Jesse Paikin, at The Blogs

Apply for a Blog

Jul 31, 2014, 8:37 PM

Talking about Gaza, Held by the Balls and Throat

Writing before the outbreak of the current war with Hamas in Gaza, Israeli author Ari Shavit had the following to say: I am haunted by the notion that we hold them by the balls and they hold us by the throat. We...

Feb 12, 2014, 11:45 PM

Meshugah anti-Semitism

In university, I took a class called “Theatre of the Holocaust.” At the outset, I was shocked to learn of the wealth of comedic theatre that emerged during the trauma of the Holocaust. Here they were - millions of...

Feb 9, 2014, 5:04 PM

If you really want to make someone look good, just call everyone else a Nazi

"Sometimes things so apparent don’t seem apparent at first." This hackneyed statement is what Richard Friedman wants us to believe when it comes to Canadian PM Stephen Harper and his relationship with Israel. What is apparent for Mr. Friedman, is that powerful...

Jan 26, 2014, 9:45 PM

Canada: Israel’s cheerleader

There is an apocryphal story that in the 1980s, when my High School was built, they were offered a million dollar choice by the Board of Education. The school was to receive $1,000,000 earmarked for one of two options: either the school...

Nov 30, 2013, 4:48 PM

The Bedouin of Anatevka

This post was originally published for Jewschool. Israel’s Negev Desert is not a hospitable place. Vast, dusty, and scorching hot, it takes a great deal of effort to live on this land. Yet it was out of this very land...

Nov 10, 2013, 8:15 PM

May you find yourself lost and stranded in a village of Palestinian Muslims

I haven’t revisited the “Yiddish Curses for Republican Jews” meme since its height during the US presidential elections last year, but an experience earlier this weekend prompted me to go back and scroll through them to find one in...

Nov 4, 2013, 6:57 PM

There is a Wall in your Way

At the Wall, all anyone can do is look at the Wall. From all her angles. At the Wall all you can do is close your eyes because there’s nothing to see there. There is a Wall in your way… - From "Along...

Jul 22, 2013, 7:38 AM

Maybe Israeli dogs should be in charge of the peace negotiations…

Out for a break-from-studying run this evening, I discovered that Israeli dogs will move out of the way when I’m running towards them, but Israeli humans will not. ?למה אני לא מופתע Why am I not surprised?

Jul 16, 2013, 10:14 PM

We’re Not Hypocritical… Maybe Just Irrational (Sometimes)

Last night, we sat in a small courtyard, perched above the Kotel plaza. Less than 100 meters away from the site of the destruction that Tisha b'Av commemorates, we shared our thoughts about the day and its relevance in...

Jul 12, 2013, 11:37 AM

Are we Irrational Jewish Hypocrites?

In just a few days, an interesting phenomenon will take place. Groups of Jews around the world will mark the destruction of the ancient Temples in Jerusalem with ceremonies of mourning. At the same time, many (most?) of these...

Load more

About Me

Rabbi Jesse Paikin is a student of Education, Judaism, Design, Theatre, Philosophy, History, Music, and Politics. He is a grateful citizen of Canada – originally from Toronto, and has lived in Montreal, Jerusalem, and New York City. He's worked with Jewish communities in Toronto, Be’er Sheva, Jerusalem, Belarus, Poland, The Czech Republic, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Westchester, and Albany.