Being Jewish, I have long encountered people who are ignorant, anti-Semitic, or just curious about my faith. I recently read a fantastic article over at Beliefnet.com and wanted to share it with those who are interested. It covers 12 common misconceptions about Judaism and explains what the truth behind those misconceptions really is. It’s a quick read, so I highly recommend you take a few minutes and check it out:

12 Things You Didn’t Know About Judaism – Beliefnet.com

For quite some time now I’ve been looking to separate this blog from my personal domain name, Primakow.net. This isn’t something that I have taken lightly, however, and I have spent a considerable amount of time attempting to find the right domain name for this blog. I now present to you the newest refresh of my blog, now with it’s own domain:

If you came here looking for a website about a tasty type of spiced tea, you will be disappointed. The word “Chai” (pronounced from the throat, Ḥai), for those of you that are unfamiliar with it, is a prominent word in Judaism meaning “life” or “living”. The phrase “Chai Life” may a bit repetitive, but I chose it because it is also catchy, easy to remember, and is a nice Jewish twist on the idiom “the high life”.

Evan, you ask, will the site be changing? What differences will there be in store for your loyal readers in the future?

Fear not. Everything that has ever been posted here is still here and you will still be able to look forward to rants, news, political opinion, random instances of funny, and all of the other posts you may come here to read. It will just be on a new domain name. Above and beyond the random posts (both in topic and frequency) that I tend to make, I will also be slowly rolling out an online store via the excellent services provided by CafePress. More on that to come. In the mean time, please enjoy the Chai Life.

The following is a list of Yiddish words and phrases that I would like to use more in my every-day vocabulary. This is part reference for me and part reference for whoever else finds this. The following list is in no particular order, other than alphabetical.

• A Shande – Meaning “a shame” or “a disgrace”.
• Bubkes – Nothing, nada, zlich. All good words, but bubkes just has a nice ring to it when describing how much money I have in my wallet right now.
• Chazarai – From the Hebrew word for “pig” (khazer), this word perfectly describes my desk at home.
• Chutzpah – If you’ve got balls, you’ve got chutzpah.
• Gezunterheyt – The Yiddish form of saying “bless you” after someone sneezes. It literally means “health”.
• Glitch – Probably one of the better known Yiddish words, this has become more prevalent in the age of computer malfunctions.
• Keppe – Yiddish for head, but like most Yiddish words, it’s more fun to say than the English.
• Kvetch – I don’t complain, I kvetch.
• Mensch – A truly honorable person.
• Meshugaas – Craziness, but more fun to say.
• Nosh – Meaning snack food, this is something I should be able to use daily.
• Schlock – Know all that crap your family gets you on vacation that’s actually just made in factories in China? It’s schlock.
• Schlong – The only really vulgar word on my list, this is one of the best names for your wang, cock, dick, wiener, or whatever else you call it.
• Schnoz – Your nose, but again, more fun to say.
• Tchotchke – Trinkets, knick-knacks, or whatever else you call them.

Do you have more suggestions for this list? Please reply and share them!

Not only is it totally true, but it’s absofuckinglutely hilarious. It’s all over the ‘net and being talked about at high holiday dinners everywhere, but just incase you missed it: The Great Schlep.

The Great Schlep aims to have Jewish grandchildren visit their grandparents in Florida, educate them about Obama, and therefore swing the crucial Florida vote in his favor. Don’t have grandparents in Florida? Not Jewish? No problem! You can still become a schlepper and make change happen in 2008, simply by talking to your relatives about Obama.

Watch the following video by Sarah Silverman, as featured on the website.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting today that a local synagogue, Congregation Bnai Zedek Chabad in Kenosha, had its two Torah scrolls stolen. The article states that the Torahs had a value of forty to fifty thousand dollars, but the true value of a Torah to any synagogue goes far beyond any monetary value. It has a strong spiritual and sentimental value that far outweigh any price tag. Who in their right mind would break in to a religious institution (of any kind) and steal what is essentially the most religiously, spiritually, and historically important item. It is absolutely disgusting that someone would do this and I hope that the person or people who stole these Torahs is caught and feels the full force of the law. My hopes and prayers go out to the members of this synagogue and I sincerely hope that they are able to get their Torahs returned to them with no harm done to the scrolls.

For more information on the Synagogue, the stolen Torahs, and to donate to help them raise the funds for a new Torah, visit Chabad of Kenosha.

Ok, so a week or two ago Jessie and I were listening to Drive 105 and heard some Jewish reggae on the radio that basically made us say “WTF?”. I meant to look in to it and just completely forgot. Then tonight I saw a commercial for his new live CD.

The artist’s name is Matisyahu and, well, he’s awesome.

It’s basically just great reggae music sung by an Lubavich Jew with a Jewish theme to the lyrics. The new CD is called “Live at Stubbs”. I’ve already heard a few songs off of it and it completely rocks. Honestly, I can’t do it justice with words, so if you don’t believe me yet, just watch him perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live or visit the official website.