The Gainesville Sun in Florida reported today that The Zeta Beta Tau fraternity was closed by the University of Florida – effective immediately – when it was learned that a veterans group accused the some members of the local frat chapter of spitting on wounded combat veterans in Panama City Beach, Florida. The university has charged the fraternity with obscene behavior, public drunkenness, causing physical or other harm, theft and property damage. According to the accusations, about sixty veterans were staying at the Laketown Wharf resort two weekends ago when members of the ZBT fraternity – attending their spring formal – yelled at them, spat on them, tore flags off their cars, and threw beer bottles at them. No police reports were filed, but the hotel management expelled the student. ZBT is historically known as the “Jewish frat” on many American campuses. ZBT International Fraternity President Matthew J. Rubins said in a news release, “We are absolutely disgusted by the accusations that have been made regarding the behavior of members of this chapter. ZBT has a long history of serving our country, with brothers currently serving in all ranks of the military. ZBT will work diligently to demonstrate that the alleged behavior of a few does not represent the values of the many.”
Erik Piepenburg, reporting for The New York Times, studied Bad Jews and their hair. Piepenburg interviews four female actresses with big frizzy hair on stage who have appeared in Joshua Harmon’s “BAD JEWS,” a dark comedy about a Jewish family in turmoil over a grandfather’s legacy.
The character of Daphna is described as having “thick, intense, curly, frizzy, long brown hair. Hair that clogs a drain after one shower. Hair you find on pillows and in corners of the room and in your refrigerator six months after the head from which it grew last visited. Hair that could not be straightened even if you had four hours and three hairdressers double-fisting blow driers. Hair that screams: Jew.”
The Arts & Leisure article asks whether the actresses use their real hair and whether they are Members of the Tribe.
Nepal through a parochial Jewish lens: As the death toll of the devastation rises over 5,000, Jewish strength was exhibited among individuals and groups who came to the aid of victims. Several Jewish and Israeli organizations are collecting funds to help, including IsraAID, the American Jewish World Service, the UJC, and affiliates of Israel’s Foreign Ministry. Thirty Israeli citizens were rescued over the past three days in Nepal. They included: Gal Sror, Lisi Yifrach, Maya Ben-David, Sa’ar Huberman, Eitan Neuman, Pua Lasri, and Michael Beniyahu. And over 200 Israelis left Kathmandu and safely arrived in Israel. There had been rumors that some Israelis were threatened with violence in the Langtang area, but Israelis interviewed who were actually there said that they knew nothing of any incidents. Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman thanked the Nepalese FM – Mahendra Bahadur Pandey – for Nepal’s help with dispatching helicopters to assist stranded Israelis. The Israeli government reportedly leased the aircraft in India and China for use in the rescues. On Monday evening, an El Al flight carrying Israeli medical and rescue personnel arrived in Kathmandu. Israelis will also set up a field hospital with 40 doctors and about 80 other healthcare workers. The hospital will be set up near a military airfield and will include operating rooms, X-ray equipment, an emergency room, a specialized area for expectant mothers, and more. Sixty rescuers and three dogs, split into three teams, are part of a military delegation led by Colonel Yoram Laredo.
