Just over 10 months ago, Bernie Madoff ruined the lives and financial situation of countless individuals and organizations with his Ponzi scheme. Hadassah was possibly the most highly profiled victim, having lost tens of millions of dollars.
Apparently, Hadassah’s demise was greatly exaggerated. Is it fair to say that happy days are here again? It is if this upcoming event is any indication.
Let’s take a look. Ok, it’s a donor weekend in Las Vegas. Program brunch with a speaker from the Shalom Sesame series, that’s educational. Shabbat socializing, very nice. Blue Man Group, good times.
(cough!) Excuse me, WHAT?! Am I reading this right? POLE DANCING LESSON? At a Hadassah convention? Ech omrim “I think I just threw up in my mouth”??? Sorry for being turned off but something about Faigy Rabinowitz grinding onstage while “Pour Some Sugar on Me” plays in the background is a little disturbing. I don’t care if it is a young donor weekend, this is just wrong. When they wrote “Vegas baby!” at the top, I guess they were hoping that the pole dancing would lead to Jewish continuity.
Good job, Hadassah ladies. Now get on the floor and make some Vegas babies. Fellas, next time you think about putting a single into the little blue pushke, you may want to hold onto it for a different use.
“Give it up, fellas, for The Lovely Myrtle!Please remember that your donations will help build a new
emergency trauma center in Ein Karem.”
It’s not too late to register…see you in Vegas!
(By the way, you’re all invited to the ADL wet t-shirt contest this Sunday.)
And if you haven’t joined my FB fan page, feel free to do so.
***AHEM***
(Comment-author is a "Hadassah Lady" and well-versed in burlesque-style dancing. A fellow Year Course member even helped me figure out, when helping to work on my attic floors when construction underway, where I could put the stripper pole in my loft/attic space… PBTHTHTHTHTTHTH!)
Yeesh. We're not all blue hairs, you know.
No lap dance for YOU.
omg my organization is having pole dancing lessons and they didnt tell me about it? for shame….
It wouldn't have been much better if it were an AIPAC convention.
Hey, it's cardio! How about doing some research on trendy exercise before you vomit in your mouth?
http://www.stripper101.com
Guys, that's not the point. Does this really belong at an event sponsored by a major Jewish organization?
Get with the times…the hora can only take you so far.
From stripper101.com:
There is no better girls night out or bachelorette party than Stripper 101. This interactive class is designed to help women of all ages, shapes and sizes feel great about themselves by releasing their sensual side. Students are encouraged to lose their inhibitions while having fun learning sexy strip club moves with boas, chairs and of course, poles! (No nudity.) Graduates earn an official souvenir Las Vegas Stripper License.
I guess I'm behind the times. By the way, you're all invited to the ADL wet t-shirt contest this Sunday.
This is perhaps the most disturbing piece of news I've heard all week. Boy in the balloon? Psshh.
I have to agree with Melissa– good for Hadassah for livening up! Pole dance lessons are actually an incredible workout– but more to the point, if Hadassah is going to survive and go forward it has to appeal to a much younger crowd and give them stuff that they don't expect. I'm loving it.
HEY! Read the poster! It's for a YOUNG donors weekend!…And who knows, maybe one of the chicks will end up on CSI….(as an actress-she will be discovered at the craps table!)…Shabbat Shalom..
I'm with Melissa and Sue!
I also don't have too much of a problem with it. My bigger issue would be having a convention in Vegas over Shabbat. I know it's not a religious organization, but c'mon. As for the pole dancing- bridge tournaments don't cut it anymore. If it appeals to younger women, then go for it.
As for a wet tshirt content, here's to inviting Bar Rafieli.
Stacy, that's what I'm talking about. It's supposed to jibe with the organization's values. But most people wouldn't complain about Shabbat and stuff because….well, I don't know why, because they're not observant Jews I guess.
I can't believe the humor has been sucked out of Hadassah ladies and pole-dancing. This is a sad day.
You want fun? Here's a question: If the pole dancing is pre-paid and within walking distance of the hotel, is it Shomer Shabbat?
Stacy, your concern about Shabbat and values has more validity than funny boy's problem w/ pole dancing. Fortunately, the hospitality suite provides an opportunity for Hadassah programming and education in a Shabbat friendly environment. Kosher snacks thanks to LV Trader Joe's.
Benji it's Keith here. I think you are getting too old. I mean come on, what do you think went on in the 40's with those late night hay rides? Or how about the scandal of Hadassah women voting in their own elections when it was illegal for women to vote in the USA? I think an all woman pole dance event is very cool. You are being a prude. Perhaps you think your parents don't have sex as well?
