Festivals and crowds of people I don’t know have never really been my ‘thing’. On top of that, people kept telling me the Queen Mary is haunted – which is also not really my ‘thing’. However, after going to my second Jewlicious Festival, I find myself wondering how much it would cost to fly back to Long Beach and attend next year’s Jewlicious Festival.  And this only a little bit has to do with the fact that I did not encounter any ghosts while staying aboard the beautiful and not at all haunted Queen Mary.

As a senior at Cal State Long Beach, I have long been aware that there was an infamous gathering of Jewish youth and professionals that happened annually in our city. I’ve heard stories upon stories of amazing and sometimes unreal-sounding experiences that range from getting zero sleep for three days-straight to having a life-changing epiphany while in a heated discussion with a Rabbi at 2am (I’m sure you’re seeing a pattern here…). Now, as I mentioned before, I was never really interested in not sleeping and getting in arguments with Rabbis and so I stayed away for a few years, which is something I now mildly regret.

This past weekend was my first time back at Jewlicious Festival  in a few years and certainly my first time attending on the Queen Mary. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t absolutely nervous and even stressed about it. Who will I meet? Will my friends be there? Are people going to be nice? Are they just trying to convert me and get me to be more religious? What If I don’t want to pray all the time? As I checked into my room on Friday, these and many other questions were running through my head. The biggest, though, was ‘What in the world did I just get myself into?’. Lucky for me though, I had gotten myself into something very good indeed.

Not only is everyone a little nervous on Friday, as it turns out, but everyone wants to make a friend, too. So as I wandered around the boat, hopelessly lost and still pretty sure I may see a ghost, people reached out and talked to me. I ended up looking for rooms and going to talks with new friend after new friend and absolutely everyone I passed in the hallways said “Hello.” Just like that, a community of Jewlicious Festival-goers had been built. And we hadn’t even had dinner yet.

As a camp counselor, I couldn’t help but think Jewlicious Festival is like camp for young adults. Other than the fact that we are fed and entertained all day, camp is the only other place I have ever been with a community this intense in this short of a time. It doesn’t matter what we had been doing with our lives up until this point, because simply by arriving we all had something huge in common and to bond over.

Every Jewlicious Festival event, crowd and experience is different. The talks you attend and the activities you do will change every year and be different for every person. But there are a few things I feel happen at every Jewlicious Festival regardless of who you are and what you’re doing.  First, is that food will be provided every hour of every day.  Second, is that Rockstar will be provided every hour of every day. Third, you will walk away with a new friend, whether or not you are trying to make new friends. Going through an eye-opening and new experience is one of the strongest bonds humans can have and, just by being on that boat for the weekend, you automatically have things in common with people around you. Fourth, you will learn something new. I learned about myself and my comfort levels in making new friends, but others shared with me their life lessons that included things like their future job career and new hobbies. Fifth, and finally, you will do something new. And that, is not an opportunity that comes around very often.

Friday began with an open art area and a café that allowed the attendees to explore the boat and grab a bite to eat while meeting each other and getting acquainted. The night really began during the sunset yoga sessions followed by multiple services offered to match any religious level. After the Shabbat feast and some much needed peer bonding (food has a way of doing that, especially in Jewish culture), we all headed into the evening’s main attraction: TED-style talks. The talks revolved around edgy and current topics like entrepreneurship, Jewish lust and erotica and even social media. Going on at the same time as the TED talks were a talk on business stuff by Elia and one on tattoos and Judaism by Rabbi Drew Kaplan. The night culminated in a talk by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach on “Kosher Lust” and other dating advice. Though some of the talks led to shocking and occasionally uncomfortable places, they were all the more interesting and insightful for having done so.

Shabbat continued on Saturday with more yoga, meditation and services of all kinds. Rabbi Drew also led a discussion on the four cups of wine at the Passover Seder. The main event of the morning was a more than moving visit from Megan & Grace Phelps, two ex-congregants of the Westboro Baptist church. These two amazing girls candidly spoke on their emotional and spiritual journey from leaving their family to arriving at Jewlicious Festival. Candice Lebowitz, a CSULB student, said that “they are inspiring because they said to stick to your beliefs and to not let others take control over your life, they have that incentive to fight for what we believe in.”

