Loser List #13: Hasan Bolkhari & Hazem Abu Ismail

Hasan Bolkhari

So one of the more popular things for Israel-bashers to do of late is to take random thing in the world, for example an animal or a product, and relay its actions or characteristics as antisemitic or something of the sort. What I mean is that they find some random piece of pop-culture and go on to say that’s its part of a crazy “Jewish/Zionist conspiracy theory” of how we’re taking over the world or some other nonsense. It’s a tool for racism that’s been practiced beyond count throughout the annals of history, and although that means this is nothing really new, it just comes to show how little progression, growth, evolution or advancement anti-Semites have to show for themselves over time.

Hazem Abu Ismail

And as documenters of the present, we are therefore also documenters of history, which means it is with great benefit that we do what we can to not only record our era’s examples of anti-Semitism, but to expose it for the rest of world for now, and in the future. If someone were to view this blog post much later in the future, it would be no different then you and I visiting a museum and viewing the countless pieces of anti-Semitism produced by the Nazis or any other group of people that have tried to take on the Jews.

Chomp! Magazine: My IPAO award-winning magazine

AWARD-WINNING MAGAZINE: Left to right, front row are journalism students Tevy Pilc (with what’s left of his home-brought kosher meal… while everyone else had steak), Katrina Rozal and Maxx Smith. Back row, left to right are journalism professor Ellin Bessner and Barry Finn of the IPAO.

It’s not everyday you win an award, and even though that day was quite a while ago, you can’t blame me for wanting to publicize my happiness, which came as a result of the hard work put in to make it happen (or something like that…)

Loser List #12: The jerk who dumped their garbage bag on my lawn this morning (AND didn’t recycle either)

Being clean is an important thing, both spiritually and physically. And while you can apply the connotation of what’s clean and dirty to a number of different things, one the most basic appropriations is usually given towards the disposal of garbage – aka taking out the trash.

Regardless of who you are and where you live, no one is exempt from this necessary task of orderly removing their garbage from their places of domain and placing it in another area where someone else will take it away to a bigger area full of other people’s’ garbage.

Rosh Chodesh Elul 5765: The first day of a new life

Today’s date on the Jewish calendar is the anniversary of very significant day in my life. On The second day of Elul in 2005 (5765) I spent my first full day of yeshiva in Israel.

It was the beginning of a magical journey that would change my life forever.