Rain in June? I thought it was supposed to be summertime, when it’s trendy to buy new swimsuits, eat as much watermelon as you can (no seeds, please) and barbecue everything you eat. Boston has not caught up with the rest of us who desperately await summer weather!
Hi! My name is Marissa and I am JVibe's new editorial intern for the summer. I'm really excited to be here and will be blogging and updating you all about my life and the different projects I am doing for the magazine.
Next week I will be starting a new web-video project. As a graduate student, I have been able to fool around with the camera and editing equipment and thought it would be fun to make a small documentary to put on JVibe.com. Send me an email if you have any suggestions on what you’d like to see up there.
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As for the weekend, I am looking forward to reading more about who Barack Obama might choose for his running mate. Some of you will get to vote in the next election. What will your decision be? Personally, I think it would be awesome to have Hillary and Obama in the White House, side by side. Talk about making history!
On a lighter note, my best friend’s birthday is on Saturday, and I cannot wait to celebrate with him! Associate Editor Kali and I will also be trying to get fellow intern Liz to hang out in the sun with us this weekend (Liz is a fan of horrible weather; she just got back from studying abroad in Scotland!). I am just hoping that by the time Sunday rolls around, I will be ready to go on another date (Yes, I am on JDate!). Wish me luck!
P.S. That’s me in front of the cool Wall of Fame in the JVibe office. It features JVibe covers signed by our favorite Jewish celebs, like Guster’s Adam Gardner, Fall Out Boy’s Joe Trohman, actress Nathalia Ramos and more!
Marissa
JVibe Editorial Intern
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Hello everyone!
It's officially fall. Actually, it's fall outside and winter inside the JVibe office. I think everyone is in denial that the cold weather is here, and the lack of heat is a way to rebel.
I have been busy at grad school learning lots of cool new technology and writing local stories about Boston happenings. I'm excited for some amazing articles that will be featured in the next print JVibe--so keep your eyes peeled.
A few of my favorite things right now:
1. My Neighbor Totoro, 1988--This is the cutest film I have ever seen, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The Japanese animated film also has an English version with Dakota Fanning as the daughter.
2. Madewell--an adorable store that all the girls must see. Great jeans.
3. Hunter rain boots--Get yourself a pair of these before it starts to downpour! You will thank yourself for buying these when you need to cross the street and a river of water is running down it.
I hope everyone had an amazing Rosh Hashanah. Time to get ready for Yom Kippur....
Marissa
JVibe Editorial Intern
It's starting to get chilly at night ... and you know what that means.
School is about to start.
It's a little different for me since I'm 24 years old and in graduate school, but something about fall just makes me excited to learn.
A few things I'm excited about:
1. My Nosson Zand documentary is finished. Check it out on the homepage!
2. JVibe and JBooks.com are hosting a really cool literary event on Sept. 25. If you're local to Boston, please join us!
4. It's almost time for apple picking and pumpkin patches.
5. I was invited to a barbecue with rabbinical students.
6. The leaves are changing already.
7. My new advice column is in the works and should be up in the near future (so bear with me--and thanks for your patience!).
8. This morning for breakfast I had the most amazing cookie. Absolutely delicious. Oh, you want to know what kind? Check out geoffanddrews.com!
I have also been thinking about resolutions, as Yom Kippur looms in October. Check out Liz's resolutions too.
1. Find happiness in simple, everyday things.
2. Make a difference.
When we think of this idea, community service comes to mind. I know most of us are involved with organizations and charities, but let's think more local. How about our friends? I try to do mitzvahs whenever I can. Think of your friends and family. It was recently Associate Editor Kali's birthday, and when I look at the picture of her opening presents, I think of how great it would be to make all my friends that happy whenever I can!
3. OHIO.
I live by the motto "Only Handle It Once." It's best to answer emails on time, listen to your voicemail messages and return those calls. If you have a paper due, get it done so you don't have to think about the imminent deadline. And as always, if you need to break up with someone, don't wait around for months to do it. Take my advice: OHIO.
4. Be a teacher.
What are you good at? Are you a writer? Photographer? Excellent baker? Share those skills. I recently fooled around with a cool camera with my two friends Leah and Philip (soon-to-be Rabbi Philip!), and now the couple is excited about photography. It's a mitzvah to give back--and what better way to share your hobbies and talents?!
Hope all of you have a great start to the new school year!
Marissa
JVibe Editorial Intern
We have waited all summer for this!
