Jumping to conclusions is not a new problem, nor is it endemic to the Jewish community. We all make judgments of others, many of which are based on outward appearances. However, awareness is the key to avoiding the mistake of making incorrect assumptions.
When people think of Chicago, Al Capone often comes to mind. The gangster was instrumental in turning the city into a hotbed of crime in the 1920s. He used the power and money from his illegal liquor business to gain control of the Midwestern city both by attacking rival gangs, as in the St.
I had been spacing out-enjoying the air conditioning on the 21 bus, a welcome relief from the stifling Jerusalem heat-when I was interrupted by a friend's whispered question: "Did you see that guy? The one who just got on?" I had been pretty oblivious to the stream of people boarding the bus, but now looking around at my fellow passengers, I figured that whoever had attracted my friend's notice was probably an especially drunk yeshiva guy (this story takes place on Purim) or someone equally sketchy.
I still find it hard to believe that I've already finished my first year of college, even if I do have hundreds of empty Starbucks Doubleshot cans and many marked up essays to prove it. I mean, wasn't it just last month that I was nervously entering high school for the first time, a mere two weeks ago that I was finally graduating and preparing to head off to Israel for a year of concentrated study at Yeshivat Har Etzion (more commonly known as Gush), and just yesterday that I was winning my first fencing bout for the YU Macs? Well, if it seems that way, it does for one reason: time flies when you're having fun.
Over the past year, Americans have been seized by a passion for all things green. Galvanized by rising gas prices and fatalistic warnings from the scientific community, environmentalism has left the sphere of vegans, tree-huggers and ex-presidential candidates and has entered the public consciousness.