Judaism Today: Trying So Hard to Be Uncool, It's Cool

I found this essay (forwarded to me by my darling mama) pretty enlightening. Be glad to be a Member of the Tribe - you're on the cutting edge!!! And how funny that FrummySuri should be referenced as part of the 'cool factor.'

(The lesson in all of this, according to the author: It is a clear demonstration of the powerful beauty and wonder ofJudaism that Judaism is so cool today, that top stars connect to it,that artists reference it, that people find wisdom in it.) I have to say that I agree. I feel pretty cool right now.

Probably dozens of times a year, you'd find parents in Orthodox neighborhoods deciding to pick that name for their newborn baby girls. But Tom and Katie? Yes, that Scientology movie star couple of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes picked the name Suri for their newdaughter. They did, they said, because Suri has its roots in biblical Hebrew, is a variant on the name Sarah, which means"princess."That followed by a few weeks, the decision of movie star Gwenyth Paltrow to name her new son, Moses. As in, well, Moses.

Somewhere in between the births of baby Suri and baby Moses were the debut of a new cable TV reality series, titled, "Shalom in theHome," in which a rabbi gives marital advice to couples; and the selection by President Bush of Joel Kaplan to be his new Karl Rove, namely his chief advisor on policy. Kaplan was named deputy chief of staff. Couple weeks before that, Bush chose Josh Bolten, nice Jewish boy, to be his chief of staff.

Meanwhile, over in movie theaters, we had the premiere of a major motion picture named, "When Do We Eat?" which is all about a Passover seder. In a couple weeks, it will be joined on the silverscreen by "Keeping Up with Steins," which is all about bar mitzvahs.Which leads me to one question. What in the hell is going on? Or,to put it more delicately, when did the whole world become Jewish?

Truth is there have been warning signs. Madonna studying Kabbalah, not holding concerts on Shabbat, visiting Israel for Rosh Hashanah. Roseanne saying she was planning a bat mitzvah. Rabbi characters showing up on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien."Two Orthodox contestants on "The Apprentice." A top pop star recording a hippedup version of "If I Were a Rich Man." Mattisyahu, clad in black hat and tzitzit, atop the rap music charts. And more. So much more.

All leading to one inescapable conclusion. Jewish is cool. Don't know how it happened, but it clearly has. When one of thebiggest stars of all decides to name his baby Suri, when the hottesttrend in TV, the reality show, stars a rabbi, when a White House under Bush, one of the goyest presidents ever, is being run by twoJews, when MTV is constantly playing videos featuring a Lubavitcher Chasid, we clearly are where it's at. ....Big time. I find that fascinating. I find that particularly fascinating inthat we have done absolutely nothing to make it happen. Indeed, agood case can be made that Judaism has gone out of its way to not berelevant, not be with it, not keep up with the times, not be cool.No how, no way.