9/11 – 911 – Sept 11 – 11 Sept

I can't believe it has been a full 8 years since September 11, 2001. It does feel like yesterday sometimes... and sometimes it feels like I saw it in a movie... wasn't Will Smith in that one?

So in the spirit of the day, I will share my story.

September 11, 2001 - Jacksonville, Florida

I was a junior at Jacksonville University. It was like any other morning. I didn't want to get up and go to my Theatre Design class. Hell, I just didn't want to get up. I have a habit of waking up to my alarm, turning on the TV to the Today Show or CNN and falling back asleep. In my half-asleep state, I peeked through my eyelids and saw an image of smoke coming out of the World Trade Center. In my half-asleep state, my brain said, "Why are they showing file footage of '93?"

Then I sat straight up in bed. This wasn't fake. Matt Lauer was telling me that this was happening right NOW. I sat in my bed, bolt upright staring at my little dorm room/college apartment television, listening to Matt Lauer talk and watched the second plane hit the second tower. That is an image I can never forget. I sat in shock, disbelief, but faith that everything will be all right.

Once my shock wore off, I ran and woke my roommates. I kept one eye on the TV while I got dressed. I finally tore myself from the television and practically ran to the other side of campus, to the fine arts building where my class was. When I got there, the entire staff and all the students in class in that building were huddled around a tiny, tiny TV. I remember that it was smack dab in the middle of Mary's office (she was the receptionist for the theatre and dance department) and students, faculty, deans were all huddled, some in folding chairs, some standing, some on the floor just... watching.

I don't know how long I watched. Classes were, clearly, canceled for the day. JU attracts many students from the northeast and I watched my friends call home and ask about family and friends. Consequences weren't setting in... it wasn't real. The realities would come soon.

When we heard the Pentagon had been hit, it was a shock, sort of. I don't think I had any more capacity to be shocked by that point. Until it hit me. The man I had been dating off and on was currently serving in the Air Force and he was stationed to be at the Pentagon on certain days. But which days? Come on Talia! Just remember what days was he supposed to be there. My brain lost its ability to function. Shock turned to fear. I tried to call him. No luck. No phone calls were going out. Phone lines were jammed. I had to be pulled aside by a friend to be calmed down. When my head finally cleared, I could think. Today is Tuesday. He works there Monday and Wednesday. Breathe.

Finally at some point in the early afternoon we couldn't take it anymore. We couldn't sit in that stuffy office that smelled like old sheet music and ancient costumes. My apartment-mate, Zeina and I started the seemingly long walk back home. Silence enveloped us. We couldn't talk. We couldn't communicate. We could only think. This young Jewish woman and her best friend, a beautiful Lebanese woman took comfort in each others presence. When we got home, we took comfort in cooking.

That's what we do. We feed. It's ingrained in both of us from our cultural heritage. We propped open our apartment door, turned on the TV, and cooked. We welcomed anyone who needed somewhere to be. We fed them until we ran out of food. And we sat, as a community, together absorbing what happened.

When I could finally speak to my parents, I told them about my day. My father's first response was, "We have to stand with Zeina and her family now." It seemed like an odd statement to me at the time. I didn't understand. What had Zeina done? Nothing. Except to have been born to an Arab Christian family. Yes, they left Lebanon as Zeina was born to escape the wars but the climate in the United States of America was not a nice one when it came to our Arab brothers and sisters, post-911. Her father had to shave his facial hair because he feared profiling when he traveled. Reality #1

Jacksonville is home to many military bases. With three military facilities plus the King's Bay Sub base close by, Jacksonville was high on the "potential target" list. Additionally, the city is held together with more bridges than I care to count. JU became an insulated campus, one that we were afraid to stray from in the days after the attacks. Reality #2

Bet ya didn't know that tiny, liberal arts university JU has the second-largest NROTC program in the nation. After 911, I watched friends disappear. With the start of the war, I saw many more go. Reality #3

When I didn't want to wake up that morning and I rolled over to catch 5 more minutes, I had no idea my life was going to change. I still remember being walked to the gate for my flights prior to 911. I remember when we weren't angry at every foreigner and Osama Bin Laden was just a funny name I had never heard of.

