God put cannabis on our planet, so it must have a greater meaning and a higher purpose, right? So says Yosef Glassman, a Boston geriatrician who has spent several years researching the relationship between the not-so-bitter herb and Jewish history.

According to a recent article in Haaretz, after reading a passage from the Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish Law (“Also, one will beautify [Shabbat candle lighting] when the wick is made from cotton, flax or cannabis…”), Glassman became interested in the topic, specifically wondering if cannabis was used medicinally way back when. That was nearly two decades ago when medical marijuana was still pretty much taboo, enough so that it was even hard to conduct research on the banned drug.

But more recently, with medical marijuana now legal in 20 states plus D.C., it’s been much easier for Glassman to dig in and start the research. In October, he gave his first lecture on his findings.

Glassman’s research revealed that cannabis may have been used as an anesthetic during childbirth in ancient Israel; he described an archaeological discovery of hashish in the stomach of the 1,623-year-old remains of a 14-year-old girl in Beit Shemesh. Maimonides was also an advocate of using cannabis oil for ailments such as colds and ear problems. “There are complex laws of plant mixing and hybridizing from the Talmud, which Maimonides comments on,” said Glassman. “Cannabis specifically was taken especially seriously in terms of mixing … and could, in fact, incur the death penalty. This shows me that apparently, cannabis was treated quite seriously.”

He’s not the first Jew to study Mary Jane. Much of the international cannabis research today is based on the 1960s research of Jerusalem-based professors Raphael Mechoulam and Yechiel Gaoni, and in the past decade, Israeli scientists have developed a strain of marijuana without THC, its psychoactive component.

According to Glassman, the Israeli government funds the research on medical marijuana, which benefits about 12,000 Israeli patients and is grown on eight farms for a state-run medical cannabis distribution center.

“Science aside, the greatest of medications allow the Infinite to penetrate the inner workings of the body and soul,” Glassman said. “This is likely the overriding benefit that cannabis provides, and probably why it has so many different healing properties.”

The drug is spiritual, man. Don’t take it for granted.

(Photo by Nikita Starichenko/Shutterstock)

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On November 26, just a couple of nights before Hanukkah, a gift for the Jews appeared online—Porn4Jews. At Porn4Jews, there aren’t any steamy pictures of Bar Refaeli or Adam Levine (you’ll have to go to People for his bare chest), so don’t get too excited. This isn’t like any porn you’ve seen before. It’s not even pornographic. Like everything else that’s uniquely Jewish, this’ll pleasure you in a different way, specifically, with laughter.

It all started with that infamous Pew study. The results—like how one-in-five American Jews describes themselves as having no religion— surprised Sarah Rosen, the blog’s creator, who still finds her Jewish identity significant, especially in her search for the perfect mate. “I’m not particularly religious, but I found it funny that what I find attractive is the age-old tradition of a Nice Jewish Boy (but with a serious sense of humor), even though I don’t live on the Upper West Side in 1956,” she wrote me in an email. “I wanted to celebrate, comically, the fact that some things haven’t changed.”

The Tumblr features pictures of good looking young Jews with captions like, “Let’s make some babies and send them all on Birthright,” “My bubbe taught me to make it hot and steamy,” and “Your dad and I agree about Israel.” It’s amazing. Give yourself a break today, and check out some porn on your work computer.

See more at Porn4Jews.

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Last week, over eight million people watched a video of three cute girls singing about science and playing with a Rube Goldberg style contraption. The ad was for a start-up toy company called GoldieBlox, whose goal is “to show the world that girls deserve more choices than dolls and princesses. We believe that femininity is strong and girls will build the future — literally.” Everyone loved the video besides the Beastie Boys, who sued GoldieBlox for copyright infringement. GoldieBlox maintains that the ad is protected satire and will fight the case. Today the Beastie Boys released the following letter:

Like many of the millions of people who have seen your toy commercial “GoldieBlox, Rube Goldberg & the Beastie Boys,” we were very impressed by the creativity and the message behind your ad.
We strongly support empowering young girls, breaking down gender stereotypes and igniting a passion for technology and engineering.

As creative as it is, make no mistake, your video is an advertisement that is designed to sell a product, and long ago, we made a conscious decision not to permit our music and/or name to be used in product ads.
When we tried to simply ask how and why our song “Girls” had been used in your ad without our permission, YOU sued US.

The lyrics to their original song “Girls” has been criticized for its sexist lyrics (“Girls, to do the dishes. Girls, to clean up my room. Girls, to do the laundry”), so it’s no surprise that some of the public prefers the new version. Even if it is selling something.

Watch the ad here:

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After 17 seasons, South Park has taken a stab at solving the Middle East crisis. If over 40 years of political maneuvers couldn’t do it, why not a bunch of eight-year-old cartoon characters?

