Shabbat Surfing–Go Nats!

Jeremy Burton, writing at J.Spot overreacts to Bush’s “christening” of the new National’s ballpark. Trust us. President Bush notwithstanding, the opening of the ballpark was a giant Bar Mitzvah for the District. The Lerner family, owners of our beloved Nats, have even included a special column dedicated to Jewish slugger Hank Greenberg (a Detroit Tiger) in the new ballpark, plenty of Kosher food options and davening during the seventh inning stretch. This is not to say that there is not a susbtantial evangelical Christian presence in baseball, but not every example of religion in the public sphere need be interpreted as hostile to other religions.

DC’s LGBTQ magazine Metro Weekly has an issue entirely dedicated to queer Jewish life around the coming holiday of Passover. Highlighted in the issue is a feature article about GLOE’s Stonewall Seder which was held this past Sunday at  the HRC. Also given substantial ink is Congregation Bet Mishpachah which meets for services regularly at the 16th Street J.

Have you been over on the Theater J blog? Ari Roth has been at the forefront of reaction to a poll question put out by American Theater Magazine regarding a proposed cultural boycott of Israel (although it’s not clear anyone is currently advocating for one). Ari’s strong response to the ridiculousness of the exercise and the dozens of responses he received in return grabbed the attention of The Forward. The weekly newspaper is featuring the kerfuffle on the front page this week.

We seem to be all over the press this week, with a great write up of the Rapid Responsa in the Washington Jewish Week.

Briefly noted: Virtual Talmud shuts down at beliefnet.com.  The British chief of Formula One auto racing makes Eliot Spitzer look wholesome. Organic Bacon lollipops–both treyf and disgusting. Heeb presents its own zombie film with a NSFW Night of the Living Jews.

A Brief Interview with Max Brooks, Zombie Expert

Q: Since the release of your books, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War and The Zombie Survival Guide have you seen a greater public awareness of the zombie threat? In other words, how goes the struggle?
A: Very good, but never good enough. If you can’t save everyone, you’ve saved no one.

Q: How does a nice Jewish boy become a zombie expert?
A: I think the answer lies in the question. Protecting yourself from zombies means always worrying that something will go wrong. Oy!

Q: Over the past seven years we’ve all stocked-up on plastic sheeting, bottled water and flashlight batteries for our “emergency kits.” What’s in your emergency kit?
A: Dry socks, multivitamins, a water purification pump… and NO duct tape!

Q: A rabbinical question: If my grandma became infected by the zombie virus, should we or should we not sit shiva? Isn’t she really undead? At what point is it safe to order the deli trays?
A: Depends how much you like your grandma.

Q: Your books really freaked me out. I seriously considered buying a gun and I’m a total bleeding heart liberal. Do you get that reaction a lot?
A: Red states love me.

Q: Your IMDB bio says you went to film school at American University. How did that prepare you for your current career?
A: To never expect help from the authorities.

Q: When people come to see your lecture what can they expect to take away from the evening?
A: Solid, practical, life saving advice for the coming zombie war!

Max Brooks will be lecturing at the 16th Street J on Monday, March 24 at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased online.

16th Street J Wins Awards

We’re hardly one to toot our own horn, but we got a nice notice in the mail this week that the Washington DCJCC will receive three awards at the JCC’s of North America’s Biennial Conference. Our Development Department was recognized both for its million dollar annual campaign, and the special January 12, 2007 Celebration of Anniversaries which recognized Arna Meyer Mickelson’s 20 years of service as Executive Director and the celebration of 10 years of the Washington DCJCC at 16th and Q.

We’ve also been recognized for Innovation and Excellence in Programs and Services for our J On Demand series. The series is targeted at young adults, aged 18-35 and programmed by a committee of 16th Street J staff members in that age range. Past events have included an evening with Judah Friedlander and a sneak-preview of The State comedy troupe film The Ten. This month J On Demand presents March Monster Madness, featuring a staged reading of The Playdoh Golem on March 22 featuring Shuligans–the worlds first and worst post-punk Bar Mitzvah band; and An Evening with Max Brooks, author of the Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead and World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War on Monday, March 24.