Almost every child grows up wanting to be an astronaut, but Jessica Meir has actually done it. Meir has yet to go to space but when she does, she will be the the fifteenth Jewish person to go to space but only the fourth Jewish woman. (Right now there are forty-four “active” astronauts like Meir, and the last Jewish astronaut to go to space was Garrett Erin Reisman, who went twice.) In a recent conversation with Meir she described the process of going from a young child dreaming of making it to outer space to the amazing astronaut she is today. Meir was is also featured in the PBS Documentary Beyond A Year in Space, which focuses on Scott Kelly’s record-breaking yearlong mission to explore the effects of long-term spaceflight, and what the next generation of astronauts can learn.

Meir, 40, grew up in Caribou, Maine, the daughter of an Iraqi Jew who was an early volunteer for the Israeli Army. From childhood, Meir’s passion for science set her on the trajectory she’s still on today. She received her undergraduate degree from Brown, completed graduate work at the International Space University (part of the University of British Columbia), and received her PhD from Scripps. Even though her aim is to reach a place with no air or water, she has done extensive research on the physiology of wildlife; her doctoral thesis was on the diving physiology of emperor penguins. When not training with NASA, Meir is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Meir’s journey to space started in earnest in August of 2013, when she was named of one of the eight members of the NASA’s 21st class of astronauts. The next two years were ones of intense training. Naturally there was the flight training, but she also had to had to learn Russian, which is vital when you are traveling with Russian astronauts. She learned everything from how to use robotic arms to how to remove her space suit underwater (water is used a lot in astronaut training because it mimics some of the conditions of space). After two years, her class graduated to full astronauts and could now be assigned out on missions.

Meir will likely get sent to space in the next five to ten years. When that happens, she will likely spend six months on the International Space Station (ISS), which was only completed in 2013, the year Meir began her training. While on the ISS, astronauts participate in any number of research projects, from understanding gravity’s effect on life to creating technology for future missions. While Meir’s expertise is physiology, she’ll be ready to help with any other field of research. Still, Meir told Jewcy that she’s excited for the challenge, because NASA is built on a foundation of collaboration, that it’s collective efforts and each person giving it their all that allows the astronauts to launch into space— and stay safe there.

Meir demurs when asked about being a role model, but it’s obviously exciting when a Jewish woman to make it to outer space. We wonder what Judaica she’ll bring with her.

The second part of Beyond A Year in Space airs on PBS on November 15. You can watch a clip with Jessica Meir below:

Photo of Jessica Meir courtesy of NASA, by James Blair

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David Goldstein’s sophomore book, Alley-Oop to Aliyah: African American Hoopsters in the Holy Land  tells the fascinating story of how black NBA players ended up playing on Israeli Teams. These men came to Israel with to play basketball, but ended up falling in love with the country.  

I asked my Israeli friends about this phenomenon, and they gushed about the American players choosing to play in Israel and how “they really make the team.” And while Israel is most often associated with soccer, basketball is also a hugely popular sport. To quote the first chapter of the book, “In Israel basketball matters. Sure it is just a game, but it represents so much more than that.”

For example, Maccabi Tel Aviv gave the Israeli people hope after the Yom Kippur War. Before Aulcie Perry, a black American, joined, their team had been the joke of the Euro Cup, but his arrival in 1976 turned Maccabi Tel Aviv into an international powerhouse. They went from losing the European Cup year after year to winning it– six times total.

Perry’s role in Maccabi Tel Aviv becoming a championship team inspired teams around Israel to start bringing African-American players over. But there was a small issue with loading teams with these players: a league rule limiting the number of foreign players on a team. And so, the powers-that-be solved this issue by making these elite players citizens. In the 1970’s and 80’s, players began converting to Judaism en masse so that they could use the Law of Return to become citizens. Many of them even married Israeli women, which Goldstein insinuates was to expedite the immigration process. While some Israelis claimed these acts of assimilation were ingenuine, Perry, at least, had a sincere conversion and continues to practice Judaism today.

