Esther Kustanowitz - Consulting & Freelancing Whether you need a content plan, communications strategies, or a social media orientation, I can help you. Reasonable rates available - contact me at esther.kustanowitz at gmail.com.
Last year, I walked all over the beach looking for the group from IKAR, that had gathered together for tashlikh, the rite in which we toss bread into the ocean to symbolize our desire to cast sin out of our hearts. But I couldn't find them. This year, I found them, eventually.
Some people tossed bread, and a few - apparently - tossed waffles (which, admittedly, sounds like a euphemism for what you might do after drinking too much). And if you pay attention to the "film" in its final frames, you'll see that while IKARites played guitars, drums and something resembling a banjo, one guy opted for the simplicity of "playing his feet." You really have to admire that.
For those of you who didn't see it "last year" (before Rosh Hashanah), I'm pleased to present my latest piece - for this week's Jewish Journal, about the ritual of Tashlich...
My shoes slip off, my feet sink into soft sand and then approach the sea, where they submerge and are washed. But even freshly emerged from water, they remind me that just because you’ve washed something doesn’t mean it’s truly clean.
Rosh Hashanah marks the world’s birth — a new year, a new circle of Jewish holidays about to begin. The 10 days of repentance, which create the structure for apologies to self, neighbor and to God. Tashlich, the ritual in which bread is cast as sin and then cast out of us and into the water, is part of the preparation for Yom Kippur. It is Tashlich, this opportunity to make physical the act of rejecting iniquity, that draws me to the edge of the Pacific Ocean, steps away from the frivolity and fun of the Santa Monica Pier.
Rejected titles for this post include: Welcome to the Gun Show; Decaf Mocha Rifle Latte; No Foam, No Whip; and others...
If you ever watched 24, you know that Jack Bauer was always setting up perimeters. I personally loved it when he barked at the young CTU agents that they needed to set up a perimeter and wait for his orders. It was his way of cordoning off an area as a danger zone (cue the Kenny Loggins). But did you ever wonder what it felt like to be inside the perimeter? Well, welcome to the gun show.
All I wanted was a change of scenery and a latte on a Sunday morning. And I ended up inside the perimeter, as our friendly neighborhood Starbucks was nearly surrounded by "black-and-whites" (slang for police cars, if "Law & Order" and every other crime procedural on TV is to be believed). The cars pulled up to the curb on Robertson, just north of Pico, and I watched (along with about 25 other caffeinated customers) as the cops got out, dashed around the sides of the car to the trunk, pulled out rifles or shotguns or some other artillery, donned Kevlar vests and crouched, ready for their orders.
The two baristas, two Israeli students who had been sitting at the same table with me, and I ran to the back of the store, away from the windows that cover the entire corner arc of Pico to Robertson. Everyone else seemed to think it was a better idea to run TOWARD the windows. You know, to see what's happening, but also to potentially see how bulletproof the glass is. I tweeted at the back of the store and updated my Facebook status:
Guns in pico robertson in daylight; am safe inside starbucks, but the cops keep pulling up and unloading shotguns. I am guessing zombies.
I give myself points for using a semi-colon and keeping my sense of humor, but deduct points for not capping "Starbucks" or "Pico-Robertson." Also, if I'd had time to self-edit, I would have gone with "My guess? Zombies."
The baristas locked us in, as much to keep us safe from any potential gunfire as to keep out the hot-coffee-seeking people who were still steadily streaming into the store as if there weren't cops with guns drawn surrounding us. But there was something very claustrophobic about being locked inside a Starbucks. Eventually the baristas realized they couldn't lock us in - that it was a smarter idea to close the store entirely until the situation had subsided. So that's what they did - basically telling us to leave.
I walked out the side door with about five other bewildered people. We squinted at the sunlight and tried to figure out where we could go, because we couldn't go home and we couldn't stay here. I was on foot, so I hoofed it north, quickly, as a helicopter hovered overhead like a giant mosquito that I wouldn't try to swat.
But as I left the corner, I tweeted, which became the central piece of information in a report on LAist, to date the only publication online to mention it (mostly because the editor follows me on Twitter). I walked fast in the opposite direction - stopping for frozen yogurt at Toppings and then continuing north and east to the Old Navy at Beverly and La Cienega. So much for journalistic instincts about getting the story and finding out what happened. Christiane Amanpour...your job is safe. I fled the scene - when the going got tough, the tough went shopping.
