Heebevents | Heeb

Ticún Brasil: Lending a Hand to Brazil’s Jews (Who Apparently Exist)

Samuel Johnson — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:16:51 +0000

Last night, Ticún Brasil, opened a photography exhibit at lower Manhattan’s FB Gallery entitled Orfeu Negro, based (loosely; let’s say “conceptually”) on the 1959 film Black Orpheus. On one side of the exhibit are photos of Brazil’s favelas taken by a young photographer Léo Lima who grew up in the favelas and has gone on to win awards in Brazil and study at one of its best art schools. On the other side are photos of a naked lady painting herself with a brush… done by a French artist Konstantin Lunarine–who, I was told, happens to be a big fan of Brazil. The juxtaposition of the two was meant to show myth vs. reality. Or some such.

Upstairs showcases the work of children who as part of a Ticún Brasil program learned about photography from an American volunteer and then were given a camera to go out on their own. The works are impressive not just because they provide physical proof that the children miraculously managed not to have the camera stolen, but also because they show an organic POV of a very different world that isn’t often documented.

Great, you say, but… what’s all this got to do with us Jews?

Good question. The first thing you would have noticed upon entering the exhibit opening is two mellifluous sounds floating and commingling in the air. The first, the danceable (even for Jews) beat of indigenous Brazilian rhythms provided by a live band. The second, the “dulcet tones” of the Russian language provided by live Russian Jews. The place was packed. And I’m not sure if there was a single Brazilian there. (I witnessed a cringeworthy exchange in which one black attendee was asked excitedly if he was Brazilian and then explained apologetically to the very disappointed Russian girl who’d asked that he was, in fact, from New Jersey.)

Ticún Brasil is an organization that hosts trips for young people interested in Jewish volunteering opportunities in Brazil and is administered by Russian Jews Alex Minkin and wife Elena Zavelev. I asked them the very first question that came to my mind: why Brazil exactly? They explained that it is already an sought-after travel destination for Jews, has the 10th highest Jewish population in the world (who knew?), and lacks that certain je ne sais quoi of European anti-Semitism. All in all, not a terrible place to go if you want to help out aging Jews at an old folks home while also soaking up the rays in South America in the middle of North American winter. Admit it, Florida is becoming a little passé.

The exhibition (which ends with a 6-9pm showing on Sunday) is meant on one level to raise money for good causes in Brazil. Mr. Lunarine often donates money from his works to Brazilian causes. But equally importantly to Mr. Minkin, the exhibition hopes to bring attention to Ticún Brasil‘s upcoming (November) volunteering trip. I personally saw him win over at least one recruit while I was there, so it seemed headed for success on both counts.

I headed out a little early–as the party going on next door made it a nearly impossible to hear or be heard, and the packed room made it a nearly impossible to stop sweating like an animal. As I left I thought the whole event reminded me of feelings I’ve had about the Jewish people in general: A little loud and uncomfortable, but very culturally interesting.

Book Launch: Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City

Samuel Johnson — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:13:31 +0000

On Monday Desert Island comic book store, Drawn & Quarterly art and literary comics publisher, and Housing Works advocacy group co-presented a Q&A with Guy Delisle, a French Canadian travelogue comic book artist, at Housing Works’ NoLita Bookstore Cafe. Sales of the book as well as from Housing Works’ large used book collection benefited Housing Works’ cause of AIDS and homelessness advocacy. (Advocacy against them.)

Mr. Delisle’s newest work–this was his first publicity event for its English language release–is entitled Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City. It revolves around the year he spent living in Jerusalem while his wife, an administrator with Médecins Sans Frontières, helped save the Palestinians…

Now if all this sounds a little like left-wing philoPalestinian tripe, really it’s not. Mr. Delisle is refreshingly upfront about his politics, which is to say that he admits that from his vantage point as the plus one of a Médecins Sans Frontières administrator, of course he saw and chronicled the hardships of Palestinians more than those of Israelis. But he claims to have made the effort to go into the situation with what he called a “formatted hardrive.” For example, he gladly took Hebron settlers up on their offer of a tour of their settlement, though he admits it came off as fairly propagandizing.

Yes, it could be called immensely naïve to view the Israeli-Palestian conflict as one between refugees and settlers–considering that there are millions of Israelis who view the settlers as, well, total nutballs. However, Delisle seems to embrace his naiveté to an extent, focusing his stories less directly on the conflict and more on time spent on personal experiences, like teaching comic book courses to ultra-religious Palestinian Muslim teenagers, where his drawings of France’s topless beaches caused a walkout. And mercifully he never mentioned a solution to the conflict or brought up even one political figure.