In the latest episode, Eric Cartman discovers a red heifer (which happens to be an important ancient symbol in Judaism. Impressive, South Park) that unites Jews, Muslims, and Christians together in peace, love, and harmony in Israel. Cartman, who is pretty anti-Semitic, did not intend for the cow to lead to a positive outcome and threatens to destroy the peace. Meanwhile, his Jewish friend Kyle Broflovski, submits to repeated humiliation in order to maintain the calm.

Cartman and Kyle even travel to Jerusalem, talk to God, and appear on stage with Van Halen as a reporter at the concert says, “What can this reporter say except for Israel freaking rocks?” We agree.

Now if only we could find this magical red heifer in real life…

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Last night, at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Glamour Magazine honored legend Barbra Streisand with its Woman of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award. Katie Couric presented Streisand the award at Glamour’s 23rd annual gala aimed at showcasing women for their work in entertainment, philanthropy, education, fashion, and politics. With these criteria in mind, it’s no wonder Streisand was honored. In a recent article, Glamour needlessly justified the award.

Legend is not a term to be thrown around lightly, but here it fits. Consider the laundry list: She’s won two Oscars, five Emmys, eight Grammys, and a Tony. Not to mention the Golden Globes, the Kennedy Center Honor, the American Film Institute Award, and the two Peabodys. She’s America’s best-selling female recording artist and the only woman in the top 10, and her album roster reads like the inventory at a jewelry store: 51 gold albums, 30 platinum albums, and 13 multiplatinum albums in the U.S. alone. And that’s just the music. Go Netflix her endearing Funny Girl, her super-romantic The Way We Were, and her historic Yentl—she was the first woman to write, direct, produce, and star in her own film. (And then there’s that little Fockers franchise, which owes a healthy portion of its laughs to her portrayal of a cringeworthy mother.) This year President Bill Clinton sang her praises at Lincoln Center’s Film Society Awards, she gave her first-ever concert in Israel, and she saw the doors open on the cutting-edge research center for heart disease that she funded. “As a young woman I wanted nothing more than to see my name in lights,” she says. “I couldn’t have guessed how much more satisfying it would be to see my name in stainless steel on the building at Cedars-Sinai hospital that says ‘The Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center.’

A nearly unattainable EGOT! Her own hospital wing! Meet the Fockers! But even with all that, Babs still keeps a sense of humor about her high-power celebrity status.

“It’s funny, I was always kind of lazy. I didn’t want this role; I didn’t want that role. Some I turned down because I was having a love affair! I’ve always liked working really hard and then doing nothing in particular. So, consequently, I didn’t overexpose myself; I guess I maintained a kind of mystery. I wasn’t ambitious.”

“OK,” she says, laughing. “I was ambitious too. I’m a dichotomy.”

She’s one of the rare honest and relatable celebrities that audiences just want to be friends with. Like Jennifer Lawrence or Tina Fey before we had either. And, she never conformed.

“I didn’t do what people said: ‘Change your name, cap your teeth, change your clothes, cut your nose down.’ My nose was part of my heritage, and if I had talent to sing and to act, why wasn’t that enough?”

A true inspiration.

And finally, Glamour has left us with some words of wisdom, from Babs herself.

“One, find your passion. Find what you love to do,” she says. “Two, trust your instincts. Three, stay true to yourself—people respond to authenticity, and they can smell a phony. Four, don’t fear your self-doubt. Doubt can motivate you, so don’t be afraid of it. Confidence and doubt are at two ends of the scale, and you need both. They balance each other out.”

And five? “Take risks. Don’t stand on the sidelines. Get involved. It’s your life. It’s your country. It’s your world.”

Streisand showed up to the ceremony with her handsome husband, Josh Brolin. The night’s other honorees include Lady Gaga, Malala Yousafzai, Gabrielle Giffords, Catherine Martin, Kerry Washington, Liya Kebede, Christy Turlington Burns, Natalie Massenet, Carissa Moore, and Melinda Gates.

Previous: Barbra Streisand ‘Flattered’ By the Duck Sauce Song Named After Her

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Justice Minister Tzipi Livni has initiated the process to introduce an updated civil marriage bill in Israel, which could potentially legalize intermarriage and same-sex marriage throughout the country, Israel National News reports. The bill was released to the Knesset and the public on Sunday, and for the next three weeks is open to comments before being formulated into a formal bill.

In Israel, a bill like this remains controversial:

Hopes remain high that the civil marriage bill will be rejected by the ministerial committee on legislation, where Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home) MKs, including Housing Minister Uri Ariel, have already vowed to prevent the bill from passing preliminary stages. The issue of civil marriage has already reportedly threatened the critical alliance between Yesh Atid and Bayit Yehudi, which provides the foundation of the current coalition.