My life went on, we all grew and adapted to the changes in security, and I refused to be afraid to fly but our world changed drastically that day.

My Rebbe, my father's Rebbe, Reb Zalman wrote a beautiful prayer for peace for 9/11. Here is a link to it - http://bit.ly/911RebZ

Since this post has gotten rather long, stay tuned. I have an uplifting post coming about my friend's very unique experience on 9/11. Possibly the only people in the world that have 9/11/01 as their anniversary.

Matis and Matthue

B"H

I really have been enjoying Matthue Roth's work (which I find on Facebook, My Jewish Learning, and his blog). His writing has really inspired me in the time I have been doing the Jewish content for Patheos. In fact, his article on Molly Goldberg + the interview with Aviva Kempner on NPR got me researching and ultimately writing about Molly.

So Matthue has recently done an interview with Matisyahu for MJL which is a really incredible piece. He (and MJL) so graciously let me use it for the Patheos website. I really love how Matis and Matthue talk about Matis' evolving style and niche of music. I challenge all the people out there who claim Matisyahu "isn't real reggae" (just look at his YouTube channel for the nasty comments) to show me an artist who's sound doesn't evolve and who fits solidly into a specific genre. More, I see a kid who was influenced by this genre and choose to imitate it (after all, imitation is the best form of flattery). Matis isn't trying to be Bob Marley... he's trying to be Matthew Paul Miller aka Matisyahu. He's praising Hashem in a way that is relevant ... TO HIM. And it has become relevant to others too. His music speaks to a generation. Why? Because here we sit, young adults, children of the baby boomer/hippies, as a favorite song says... looking for a place to land. Trying to find our niche, our place in this world. We watched our parents boom and bust, heard the stories & listened to the records (yes, records) from their youth. Found out how they accidentally ended up at Woodstock (not kidding, my dad rocks but that is a story for another time), all the while waiting for our chance.

Most of us didn't/don't have adversity to conquer, no civil rights battle, no JFK, no need for bootstraps. Where most of our parents moved away from religion for spirituality, we move towards it. We crave connection but it's not so easy any more. Young people are going back to church/temple/synagogue in droves to find it but there are distractions. Television, Facebook, getting drinks on a Friday night, being too hung over on Sunday. What speaks to the Twitter generation? Chabad dinners, Matisyahu, Reb Zalman's weekly siddur on cd (I try to listen to it at least once a day to get my davvenen in) ... technology. A different kind of worship.

I have seen Matis perform live three times (once in NYC and twice in Denver) at three very different stages of his evolution.
NYC - brand, spankin' new. No one knew who he was. We got home burned versions of his first CD, small crowd but we knew that this guy was going to be someone. They didn't have problems filling seats but it was 40 - 60 people.
Denver, pt 1 - Matis is getting popular. His music is the same but he has a broader following, outside of Judaism. I saw him at The Paramount in Denver and the house is packed (1980 seats... don't ask me how I know that). He sang the Sh'ma at one point, telling the crowd that this is a very sacred prayer for Jews. Instead of covering my eyes to say the Sh'ma like I normally do, I turned around. I was standing next to the stage and behind me was nearly 2000 people standing in awe. Some had their hands in the air, like how some Christians prostrate to G-d in church. Some had their eyes covered like Jews traditionally do during the Sh'ma and some just watched this man pray, in front of them, with fervor.
Denver, pt 2 - The Mile High Music Festival version. When I saw Matis was playing this huge music festival I was excited. I figured not that many people would be interested in his music and I could get up nice and close and enjoy the show... I was wrong. I was dead wrong. I couldn't have been wronger (yes, I know that isn't a word). We got to the tent early-ish... but not early enough. It was already packed 30 minutes before his set... and it kept getting more packed. First people kept inching closer, then we had to stand up so there was room for more people, eventually, we were packed into the tent like sardines. He started his set and the crowd went wild. One guy took off his Mogen David necklace (the Jewish star) and was waving it in the air but most of the people there weren't Jewish. They went because he gave them a connection to something more than just the music. He connected them to their faith.