I am so excited because Regan's Nosson Zand (Jewish rapper) news video made it onto the Boston Herald website. Thanks to Regan, Nosson might
actually get some kind of record deal (let's cross our fingers). Check out Regan's video here.
I will be finishing the JVibe video tomorrow, and I can't wait.
Hope you all enjoy--and let us know what you think! Don't forget to check out Nosson's website for his latest singles.
Marissa
JVibe Editorial Intern
Of course, it was also the night of Nosson's Shabbes dinner in Brookline, which required train-hopping and puddle-jumping to get there.
The most important thing on my mind was probably what you would least expect--What was I going to wear to Shabbes dinner?! I know it may seem trivial, but for a Reform Jew who doesn't observe, I wanted to make sure I was at least dressed properly (and then maybe no one would realize I didn't know the prayers well!).
When Nosson described what the evening would entail, I expected a room full of Hasidic Jews.
When I got to the Chai House in Brookline, the Hasids were outnumbered by Reform and Conservative Jews who were just looking for a group to observe the Sabbath with. Not only did I feel right at home--I think (dare I say it!) I will be coming back this week! Although we didn't get to stay for dinner, the food smelled delicious and there were quite a few eligible Jewish men just waiting to meet their Reform bachelorette (that's me, if you didn't catch on).
So surviving Shabbes dinner was a no-brainer, but I had other things on my mind. Regan and I have been in a mad sweep to finish this documentary, so we went back to Nosson to get some more
footage. We got to see where he grew up in Brookline and got a real sense of his character by seeing his family's house.
"I got made fun of a lot when I was a kid," confessed Nosson about his pink- and purple-painted home. Despite the girly colors, we could tell that Nosson's love for music was fostered by two great parents who appreciate art themselves. Their home was a living museum of antiques, photographs, knick-knacks, pottery, you name it.
Nosson was quite the host, and Regan and I got to film him freestyle rapping with his friend Rome (short for Jerome). Nosson tells me that within the next month he will have a new EP--an album consisting of seven or so songs. Check out his website!
Marissa
JVibe Editorial Intern
Yesterday Liz and I ventured out to Middleboro, Mass., to visit the campers at Camp Avoda. As we were preparing for the trip, Editor-in-Chief Lindsey Silken somehow forgot to tell me that Avoda was an ALL BOYS' CAMP. Having gone to camp myself (Gindling Hilltop in Malibu, Calif.), I knew what to expect, but I had no idea how the boys would receive two gals coming to chat about a magazine. I attended an all girls' high school (Dana Hall in Wellesley, Mass.), and anytime a boy came on campus or a cute male teacher was hired, all the girls
would flip out, so I anticipated an interesting visit to Avoda.
Well, we arrived at lunch time, and although we got a few awkward stares (What are girls doing here?!), we were welcomed with open arms. My jaw continues to drop as I write this blog entry because the Avoda boys were the most polite, well-mannered and charismatic bunch of guys I think I have ever met! Liz and I were so impressed with their questions about the magazine, and I think we
walked away with some great feedback.
On another note, I'm going to have Shabbes dinner with Nosson Zand (the Hassidic rapper) on Friday at Chabad in Brookline, Mass. This might be a good time to let you know that I have never really participated in a proper Shabbat, so any helpful hints to keep me sailing smoothly through the uber-conservative dinner would be helpful.
Alright, I must go--a bird just flew into the office and I think everyone needs some help getting it back outside where it belongs!
Marissa
JVibe Editorial Intern
Monday is my birthday, but I'm celebrating it on Saturday with Italian food and 1970s soul/Motown music. That's right, I'm making all of my friends go to my favorite Saturday-night hangout, ZuZu, and listen to the DJ play amazing groovy tunes. Even though I know some of my friends don't care for that kind of music, it's my party, right? (And I'll dance if I want to!)
Hope you all enjoy the weekend, and your youth (because I'm turning 24 and I'm starting to feel a little old!)
Marissa
JVibe Editorial Intern
Well, I hate to disappoint you all, but I did not find my Jewish-British husband in London. Instead I discovered that with a map and a good pair of shoes, you can see all the museums in the city in the span of three days (and at no cost!). Sometimes I wonder why the United States doesn't take tips from England--free health care, free museums ... what more could you want? And while we are in the European region, I have to give a shout-out to Paris. Walking along the Seine river in the sunshine was incredible. I visited Notre Dame, ate outside at cafes and gave back to the economy by participating in the French "soldes" (clothing sales--don't tell my mom!).