Surprisingly, Rabbi Binyamin Lau, a respected public figure and biographer of Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, has reportedly made a statement supporting the civil union proposal, suggesting that the change could cause “much of the hatred of religion by secular Israelis to disappear.”

Livni’s move comes after last week’s proposal of the “Tzoharbill,” which allows couples to choose which municipal rabbinate will process the marriage license. Currently, Jewish marriage in Israel is under the jurisdiction of the Chief Rabbinate and if a couple does not wish to marry under the rabbinate, they often travel to Cyprus for a recognized marriage certificate.

The bill would update the civil marriage option that already exists in Israel. The current bill is limited to people defined as “without religion,” which is usually Russian immigrants who become citizens according to the Right of Return, but are not formally recognized as Jews by the Interior Ministry.

(Photo by Ilia Yefimovich/Getty)

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Calling all hot rabbis with that “badass factor,” Jewrotica, the online community and overall “hub for Jewish sexual expression,” is putting together a list of America’s Sexiest Hottest Rabbis of 2013.

Unlike those clichéd Top Rabbi lists made by The Daily Beast and the Forward, Jewrotica is shining a light on rabbis who deserve to be noticed for their “raw awesomeness.” Here’s the criteria:

“The Smarts” = You gotta respect the rabbis who can school you in a battle of wits, the ones that wow you with their intellectual chops but have the presence to keep you awake during the sermon. Send the brainy ones our way.

“Getting Some Action” = Any rabbi can open a Torah or Talmud (hopefully), but who are the rabbis that are taking action? Whether through Jewish outreach or social justice activism, if you want your rabbi to make this list, you got to show us a little action.

“Badass Factor / Sex Appeal” = Your rabbi rides a motorcycle? Plays jazz? Leads silent meditations and retreats? Or maybe your rabbi is so irresistibly sexy that you haven’t missed a Shabbat service yet this year? Yeah, that’s the one we want.

Jewrotica will be accepting nominations until November 15 and the final picks will be featured on the website this December.

The list was originally called America’s Sexiest Rabbis, but after angry backlash from readers that the competition was all about looks, Jewrotica editor Ayo Oppenheimer changed the name, explaining:

“This was never a contest based on physical appearance. None of the criteria we specified cited any mention of a nominated Rabbi’s looks. We used the word “Sexy” in a figurative and not literal sense and all we want to do is highlight Rabbis who are doing awesome and inspirational work.”

So, no, the rabbis will not be judged by their physical attractiveness and unfortunately there will be no Sexy Rabbis Swimsuit Calendar. Maybe next year.

The post Calling All Hot Rabbis, Jewrotica Wants to Make a List of You appeared first on Jewcy.

She’s been a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers, she’s judged American Idol, she’s even sung with a fox, but Paula Abdul has never been to Israel. Until next week, that is. Abdul, 51, begins her first trip to the Holy Land next Monday, where she will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

According to the Times of Israel, Abdul is an official guest of the Tourism Ministry and will meet with President Shimon Peres and Tourism Minister Uzi Landau. She also has plans to tour from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv and up to sites in the Galilee.

Although this is her first trip to Israel, Abdul has been active in Judaism. She was born to two Jewish parents and grew up Reform in California. More recently, she’s been connected to the Los Angeles Chabad Rabbi Chaim Mentz and took part in a Chabad fundraiser last November in Toronto.

And because we already can’t wait until the weekend, here’s a video of Paula Abdul wishing you a Shabbat Shalom.

(Photo by Joe Kohen/Getty)

The post Paula Abdul is Getting Bat Mitzvahed in Israel appeared first on Jewcy.

So the Washington Redskins should change their name. It’s offensive and problematic so it’s hard to understand why they bother holding on to it. A name isn’t thaaat important. Just ask Anthony Davis, a number one draft pick to the New Orleans Pelicans who’s stayed with the team despite their silly name. If the Pelicans can survive the embarrassment of a name like the Pelicans (and many have poked fun), hold on to a number one draft pick, and win games, any team name can. Basically, any alternative to the Redskins would be better than the Pelicans.

Last week, we told you that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones defended Redskins owner Dan Snyder’s refusal to change the team name, claiming that Snyder is inherently sympathetic because he’s Jewish. The claim lacks logic and became quick and easy fodder for The Onion, which published an article titled, “Redskins’ Kike Owner Refuses To Change Team’s Offensive Name.”

WASHINGTON—Denying widespread claims that the franchise is being offensive or disrespectful, the Washington Redskins’ kike owner announced Monday that he remains steadfast in his refusal to change the team’s derogatory name. “The Redskins represent 81 years of great history and tradition, and it’s a source of pride for our fans,” said the hook-nosed kike, stressing that the team’s insulting moniker is “absolutely not a racial slur by any means.” “‘Washington Redskins’ is much more than just a name. It stands for strength, courage, and respect—the very values that are so intrinsic to Native American culture.” The shifty-eyed hebe went on to assure fans that he will do “everything in his power” to preserve the team’s proud heritage.

