amazing at their job? Maybe I would have had an amazing weekend with a home friend if I had stayed (which I did)?

It is a giant mystery. I wish God was more clear, but who am I to question where God makes decisions? Who am I to even assume it is God who caused such a natural backlash? Who am I to decide what is and isn't good for me on a mystical level?

I have no answer for many of the questions I have posed tonight. All I know is that I attempted to make the best of a horrible situation, having as great a weekend as one could have without NFTY, and that I miss NFTY very much.

And I learned that sometimes it is ok to not know all the answers. Sometimes, someone is looking out for you, and you may never even know it.

Severe Injustice

The community in which we live is under attack. Attack from a serious issue, one that could cause serious detriment to our society as we know it. This problem is so intense, so severe, that it is driving people to do the unthinkable.

The injustice occurred just a few blocks away from my house, where I am currently typing. It was a Sunday morning, as I was driving home from teaching Sunday school. As I drove past the marquee for the Buffalo Grove theatre, I tried to see what movies were playing that week. The BG theatre shows second run movies at a ridiculously low cost. It was then, however, that I realized what was wrong. In the upper left corner of the sign, there was something different. Where it usually said $2 admission, it now read $5. This was horrifying. $5 for a second run movie? I think not!

The theatre has never been a pretty one. It is dingy, dark, and a little gross. The screens are small, and the bathrooms are unrivaled (not in a good way). I refuse to pay $5 to go to a movie theatre that isn't even a good one, to see movies months after they come out, when I could see them on the first run for just $2 more, in the comfort of a nice, soft chair.

The injustice is that I now have lost something very close to my heart. As a teenager, money is not always easy to come by in large quantities. It is often difficult to choose between going out with friends to a movie or buying dinner. With the BG theatre, I was able to do both. The inexpensive ticket allowed me to have my cake and eat it too, even in a somewhat less than satisfactory location.

Now I have lost that one place where I can spend my time, without spending a large sum of money. There is no place for a financially frugal teenager anymore. They have taken away our headquarters, our sanctuary.

Now where am I going to watch Legion?

The Way to Peace

The United Nations meets for thousands of hours every year, with governments working hard to try to bring peace to every corner of the universe. Through all this, the US is still in two wars, while the entire world sits in a state of unease, with peace seeming much less like a five year plan, and much more like a century long turmoil.

Yet peace is beginning. It is not beginning in board rooms, the office of legal negotiators, or even in the United Nations. It is beginning with one silly dance by one man.

Dancing Matt has received 26,511,126 hits on his youtube video, and has been sweeping the nation, featured in such books as Socialnomics, by Erik Qualman.

Who is Dancing Matt? What does he do? Matt is a man who was known by his friends for a quirky, fun dance that he does when he is happy. A few years ago, someone thought it would be a good idea to videotape this dance. It became an instant Youtube hit, and Stride Gum would enter into a sponsorship with Matt and his dance. With Stride picking up the tab, Matt began going around the world, doing his dance in all sorts of destinations, from New York to Fiji, Chicago to Zambia.

What happened when Matt did his dance around the world? More and more people began dancing with him, spreading the joy. With thousands of people doing this dance from countries all over the world, Matt was making a global impact.

Sometimes its important to take a step back and say "How much are we actually getting done?" Matt was not attempting to change the world. He was simply doing his dance to entertain a few people. Yet that dance has changed the world in a way that nobody could have imagine.

So you don't have to be a national diplomat to make a difference. Just dance.

14-11+1=newspaper?

As of 4th period last Tuesday there were only 4 people remaining on the newspaper staff at my school. We had gone from 14 to 4 in what seemed like overnight. The funniest part (though no one was laughing) was that we had actually gained a member.

Why had everyone quit? Why was it now three remaining staff members, plus a girl on her first day? Because the school that we were attempting to deliver the news to was just too stressful for them to handle. They couldn't take the interaction with an administration that they felt was abusing them. They couldn't work with the "unreasonable" expectations that were being put on them to put out a paper that "everyone" could be happy with.

I am not going to comment on what the administration has done, or on whether it was legal or ethical. You can go the Chicago Tribune or Fox News for that information. What I am going to comment on is what it is like to be the last man standing (I am the only male left on staff).

Since my first day in Journalistic Writing, my love of journalism has been fostered. I owe Barb Thill a great deal of thanks for inspiring me journalistically and teaching me how to report the news in a fair and balanced way.

Then, after 1 year of training classes to get onto the newspaper staff, the group as everyone knew it went down the tubes with the publication of the hooking-up article. This article was not only newsworthy because of what we covered, but also the way we covered it.

One year after the hooking-up article ran, nobody is left. The students who spent countless hours posting comments on facebook, speaking at school board meetings, and busting their asses to fight for what they believed was right are all gone.

I can empathize with their decision to quit the newspaper staff. Over the past few months, the act of being on this staff has been stressful and trying time. I also understand that many of the staff members believed their quitting was an act of defiance, a strike back against the administration to make a statement.

What I have no care, empathy, or patience for is the question that I have been asked, now way too many times. That question is "Why are you still there, Austin? Are you really dumb enough to think you can change anything?"

This question has come from a few staff members, but mostly from members of the community. The question is, frankly, incredibly insulting. No, I am not dumb enough to think my staying on staff can change the policy of the administration toward the paper. No, I am not dumb enough to think I can make bold acts to rejuvenating the vitality of the newspaper that I love with only 4 people to work with. What I am "dumb" enough to do is to attempt to do what I love. That is to write. I am "dumb" enough to not allow myself to be bullied, both by administration wanting to pick and choose what I write, and by my peers to decide if I should or should not be on the newspaper staff. And I am "dumb" enough to believe that I can put out a newspaper.

The paper that I plan to put out with the remaining members will not be a 16 page prize winner. It will however be the best work I can do. I intend to write the same caliber stories I was writing before. I intend to lay out pages, take photos, and pick up the slack left by those no longer with us. And, most importantly, I intend to prove wrong all of the people who say I can not do the things I have mentioned above. I intend to prove that we, as a 4-person staff, CAN put together a product that we can all be proud of.

To the staff members who decided to quit: I hold no hard feelings. I appreciate how tough the decision was for you, and I am proud to have been able to call you my co-workers.

To Soo, Kelly, and Hayley: It is up to us to continue this newspaper. We can do it. I know we can. I have faith in you. (No pressure :)

To Ms. Lukens and Mr. Lockowitz: I look forward to continuing to work with you to do what is best for our staff and our community.

And to those who think I can't do it: Prepare to be proven wrong.

BSVA

AZ