In the new anthology Living Jewishly: A Snapshot of a Generation, 43 young writers weigh in on what Jewishness means to them. Edited by Stefanie Pervos Bregman, the anthology begins with the text of Andrew Lustig’s viral video spoken-word sensation, “I Am Jewish,” then goes on to tackle a range of topics, from the familiar—JDate and interfaith marriage—to the less conventional.
For example, in “Shomer Negiah in the City,” Jewniverse founder Matthue Roth describes life along the dividing line between New York’s Orthodox Jews—the line, that is, between those who are shomer negiah, and those who aren’t. Through hanging out with oversexed Hasids and venturing on an occasional Craigslist date, Roth tries to figure out which side of the line is for him.
In “The Best Kept Secret in Jewish Marriage,” Kveller contributor Nina Badzin discovers the, er, steamy benefits of observing monthly family purity laws, and in “Feeding My Jewish Soul,” Kate Bigam hilariously details the awkwardness of feeling incredibly Jewish while her Hebrew phraseology is mostly limited to saying “mazel tov.”
Our friend Mayim Bialik—a pretty righteous Jew herself—blurbs the anthology, calling it “at once confrontational, comforting, and hilarious.” Give us some of that old-time religion!
