Emily Briskman is my hero
Permanent linkA conversation with Etgar Keret
Permanent linkCollege Knowledge
Permanent linkAre you going to college for the first time this fall? Are you a parent of an incoming college freshman? If so, it’s a pretty safe assumption that you have questions…a LOT of them! So where can you turn to get some much needed answers?
Well, there’s no better place to gain knowledge than a book. One problem though: There are so many college self-help guides and books that it can be more than a little confusing to pick one and hope that it is the best representation of college life.
After reading more than a few of these books myself the summer before my freshman year at college, I was still filled with questions—specifically questions about Jewish life on campus. I had yet to find a college “guide” book tailored specifically to Jewish needs: Where should I go for High Holidays? Where can I find a good Jewish community, outside of the structured Hillel events? Etc.
Well, here’s some good news for the incoming class of 2014: David Schoem has answered your prayers. College Knowledge for the Jewish Student: 101 Tips (University of Michigan Press) was published last month.
“College Knowledge for the Jewish Student is a must-have guide for the new student on campus, covering everything from communicating with faculty members to where to go for help to the role of tikun olam (repairing the world) on the college campus,” said Heather Newman, trade marketing manager for the University of Michigan Press.
However, don’t expect to read all about generic college questions, like what to pack and how to decorate your dorm room. Instead you can find topics like, “Learn to Enjoy Yourself, Learning, and the College Experience” (Tip 68). Schoem addresses many of these deeper issues. He stresses that it is critical for the individual Jewish student who enters college to come intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually prepared for the academic and social experience that awaits. College is a qualitatively different experience than high school, according to Schoem, and students' expectations need to be set appropriately. The transition from high school to college is so significant that it can be difficult for most students without some preparation.
College Knowledge for the Jewish Student is the perfect guide for students heading off to college with high expectations for learning, academic success, personal growth, and independence. Through lively tips and compelling student stories about college life, it offers thoughtful, practical information for every Jewish student who wants to make a successful transition.
“It’s highly rewarding reading for anyone with a student in the family,” Newman said.
So whether you’re a parent, grandparent, or sibling of the incoming college freshman, or if you’re the student yourself, there are definitely some golden nuggets of tips in this book.
One of my favorites has to be Tip 81: “Call Home: Ask for Care Packages, and Don’t Forget Your Bubbe and Zayde.” Schoem is giving all new college freshmen permission to ask for care packages from their families! Hear that, Mom and Dad? I may be a college junior this year, but these tips apply to all four years!
Schoem, director of the Michigan Community Scholars Program and a faculty member in Sociology and Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan, is also a teacher on undergraduate education, intergroup relations, and the American Jewish Community. College Knowledge for the Jewish Student: 101 Tips is his eighth book.
Jewish 20 and 30somethings—Your stories wanted!
Permanent linkAre you a Jewish 20 or 30something with a story to tell? Do you want to be part of a collection of voices that together tell the unique story of our generation?
Living Jewishly: A snapshot of a generation, is a collection of personal essays and memoirs from Jewish 20 and 30somethings from across the country—think Chicken Soup for the Jewish Soul meets Jewcy.
But in order to share our generation’s story, I need your help!
My name is Stefanie Pervos and I am the founding editor of Oy!Chicago and the associate editor of JUF News in Chicago. I am also a student in the Spertus Institute’s Master of Arts in Jewish Professional Studies program and Living Jewishly: A snapshot of a generation is my final project. My hope is that each piece will be a window into how we express our Judaism and our voices together will tell a complete story. The essays will be framed with an introduction encompassing some of the research I’ve done about what it means to be a Jewish 20 or 30something in America today. As a collection, the essays will appear online, and ultimately, my goal is a published anthology.
If you have something you’ve already written for a publication or blog that you think fits the bill, or you want to write an original piece (700 words minimum) please submit it to me at Stefaniepervos@JUF.org by Oct. 4th. Know someone who would be a great contributor? Feel free to put them in contact with me as well.
All submissions should be sent to StefaniePervos@JUF.org no later than October 4th!
