The Jewmanist

Hebah Ismail, an Egyptian-American Harvard Law student flew to Israel to do research on human rights. From the Harvard Law Record:

A warm smile and easy laugh reveal Hebah Ismail’s unthreatening, gentle personality. An American citizen, this 3L of Egyptian descent works with the International Human Rights Clinic on projects related to Bedouin land rights. Hebah wears a hijab. She still does not know which of one, or combination, of these characteristics prompted the immigration personnel at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport to deem her dangerous and deny her entry to Israel.

Profiling at it’s best…

After going through her computer, including the external hard drive, the line of questions continued. While most of those originally holding Ismail appeared rather young, a man in his 30s and clearly in a position of authority took over the interrogation.

Ismail recounts how this man introduced himself.

Posted in News

Tags:Israel.religion

Hitler’s Children is an interesting documentary on the dialogue between children of Holocaust survivors and the children of the perpetrators.

Posted in Images. Links. Videos

Tags:documentary.Holocaust

Where do we get our creativity and inspiration from? It’s different for everyone. As a teen, I began writing (I also drew and painted some). I wrote many poems railing against “the system”. I wasn’t 100% certain what I even meant by that at the time. Yet I think it had something to do with what I could easily refer to as the Expected Steps of Life that are pushed on us by religious institutions, political figureheads, and our families. After childhood we’re all pushed towards college, then the must-have job that you hate, get married to the first warm body (of the opposite sex) that hangs around for a few months, have 2.5 kids, buy a house, and mess up your kids in a similar fashion that your parents did to you (to a lesser extent if they’re lucky). Continuing the job you hate while saving for a retirement you so you can finally enjoy your money and spouse. These steps are all a part of the “American Dream” and must not be done out of order!

Posted in Essays. Images. Personal

Tags:artwork.atheism.inspiration.nature.science

Every year around this time, we always hear about this so-called “War on Christmas”. Why do these talking heads like to drag the solstice through the muck? I’d like to go an entire season without hearing about this baloney. The very folks who yack about persecution started said “war” by attacking other people’s holidays that existed long before Christmas. Whether Winter Solstice or Hanukkah (and so on), it seems quite selfish and ignorant to make everyone celebrate what’s supposed to be a very meaningful holiday only to Christians.

I’d find this “persecution” bit quite laughable if it weren’t so insulting. I don’t know if its the Jew or the atheist in me that is put off more.

I don’t care enough about Christmas to wage a war. And it’s not anymore noteworthy than anything I’ve (or anyone else has) celebrated.

Posted in Rants

Tags:Christmas.religion.war.winter solstice