On a lighter note, the Boston summer is awful, so I'm traveling to Cape Cod once again to swim and cool off this weekend. I also have to mention that I met a nice Jewish dental student (not on JDate), whom I hope to see again soon. He could tell that I grind my teeth, so if love doesn't pursue, I can at least get free dental advice (just kidding)!
Marissa
JVibe Editorial Intern
After a relaxing weekend on Cape Cod, I'm back to work (with a running start). Friday was the 4th of July, and it was sort of a unique day because many Jews observe Shabbat on Fridays. While I was trading in candles and challah for hamburgers and fireworks, I received an unexpected but delightful phone call from Nosson, inviting me to Shabbes dinner at his house. As a complete novice in the department of "observant Jew," I decided I would take him up on his offer at a later date when I was in town. How could I turn down a
legitimate Shabbat dinner? In any case, I was extremely flattered that he invited me, especially since I don't really know much about Hasidic Judaism.
I did, however, end up lighting the candles on July 4 with my Jewish friends Arielle, Nicole and David, shown in the picture at left. We kept a kosher house for the weekend because Arielle's family friends were staying with us, and they're Conservative Jews whose son recently became Orthodox. The highlight of the trip was Arielle's Uncle Barry and his dog, Sammy, a feisty little thing pictured below. The dog's full
name is Sammy Silverman, and yes, he's Jewish and available.
So now that I'm back from the Cape, Regan and I have begun to look at the footage we took of Nosson last Wednesday. We're working with an editing program called Avid, which basically lets us cut out the parts we don't like and rearrange the parts we do like. Lots of broadcast journalists use Avid to edit most of the news stories you see on TV, but the program can also be used to make documentaries.
We have about an hour of footage, which will most likely take us 10 hours to cut down and make into a final project! Nosson mentioned that we should film him rapping with another musical friend of his, and we're probably going to take care of that next week. It will be interesting to see Nosson with different friends--most of these people originally got him interested in rap!
Cheers,
Marissa
JVibe Editorial Intern
I met up with Regan, an Emerson graduate student in broadcast journalism, and we picked up the video camera and tripod and headed for the metro (in Boston we call it the “T”). Once we were about to board, we realized we didn’t have a tape for the camera, so we set back out to buy one. The whole day would have been much easier if a monsoon hadn’t hit Boston, but nevertheless, we trudged through the rain (after being splashed by cars driving by!) and eventually made it to CVS, where we purchased the necessary equipment and took the train to a bus, which shipped us 30 minutes across Boston Harbor into the urban suburb of Chelsea.
When we arrived, I called Nosson and we met him a block away at his “recording studio.” Nosson is probably one of the nicest, most genuine people I have ever met--and boy is he a loyal friend! We shortly found out that his music producer is a long-time acquaintance from childhood, who indirectly introduced him to hip hop (kosher hip hop, that is).
Nosson is definitely on the right track, and his music is fantastic. Even though his recording studio is actually in a studio apartment, Nosson’s vision for music is so strong that it wouldn’t matter where he recorded his songs. A friend of Matisyahu, Nosson is on the brink of a new kind of hip hop that.jpg)
relays positive messages to his listeners.
So get the word out and check out Nosson's music. Hopefully he'll get a record deal like his pal Matisyahu and be the next big thing. Stay tuned for the documentary--we're in post-production.
Marissa
JVibe Editorial Intern
Cool project idea! Gotta love us Lubavitchers!
And I'm all for Obama and Hillary running together. Talk about making history, that would be awesome! (although I am more of a Hillary fan myself). I also think it would be cool if a democrat and a republican ran together.
-Tova
The sun is finally shining and it has been a busy week in the office. After a ton of research on documentary ideas, I finally decided on a film about Hasidic Judaism. I am now a bona-fide expert on Chabad-Lubavitch (Internet-trained, of course). Next week I will be finalizing my storyboard for the film, which will be about five minutes long. Along for the ride is fellow Emerson graduate student Regan Pozniak, who will be behind the camera (that's us in the photo!). This is our first project together.
He can rap! The best part--he's really good.
You can check him out on MySpace and read about his lead role in Song of David, which won him "best actor" at the Boston International Film Festival. The film takes place in Los Angeles (my hometown) and features a Hassidic 16-year-old who is caught between two different worlds--his goal of becoming a rabbi and his love for rap music.
So get excited for this upcoming project and email me if you have any suggestions!
Marissa
JVibe Editorial Intern