   After lunch, a few more talks were offered concerning relationships, mentorships and puppy ownership to fit any interest a Jewlicious Festival attendee may have. Just before dinner, the second major talk of the day occurred with Rob Eshman, publisher and Editor In-Chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal and Consul General David Siegal. The two men chatted about diversity and current affairs in Israel, the negatives and positives. We then gathered for a beautiful musical Havdallah service by candlelight and filled with singing and dancing.  Dinner was served with a series of hilarious screen shorts by Jessie Kahnweiler called “Dude, Where’s My Chutzpah?”. The night was capped by a boat-rocking concert with the famous Rami Jaffee playing with Jonny Kaplan and the Lazy Stars and an epic dance party. Zach Katona, another CSULB student, summed up the night very well, by saying “no matter what music is playing, the people at Jewlicious Festival know how to have fun and get down.”

Sunday began with a morning service out on the deck in the sunshine and a bagel brunch. Rabbi Drew led a discussion on Jewish wisdom about sleep, which was particularly appropriate, since we everbody hadn’t gotten enough sleep during the weekend.  Everyone took advantage of the wonderful weather and hung out outside for mimosas and some talks regarding medical marijuana and how to stay involved in festivities like Jewlicious. Sunday ended with a lively and fun Samba carnival with dancers on stilts, drums and of course lots of audience participation.

The weekend was a roaring success for all those who attended and spoke. Young Jewish adults from all over were able to come together and enjoy not only each other’s company, but explore their own Jewishness and learn from Jewish leaders and mentors. Everyone who was in attendance took home something vital, whether it be a new friend or a new outlook on their own Jewish identity.

All I meant was that Rabbi Drew became a member of a select group of Jewish people doing interesting things who have been interviewed by Patrick Aleph of PunkTorah.com. Here’s the interview taken at the tail end of the recent Jewlicious Festival in Long Beach:

Rabbi Drew certainly seemed animated! I can’t decide if it’s because of the energy and exuberance that the Festival inspires or if it’s simply because of nervous exhaustion occasioned by the hard work he and Rachel did all weekend! What do you think?

The Parasols are already up!

Yeah. We’re excited. Did you order your tickets yet? Better get to it at JewliciousFestivals.com. See you soon!

Candle lighting at 6:30 dinner to follow

RSVP ebanarie@gmail for directions.
The Kaplan’s live three minutes from CSULB!
869 Kallin Ave
Long Beach CA 90815

FREE for students!

Here are the deets for the rest of our High Holidays festivities:

Our very own beloved Rabbi Yonah Bookstein and Beach Hillel Board President Josh Kaplan have been nominated for this honor. Both have made great strides in connecting the Jewish communities of greater Long Beach, and we are extremely proud of both of them!

Beach Hillel is clearly supporting both nominees, and thankfully votes can be made for both. You can vote a maximum of once daily per nominee, but you can vote for as many different nominees as you’d like!

We are also so proud to note that the contest web site’s primary example of a hero is Beach Hillel’s past JCSC Fellow and Jewlicious Festival presenter, Challah For Hunger founder Eli Winkelman!

Click here to vote for Rabbi Yonah, and click here to vote for Josh. Don’t forget to spread the word and vote once every day!

Howdy Bibliyogis

Today’s Kosher Sutra is dedicated to you, friends all over the world who have provided enthusiasm for the Bibliyoga project. Thank you.

BIBLIYOGA PRACTICE: Partner yoga – support each other with leg balance (ie Tree or Archer)
BODY BENEFIT: Increased stability and support, and leg strength.
SOUL INTENTION: To strengthen another person and help provide balance for others.
KOSHER SUTRA: Acquire a friend for yourself. (Ethics of the Fathers, 1:6)

Yoga is so much easier to practice when you’re doing it with a friend. There’s something about the energy of having someone else in the room. My morning yoga practice is generally a solo affair and it’s easy to drift off, lose focus and suddenly find myself staring into space. Last night I was going through the Tripsichore yoga sequences with a friend and reminded of the subtle energy shift that takes place – like having a running partner, it’s so much easier to get motivated (and stay motivated when there’s two of you). I’ll stop this paragraph here before my parents publicly implore me to get married.

Today is Lag B’Omer, the 33rd day of the journey from the festival of Passover to Shavuot, a seven-week process of spiritual liberation.