Alley-Oop to Aliyah also highlights the love that Israeli fans have for their players. Dean Thomas, a former player for Maccabi Tel Aviv, said the following about Israelis: “The fans love you- they honestly love you, and they treat you as if you are one of their own… When I broke my leg before the 2005 Euroleague Final Four, I had (Israeli-American) fans fly from Tel Aviv to New York to visit me in the hospital. They brought their whole family!”

If that doesn’t show the deep love that the fans have for their players, what does? And not everyone plays for the blue-chip Maccabi Tel Aviv; many play in small cities and towns. Ramon Clemente played three seasons in Israel’s second league while living on a moshav. One day, a neighborhood kid approached him to ask for free tickets to the game. Of course, Clemente said yes, and even drove the kid– and six of his friends– to the game. Clemente recalls this experience as an example of the communal and supportive atmosphere of Israel.

Even if you aren’t a superfan of basketball (I’m not), there still may be something for you in Alley-Oop to Aliyah: African American Hoopsters. After all, it is also a tale of Jewishness, Israel, immigration, and belonging. You can get all that from Amos Oz, sure, or you can get it here, through basketball.

Alley-Oop to Aliyah: African American Hoopsters in the Holy Land, by David Goldstein, comes out on November 7, 2017 from Skyhorse Publishing.

Photo of Stanley Brundy with his son, Nadav. Brundy was from New Orleans, played one year in the NBA before taking his career overseas, and has primarily played in Israel, where he is now a citizen, since 1999.

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While Josh Gad is perhaps best known for voicing Olaf, the lovable/grating (your mileage may vary) snowman in Frozen, he’s most often cast as somewhat annoying, nerdy types. His big break was for originating the role of the weirdly nebbish Elder Cunningham in The Book of Mormon (seriously, why do so many Jews play the geeky Mormon character in that show?). He’s a physical “type,” to be sure— but there’s an unfortunate overlap between a short, round Jewish man with curly hair and bumbling characters onscreen. His next role, however, is a step away from that— and he’s excited about it.

Gad is one of the stars of Marshall, the upcoming Thurgood Marshall biopic telling the story of a young Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) while he works as a lawyer for the NAACP. The film revolves around Marshall’s role as the defense lawyer for Joseph Spell, a black chauffeur accused of sexual assault and attempted murder by Eleanor Strubing, a Greenwich, Connecticut socialite. Gad plays Sam Friedman, a local Jewish lawyer who’s never handled a criminal case who is tasked with teaming up with Marshall to defend Spell. The two men build a defense together while contending with both anti-black and anti-Semitic views.

(The real Friedman was important to both the case and this movie; his family was instrumental in passing the film’s script— co-written by a Connecticut Jewish lawyer who knew Friedman, as a matter of fact— into the right hands to get it produced.)

Gad spoke with Buzzfeed News about the film, and the conversation turned to the importance of Jewish Representation on screen. Gad talked about how refreshing this project is when most Hollywood creatives (especially the Jewish ones) shy away from making characters “too Jewish.” He is excited that Marshall takes the opposite response and really leans into Friedman’s Jewish identity.

“It was so important to illustrate how important faith was to this man, even if he didn’t wear his faith on his sleeve,” said Gad.

Early in Marshall, Friedman tries to hide his Jewish faith, believing that if he keeps his head down and doesn’t make too much noise he can get by without experiencing discrimination. He, unlike black men, has a chance to assimilate. Thurgood Marshall makes him realize that he can’t avoid oppression, that the case that they are fighting affects him, too. It’s a moral awakening, and one that it’s powerful to see a Jewish actor portray.

Gad may look the nebbish (because of continuing stereotypes), but it doesn’t mean he has to play bumbling shlemiels the rest of his career. This film is primarily about African American history, of course, but it also shows an example of Jews who chose to help others in a mutual struggle, rather than strive for personal comfort in American society.