Delisle’s previous works have taken him all over the world, to no less divisive, but far less covered locales. And he comes to them with a similar clean slate background. He’s a comic book memoirist, not a historian or reporter. His books have covered Burma, Pyong Yang and Shenzen. He writes himself into the works and is adamant that he does not fictionalize any part of his accounts. He explained during the event that after spending 2-months in Vietnam, thinking it would turn into a book, he decided that it had just been a fun vacation, and who would want to read about that?

Autobiographical comics fans will also not want to miss Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland: A Tribute moderated by Heeb comics editor Jeff Newelt and featuring Joseph Remnant, Joyce Brabner and Dean Haspiel tonight at the Strand from 7-8pm. The event will be a celebration of Harvey Pekar–a pioneer in the field who passed away in 2010–and of the publication of Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland which Jeff Newelt edited.

Then again, Housing Works is holding a reading and discussion on sex writing, if that’s more your “thing.”

“Psycho-Emotionally” Mapping Tel Aviv in New York

Samuel Johnson — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:53:50 +0000

Last Monday the Phaidon Store in Soho hosted an event by Artis, a nonprofit promoting Israeli art. On one side of the room was a compilation of video art pieces–footage of a naked lady lying in a pool of melons, for example. You know, art. On the other side was an interactive exhibit called Legends of Heartbreak and Epiphany in Tel Aviv by Gabriela Vainsencher, an Artis regular.

Legends… is interactive in two parts. Firstly, the artist collected various travelers’ stories of their most memorable day in Tel Aviv on her blog. Then she mapped where the stories took place as though they were spots on the ubiquitous Tel Aviv tourist maps, retelling the stories on the back. Secondly, at the event, she asked you, the guest/participant, to add your own story which she would then map for your, personalizing the piece forever. She calls the creation a “psycho-emotional map.”

You can add your story here at her blog, potentially becoming part of the next psycho-emotional printing. Or just throwing your story out there on the internet.

While I enjoyed both the concept and the execution of this project, I must admit that I became overly preoccupied with the idea that everyone at the event had been to Tel Aviv. Yes, the project was inspired by the release of a new Wallpaper City Guide (Phaidon’s travel series in both book and iPhone app form) of Tel Aviv, but couldn’t that mean that some of the guests were only planning to go? I suppose, if I really wanted to know how the project would have worked if you admitted you’d never actually been, I should have just lied, but I didn’t think of it at the time.

Photo by Joe Jagos

New Film Commandment Keepers Explores History of Black Jews

Claire Hoffman — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:36:13 +0000

When I first started thinking about Black Jews, it was just another typical Sunday afternoon, nursing a hangover, partly watching Rachel Ray miraculously whip up another 30-minute meal, and, like all other single women in the Upper West Side, browsing for my beshert on JDate. Too old, too young, too short, too fat, too cute, too gross; it was more of the same until all of a sudden I came across YesImReallyJewish.

You are?!… You?…

I had my doubts. You see, YesImReallyJewish appeared to be a toned, tall, dark and handsome Black man. Indulging in my curiosity (and my love for Black men,) I agreed to meet him for a drink. I hate to admit, but like most of us, I questioned his “authenticity.” How could this person, who was so apparently different from me, be from the same religion?

After getting to know YesImReallyJewish, I realized that he was in fact not just Jewish, but a big Jew. He went to a Jewish day school, led a Passover Seder, travels to Israel, and appreciates a good matzoh ball. (Now there’s a JDate profile.) Even so, after six months I still catch myself testing his Jewishness by asking him things like, “So, like, have you ever had a really good apple kugel?” Yes, he has.

We Jews take pride in the fact that we raise our kids to be educated, open-minded and tolerant. Yet we essentially teach them that to be Jewish is to be White. In fact Gary Tobin, a San Francisco based demographer, shows in his research, one out of every seven Jewish households is interracial.

Marlaine Glicksman, in her new film Commandment Keepers (which explores the under appreciated–and largely unknown–existence of the only African-American Jewish community in Harlem), raised the issue when she began her research on the synagogue, Commandment Keepers Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation. The Synagogue was founded in 1919 by Rabbi Wentworth A. Matthew, an African-American, during a time when White Jews largely inhabited Harlem. Glicksman’s film, The Commandment Keepers not only explores the past and present history of Black Jews, but also discusses the historic relationship between Blacks and Jews in general.

