I’m Sorry, Is That Mp3 Kosher?

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
You might check a bag of Skittles to see if it’s kosher, but did you check your latest Bruce Springsteen album? A committee in Israel would like you to. The Jewish news website Matzav reported this week that the Organization of Rabbis for the Purity of Jews released a list of offenses that would deem an album unfit for consumption (listening).
Among them: Disrespectful sounds (electronic effects, distortion and “bending the notes”), the modern drum set which was “created to be used in wild, coarse music,” and the electric guitar, bass guitar and the Devil’s Flute, aka: Saxophone.
When asked for comment, the Jewish rapper Etan G remarked, “I hope I get rated X by them — I’ll sell a million albums.”
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