As I continued to check in via social media, I learned different pieces of information - unverified, of course. It might have been a break-in gone bad; the perp might have been heavily armed; there might have been a hostage situation. All "might," because no one had any real information - it was all hearsay.
Several days later, there's still no report of it in any official news medium. It's almost like the whole thing was a dream. Some of my friends are still convinced it was a film - I maintain that you can't do that to the population of a neighborhood on a Sunday unless you warn them: posting signs, specifically getting permission from local business owners, etc. Los Angeles must have rules about such things.
But I found myself shaking my head in wonder - I lived in New York for a decade, and have been to Israel myriad times (I'm convinced that the US State Department has the warning against visiting Israel laminated and hanging on a wall). I've walked through some sketchy neighborhoods at night, worked on the edge of Harlem, and been on the NYC subways during hours when no one should be awake, let alone underground. But it turned out that the least safe place to be was at the busiest intersection in my largely Jewish neighborhood, around 12:15 pm on a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon. The words "who knew?" don't even begin to cover it.
But I guess that's the human variable at work - it's not really the neighborhood, and not inherently the night time that's dangerous. A felon can just as easily leave his or her "bad neighborhood" and perpetrate crimes elsewhere, during the day, in broad daylight. Or as one of our IT people used to say at MTV Networks, "there's only one problem with computers: they're made by humans."
High on a hill, Estee Solomon Gray spoke last Thursday night at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, where she officially launched the meme she's been thinking about for some time now: People of the Link. She presented the meme ("a postulated unit of cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena" - Wikipedia) to an audience of educators, writers, artists and community leaders, in a presentation that included links to many of the innovative minds and works that are so influential in today's Jewish innovation sector.
Since moving to Silicon Valley in 1980, Estee has inhabited dozens of identities, among them tech strategist, marketing guru, Jewish community leader, mom, CEO and social entrepreneur. Estee credits the birth of the meme to a Wexner experience she had in 1996:
Rabbi Yitz Greenberg first sparked the idea behind People of Link in Aspen in 1996 - a time when the internet, the business world and our Bay Area Jewish community were all beginning to manifest the major changes that now surround us. Yitz spoke of three eras in Jewish history – Biblical, Rabbinic and “[?]”. – each with its emblematic structures and ideas.
Estee addressed these three categories within the gestalt of her "People of the Link" meme, including shoutouts to many innovative spirits in contemporary Jewish life as well as to celebrated names in the tech/digital and social psychology sphere: Clay Shirky, John Seely Brown, Rodger Kamenetz, Jon Woocher, Steven M. Cohen and Ari Y. Kelman, Arnie Eisen, the Jumpstart guys, Elie Kaunfer, Sarah Lefton's G-dcast and others. The presentation also included my "Blogging Talmud," the text of which I wrote for an article and exhibit for PresenTense Magazine. (Pictured above at left; I believe the illustration was done by Lina Tuv, of Talina Design.)
Among the ideas presented were the perspective that people of the link means a community of practice which creates intellectual and social capital. It means a tie between nodes, a relationship or a connection, a bidirectional tie, a covenant. What does "People of the Link" mean to you?
In the aftermath of Conan's departure from NBC, one (and by "one," I mean, "I") couldn't help but wonder, what would become of the writers (and by "writers," I mean "my friend, ex-Conan and ex-Daily Show writer Rob Kutner"). In addition to turning to Facebook statuses and Tweets as a pulpit and co-parenting his daughter with his wife, comedy writer Sheryl Kutner, Rob (who also authored "Apocalypse How: Your Guide to Turning the End of Times into the Best of Times," now available in paperback) finally has a chance to work on his own schedule and on his own projects. (Plus, lots of time to polish, and then gaze at, his Emmys.) But with this freedom of structure comes the need for self-discipline, and the mandate to not be distracted by things like the internet and writer's block.
At a local meeting of the Jewish Entertainment Network - Los Angeles (make your own joke about Jews and showbiz here), Rob held court in front of an audience of writers, content producers, directors and actors, talking about his comedy writing journey (he's going to hate that I used that word) and offering tips on how to overcome writer's block and stay focused on your work:
Break down the problem. If it's a character block, ask yourself what the worst thing to happen to this character would be, or put two characters who shouldn't be together, together.