Marshall comes out this Friday, October 13. In the meantime, you can check out the trailer below:

Image via Open Road Films

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If I was any kind of Jewish Food I would probably be a matzo ball; I’m a bit round and occasionally pretty salty. So it only seems appropriate for me to start my series of lists on the best Jew Foods with a matzo ball.Plus— it’s fall, and getting cooler, and Sukkot is around the corner. If you’re eating outside, you especially need a matzo ball to fortify yourself.

Plus, since I see myself as a sort of matzo ball I am extremely discerning about what makes a good one. In my opinion they should be small and airy, their broths should be chicken and not too salty. My criteria are not too harsh, so I am always shocked that more places don’t meet them, but plenty do. And so, after exhaustive research, here are my top five favorite matzo ball soups in New York. Let’s begin with the classics and then move toward the less familiar:

1. It hardly gets more classic than the 2nd Avenue Deli (multiple locations throughout the city). 2nd Avenue Deli has been around since 1954 when it was started by Abe Lebewohl, a Holocaust survivor.The deli serves the quintessential matzo ball. Their balls are usually pretty large yet also extremely fluffy. It is hard to achieve a good fluff ratio usually in a large matzo ball, but they absolutely succeed. And what of the broth— that often overlooked element that can really make or break a soup? This broth is smooth and never greasy, which sometimes happens in restaurant soups. It is also a well salted soup which is extremely important to me and others in the salt-loving lifestyle.
2. Baz Bagel (181 Grand Street, New York, NY, 10013) is the new kid on the block; but I highly recommend their matzo ball; it’s to die for. When you walk in you might find it a sickening combo of hip and kitschy, but who could hate a restaurant that prominently features Barbra Streisand in the decor?! The real highlight of their matzo ball soup is their proper use of dill and salt. I usually dislike a matzo ball soup with dill because it tends to be overused, but this soup left me pleasantly surprised.
   
3. Russ and Daughters (multiple locations) serves up some classic matzo ball realness. Their carrots are properly cut up and fully cooked which, like greasy brother, is an issue in more restaurants than it should be. They use a great mix of light and dark meat in their soup. Their balls are generously sized and well seasoned with not too much dill (thank you!) and the perfect amount of salt. Remember: salt is sort of a huge thing for me.
4. Pastrami Queen (1125 Lexington Avenue) serves a decent matzo ball soup. I enjoy it every time I eat, though it is indistinctive. Their balls are generously sized, their broth is well-flavored (i.e., heavily salted). There is just one issue: They put noodles in their matzo ball soup, which is some added bang for your hungry buck but feels rather goyish to me. Still, it’s a quality soup that is worth checking out if you are by the Lexington Avenue Line 77th street stop.
5. Mile End Delicatessen (multiple locations) shakes up the typical matzo ball soup experience, at least if you’re New-York-normative. Mile End serves the Montreal Style of Jewish Deli food. Their recipe comes from the founder Noah Bermanoff’s late grandmother. Their matzo balls are light and fluffy and really pick up the schmaltz and chicken flavor. I highly recommend checking them out.
   

And now, you can stock up! Stave off the sniffles, and kick back in a sukkah, or at home, or in front of a huge portrait of Barbra Streisand. Just like your ancestors wanted.

Photo by Laurel Natale.

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This year’s season of Difficult People is ending on Tuesday just in time for us all to reflect on our garbage person ways Pre-Yom Kippur. To quote Billy’s character, “we did the wrong thing and we still got nothing!”

Dear Billy Eichner and Julie Klausner,

Thank you for letting it be okay to be a dirt person. I constantly struggle to stay away from my garbage person impulses, but Difficult People really leans into the dirt person lifestyle. It is a celebration of all of the worst traits a person can have.    

I would like you both to know that I am not planning to become an all out horrible monster, but just a person who occasionally thinks about herself before others. I really view what your characters do on the show as a form of self-care, because let’s be honest— they only really do care about themselves. It’s cathartic to watch you guys do the things I only dream of doing.