Is Matisyahu a symptom of a change or the cause? I would honestly say a symptom. Matisyahu's life story reads as fairly typical (ish) of my generation (of course, if you read it generally). He was a normal kid in White Plains, NY. Grew up liking Reggae music, smoked pot, didn't like school, felt no connection to his Judaism. Until he met a Chabad rabbi in Washington Square. Then it all changed for him. He went to a Chabad yeshiva, married a good frum girl and the rest is history. But he used his music to connect to his Judaism and entertain his yeshiva-mates. And now, really, the rest is history. I think he melded his secular upbringing with his new found observance. And that observance has been evolving too. He has jumped around to different sects of Judaism but the key is that Judaism is still central to how he lives his life.

For those of us who grew up with varying levels of religious observance who are being drawn to the more observant level, it's about melding our experiences, not forgetting them. Though the Orthodox Jews I hang out with don't have tattoos, I look at my tattoos as a badge of my history, of where I have been and where my journey has taken me. I am proud of my battle scars, the ones I have incurred on my journey to finding my level of observance and spirituality. The fact that mine is much more orthodox than my parents isn't unusual anymore. Really, we are all just a part of the Matisyahu generation.

And I leave you with a blessing Reb Zalman gave to me & my parents - "May your children be so frum (observant) that they won't even eat in your home."

Read Matthue Roth's interview with Matisyahu here - http://bit.ly/MatisLight

Drumroll please….

The results are in!

I made it to the semi-finals of the Mad Men photo competition!! I am so excited, if for no other reason than there were over 4,500 entries and I am in the top 10 women! Thanks to everyone who voted for me, tweeted it, Facebooked it, and generally made me viral. :)

Here's a link to the semi-finalists - http://bit.ly/MMSemiFinalist

Stay tuned. I don't know when we find out who wins but I will let you know when I know!

-t

Let’s talk about my new favorite photo…

Thanks for @partridge for this!

Mad Men contest part deux

Okay, so I don't want to cast aspersions on this process but...

The voting has been crazy. Doing my super-PR girl thing, I got the word out there about me. There have been over 500 clicks on my link - bit.ly/adgal (which is why I use bit.ly, they let you track clicks) but I am landing on the 8 or 9 page! EVERYONE in the contest has only 2 stars with the exception of one girl. She has three stars and has been sitting pretty as #1 in the contest for over a week. That is pretty strange considering that no one has stayed that steady in this game. Her shot is alright but I doubt she has more friends voting than all the rest of us who have been blogging, Facebooking and Tweeting about it. I am pretty positive that the only people who have been voting are friends of contestants and Maddicts. It is clear that everyone is going around ranking themselves a 5 and everyone else a 1. This, though logical, seems silly and unfair. There are pictures that do not capture the essence of this competition ranking in the top 20, and that is silly!

It's turned into one big f-you fest and I don't like that. It's who's friend network is bigger and who can find auto-voting software to outsmart AMC. :( Very disappointing.

I hope the powers that be take a good look at the votes before picking the winners.

All that being said, I am not a sore loser. I had fun doing this and would do it again and I do, desperately want to play in the costume room for the show sometime (okay, maybe the props too).

So please, vote for me. We have until Monday. Again, my link is bit.ly/adgal

Ever feel like you were born at the wrong time?

I have... I have a passion for the advertising of the 1950's & 60's. Well, needless to say, my favorite television show is Mad Men.

So when I heard that Banana Republic (one of my favorite stores) and Mad Men were hosting a contest, I knew I had to enter! The prize? Priceless! A chance for a walk on role on Mad Men but the Banana $1000 gift card doesn't hurt! So I got a good friend of mine who is an incredible photographer to take some great pics of me wearing my favorite 50's style (Banana Republic) dress all around Denver! They came out amazingly!