Karen U says: Benji, stay calm, you're okay! People have forgotten there's a difference between "Hadassah Member" and "Hadassah Lady"! The Hadassah Ladies who came to YJ meetings or to visit/inspect camp a gazillion years ago — on poles? I don't THINK so!
I think they're courting donors of the young, professional yuppie-type…who might someday soon be making lots of money and therefore have plenty to donate…
Or maybe I'm just a cynic.
But you got to admit, the women wouldn't be signing up for it if they didn't think their husbands would appreciate it.
So remember that Demi Moore did that horrible movie about a pole dancer? She did an interview with Barbara Walters and gave her a lesson in pole dancing – ON NATIONAL TELEVISION. Just try to erase a picture of Barbara Walters trying to pole dance out of your mind.
BTW, saw you on IBA news this evening. You were great!
We Hadassah ladies need to seduce those rich Jewish men in one way or another, no? Pole dancing is the new blue hair and knitting needles.
I was so pleased for the 1/2 second that I thought Benji was reacting against Hadassah's apparent assumption that women should spend their time at a honing their sex-subjugation technique, but actually he was reacting to the fact that the bodies being objectified might not be patriarchy-approved.
Let me rephrase. Hi everyone, I'm just here to put the word "feminism" on this comment thread because it seemed to have gone missing.
Hey, when your organization loses $90 million, you got to start fundraising the old fashioned way. I've been trying to get tickets to one of these pole dancing shows but they're Szold out.
Melissa, Keith, and others, let's try this one more time:
Camp friends, for the same reason we don't show rated R movies to our teenage kids at camp, I don't think it's Hadassah's place to be offering pole dancing. I like rated R movies myself and couldn't care less if Timmy Goldfish watches "Superbad" with his buddies at home. And pole dancing ain't bad either. But it's a different story when an organization with a set of values it's trying to promote is responsible for it. It has nothing to do with being a prude.
Ok, it's cardio. So is sex. Why don't we have that? You can't say it's ONLY cardio and not other stuff as well. Duckrabbit, though this post was mostly in fun, I don't disagree with you either.
Now if you'll all excuse me, I have to go pay my hooker in tashlumim.
BTW, Daniel's comment is pure genius.
Benji, thanks for keeping us all laughing. I hope that the word on the street is correct; you'll be the MC during the big show.
They forgot to mention that there is going to be strip Mah-jongg.
Faigy Rabinowitz
Don't talk about my sister that way. She survived me, so you can be sure that she is tough enough to handle you.
It's ok, the laws in Las Vegas ensure that the lap dancing is shomer negiah.
If gambling or drinking is condoned, why castigate pole-dancing? I think that what is disturbing about it are the associations that come along with this activity. ie. it's not just about the activity (which is good cardio) but the degenerative effect towards women, who are stripping for money. seems kind of bizarre for a women's movement…
But keep in mind that by ranking pole dancing higher on the list of offensiveness, you are projecting your own value system.
Some people might take more offense at the disregard for: Shabbat, Kashrut, Drinking, Gambling, lack of Tefillot, etc.
You know the old joke about why it's impossible to get good seats at a baseball game in Poland? Everywhere you sit, there's a Pole in front of you (with a Hadassah lady on it).
Sometimes dancing with a pole is more tznius than dancing with a person. Much more shomer negiah, anyway. This kind of exercise has been reclaimed as a women's empowerment/reclamation of sexuality for years already. It – and the inevitable accompaniment, "Passion Parties," where certain items are available for sale – are all the rage here in L.A., and are nearly always attended by women only. Seriously, I've been invited to two of those parties in the last month.
Nice Jewish girls (of many ages) have done far worse in Vegas than take a pole-dancing lesson. Believe me. I've seen it.
And now…Cirque de Soleil!
Hey Esther-well, I buy that women can feel empowered from it but I'm not sure you can strip away (no pun intended) the associations. It will never not be first and foremost something that strippers do. And while women feel empowered, I know that the way men look at you hasn't changed. Men will never look at women doing this and think anything noble like "wow, I respect her more as a person." And the worse things that women have done in Vegas….I wouldn't want those at a Jewish communal event either.
I don't believe I'm the only person who thinks this stuff….I guess it's easier to comment when you disagree.
While I don't really want to start a feminism argument here, I have to say that I agree with Esther. If a woman feels great about herself and pole-dances for a living or just for cardio or just for entertainment, it doesn't matter what the man in the audience thinks. That's not the point. The man in the audience doesn't define her and that's why it's empowering. If that guy's opinion matters to the woman on stage and she goes home with the guy that doesn't respect her as a person, well, then you're right, Benji. (And, to be fair, that's probably the case in most instances.) I could go into the theory of the kind of girl men want in the bedroom and the kind of girl they want to be the mother of their children, but this is getting too long as it is.
