The Israeli Gay Religious Revolution

It's late and I'm writing this without having taken the time to read carefully through the relevant articles, but I learned today about a new Israeli organization for religious homosexuals — הו"ד — and their campaign to force the religious establishment in Israel to recognize that they exist and deal with them and their issues in a human and compassionate halakhic manner.

Article on YNet about the website

Article on YNet about their conference
From skimming the article it looks like they got about 70 datí homosexuals together in Jerusalem in order to finalize a letter or statement of some kind that they are sending to rabbis all over the country. When it was described to me a few hours ago in person by a rabbi from Israel who has been interacting with them, it sounded like a large number of the men involved came out of the closet now 'en masse' specifically for this purpose of forcing the religious community and its leadership to recognize that they exist and that they have needs and struggles that can't just be solved with abstract platitudes.

But is it Kosher for Passover?

Read this hekhsher VERY VERY carefully.
It does NOT say כשר לפסח



“Like a Goblin for Passover”?!

No More Auction Block For Me

(Another Passover Hymn)

In college, I took a course entitled Blacks and Jews in American Cultural History. During the class, I encountered a Spiritual from around the time of the Civil War which was later recorded by the likes of Paul Robeson and Bob Dylan — “No More Auction Block”. I personally prefer Bob Dylan's version (which can be found in "The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3" or bought on iTunes); he actually took the music from No More Auction Block and later turned it into the basis for Blowin’ In The Wind.


no more auction block for me
no more no more
no more auction block for me
many thousand gone

The song seems to be from the point of view of a recently-freed slave, mourning all those many human beings who were oppressed, tortured, and dehumanized, but didn't live long enough to see freedom.

The stanzas of the song are very simple. The basic pattern above is repeated, with a different reference to slavery replacing the words auction block. In searching the internet for recordings and lyrics listings, I found the following variants: “master call”   “pint of salt”   “driver's lash”   “whiplash”   “peck of corn”   “mistress' call”   “hundred lash”

Ever since I learned this song, I've wanted to sing it at the Seder. Now you can, too. And it's definitely possible to apply the tune to passages in the Haggada, such as Dayeinu.

A version similar to Bob Dylan's:



Paul Robeson's classic version:



A slower, meditative-sounding version:

Creeping Death (A Passover Hymn)

My Progressively More Yeshivish Friend pointed me to a somewhat inspiring and somewhat disturbing classic Metallica song. "Creeping Death" is a song about Makat Bekhorot, the final and most devastating of the 10 plagues that God brought against the Egyptians who enslaved our ancestors. The Slaying of the Firstborn. And it's not like Metallica is even "death metal" music...



for a video of just the music without the untzniusdik drummer, click here

Creeping Death by Metallica

Slaves
Hebrews born to serve
To the pharaoh
Heed
To his every word
Live in fear
Faith
Of the unknown one
The deliverer
Wait
Something must be done
Four hundred years

So let it be written
So let it be done
I'm sent here by the chosen one
So let it be written
So let it be done
To kill the first-born Pharaoh's son
I'm creeping death

Now
Let my people go
Land of Goshen
Go
I will be with thee
Bush of fire
Blood
Running red and strong
Down the Nile
Plague
Darkness three days long
Hail to fire

So let it be written
So let it be done
I'm sent here by the chosen one
So let it be written
So let it be done
To kill the first born pharaoh's son
I'm creeping death

Die!

Die by my hand
I creep across the land
Killing first-born man
Die by my hand
I creep across the land
Killing first-born man

I
Rule the midnight air
The destroyer
Born
I shall soon be there
Deadly mass
I
Creep the steps and floor
Final darkness
Blood
Lambs blood painted door
I shall pass

So let it be written
So let it be done
I'm sent here by the chosen one
So let it be written
So let it be done
To kill the first-born Pharaoh's son
I'm creeping death

The 14th Principle of Faith

...of Geek Orthodox Judaism:

(of which I am the Geek Orthodox Patriarch)

God is not only a Trickster.
God is not only an Artist.

God is the Biggest Nerd Ever!

(click there to understand why)

Here's A Schism There's A Schism

FIrst there was the Great Orthodox Schism of the 21st Century, which may or may not be being pushed along by the founding of a new Orthodox rabbinic organization, the Rabbinic Fellowship, by the team of Rabbis Weiss & Angel.

Then there was the Spiritual Communities Study of the Independent Minyan phenomenon, highlighting the diversification and democratization of much of active Jewish religious ritual life.

Sometimes it looks like everything's falling apart.

And then something happens to make you realize that yes, you're right.

A new Jewish political advocacy organization, the J-Street Project, is an alternative to what some see as the Rightist or Far-Rightist orientation of AIPAC and its allies.

Interesting development.