So how does this work? Well, I need all of you to go to this website (AdGirl Talia) and vote for me (you don't have to register). Everyday! :) Please give me 5 stars. The competition is interesting, I would say most of it is headshots and wedding pics, a lot of snaps taken on a night out but there are some die hard Mad Men fans (we call ourselves Maddicts) that have done a good job. The public vote gets you through the first round. Top 10 women and top 10 men. Then the creator of Mad Men makes his choice - 60% on Mad Men style and 40% on creativity. Well, I really hope to win so I need your help! Please vote often and high! :0)

Thanks!!! Oh and here is the link to the other pics from the photo shoot - Photo Shoot (pics by Ben Barefoot)

And here are some pics from the new season (you just try to tell me that I don't look like I fit right in! :)) - Mad Men Season Three

Mad Men Contest

So the BRILLIANT minds behind Mad Men and the clothing line, Banana Republic have come up with a fab contest.

Submit your best "Mad look" and win a walk on role one Mad Men...

Well, since I A. am addicted to Mad Men and B. am a Mad Ave gal myself (okay, not NYC but I am a PR/Marketing professional in Denver) and C. have a very special affinity for the 50's/early 60's... especially in fashion, I am entering the competition.

I will send out the link to my page when I submit so stay tuned. AND please vote for me! :) After looking at the 400 or so pics they have up now, I am confident in my photo shoot! :)

Obama, Israel and the Financial Crisis pt. 2

So the previous post was born out of my Facebook conversations today.

I would like to share with you the extended conversation I had with an acquaintance from college. We will call him "JU" (like our university). A few others jumped into the conversation and I will add them in with appropriate names. :)

After I posted the Patheos discussion about the Dems blaming the Jews, I got this comment on my wall - (here we go folks, be sure you are strapped in and ready for the ride)

JU - talia, I'm curious...would you still support Obama if he apologized to the world for the United States provoking Iran to send a nuclear missle into Jerusalem?

Jen - I don't think the US would have to provoke Iran for that to happen. I don't think I understand the hypothetical you've posed.

JU - The President would blame the US for this

Jen - on what are you basing this assumption?

JU - The international apology tour that he undertook several months ago.

Jen - so because he make an international trip, it's an "apology" tour? your logic still eludes me....

JU - He dislikes this county, the founding documents he finds a document of "Negative rights", and will bow to a Saudi King. With no basis he calls Cambridge police stupid for arresting a black professor who was acting beligerent toward an officer of the law ..Obama takes ten days to comment on the attrocities that the Iranian people suffered after ... Read Moretheir election; sat in a Church pew for 20 years listening to an anti-semitic preacher, Jeramiah Wright. The cynicisim posed in my question is to find out if Talia sides with Israel or Obama?

Jen - I think you're funny in a belligerent and mis-informed sort of way. There is still no logic in what you are saying. However, I will have to let Talia answer your question, which perhaps I should have done to begin with rather than engage in this madness. Curiosity got the better of me.

ME! THD - I highly disagree that the two are mutually exclusive. I believe that Obama is the man to take our country to the next level, into the 21st Century. I think he has the compassion and understanding to handle international diplomacy as well as domestic with tweezers, rather than the sledge hammer our former president used.

I think President Obama supports Israel and Jews but sees a need for this insane Middle Eastern feud to end. And I agree with Jen, Iran doesn't need any provocation to attack Israel. They have been threatening for years and years.

Eretz Yisrael is my spiritual homeland. I spent time there and love the land and my people. I support Israel and do not want to see it split into pieces but I also have good friends who are Arabs, Muslims, and who call themselves Palestinians. ... Read More

I think Mr. Obama was correct to open dialogues with the Arab nations. Without dialogue, there can be no peace or understanding. I do not believe that America can survive as an insular country... (it continued but took a bit to type, so there were responses in between)


More after the jump







Jen - 100% agree with all that you stated beautifully, Talia!

Archangel - Though I am conservative on most issues, I can attest that Talia is one damn cool lady. One *hella* cool lady. She's *slightly* less cool for having voted for Obama; but not much.

THD - ... we have moved past the place where we can sit in judgment of others from afar. The world has changed. We are all becoming assimilated into the same culture. One of iPods, cell phones, and the internet. We retain little of our identity. As my friend puts it - national distinctions are disintegrating.

