Balancing Act: Hank Azaria’s apology for voicing Indian character Apu on ‘The Simpsons’ should lead to an honest reckoning on our bias against accents

Hank Azaria’s recent apology for voicing the character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, an Indian-born convenience store clerk on “The Simpsons,” has launched some fascinating discussions that touch on, but also transcend, the role of pop culture in shaping the world we all share. Azaria’s Apu has long come under fire for its stereotypical portrayal of Indian Americans.

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Receiving Direct Feedback from Hashem

Tzarat was a consequence of numerous sins, most prominent of them was Lashon Harah – evil gossip. Interestingly, the person suffering from Tzarat was placed into quarantine, not so that the disease wouldn’t spread, but instead to demonstrate to the person with the disease that his anti-social behavior resulted in an anti-social situation. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

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Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi

Texas Senate approves limits on transgender student athletes

AUSTIN, Texas — Split irrevocably along party lines, the Texas Senate on Thursday approved legislation banning transgender student athletes from competing in sports within their gender identity. All 18 Republicans voted for Senate Bill 29, which would require athletes in Texas public high schools and grade schools to compete in sports based on the “biological

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USA

Steinsaltz’s Sage Book on the Sages

A Concise Guide to the Sages is made up of five parts. The first 271 pages of the 511-page volume focuses on the more than fifty weekly biblical portions of the Five Books of Moses which Jews read in synagogues and which many Jews study at home. Virtually all of the sayings of the Sages quoted in this section are midrashic (ideas derived from the biblical text which are not explicit in the text). {Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin}

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Jewish Religion

Post COVID, Become F.I.T.

Now before you think this column is about physical exercise and muscle growth, I’m talking here about another type of being “F.I.T.,” one that I’ve been writing and speaking about for many years. This F.I.T. has to do with being a “Fundamentally Independent Thinker” and requires no exercise equipment. “The link is what you think,” remember? Let’s delve into this a bit and see how being an independent thinker, not emotionally hooked into external events, can help you through the COVID-19 psychological upheaval. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Lifestyles, Michael Mantell

Prodded to act on racial justice, Biden picks liaison to Asian diaspora

By Steve Holland and Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday named a liaison to Asian Americans, who are contending with rising violence, after facing pressure to ensure greater diversity among top administration officials. Biden picked onetime congressional aide Erika Moritsugu to spearhead outreach to the increasingly politically significant Asian American

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USA

US House panel studies slavery reparations ahead of key vote

Washington (AFP) – A US congressional panel debates Wednesday whether to consider federal slavery reparation payments to African Americans, ahead of a historic first vote on an issue gaining momentum during the nation’s racial reckoning. The House Judiciary Committee launches its first-ever markup — the process by which committees debate and amend legislation — of

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USA