Break the paradigm of the page. Don't think about perfection; just write something and have something to work from. Writing by hand gives you a freer atmosphere.
Use a "TK" - when you know something is missing, but you don't know what - either it's too technical, or you can't get the joke right, put in a placeholder (TK: character explains how he's the perfect candidate, or something like that).
Pick up a reference book, like the Bible or an Encyclopedia and look at words or phrases. Also pick up magazines and flip through them for ads and images.
Develop a routine. Train your brain to turn on the writing machine. Otherwise, can't depend on it to work. Make it a ritual, train the muscle memory.
Be decently rested - you're not going to be a creative genius every day.
Unplug the router - get a change of scenery. Exercise without stimulus and let your brain breathe. Work on something else. Lie on your back, put your feet up, sit outside. (Not all at once. - EDK)
Try consciously avoiding writing - force your mind to want to write.
Create deadlines for yourself. Rob recommended a Deadline Club.
Don't turn to chemicals - those ideas don't seem to work. You need to stay more grounded to write.
In terms of a writing exercise, Rob recommended USA Today as a great way to know what's happening in the mainstream - find stories there, write the setup, and then get a sense of where it might be going.
Consume other people's writing, get back in touch with what got you into writing to being with. Watch, read or reconnect with the things that encourage you.
They say you can never know a person until you have walked in his or her shoes. And if that's true, I can tell you that I will never truly understand Einat Wilf: while I didn't physically try them on, the heels alone made them impossible for a balance-challenged person like me.
But moving beyond the literal shoe-walking or not-walking, the talk at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, sponsored by Jumpstart as part of their open-to-all Innovation Forum series, was enlightening on a personal and professional level to me. I had already heard MK Wilf speak at a previous ROI Summit, but the opportunity to learn more about her personal background and connections with both Israel and the Diaspora provided much food for thought.
She began by noting her connections to both Kol Dor and the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute (yes, this organization has been brought to you by the letter 'P'). She spoke about her early roots speaking abroad on behalf of Israel, and, in response to the constant question as to what American Jews can do for Israel, spouted the party line - "make aliyah!" She soon realized that there was a contract operating between American and Israeli Jews - that you could live in Israel, which was a hard existence, or you could live in America, which was an easier existence, but would also leave you wracked with guilt. Something new was needed.
Kol Dor, a new organization, provided the structure for people to be part of several places at the same time. Technology made it cheap and easy to connect, and since Judaism doesn't have a pope, who is to say what is right for the Jewish people or for Israel. Wilf noted that this has become a global opportunity to innovate, just like Zionism, to decide what the "mitzvot of Zionism" were. She took this opportunity to introduce the concept of a document that might outline the "mitzvot of Peoplehood" - a list of things that you are supposed to fulfill, responsibilities to Jewish peoplehood. Later she brought up the concept of writing a manual or a social contract - naming things like carbon neutrality and Hebrew study as potential pillars.
I thought the concept of codifying responsibilities to Israel and Jewish peoplehood was really interesting - the conversation on peoplehood seems to sometimes lack a specificity of responsibilities and definite descriptors. Who are the insiders, the outsiders and those who are on the borders between the two? Who decides where the lines are drawn, and what makes people feel like they belong or are just outside belonging? Should some Hebrew fluency be mandatory?
My gut reaction to Hebrew fluency - perhaps the easiest of these questions - was a resounding "yes," but that's easy for me to say because I already speak it and know how immeasurably enriched my own understanding of Israeli life and culture is as a result. But to learn Hebrew from scratch, especially as an adult without the benefit of my decade+ of dayschool education, is more difficult - it starts with an entirely different alphabet and from an entirely different direction. Requiring Hebrew as part of Jewish peoplehood or as part of a citizens' oath to the State of Israel might be for the good of the country, the unity of the people. It would undoubtedly deepen the connection between ancient text and modern slang, between cities tread by biblical or contemporary sandals. But it undoubtedly creates an obstacle for others which may not be a fair cost to demand in exchange for belonging.