I am an American and proud but I am also proud of my world and want to make it a better place.

Mr. Obama is helping us do that. He sees that too. Yes, he sat in Jeremiah Wright's church and I am not a fan of Pastor Wright but I try to evaluate a person by who they are and what they do, not who they knew/know. And I NEVER judge another person because that is not my place. Even in your bible is says, "Let he among us without sin be the first to condemn." ... Read More

Iran is a mess, but ignoring them or inciting them to violence won't help the situation.

So yes, I support Eretz Yisrael and President Obama. In fact, I sat in VP Biden's box during his acceptance speech at Invesco Field and wept with thought of a bright future.

JU - What has Obama done to make this country better?

THD - He's been in office for 6 months. I think we owe him the opportunity to work at it. I know that change and improvement doesn't come fast or easy. I am just not willing to judge a person out of hand. Sadly, that is something I am not proud of the USA, the constant need to judge, blame, and vilify. At least I gave former President Bush a few years ... Read Morebefore I decided he wasn't right for this country.

I do love how that is the argument the right gives, So what has he done to change things? We are still recovering from 8 years of mismanagement.

Jen - Exactly! I don't understand how people can suggest that all of the complex problems we are facing can or should be fixed inside of 6 months. It took eight years (plus) to get us here. It will take time to get out, but at least someone has acknowledged that change is needed and is trying to make the connections with the world that are needed to do so.

JU - No, this 10% unemployment is his, the National Ownership of GM and Chrysler is his, the Cap and Trade bill that will kill more jobs and raise energy costs is his, this Health Care Refrom Bill his; why is all of this stuff being ram rodded down our throats so quickly? If they say the results are going to take 2 years or more, what's the hurry? The... Read More bailout passed in the Fall of 2008 was done by a Democratically controlled Congress, not Bush. Obama is trying to say that we are going to need a 2nd stimuls...this one hasn't even taking it's complete effects and they want to do more. This is all about Obama...he can try and pass this off, but he is shoving all this down our throats. No one in congress is reading the bills they are voting on, they didn't even complete writing the Cap and Trade Bill before they voted on it...This country is under his watch, and we are tanking, msierably, but that's what he wants...more chaos, more need fo the Big Government to swoop in and take care of it.

Jen - Ridiculous. Unemployment is up because businesses are failing as a result of Bush's obscene allowances for big banks and businesses. Unemployment rates are not the result of 6 months of work, they are the result of trends that span years. Why did the government have to run GM and Chrysler? If they weren't, they would be out of business, which would... Read More have made the unemployement rate even higher. Is it Obama's fault as well that GM and Chrysler were mis-managed privately? Did he somehow reach back in time and produce two insolvent corporations? Yes, health care reform is his - do you know how many people, children especially, as a result of not having health care? Whether the plan is perfect or not, at least he is not just sitting on his arse!

THD - That is so interesting... I didn't realize you could ruin a 233 year old economy without even being in office and then being in office for 6 months. Wow. Interesting.
Bush pushed the TARP through while still in office, he could have vetoed it. There is plenty of fault to go around.

I refuse to accept that one person or one party is at fault here. I could listen to the argument that a combination of Bush's mistakes and Obama trying to fix it has lead us to a place of difficulty but I still am not so narrow minded to believe that one man tanked this economy or that his attempts to fix it have failed. Rather, I know that we have to hit the bottom before we can rise up again. The economy is cyclical and one man didn't ruin it.

But then again, Carl, I don't think you posted this to my wall to have a logical conversation, rather, I think you wanted to give your opinion. Thank you for stating it.

From here on out, I suppose we will have to agree to disagree.

Oh and to Jen's point, I was one of those poor idiots without health care. Going on 11 years, in fact. The previous administration couldn't have cared less about me or if I died in an urgent care waiting room to receive medical treatment I couldn't afford. At least President Obama is trying to help people like me who work hard but don't have the ... Read Moreresources for insurance. (Though I do now have insurance with my current company.)

I may not agree with this FIRST ITERATION of a plan but I do appreciate that he is trying, which is more than can be said for his predecessor.

