Archive for August 19th, 2009

Kissing The Swine Flu Goodbye

In Israel, suggested protective measures against swine flu include a ban on shared Kiddush cups and kissing of mezuzahs.

by Sharon Udasin

Rabbis in Israel are taking a stab at the swine flu with a brand-new proposal — no kissing. A mezuzah, that is.

In a collision of ancient Jewish tradition and modern disease control, Israeli spiritual leaders are offering multiple solutions to curb the disease’s spread, whether or not a vaccine becomes available.

In a joint statement issued last week, Israel’s chief Sephardic rabbi, Shlomo Amar, and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, spiritual leader of the Shas Party, declared that Wednesday, Aug. 19 would be a nationwide fast day in an attempt to combat the swine flu. (Meanwhile, they allegedly blamed the endemic on public sinning; Rabbi Yosef had blamed Hurricane Katrina on the fact that American blacks didn’t study the Torah.)

Aside from the fast, both rabbis and doctors are taking measures to decrease disease spread through precautionary hygienic practices. Thus far, the Centers for Disease Control has documented more than 7,500 cases and 477 deaths in the U.S. About 2,000 cases have been reported in Israel, with at least five fatalities, according to Israel’s Ministry of Health. Continue reading…

From Birthright To The Fringe Festival

Playwright Jason Mitchell Kahn: Sexuality and spirituality.

by Sharon Udasin

At this year’s New York International Fringe Film Festival, step into the Hell’s Kitchen apartment of three gay roommates — Seth, Ashley and Josh, a young Jewish writer. “The Boys Upstairs,” by Jewish playwright Jason Mitchell Kahn, explores the love lives, thrills and disappointments of the close-knit trio. Kahn adds a personal touch to the show, rooting Josh’s story in his own personal experiences as a gay Jewish writer in New York.

Kahn gained attention for his 2006 play “The Red Box,” which portrays the horrific yet largely unknown stories of homosexuals in the Holocaust. Split apart from his partner, the Jewish protagonist must wear both a yellow star and a pink triangle, alienating him from both the Jewish and gay communities at the concentration camp. 

In between his work on the two plays, Kahn attended multiple trips to Auschwitz and took a Birthright Israel NEXT Mini Master’s course here in New York.

“My sexuality led me to my spirituality,” he said, explaining that only after writing “The Red Box” did he become fascinated with his Jewish identity. “The trips came after,” Kahn said. “I felt so much more a part of the Jewish’s community and attached.”

“The Boys Upstairs” has its final Fringe Festival performances on Thursday, Aug. 27, at 5 p.m., or Friday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m., at the Soho Playhouse on 15 Vandam St. Tickets are $15. For more information, visit www.theboysupstairs.info. Read the original article here.