Wilf noted her conviction that every Jew should make Israel their first or second home, explaining that by this she meant not just donating money or making aliyah, but creating a lifelong meaningful engagement. "Make Israel one of the meaningful relationships in your life," she urged.
One of the questions in the room was about innovation - is there such a thing as too much? Wilf explained that there was a huge space between the old structures and the young people wanting to engage, and that maybe this meant that far from innovation being in a "too much" state, perhaps there's not enough innovation. "No one says 'go and innovate," Wilf said. "You need the confidence to move forward - they need that message, the license to create Jewish life that fits your needs."
Greetings all - my wisdom teeth having been removed, I'm feeling much better. Actually was feeling better pretty much right away, and managed to make this video three days after my surgery.
In addition, I've started uploading videos from the last month, including footage (in easy, several-minute installments) from the April 1 panel at the JCC of Manhattan about the "Projecting Freedom" short film series. In this clip, hear Rabbi Michael Strassfeld, Professor Jeremy Dauber and me respond to Heschel's branding of artists as modern prophets, as well as the role of the media in interpreting Jewish tradition.
Coming soon, even more video, including some live recordings of Michelle Citrin and Josh Nelson playing at an intimate concert in downtown Manhattan (including this live version with "20 Things to Do With Matzah" co-writer William Levin). Stay tuned to my YouTube channel so you don't miss a thing, not even footage of my niece going to the mall.
Wishing you all a wonderful, restful and healing Shabbat.
Today is Oscars Day in Hollywood. For the 2nd straight year, no one has invited me to the red carpet or to the awards. This is obviously a huge oversight. In protest, I've not seen any of the nominated films, except "A Serious Man," which was required of all Jews.
However, I was recently invited to the Movieguide Awards (OK, so I invited myself, but are we really going to quibble about semantics?) I created one video post for Beliefnet's Idol Chatter (the official reason I was there), and just uploaded the "scenes that didn't quite make it" (see link at left or embed below) - and yes, the Melora Hardin interview appears in both because I love Jan Levinson.
But I thought that beyond the Movieguide Awards, I might take a few moments to make some Oscar predictions. These premonitions, these insights into the inner workings of Hollywood have been gleaned through careful analysis of contemporary trends, delving into celebrity psyches, and general observations of the non-blue human species. And might make an excellent drinking game. (Drink responsibly, kids.)
Esther's 2010 Oscars Predictions/Drinking Game
1. Mo'nique will a) thank God/Jesus, b) cry, c) hyperventilate. (This is not a multiple choice quiz - she may do all of these.)
2. Quentin Tarantino - through a manic, energy-infused frenzy of disbelief - will a) dedicate his award to justice or the triumph of good over evil, b) possibly mention Jews, and c) (although this is an outside possibility) mention Hitler.
3. Some otherwise attractive actress will wear something awful to the red carpet. Another actress - potentially one who doesn't fit the typical Hollywood size - will be lauded for her fashion bravery or maligned for trying to wear something nice in her size. And young actresses (under 20) will be dressed up to look like they're 30.
4. The Coens will sport some strange facial hair.
5. Jeff Bridges will invoke the memory of his late father and perhaps mention Beau/the Fabulous Baker Boys. Also, keep your ears ready for the name "T-Bone."
6. Jokes will center on the following themes: blue skin, James Cameron making a lot of money, Quentin Tarantino, revenge on Hitler, the fact that there are 10 Best Picture nominees, the awkward "battle of the exes" (James Cameron v. Catherine Bigelow), with perhaps a riff on the Yiddish opening segment of "A Serious Man."
7. Colin Firth will be overlooked tonight. But he'll win someday.
8. There will be moments of imposed sadness, as nominees mention Haiti and other disasters around the world. Then they will all donate their gift bags and the proceeds of their next films to disaster relief. (Just kidding about that second part. Although I'd be delighted if they proved me wrong.)
9. Peter Jackson will go home without an Oscar. But he already has enough of the Precious, right?
10. George Clooney will look awesome, and flash that smile at anyone who talks to him. That smile, by the way, is like that magic light in "Men in Black," except instead of making people forget they've seen aliens, it makes people forget Clooney's "Facts of Life" mullet.
11. Helen Mirren will look awesome and someone will make a GILF joke. Meryl Streep may make a strange fashion choice, but is so awesome that no one will care.
12. Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin will engage in witty banter and show us why Oscars-hosting is tough, even for pros. Although I also think they might totally rock. Potentially, jokes about: Alec in Beetlejuice, Steve's arrow-through-the-head beginnings, the scene in "It's Complicated" where Steve catches a view of Alec's business, some reference to Meryl Streep, 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live.
13. Israel vs. Germany in the Best Foreign Film category. If I took my Delorean back to 1945, no one would believe it. And if Germany wins, Quentin might use his "Basterds" Oscar to bash Germany over the head.
14. Big tears and applause during this year's Death Montage. I mean, "In Memoriam" segment.
15. Someone will make a joke about Facebook or Twitter.
16. You will not win your Oscars pool.
17. You will find the musical numbers pointless.
18. You will eat too much (and possibly drink too much, even without this drinking game) at your Oscars party.
19. Someone will get "played off" way before they've thanked everyone because they spent the first minute at the podium "OhMyGod'ing." I'm looking at you, Mo'nique and Sandra Bullock.
20. No one will ask George Clooney, "Hey, where's @EstherK?
And now, that footage I promised, featuring Melora Hardin, some kid from Wizards of Waverly Place (What's that? Exactly...), and Heroes.
As the dry erase markers failed to leave a mark on the whiteboard, instead of getting flustered, the ruddy-haired and -complexioned speaker smiled at the audience and proclaimed, "this is so Kabbalistic that magic markers can't handle it."
At the Jewlicious Festival two weeks ago, Isralight founder and dean Rabbi David Aaron, an educator who's been studying Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism, not the Kabbalah Center brand practiced by Madonna) for 18 years, told a story about someone who claimed to be on a quest to find herself. He finds the concept of "looking for yourself" funny, he told the room, because "how can you lose yourself?" Or, he alternately phrased it - in a manner that appealed to the English major in me - "how can you be both the subject and the object of the same sentence?"
Rabbi Aaron proceeded to explain that there's a different between "me," "myself," and "I". "Me" is the mortal part of you, just a character you play, like an actor, while you're on this earth. When you wonder who you might have been if one of your parents had chosen a different partner, you're wondering which character you would be playing. When you say "myself," he said, you're talking about the soul, the eternal you, the aspect of divine light, of Hashem, who is the "I." You as a soul are eternal. You will never die. Just like your fingerprint, Rabbi Aaron said, your soulprint will never repeat in human history.
Technically speaking, the titular 'today' was January 27, when new CEO of the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles Jay Sanderson first posed a series of questions to the members of the L.A. Jewish community on The Wire (the Federation's blog), asking for feedback and questions from the audience reading the post at their respective computers.
His goal, he stated, was to "create a dynamic new vision for Los Angeles;by linking arms with you and beginning a communal conversation. If we’re to create a rich and meaningful Jewish future, we have to be willing to take risks and learn from our failures; to study our past, but not be stuck in it."
To kick things off, Sanderson asked eight questions:
What should our priorities be and where should we be investing our resources?
How can we reach out to the tens of thousands of Jews who aren’t engaged in any community?
How can we combat the increasingly high cost of synagogue affiliation and formal education?
How can we ensure that future generations will share our love and commitment for Israel?
Are we doing everything we can to assure that our children and grandchildren remember the Holocaust?
After this recent and devastating economic downfall, what are our most pressing social service needs?
How should we be addressing the needs of Jews around the world?
How do we support the State of Israel as its needs change?
So far, 21 people have answered Jay's call to action in the comments section, leaving responses ranging from general approval to specific suggestions for moving forward with many Jewish communal priorities - from social life to education to literacy to remembering the Holocaust and trying to increase Jewish jobs.
I left a generic comment lauding Jay and the Federation for opening up this conversation online and using social media, and expressed a hope that we'd all use the forum to move forward in positive directions. Jay responded: "Esther, couldn’t agree with you more — we have just initiated a dynamic new web initiative that will launch in May — stay tuned!"
This was a continuation of his promise to the community that the Federation would prioritize outreach to different segments of the community (see video below).
So there you have it. The future begins now. Or perhaps, in May. But the point is, soon. And we have questions and concerns to guide us. Plus, it looks like we'll be tracking the progress publicly and online. Should be interesting to see how this develops.