8 Questions for Brooke Lawrence, Alec Baldwin-enthusiast, ex-Playboy staff, and the Duchess of Declutter™
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Brooke Lawrence is a 30-year-old self-proclaimed anal-retentive perfectionist with a penchant for revamping and decluttering basements, garages, closets, pantries, offices and junk drawers.
She started reorganizing and decluttering not only her room, but also her parents’ room at a young age, and that need for clean only intensified as she got older. She finally turned that cleaning bug into a full-blown business, and started The Duchess of Declutter™ at the end of November in 2007. She works with clients to declutter and clean their offices and homes, help with moving, wedding registries, selling items on eBay and Craigslist, and much more. According to her website, www.DuchessofDeclutter.com, she recognizes that “from Oak Brook to Buffalo Grove and Gurnee to Highland Park, there are people all over the Chicagoland area that need a little push. I provide that one-on-one attention to get the job done, one drawer at a time.”
Born and raised in Highland Park, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and two weeks later enrolled in Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism for her master’s degree. She then went on to work at Playboy Magazine and Chicago Magazine, before she ended up in marketing at Lawrence Foods, Inc. Starting her own organizing business was always a goal of hers, and so the Duchess of Declutter™ was born!
So whether you need some help organizing your home, want to gossip about celebrities, or learn how to start your own business, the Duchess of Declutter™ is a Jew You Should Know:
1. What is your favorite blog or website?
I have a small obsession with celebrity gossip, so I scour People.com almost every day. I am not a gawker or a stalker though. I promise.
2. If time and money were limitless, where would you travel?
I would love to island hop around Greece or travel to different cities in Italy. But I’ve never been to Israel either. Since money and time are limitless, I would essentially be an unemployed multi-millionaire, so I could definitely hit up all three.
3. If a movie were to be made about your life, who would play you?
Me, of course. Plus, I’m too controlling, so the chances of an Oscar-winning actress being able to mimic me are rather slim.
4. If you could have a meal with any two people, living or dead, famous or not, who would they be?
My living dinner date would be Alec Baldwin. I’m secretly in love with him. He’s a comedic genius, and I know any meal with him would be unforgettable. My non-living dinner date would definitely be my Grandpa Sydney. I think about him every day and only wish he could see me now. He’d get such a kick out of me being pregnant. I think he’ll be the most debonair person I’ll ever know.
5. What's your idea of the perfect day?
A good workout and a good meal.
6. What do you love about what you do?
I really believe that an organized home translates into an organized life. It’s hard to breathe with so much clutter around you, let alone focus. When I’m done decluttering an office, kitchen or closet, I’ve immediately made someone’s life easier to manage. That’s what I love the most. The gratification is instant. And, I love seeing the look on my clients’ faces after I’ve completely revamped what they deemed to be utterly unmanageable.
7. What job would you have had if not the one you have now?
A very senior editorial position at People magazine.
8. What's your favorite Jewish thing to do in Chicago?
Spend the holidays with my family.
8 Questions for Amy Ravit Korin, JDate Guru, Twitter savior, and social media expert
Permanent linkAmy Ravit Korin has always been a step ahead in the social media world. After working in a mix of media buying and advertising sales for R.H. Donnelley (the leading Yellow Page publisher), Univision online, Alloy Media + Marketing, and a video distribution company, she started Interactive Amy a year and a half ago. Interactive Amy is an advertising and marketing agency with a focus in social media.
“I’m essentially an outsourced marketing and promotions manager for my clients in addition to doing social media strategy and taking on the voice for companies online and helping them tie together their online and offline marketing promotions,” Korin says. In addition, she also has been hired by many people to help rebrand JDate profiles, which she is especially qualified for.
“I married the first boy I ever kissed,” Korin says happily. “I met my husband Josh at Jewish summer camp, and later went on to reconnect on JDate.”
So if you’re looking to meet your beshert through JDate, go see live music—especially Phish—or completely rebrand your online presence, Amy Ravit Korin is a Jew You Should Know!