Sammy/שמואל

I didn't think to post about this until I saw something today that made me think of it, and others may be interested. For context, there was a talk given here recently by a certain mayor's father about his new book, but focusing on his time as a student at the University of Pittsburgh. (Cont. ↓)

I don't want to give the impression this is exactly what he said and believes, this is my best recollection along with my (hopefully faithful) expounding of what he said in our very brief conversation. This was also mostly abstract, and I obviously can't say what he'd say in x or y practical case.

I didn't think to post about this until I saw something today that made me think of it, and others may be interested. For context, there was a talk given here recently by a certain mayor's father about his new book, but focusing on his time as a student at the University of Pittsburgh. (Cont. ↓)

However, it did make me curious about anti-colonial expressions of nationalism, especially given his son's middle name. So after he had signed some people's books, I asked him about this, and he gave a two part answer, the relevant conclusion of the second part being: Nationalism is now passé.

I didn't think to post about this until I saw something today that made me think of it, and others may be interested. For context, there was a talk given here recently by a certain mayor's father about his new book, but focusing on his time as a student at the University of Pittsburgh. (Cont. ↓)

When it came time for questions, a lot of people asked about various political things, mostly ones directly relevant to what he had discussed, but some a little less so (and one that I doubt would have been asked if not for him being the father of said mayor). He gave very thoughtful answers to all.

I'm so incredibly curious who comes up with the language for these fundraising drives (among other things to do with these emails).

Honestly I would be much more receptive (-50% total receptiveness rather than -100%) to an antisemite saying to me "go back to the homeland of the Litvaks" over "go back to Poland," because it's funnier. (Also I actually have recent Litvish ancestry, but no recent family lived in what's now Poland.)

It's kind of cheating because Jewish Lite is spread over many modern day countries, but I still have more recent ancestors who lived there than in the contrasting Jewish historic Poland.

I gave a (very) short drash today about the parsha* and just asked some of my gentile friends if they'd be interested in hearing me retell it, but then I accidentally came up with the (self deprecating?) slogan "Here for the Shear, not the Shiur." *Mostly based on something from Rov Soloveitchik.

I thought I'd posted this joke before, but I want everyone to know that my updated version involving a Lubavitcher telling a Satmarer that they "only have the one" got a laugh from and was deemed "clever" by a Lubavitcher today, so my ego is pretty big right now.

I also told it in Yiddish this time, and the first person I told it to (victim is too harsh a word) did not quite get it, but his father-in-law understood and gave me that oh so high praise.

I don't use the more "correct" term of "voliner" because my family were podolyers and volinye shouldn't get to claim the rest of Pale of Settlement Ukrainian Jewry.

I gave it some thought (~2 minutes) last night after getting back from some Hakafos shul hopping (that I didn't quite intend to do, but that's beside the point) and decided that if I led a community and needed a geographic name, I might have to be the squiller rov.

I have no plans to do any leading of a community (and I am not a Rov), but if I did (and were), "Squirrel Hiller Rov" sounds clunky, and the "Pittsburgher Rebbe" is taken.

What are our bets that the Yeshiva student that did this (per Dr. Henry Abramson's book "Reading the Talmud") was familiar with the Lionel Hutz Business card bit? Alternatively, bets on the Simpsons' writer having studied Talmud?

I've defended him for a long time now, but I'm getting sick of him privileging the Jews of New York over the rest of us... It's Yom Kippur here in Pittsburgh too Mr. Mayor, or do you think that doesn't warrant a statement since you're "only Mayor of NYC," and "other cities have their own Mayors?"

Corey O'Connor can't wish me an easy and meaningful fast on Bluesky, he hasn't even updated his profile here to indicate he's no longer just the Mayor-elect! Mamdani is Bluesky's mayor, and I'm tired of him not acting like it.

Only slightly related, but it's always tickled me a bit how the vast majority of my family connections to prominent German Jews come by way of a marriage to a descendant of the North Carolina Cone family, who was born, raised, and has remained Protestant.

I've defended him for a long time now, but I'm getting sick of him privileging the Jews of New York over the rest of us... It's Yom Kippur here in Pittsburgh too Mr. Mayor, or do you think that doesn't warrant a statement since you're "only Mayor of NYC," and "other cities have their own Mayors?"

guy who thinks someone condemning acts of terrorism done by Jewish people is because they're antisemitic (and that's bad) because he's islamophobic and thinks that people condemn acts of terrorism done by Muslims because they're also islamophobic, but that's good