Links 'R Us

So I thought I'd do a quick list here of some links that either have been pointed in my general election or just links that I think are useful, entertaining and/or worth checking out. Of course, the people I'm reading over there to the right are most definitely all worth checking out, so click around and get your read on!

Kosher Academic mentioned a few sites to me, including the Drisha Institute and JOFA, that I thought were worth a mention. The former is in New York and is dedicated to empowering Jewish women to become scholars and educators, running full-time, part-time and summer programs, among other activities. The latter is the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, and their tag states that the group "works to expand the spiritual, ritual, intellectual and political opportunities for women within the framework of halakha." JOFA is a great site for resources whether you're exploring becoming ba'alai teshuvah or those just seeking to become more observant or those just curious about what it means to be an observant Jewish woman in the context of halakha.

Have you or do you intend on applying for graduate school? A useful site for you in the future will be The Grad Cafe. It's a site dedicated to the rejections and acceptances of future graduate students. Click on the "results" page to check out the snarky remarks of those rejected or accepted by their favorite institutions. Likewise, if you're looking for a program/school that supports Judaic studies as a degree, you can visit the Association for Judaic Studies for public school listings in the "resources" section of the page.

Of course I have to mention and recommend everyone hit up Jewsbychoice.org, where I actually posted today. My post talks about all things Jewish -- including the people -- becoming popular in the U.S., and what the implications for this are. In a 2006 Gallup poll, a random sample of Americans were asked how they felt about a variety of spiritual groups/religions in the U.S. Compared to 60 years ago, the results were astonishing. Jews were ranked THE HIGHEST, and Scientoligists were ranked the lowest (below athiests, even). Interesting how that works out.

If you're in a major metropolitan area, I cannot stress enough the importance of a site like Yelp.com. Now, I know plenty of my readers are observant and so the site might seem devoid of significance, seeing as it is seemingly a restaurant review site, but it is so much more. You can review all sorts of businesses, not to mention network and use the Talk forums to meet people. Likewise, I think it would be beneficial to have some kosher voices on the site! Anyhow, it's just an awesome site that I have become horribly addicted to :)

This might be silly, but when I'm looking for certain Torah stuff, I hit up Navigating the Bible II: Online Bar/Bat Mitzvah tutor. It's a really easy-to-use interface and it includes the Hebrew, English, Transliteration, chanting sound bites, blessings, and so much more.

For Jews in Chicago, I must recommend heading over to JewishMeetup.com. It's a slowly growing site that a super nice fella has setup, and it needs bodies! There are a couple of upcoming events, and there are often Hebrew nights, food nights, and a variety of other outings. So head over, sign up, and say hello! On that note, if you're Jewish and in Chicago, be sure to go over to Leah's blog to read about the upcoming Jewish Discovery Shabbat camp for Jews who have converted, are interested in converting, etc. It sounds like a good time ... I might just sign up :)

Is there a question you have about something Jewish that you just can't find an answer to? Head over to AskMoses.com and pose your question to one of the waiting and willing scholars and/or rabbis.

For people with kids, or those who prefer a kid-friendly style site where they can learn bits and pieces about Judaism, pay a visit to this site. It's Social Studies for Kids!

For an online keyboard of Hebrew, you can visit Mikledet, the Hebrew Virtual Keyboard. The great thing is you can type, then copy and paste elsewhere with no difficulty!

All right, I think those are all the links that are fit to print for now. Like I said, check out the blogs to the right and get some good reads on. Michael is a good read for a good read; he's keen on reviewing books, so if you're in the neighborhood for a new read, hit up Michael's blog. If you're an educator or are interested in the topic of education and/or Judaism, I recommend visiting Tamara's or Lift Up Your Head, Child blogs; it's a big bad world out there and I admire both of them for dedicating themselves to the field of education.