I appreciate your characters’ infusion of Judaism in their everyday activities. It’s not like we often see them doing Jewish rituals or celebrating holidays (though there are occasional examples— shout out to this season’s plot line where Billy’s Orthodox sister became convinced she had a Golem). Still, in the proud history of TV, their background, and sense of humor, infuses every part of their hilarious existence.

I also appreciate Jews mocking other Jews— it just feels right (you know you do it). You crafted characters whose Judaism is expressed through their love of pop culture, for example. Your characters watch The Real Housewives with the same fervor some people bring to Shabbat. They may not live Jewish lives in a traditional religious sense, but they still live Jewishly.  The way they perform a Jewish life may feel wrong to some because it isn’t this idealized version of what we “should” be, but that makes it feel all the more real.

As the Day of Atonement nears, I think of when Billy tells his frum brother on Yom Kippur: “Here’s the thing. You know what the holiest day of the year for me is? The Golden Globes.” His niece exclaims in response: “That’s the most Jewish thing I have ever heard.”

As we move into Rosh Hashanah this evening we are told to be self-reflective and contrite. Difficult People has helped me do both. I am thinking more about how I interact with the world so that I can be less of a garbage person. In this reflection I am realizing all the ways I can be better in the New Year. I will apologize to those I have dirt-personed-to and hopefully be just a bit less like your characters in the horribleness in the New Year.

Difficult People asserts that we as Jewish people will always be the Other in society, and it’s better to just embrace rather than hiding from it. What I love about your show is that Julie and Billy are unapologetically themselves, dirt person ways and all.

Stay Jewish!

-Alex

Image via Hulu

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I moved to New York a bit over six years ago. My aunt and uncle live here, but they aren’t Jewish, so I was left without anyone with whom I could spend the High Holy Days. When I was in college, I would go to the Hillel meals, but since that only covered one meal, I started organizing meals at restaurants for my friends and I to try. I have been to a bunch, but I always go back to my old standby Jack’s Wife Freda. But while that might be my favorite, New York City is full of great Jewish restaurants to have your festive meals. For this list, I have avoided the expected choices like Katz’s and 2nd Avenue Deli. This is all about that new Jew Food.

Jack’s Wife Freda–  224 Lafayette Street or 50 Carmine Street

Jack’s Wife Freda is the perfect place to go for a hip (not kosher) Rosh Hashanah meal — or let’s be honest: any meal. They do a festive menu for both the first and second nights of Rosh Hashanah, with apples and honey on the table along with some challah. It’s hyper instagrammable so I highly recommend making a reservation. And if you would like to see me, I will be there on night two.

Mile End Delicatessen- 53 Bond Street

If you are looking for a Montreal-style Deli then you have come to the right place. I usually go there for their poutine, but they are offering a pretty amazing prix fixe for Rosh Hashanah. For seventy-five dollars (thirty-five for kids under 12) you get a lovely seven course meal that includes a shaved apple salad that sounds divine. And what New Year would be complete without brisket! They will be serving this menu for both the first and second nights of Rosh Hashanah.

Russ and Daughters Cafe–  127 Orchard Street

I am obsessed with Russ and Daughters! Their babka french toast is, as my mom would say, the bomb dot squad and I would highly recommend getting it for dessert. If you can’t make it in for a festive meal, they are still taking catering orders, so you can bring some Russ and Daughters home with you! For Rosh Hashanah they will be offering a special of gravlax with apples and honey served on rye bread.  

Shalom Japan- 310 South Fourth Street, Williamsburg

Shalom Japan is the perfect spot for the festive meal if you are feeling something more off the beaten path but still amazing. Their tagline is “Authentically inauthentic Jewish and Japanese food in South Williamsburg from chefs Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi.” I spoke to co-owner Aaron Israel early this week, and he told me about some very exciting specials. For example: They will be serving bass cheek with mushrooms. To fulfill the apples and honey requirement of the meal, they will be serving roasted honey and garlic duck breast surrounded by apples and Brussels sprouts.

L’Shana Tova! Good luck getting a reservation to get your Rosh Hashanah nosh on.

Image of Jack’s Wife Freda dish via Instagram.

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