There’s a widespread misconception that because Jews and Blacks have so much in common in their history (persecution, life in a diaspora, minority status) there should be nothing but a positive bond between the two. In actuality the harsh break between the communities has been prevalent for decades. (The Crown Heights riots being a prime example.) Commandment Keepers is about the history of Jewish Harlem, Black Harlem and Black-Jewish Harlem.

Marlaine Glicksman’s The Commandment Keepers is being screened on Tuesday, April 17^th, 8:00pm at the 92Y. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: http://bit.ly/CKSocial

Date My Jewish Friend, Please!

SASS — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:08:32 +0000

If it’s good enough for Chris Rock, it’s good enough for you.

PARTY LIKE IT’S 2002!!!

Arye Dworken — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:45:09 +0000

Ten years ago, we started this thing called Heeb Magazine. And when I say “We,” I actually really mean “Jennifer Bleyer.” But we’ve come a long way since our inaugural issue featuring a matzoh on a turntable (so predictable!) and, well, we’d like to celebrate that with our closest friends (non-Jews) and relatives (Jews).

Next Thursday, February 23rd beginning at 8 PM, Heeb will be hosting a 10th anniversary party at New York’s notorious Lower East Side establishment Fontana’s. And as they used to say in 2002, things will most certainly get “jiggy,” the atmosphere will undoubtedly “raise the roof,” and it will be way more awesome than updating your “Friendster profile.”

HEEB’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY
2/23/12
8 PM
FONTANA’S, 105 ELDRIDGE ST.

Free gift bags and pins
Free mini knishes courtesy of Yonah Schimmel
Free vodka drinks from 8 – 9 PM
SO MANY FREE THINGS!!!!!

Leave your dignity at home. World touring DJs Krowd Pleezr, Jaclyn, and Yamez will make you do things with your body that even your Soul Cycle instructor can’t convince you to do.

See you there.

Recap of Heebonism NYC 2011

David Kelsey — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:16:42 +0000

It was a wild, wonderful night. Thanks to everyone who came, to our sponsor Flatrate Moving, to Shemspeed and the Sephardic Music Festival, and to all our special guests, including Diwon, Y-Love, and Ben Nathan.

And for the second year in a row, our comics editor Jeff Newelt AKA JahFurry and Kochie Banton performed a heiny-zetzing uber-charged reggae set.

Here’s a snippit caught on video by Rafael Fuchs.

Full gallery.

Heebonism NYC 2011 (Update)

Abigail — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:28:09 +0000

Already feeling cold and lonely this winter? Tired of eating greasy Chinese food? Ditch your ordinary plans and heat up at HEEBONISM this Xmas Eve! Tauted by the Travel Channel as ‘one of the largest, glitziest, rowdiest and most untamed shindigs in the world’, Heeb’s annual Christmas Eve bash returns this year with a world music spin. Co-hosted with Shemspeed as part of the 7th Annual Sephardic Music Festival the event features music from Diwon and guests. Read more about the festival in the New York Times.

Heeb Comedy Night (Update): NEW Venue Location!

Heeb — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:06:21 +0000

Heeb Magazine presents a night of standup comedy at Lolita Bar on 266 Broome Street (between Orchard St & Allen St) on the Lower East Side New York, NY 10002. Featuring comedians, Rich Vos (Opie & Anthony), Megan Neuringer (UCB), Louis Katz (HBO), Ilana Glazer (UCB), Aaron Glaser (UCB/PIT) and Megan Sass (StorahTelling, UCB).

Starts at 8:30 pm
$5 cover
No drink minimum!
Happy hour 5-8pm
Come early to get a seat! This show will sell out!

For venue info visit http://www.lolitabar.net
For facebook event visit here
For all other inquiries info@heebmagazine.com

Produced by Heeb Magazine and Geoff Kole. Sponsored by Flatrate Moving.

Heeb Night at the Other Israel Film Festival

David Kelsey — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:20:45 +0000

Join us this Wednesday for an exclusive screening of three Israeli short films at the Other Israel Film Festival at the JCC in Manhattan, followed by conversation over complimentary wine and cheese.

In our first year as a sponsor, Heeb and FlatRate Moving proudly join the 5th annual Other Israel Film Festival in presenting three short films focused on the subject of forbidden love. After the screening, enjoy casual discussion over complimentary wine and cheese, generously provided by FlatRate Moving. So bring your Lactaid pills and 12 bucks for admission. You may want to reserve beforehand, actually, because where else in the Big Bagel are you going to score wine and forbidden love (never mind cheese) at such a Jewy price?