JU - The US economy has been the most successful in the 233 years of existance because of PRIVATE enterprise, not Government control. GM and Chrysler should have gone through the chapter 11 Bankruptcy process Before getting billions of taxpayer dollars. When was the last time a President of the United States fired the CEO of a company? By the way, tens of thousands of workers lost their jobs after Obama took over GM and Chrysler. They closed hundreds of dealerships. (How can you generate a profit as a car company if you close the means to sell your product) Ask the people in Detroit how this change is working. Government intervention has grown out of control. We are currently running a Trillion dollar deficit, 6 months into the year. the Congressional Budget office is prediciting a Federal Deficit of 12 Trillion dollars by 2012. This is based on the current administrations policies, which were supposed to be new, transparent, bipartisan....he is a Chicago Thug!

Talia, if you went to the Emergeny Room, they coudln't have denied you care. Also, you could have applied for Medicaid. How many times were you sick since you got that insurance...by the way, if this new Health Care Reform Plan is so good, why don't all the Congressmen and President have to be on it? Obama said that if you are 100 and want a pacemaker, it might just be more cost effective to give you a pill. So under the proposed Obamacare, Ted Kennedy would be dead.

THD - Wow, very harsh words at the end there. But again, I am choosing to not judge. You know, your Christian virtues implore you to "Love your neighbor as yourself" (which really comes from the Jewish Torah) but that isn't quite so easy all the time, is it.

Then again another translation of Vayikra or Leviticus 19:18 is ve'ahavta lere'acha kamocha ani Adonai - "Guard the rights of your neighbor as you guard own." So I will guard your right to spew hatred, though I refuse to agree with it.

Again, the right to agree to disagree. Your arguments will not change my mind, nor will mine change yours and that is a freedom we are gifted with in America.

Excuse me, I forgot to add to the translation. At the end it says "Ani Adonai" which means, I am Adonai (G-d).

JU - Talia, I simply urge you to not be a drone that believes all that the President says...do some investigative work, like you have with the statisitc about anit-semitic democrats, which fueled this fire. Read the actual bill and see if it says what the President is claiming...this bill is about control not providing health care.

THD - And who says I haven't? Just because I don't agree with you? I thank you for your concern but "being a drone" has never been a problem for me.

___
Whew! What a conversation. I can't say I enjoyed it but it was a great brain exercise. :)

Obama, Israel and the Financial Crisis pt. 1

So... as part of my job at Patheos, I posted a discussion in our discussion forum. Here is a link to it - Are Jews to Blame?

In a nutshell (help I'm in a nutshell... sorry couldn't resist) it discusses that more Democrats than Republicans BLAME JEWS!!! for the financial crisis!!!! 34%, in fact!! That is incredible to me considering that we Jews don't have any financial magical power. There are those stereotypes. There have always been those stereotypes. Why? Because back in the day, Jews were forbidden from doing many jobs. Money lending was considered "dirty" so it was relegated to the "hated" class, the Jews. Hence, we got pretty good with numbers and some families stay in the business. Now, I don't have my head in the sand and I know that Bernie Madoff perpetrated one of the largest ponzi schemes in the history of the world and that he was Jewish but what about these?

(My post continues below these...)

(borrowed from - Business Pundit)

10. The Fraudulent Feminist - no evidence of Jewish heritage

In 1880, Boston Ponzian Sarah Howe promised women 8% interest on a “Ladies Deposit.” She said it was only for women, selling an implicit assumption of safety. She took the Money and ran.

9. The Haiti Haters - not Jewish

Ponzi schemes popped up all over Haiti in the early 2000’s. These schemes sold themselves as government-backed “cooperatives.” They ran mainstream-sounding ads, some of which featured Haitian pop stars. As a result, people felt safe investing more than $240 million–60% of Haitian GDP in 2001–into the schemes, which ended up being a massive swindle.

