Munich, Silver Jews, and Fairy Tales Word from: Mordy

Excuses; Well, there were finals. I had to write a large essay about a Paul Celan piece, attend a Yeshiva University Writing party, throw an engagement party, and write.

Luckily, my break from blogging coincides with a down period in the music industry. And since sometimes it seems like my job is forcing connections between pop culture and Judaism, that means I've had little to comment on.

But then I saw Munich. Actually, I saw it with my fiancee and both my parents. J.J. Goldberg does a great sendup of all the 'controversy' surrounding the movie. I think that mocking anyone who disliked the movie is great, because if Munich is anything, it is gorgeous, powerful, and thought-provoking. I certainly didn't find it dogmatic, pedantic, or biased. My father, with whom I generally disagree with about all things Israel, liked it as well. He said that the movie both showed the right that the Jews have to Israel, and the cost and burden of having it. Which seems fair to me. What did other people on this blog think about the movie?

In lighter news (or heavier, depending on whom you ask), the Silver Jews are touring for the first time ever. At some point I want to tackle the questions of the "Jewishness" of the band considering the secular aspects of their music, their apparent lack of identification with anything Jewish, and yet, their name.

Also, reading Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" I wonder: Why is the most popular manifestation of Jewish spirituality and superstition manifest in the Golem? We have dybiks, demons, and kabbalists as well. Yet it seems like when the token example of Jewish mysticism need be conjured (reference the X-Files episode; "Kaddish") the Golem arises. It's certainly a popular myth, but must it be the only one? We need a better publicist for our fairy tales.