Monday, April 03, 2006

Hipster Judaism... Is it good for the Jewish Nation?

The Record Online has an excellent article concerning what it calls "hipster Judaism". With the introduction of Matisyahu into the mainstream media along with the new telvision show: "Shalom in the Home," starring Shmuley Boteach has created a new take on Judaism. The idea being perhaps that it's "cool to be Jewish", the author suggests. All this Jewish awareness is all good and well. The big question as the article points out is "what if the plan backfires?"

Despite all the hoopla, hipster Judaism may do little in terms of bolstering synagogue attendance - or even Jewish identity. In Abigail Pogrebin's "Stars of David" book, she gives voice to such concern through Leon Wieseltier, the fiction editor of The New Republic and an outspoken crusader for what he calls Jewish "competence."



3 comments:

Y.W. Editor said...

Mattisyahu is a disgrace for frum jews, period.

AS said...

Anyone else want to weigh in on that strong statement?

Anonymous said...

No matter what, "hipster Judaism" can't do any more harm than Madonna.