Though the satirical article gets to the heart of Jones’ ignorant remark, now we’re simply left with an article filled with Jew slurs. We get the joke (it’s pretty funny), but shouldn’t we just focus on how absurd it is that after all the complaints, even from President Obama (!), Snyder has refused to change the name? Get it together and pick something else. Just not the Pelicans, please.

Previous: Is Dan Snyder’s Jewishness Important In The Redskins Name Change Debate?

(Photo by Larry French/Getty)

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Twitter is where we see the inner workings of a celebrity’s mind. A space where no one, often not even a publicist, can get in between an immediate thought and the nearest keyboard. When Amanda Bynes starting heading downhill we first saw it through the heretical “Drake is ugly” tweets. When Kanye West was mad at Jimmy Kimmel last week, he went straight to the social media site to let everyone know. But it’s not only public meltdowns or petty fights that we get to see in real time. Twitter also shows us the intimate details of a celebrity’s life from who they’re hanging out with to what music they are #NPing to what Yiddish sayings they like to employ in daily conversation. Here’s a short introduction into the celebrity world of Jewish Twitter.

Alana Haim, who goes by @babyhaim, was happy to spread the New Year cheer on Rosh Hashanah. Just a day after the band’s first sold out show at New York’s Webster Hall, she wished everyone on Twitter a happy New Year, with some emoji stars, of course.

It turns out the girls are friends with fellow Jewish tweeter Jessie Ware. Ware, for the unfamiliar, is a British R&B/Soul singer, who actually helped write Haim’s debut album’s title song “Days are Gone.” So when the album came out, it was no surprise that she wished them a “mazel tov”.

Mazel tov to my sisters @HAIMtheband on their debut album being out NOW! Go get x

— Jessie Ware (@Jessie_Ware) September 30, 2013

What was surprising was Ware’s familiarity with Yiddish terms; she was “kvelling” over the album’s release.

@jizziemcguire kvelling

— Jessie Ware (@Jessie_Ware) October 1, 2013

On to more shocking events, Harry Styles of One Direction fame, tweeted about stuffing his face with food before the Yom Kippur fast. He even made it clear that he’s done this fast many times before. Important detail, Harry.

Eating as much as I can now. Gonna be a tough 25 hours. My problem is I am always hungry straight after kol nidre. Fast well everyone!

— Harry Styles (@Harry_Styles) September 13, 2013

Predictably, thousands of retweets by Jewish girls followed, ecstatic that they could now marry Styles, a nice Jewish boy. Alas, as Jewcy reported, his dad broke all of their hearts and confused everyone.

Still lots of queries asking if H is some % Jewish? No idea where any rumours came from in but, categorically, he is 0% Jewish. Not at all.X

— Des Styles (@desstyles) August 11, 2013

Yom Kippur was not even the first time Styles tweeted about Jewish holidays in such detail.

Looking forward to seder night. Always get a bit nervous when I have to sing ma'nish ta'na. But do love a shmorreh matzah. Happy pesach x

— Harry Styles (@Harry_Styles) March 25, 2013

Elizabeth Banks kept us up to date on her Passover Seder. Just imagine if we had Twitter during the actual escape from Egypt.

#HappyPassover Sephardic Charoset Truffles http://t.co/om6XjyPAFP for #Seder dinner

— Elizabeth Banks (@ElizabethBanks) March 25, 2013

Happy Passover. On my way to Seder. I think I just saw Elijah sneaking around in the bushes.

— Elizabeth Banks (@ElizabethBanks) April 19, 2011

Happy Passover. Great seder last night. Outfoxed by scrappy little kid though in hunt for Afikomen. Can't win 'em all.

— Elizabeth Banks (@ElizabethBanks) March 30, 2010

Moving on…So it’s interesting that Yiddish Proverbs is an account, but it’s more intriguing that Melissa Joan Hart follows and retweets it. Now we know how Clarissa explained it all.

"Don't be too sweet lest you be eaten up; don't be too bitter lest you be spewed out." ~ Yiddish Proverb

— Yiddish Proverbs (@YiddishProverbs) September 5, 2013

And finally, look where Jonathan Cheban , the man most famous for being friends with Kim Kardashian, rang in Rosh Hashanah. Maybe next time Kim, Kanye, and baby North will join.

Sun down in St. Tropez…Happy Rosh Hashanah #highholiday #celebratingAbroad @ St Tropez http://t.co/NCYANcQVQo

— Jonathan Cheban (@JonathanCheban) September 4, 2013

(Photo by Bloomberg/Getty)

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