8. The Scientologist Snake - Scientologist

Earthlink co-founder and Scientology minister Reed Slatkin posed as a brilliant investment advisor for A-list Hollywood residents and corporate bosses. Working out of his garage, Slatkin cheated the rich and famous out of roughly $593 million, creating fake statements referring back to fake brokerage firms to prove his mettle. He fed the Church of Scientology with millions of his winnings. In 2000, the SEC caught wind that Slatkin wasn’t licensed, and busted the scheme.

7. The Lottery Uprising - no evidence of Jewish involvment

When Albania was moving out from behind the Iron Curtain in the mid-1990s, a powerful government and environment of questionable ethics resulted in a financial system dominated by pyramid schemes. The government endorsed various Ponzis, which robbed the majority of the population and netted more than $1 billion in losses. Albanians rioted and overthrew the government.

6. The Costa Rica Crooks - evidence of Christian faith

Three Costa Rican brothers, Enrique, Osvaldo and Freddy Villalobos, defrauded clients–mostly American and Canadian retirees–out of $400 million in a 20-odd-year unregulated loan scheme that started in the late 1980s. They promised interest rates of 3% per month on a minimum investment of $10,000. Villalobos moved money through shell companies before paying investors. Its staying power had to do with the fact that margins were low, the brothers were disciplined, and the outfit just barely skirted past laws.

5. The Biblical Bilker - Christian

In fraud-rich Florida, the Greater Ministries International church used Bible-speak to cheat its flock out of $500 million. Starting in the early 1990s, the church, led by gun-toting minister Gerald Payne, offered worshipers investments in gold coins. Payne then created an investment plan that would “double the ‘blessings’ that people invested” by funneling money towards the church’s fake precious metals investments. According to the Anti-Defamation League, Payne said that God had modernized the multiplication of the loaves and fishes and asked him to share the secret.

$500 million later, the Feds caught Payne, but most investors never got their money back.

4. The Boy Band Bandit - Jewish

Beginning in the late 1980s, Lou Pearlman, Art Garfunkel’s cousin and former manager of ‘N Sync and the Backstreet Boys, offered attractive returns through his FDIC-insured Trans Continental Savings Program. The scheme was neither a savings and loan nor FDIC-approved, but that didn’t stop Pearlman from bilking investors out of nearly $500 million, with which he planned on funding three MTV shows and an entertainment complex.

3. The Retiree Plunderer - no evidence of Jewish heritage

Mexican resort owner Michael Eugene Kelly schemed retirees and senior citizens out of $428 million. He offered them timeshare investments in Cancun hotels that he called “Universal Leases.” The timeshares came with rental agreements promising investors a nice fixed rate of return. Most of his victims used their retirement savings, thinking they would get solid, low-risk returns. The SEC says that “more than $136 million of the funds invested (came) from IRA accounts.” Kelly, meanwhile, bought himself a private jet, racetrack, and four yachts.

2. Madman Madoff - Jewish

Bernard Madoff’s scam is still unfolding. The facts as we know them now are that Madoff spent decades building the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, bilking nonprofits, famous people, funds, banks, and countless others out of $50 billion.

1. The Namesake - no evidence of Jewish heritage

The King of Get Rich Quick, Charles Ponzi became a millionaire in six months by promising investors 50% return in 45 days on international postal coupon investments. He earned $15 million, which in 1920s terms was serious money. After Ponzi was caught, investors only received $5 million back.

More after the jump

Why does it come up when they are Jewish but you don't hear, "Catholic Jim Smith just stole 180 bazillion dollars from little old ladies." When a Jew or Muslim missteps, it has to be a symptom of a horrible religion?

Well, it seems like age old anti-semitism is taking hold again. Here are a few interesting studies - Pew shows us that there are increasingly negative views of Jews in Europe but also in America - here.
This is the study about the Dems and Jews - here

I would be interested to hear your opinions too. Here are what some of my Facebook friends have said -
MF - while I'd like to see their methodology a bit more closely, if this is indeed accurate, it's pretty alarming, but I wouldn't say surprising. Racism exists more than we care to admit (ask the Harvard professor). And, frankly, lots of people still think that "THE JEWS" control the global financial system.

JB - Awesome. I think I'll be starting up a concierge service for overseas relocation...call it MOT Travel. France, England, Sweden anyone?

