June 14, 2013 | 1:49 pm

The importance of Anne Frank

Posted by Jay Firestone

Last week was the 84th birthday of Anne Frank, as well as anniversary of the first post in her diary in which she famously wrote, “I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support.”

First published in 1947, “The Diary of A Young Girl,” was an immediate sensation — not only for the impressive writing, but for the stark description of life in hiding. The book has had a storied history since then, winning a Pulitzer Prize, earning worldwide accolades, and drawing royalty to performances of the stage version. Not everyone was enthused by the performance, however. In 1957, Parisian officials would not allow the play to run for fear that Germans would feel slighted by the performance. Moreover, the play became a lightning rod for anti-Semitism, attracting neo-Nazis throughout the world to disrupt performances.

Still, the book has become a staple of school curricula, though even this has sparked controversy. In the United States, the religious right found the book offensive for portraying different religions in a pluralistic manner. Some parents went so far as to pull their children from class the days the diary would be read. In 2009, Hezbollah pressured a private school in Beirut to remove snippets of the diary from its curriculum.

Perhaps most interestingly, the diary was used by prosecutors to convict the Nazi officers who deported Jews out of Holland to concentration camps.

With time, Anne Frank became a universal symbol of hope and the desire for freedom. In 1961, President Kennedy honored Anne Frank and explained that she gave the world …

… a gift that will survive her enemies…Of the multitude who throughout history have spoken for human dignity in times of great suffering and loss, few are  more compelling than that of Anne Frank. Her humor, her humanity and her hope illuminate the hearts of men heavily clouded by the apparent willingness of those who seek power and domain over the soul of man to again deprive people of the right to live in peace, tolerance and freedom.

In 1994, appearing at the opening here of an exhibition about the life of Anne Frank, South African President Nelson Mandela said: ”The victory of the democratic forces in South Africa is a contribution to this worldwide effort to rid humanity of the evil of racism. It is Anne Frank’s victory. It is an achievement of humanity as a whole.”

June 12, 2013 | 12:24 pm

Six reasons why Superman is Jesus in ‘Man of Steel’

Posted by Jay Firestone

Last night I attended a press screening of the latest installment of the Superman franchise, “Man of Steel,” directed by Zack Snyder and produced by "Batman" director Christopher Nolan. 

An avid comic book fan, I expected one of two portrayals of Superman. 

Jewish or Jesus.

There’s been a fair amount of discourse on whether the superhero created by two Jews in the late 30s was in fact a Jew.  He’s an immigrant, he an outcast, he’s a golem, etc.  It’s no surprise that Jews love to call Superman Jewish. (You can read more about that theory here, here or here.)

Then there’s the notion that Superman is Jesus, which tends to eclipse the character’s similarities to Jewish immigrants of the 30s.  The 2006 film, "Superman Returns" (directed by Bryan Singer) depicted the man in blue as a godlike savior, sacrificing himself for the good people of Metropolis.  The audience is even treated to that classic snapshot of Superman in the clouds, like an angel in heaven…or something cheesy like that.  

So how does Superman fare, religiously, in “Man of Steel?"

Well he’s not Jewish…that’s for sure.  In fact, he’s as non-Jewish as the Pope is Catholic.

And here are the top six reasons why. [WARNING: Spoilers ahead]

1)   Holy Trinity.   There’s a strong father-son theme in this movie between Superman (Henry Cavill) and his human father, Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner).  Throughout the film, repeated flashbacks recall this relationship, establishing context for Superman’s morality.  Later, Superman is introduced to the holographic consciousness of his biological father, Jor-El (Russell Crowe).  In this incarnation, Jor-El offers guidance and a sense of clarity to Superman (known by his Krypton name, Kal-El).  It’s even hinted that Jor-El is like a ghost.  So here we have it, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

2)   Superman goes to church, seriously.  In a moment of uncertainty, Clark Kent finds himself in church seeking advice from a minister.  Furthermore, you can see a stained glass Jesus in the background of a close-up on Clark.  Real subtle.

3)   Superman is willing to die for our sins.  In the film, General Zod (Michael Shannon) requests that the people of Earth deliver Superman in exchange for not destroying the planet (Seems legit).  Superman, of course, turns himself in.  Such a mensch.

4)   Superman LOVES to pose like Jesus.  There’s a scene where Superman leaps from a spaceship outside the Earth’s atmosphere.  Instead of taking a confident nosedive or cannonball, he falls backwards from the ship with his arms extended, mimicking a “cross.”  I’d say it’s a coincidence, but this poses happens twice (at least). 

5)   Immaculate conception.  Or rather…the only conception.  In this story, Superman is actually the first natural birth on Krypton in centuries.  Other babies are born via some Kryptonian harvest that grows infants out of pods.  (It’s like “The Matrix” meets “Children of Men.”) Why don’t Krypton women give birth anymore?  Probably because Krypton’s Sunday morning farmer’s market has the freshest babies in town.  That…or Jor-El forgot to buy Kryptonite-coated condoms.

And finally…

6)   Superman is 33 and unmarried.  If he were Jewish, his mom would be ALL over that.

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June 12, 2013 | 11:08 am

Female IDF soldiers post striptease video, use rifles as pole

Posted by Uri Fintzy

Screen shot from Mako

“Ask and ye shall receive!” (John 16:24)

Yesterday, we wondered about the extent of Israel’s informality with social media. Today, the Internet gods have answered.

