Mark D. Zimmerman

Honey holds a significant place in Jewish tradition, most prominently at Rosh Hashanah when we dip apples in honey for a sweet new year. There was a question as to whether honey is actually kosher. The Mishna says in Tractate Bechorot, “That which comes from something which is Tameh [non-Kosher] is Tameh, and that which comes of that which is Tahor [Kosher] is Tahor.” Therefore, for example, camel’s milk and stork eggs are not kosher as camels and storks are not kosher animals. Why is honey kosher, when the bees which produce it are not kosher? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

While it is still not clear if there will be an NFL football season this fall, the league is moving forward, having just held their annual draft of college players. The ceremony took place via teleconference, without much of the pomp that normally accompanies the announcements by teams of their selected players. One college player got the attention of the Jewish world in February when he was interviewed during the NFL Combine, the event where prospective players are showcased prior to the draft. The athlete appeared for an interview wearing a Star of David around his neck, and a reporter asked him the significance of the star. Who was the player and what was his explanation? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

One of the complications of the COVID-19 pandemic is a shortage of toilet paper, which is a result of people hoarding, as well as the fact that everyone is using their home bathrooms exclusively, rather than also using bathrooms at work, or at stores, restaurants, and other public facilities. A few years ago an Israeli company, the Gefen Team, worked with Lily, an Israeli toilet paper brand that is a division of Kimberly-Clark, to produce a product to aid in the use of toilet paper. What was this product? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

Bob Dylan just released a new 17-minute song titled Murder Most Foul, which is about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and more broadly about the music and culture of the 1960’s and beyond. Dylan, who has toured almost non-stop for years, recently canceled his current tour because of the coronavirus pandemic. Bob Dylan once offered a promotional blurb that was printed on the back cover of a book by a Jewish author: “Anyone who is either married or thinking of getting married would do well to read this book.” What book did Dylan promote in this way? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

What were the circumstances a number of years ago when Bernie Sanders said the following?–“All in all, it’s not so bad. When it’s good, it’s good. If it doesn’t feel right, just say no. There’s always tomorrow. There’s always tomorrow. It could be worse. Now, let’s just thank God you have your arms, you have your legs, let’s eat.” [Jewish trivia quiz by Mark D. Zimmerman]

South by Southwest (SxSW) is an annual conference and festival held in Austin, Texas since 1987. The 10-day event includes a film festival, concerts, workshops, a trade show, speaker panels, and many other activities, attracting tens of thousands of people. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, SxSW organizers have decided to cancel this year’s event, which was scheduled to begin this week. In the past, there has been a large Jewish presence at SxSW, not only in the number of Jewish attendees, but in terms of the specific activities taking place. Films on Jewish themes, panels on topics of interest to Jews, and Shabbat activities are among the many programs with a Jewish theme. Which of the following was a 2018 Jewish-themed SxSW event? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

Joe Biden’s campaign for the Democratic party presidential nomination received a huge boost with his big win in the South Carolina primary. Biden has a long history of support for Israel. At the 2013 AIPAC conference, Joe Biden spoke of his love for Israel and described the moment years earlier when he first realized that Israel mattered to him. As a child in 1948, he sat at his dinner table listening to his father speak about the debate over the establishment of a Jewish state, and it greatly impacted him. How did he describe what his father told him? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and his Israeli wife (singer and model Daniella Pick) just welcomed their first child. The couple have a home in the affluent Tel Aviv neighborhood of Ramat Aviv Gimel, and Tarantino, who plans to learn Hebrew, says that Israel is now his home. Tarantino recently won the Golden Globe award for Best Screenplay for the film Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, and in his speech, he addressed his wife who was at home awaiting the birth of their child, saying, “todah, geveret,” meaning, “thank you, ma’am.” How did Tarantino and his wife spend Christmas/Chanukkah at their Israeli home this past December? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

Kirk Douglas died recently at the age of 103. Douglas, whose real name was Issur Danielovitch, made his film debut in 1946, and went on to perform and star in dozens of movies, in addition to writing, directing, and producing. He was nominated for and received numerous awards, including Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes, Kennedy Center Honors, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award. After Douglas’s bar mitzvah, his synagogue offered to sponsor him to become a rabbi, but he declined, already knowing that he wanted to be an actor. Judaism was only a minimal part of his adult life until he was in a near-fatal helicopter crash, about which he later said “I came to believe that I was spared because I had never come to grips with what it means to be Jewish.” He did, however, make one reference to his religious observance during his acting career. What did he say?[Mark D. Zimmerman]

Lawyer and professor Alan Dershowitz has spent much of his career defending controversial figures, including O. J. Simpson, Claus von Bülow, Patty Hearst, Mike Tyson, Leona Helmsley, Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein, and now Donald Trump. He has also been a staunch defender of Israel and advocate for Jewish causes. Professor Dershowitz was scheduled to participate in a mock trial; however, the hosts canceled the event. What were the circumstances? [Mark D. Zimmerman]