DS - Seriously? Anti-Semitism is so 1900's!

SS - I mean, isn't easier to blame the Jews than anyone else... Doesn't history prove this? the more things change, the more they stay the same.

BF - Why does this not surprise me?

LZ - It's the WWJC, don't let the gentiles know that the World Wide Jewish Conspiracy is alive and well. Let's ask the financial branch to find out who these 34% are and ruin their credit ;) I mean we do run the banks. While we're at it call the boys in Media to cover it up, because we run Hollywood too, right.

Idiots!

My response to these -
I couldn't agree more, guys. I was really surprised to read that more Dems than Repubs felt this way. It is interesting that people equate Democrats with Jews. While that is true for most reform Jews, it is the opposite for orthodox. Because they are socially conservative, they align more with the Republicans.

Also, most Evangelical Christians are Republican and too, most Evangelicals are Israel supporters.

But yes, DS, anti-semitism is so 1900's but alive and well here. Reading some comments about Israel and Jews lately has made me want to hurl.

DS - As a Christian, I see myself first and foremost a supporter of justice, peace, and truth, regardless of nationality, race, gender, etc. So, whenever there is oppression, violence, or deception, I mourn how far these practices are from the Almighty's desires of people.

BR - Hrm. Coincidentally, just ran across this today: http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=262

CL - All I can say is that is dumb.

Interesting conversation today.

There she is, folks — that’s Molly Goldberg, a woman with a place in every heart and a finger in every pie.

If you are like me (a week ago) you have NO idea who Molly Goldberg/Gertrude Berg is.

I was listening to NPR on Friday and heard a very interesting story. It was about this Jewish woman in the 1920's who created a sitcom, The Goldbergs. In fact, she created the genre of sitcom, to an extent. It started as a radio show and then was adapted to television. It went off the air in the 1950's. Sadly, most of the episodes were destroyed but there are a few historical records of the radio show and television show.

I read a great article on MyJewishLearning.com about The Goldbergs. Read it here
Also, there is a new film out called, Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg (a signature call of that show), by Aviva Kempner. Here is the interview with Aviva on NPR (which is what sparked my curiosity).

Gertrude Berg was an actress and writer (screenwriter, eventually), one of the first women to hold those roles. She was born in NY to a Jewish family and wrote about what she knew, Jewish family life in NYC. She was the first person to receive the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series but things weren't always funny for Gertrude. She was loyal to her cast/friends, almost to a fault. When her television husband, Phillip Loeb, was accused of Communism (he was involved in the Actor's Equity Union and AFRA to better conditions for actors), Gertrude stood by him... until she was forced to let him go for fear that the show would be taken off the air. She did, however, keep him quietly on the payroll because he was eminently unemployable after being blacklisted by McCarthy. Though she provided for him, Phillip Loeb sank into a depression. Being unable to work and with failing eyesight, he ultimately committed suicide in 1955.

Gertrude addressed real issues affecting Jews in America with her scripts. Ms. Kempner mentions this in her interview with NPR, "Very early on as Hitler rose in power, she had a very overt Passover scene on radio," says Kempner. "Some months after Kristallnacht, she had a stone being thrown through the window on the radio show, and while no one was addressing the Holocaust on TV, she had an episode where she got letters from her relatives."

But Molly Goldberg was everyone's mother during those 26 years (20 years on radio and six years on television)... imagine that! 26 years! We are lucky if a show lasts one year these days.

She was the stereotypical Jewish mother but not in a negative way. Always positive and with dignity. It didn't matter where you lived or if you had ever met a Jew, you loved Molly Goldberg.
President Roosevelt supposedly said, "I didn't get us out of the Depression, The Goldbergs did."

Once the television show went off the air, Gertrude moved onto the Broadway stage earning a Tony for her work in A Majority of One.

Gertrude Berg (zt"l) passed away in 1966.

What a powerful history that I never knew. I will be looking for anything I can find from the amazing 26 years of The Goldbergs and if you want to see something now, the article from MyJewishLearning.com has a few clips.