Not to be outdone by a sexy Israelilawmaker, or pictures of half-naked soldiers, a group of female IDF soldiers stripping on video has surfaced, complete with an M-16 rifle standing in for a stripper pole.

One soldier offers her booty-shaking comrades this piece of advice: “Dance like a prostitute on that rifle!”

Later she warns, “I am posting this to Facebook and tagging you!”

According to Israeli website Mako, these cases are being treated privately by the girls’ commanders.

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June 10, 2013 | 11:55 am

Jerry Lewis raps in Yiddish

Posted by Jana Banin, JTA

Usually when you think of keeping the Yiddish language alive you think theater and literature — not freestyle rap. Especially not freestyle rap performed by a legendary comic like Jerry Lewis.

Yet thanks to TMZ, the world now has grainy smartphone footage footage of the 87-year-old on the set of his new movie “Max Rose,” engaging in a rap battle with Chris La Vrar, of “America’s Got Talent” fame.

It’s unclear what La Vrar was doing there or how the rhyming got started — or if Lewis’ rhymes are in fact actually Yiddish. Either way,  it’s pretty endearing when, after getting rapped at by La Vrar, Lewis shoots back with, “Very good. Very, VERY good … I want to do one now in Jewish.”

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June 10, 2013 | 11:51 am

Old Spice guy does another Israel commercial

Posted by Adam Soclof, JTA

Old Spice guy Isaiah Mustafa has taken his act to Israel… again.

Two months after sporting a suit and tie for a Maccabee beer ad, the actor has gone shirtless again for Old Spice with an ad called “Israeli men.”

The minimalist ad sports Mustafa posing in front of a shower donning a towel around the waist, peppering his homage to the Israeli manly-man, or “gever gever,”  with Hebrew slang.

“They eat manly food like shawarma, matbucha and gefilte fish,” he deadpans to the camera.

The ad borrows the look of Old Spice’s award-winning social media campaign from 2010, though without the campaign’s quintessential real-time element.

Still, the low tech version of the famous “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign is a safe play for Old Spice, adapting a fan favorite to the Israeli market.

Think Old Spice will teach Terry Crews how to say “odor blocker” in Hebrew?

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June 5, 2013 | 10:18 am

Kim Kardashian’s favorite kibbutz

Posted by Jana Banin, JTA

Singer Kanye West and reality television actress Kim Kardashian at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit in New York on May 6. Photo by Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Reality star Kim Kardashian has done her part for a kibbutz in Israel. Take a deep breath–she has not actually performed any manual labor, or even visited the place (do they make high heel Naots?). Her contribution is of the wallet-opening kind.

Kardashian settled on Ceasarstone brand quartz countertops, made in Kibbutz Sdot Yam, for the renovation of her Beverly Hills mansion, Tablet reports. Trend-setter that she is, it wasn’t long before her neighbors were using it too. Not exactly a bad thing for an already growing company.  Ceasarstone Sdot Yam Ltd. is now worth a billion dollars.

The booming business has just opened a New York factory, where they will produce inventory for another place Kanye West’s wife-to-be will probably never visit: IKEA.

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June 4, 2013 | 9:32 am

Three adorable puppies rescued in the Negev

Posted by Uri Fintzy, JTA

Meet Wendy, Winnie and Willie.

Done awwing? good.

These three sweet puppies were found deserted near the Israeli town of Netivot in the Negev Desert. The person who found them called Jay and his fiance Roni, a couple who volunteer for animal welfare and occasionally take care of abandoned dogs.

According to Jay’s Reddit post (username jayeugene), the three were “malnourished and dehydrated,” and were found in a box of rotten tomatoes. They were brought to Jay’s home in Beersheva, and they were covered in fleas and ticks.

Caution: kinda gross.

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But after a little bath time and removal of almost 300 ticks and fleas…

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Wendy, Winnie and Willie. Imgur

The three puppies became viral star after the story floated on Reddit and Buzzfeed.

According to Jay, Wendy was already adopted by SOS Herzliya\a, while Winnie and Willie are still waiting to find a home. More info about adopting them can be found here.

More photos here!

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June 3, 2013 | 12:26 pm

IDF female soldiers caught posting inappropriate ‘selfies’

Posted by Jillian Scheinfeld, JTA

The IDF female soldiers in the photo that got them in trouble. (Walla)

Teenage girls and mentally ill/substance addict celebrities aren’t the only ones posting half naked ‘selfies’ on the Internet.

Cue a group of females from the IDF who were disciplined for taking the sexy Israeli soldier image a bit too far. The new recruits were found modeling (faces blurred) in their underwear and posing dressed only in helmets and minimal combat equipment.

No word on what punishment was executed, but the entire military base is now reaping the rewards. Military officials said the base conducted educational lectures in hopes of keeping soldiers from repeating the social media sacrilege.

This isn’t the first time the Israeli military has been chastised for inappropriate Internet conduct. In 2010, a male Israeli soldier was filmed lewdly dancing around a blindfolded Palestinian woman. In February a male Golani Brigade soldier was reprimanded for posting pictures of himself mishandling weapons while in uniform on Instagram. The controversial shots were accompanied by anti-Palestinian captions.

Photo from Facebook

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