Bottom line: A woman who lets someone else define who and what she is is not empowered. A woman who defines herself is empowered, including that woman who dances with a pole for money.
I completely agree with Benji.
It's inappropriate for a Zionist women's organization to host an event that features pole dancing … coupled with a Shabbat in Vegas. In addition, I'm always shocked by the 'kosher snacks' comments…Shouldn't the entire weekend be kosher whether or not the participants hold by kosher standards?? This sort of weekend doesn't seem very inclusive of the various types of Jews that might want to attend.
Maybe the good people who brought you "Doggy Style" hot dogs can be brought in as a sponsor? Nu? And Benji don't delete me, but are these poles proper for our ladies? I.e., are they snipped?
p.s. Please forward me the deleted comments (I love deleted scenes!).
Hey, Benji,
Why WERE my comments deleted?
Was I abusive?
Was I inappropriate?
Not even close….
Those readers subscribed to these comments are at least going to get a brief glimpse of this comment.
Hey, anyone wanting to see the deleted comments, can email me directly at yaaqov.ben.yehudah@gmail.com.
Benji, you're not actually afraid of a little constructive criticism, are you?
You couldn't even tell me to my face that you were going to delete my comments?
At the advice of a friend of mine, I thought I'd be smart and just hit delete but since you wrote again.
Your comments were mean-spirited. Calling me or what I wrote "self-hating" and "crap"? Telling me I'm embarrassed to be a Jew when I'm suggesting in the comments that this goes AGAINST the values of a Jewish organization? Give me a break. You are the only commenter here who doesn't know what pole dancing is and you blame me? To suggest that maybe they meant "poll dancing" and to criticize ME?
And to tell me I need to do research to know how to be a comedian? That's ridiculous and chutzpah…do me a favor. I'll keep that in mind when I'm on tour next week in America.
OK. MAYBE I can see why you deleted the first post.
Still, you could respond to it personally via email.
So, then why would you republish that now, completely out of context, and thus distorted?
(See my previous comment.)
Dude, maybe I should have emailed you privately. And for that I don't mind showing some regret for.
But, honestly, if you can take it, then don't dish it out.
I found you two on line T-shirt stores.
I hope that shows you I'm not a total shmuck, and am interested in being a part of the solution and not the problem.
"But, honestly, if you can take it, then don't dish it out."
There is a difference between making fun of the idea of a traditional stripper activity at a Hadassah convention and the things you wrote. If you have anything else to say about this, you should contact me directly.
Benji: And while women feel empowered, I know that the way men look at you hasn't changed. Men will never look at women doing this and think anything noble like "wow, I respect her more as a person." And the worse things that women have done in Vegas….I wouldn't want those at a Jewish communal event either.
But that is the thing. These classes are not shows, they are for women, with women. They are cardio and help women feel good about their bodies and even their sexuality. I don't care how much a guy you sleep with "respects you," when he is having sex with you, he enjoys the strip tease and the hooker looking lingerie whether he be a one night stand or the man you married 15 years ago. Why should a woman feel bad about something that makes her feel sexy and turns on her man?
That being said, agreed. Doesn't belong at a Hadassah thing.
I wanted to say publicly that it was wrong for me to post the [deleted] the comments I did. It was wrong for me to accuse Benji of possessing certain negative qualities, especially when I don't even know him.
I do believe that there are quite a few Jews possessing negative influence from the diaspora {not all influence from the diaspora is negative}. BUT I must include myself in this group, and so shouldn't be a "pot calling the kettle black."
I also think it wise to investigate pieces before posting. But, here, too, I have to practice what I preach. I, myself, should have done more investigating before choosing to post the comments that I did, and to express any concerns or questions I have to the Benji privately.
I hope that he will forgive any hurt and/or inconvenience I may have caused.
Also, I think everyone's failed to notice that *actual* young women aren't into pole-dancing classes. This reeks of old ladies trying to doing something "hip" to court the youth market.
i can't believe how many people disagree with you, benji. i'm a young person and i would NEVER participate in such an event if i was in the hadassah organization. and i'm not even religious. maybe if it was belly dancing, which is respectable, but pole dancing? i mean, come one.
Benji is absolutely correct! Where are the boundaries?? We have to remember that strippers are emotional damaged women who need help. They are not people to emulate by healthy women. "I'm so hot" is really code for ,"I'm so damaged."
IM A LIFETIME MEMBER! youve just offended wya too many ladies you know! jk. if it was the older group, i might throw up too, but younger hadassah ladies can be HOT. (remember our discussion about how i hate the term HOT?)
Oh.My. god. This discussion in the comments was ridiculous. Benji, you made your point well, and funnily (I just made that up).
About your post, I laughed. About Hadassah, I cried. You're right. You're funny. GAMARNU.
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