The Talmud explains how the master scholar Rabbi Akiva had 24,000 students and they were all killed by a mysterious plague which was caused because they didn’t respect one another (BT Yevamot 62b). Too much ego, too much self-centredness. Lag B’Omer was the day the plague stopped. So we rejoice. The story goes on; the great Rabbi Akiva continued undeterred and re-established his academy with just five students. One of them was Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a leading light in the world of Kabbalah who revealed the Zohar (Kabbalistic ‘Book of Splendour’). Rabbi Shimon eventually died on Lag B’Omer and his passing is commemorated by lighting bonfires to represent the light he brought into the world. Another custom of Lag B’Omer is to get your hair cut (I also did this, but only for an undercut and trimmed ends – religious devotion only goes so far when it comes to the Freedfro).

There is much to focus on from a yogic perspective – revealing light, inner fires, reducing ego – but today’s Kosher Sutra is from Ethics of the Fathers, with the sage Yehoshua ben Perchyah who advised that we should ‘acquire for ourselves a friend’. The Hebrew word he used for acquire was koneh which is usually associated with purchasing something. When we stop to reflect, there is often a cost to friendship which involves putting in time, effort and respect…

difference between lexapro and celexa Buy Generic Cialis accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working Cipro Xl lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects! Zithromax By Mail difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline What Is Cipro symptoms of zoloft working
lipitor drug cost Clomid Late Period prednisone stopped taking side effects!
difference between lexapro and celexa Long Term Affects Of Zoloft accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working Why Take Prednisone Qod lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects! Cialis Lawyer Columbus difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Lexapro Withdrawl symptoms of zoloft working
lipitor drug cost Lexapro Reviews prednisone stopped taking side effects!
difference between lexapro and celexa Accutane Attorneys accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working Accutane Lawyers lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects! Canine Prednisone Seizures difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Clomid Spotting symptoms of zoloft working
lipitor drug cost Levitra Dangers prednisone stopped taking side effects!
difference between lexapro and celexa Lipitor And Surgery accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working Levitra Canada lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects! Prednisone Homopathic Replacement difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Cialis Generic Canada symptoms of zoloft working
lipitor drug cost Buy Cialis Online Now prednisone stopped taking side effects!
difference between lexapro and celexa Red Wine And Lipitor accutane timeline
symptoms of zoloft working Reconstructive Surgery From Prednisone lipitor drug cost
prednisone stopped taking side effects! Prednisone Direcions For Inflammation difference between lexapro and celexa
accutane timeline Absorption Prednisone Inhibited Antacids symptoms of zoloft working

Whereas we are still connected to family members regardless of what we do (although communications can break down in some cases), friends are only there if we give them a reason to be so. Friendship does have a cost but the rewards can be immense.

First we can begin with being a friend to ourselves. Then we can focus on being a friend to others. Today’s recommended posture is a one-legged balance – done whilst standing next to a friend – and you can use each other for support. Please send in your partner yoga pics and they’ll be featured on the Bibliyoga website!

Kabbalistic bonus material
For those who’ve been along to the Bibliyoga Kabbalah Experience sessions, we’ve looked at how the sefira energies correspond with the body – and today’s quality is Hod She b’Hod, or Humble Humility. This makes sense as humility is essential in building friendships and communities, and the kabbalists noted how the Divine energy of Hod is represented by the left leg (Tikkunei HaZohar, intro). Hence the one-legged balance!

]]> http://beachhillel.org/2009/05/12/lag-bomer-kosher-sutra-for-you-this-lag-bomer/feed/ 0 http://beachhillel.org/2009/01/14/american-jewish-history-history-470-still-has-room/ http://beachhillel.org/2009/01/14/american-jewish-history-history-470-still-has-room/#comments Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:30:06 +0000 Rachel Kaplan http://beachhillel.org/?p=710 More >]]> For anyone wanting to get a good handle on American Jewish History CSULB gives you a great opportunity this spring. Dr Lazarowitz is teaching the class this spring, and there is still room…Tell your friends!

Monday and Wednesday 2-3:15

LA5-148

If you want to know more about the Program in Jewish Studies major or minor, or just want to see the the spiffy new site click here.

]]> http://beachhillel.org/2009/01/14/american-jewish-history-history-470-still-has-room/feed/ 0