1) The MJCCA Book Fest rages on with Brew Ha-Ha, featuring Michael Ian Black, Stephanie Klein and Brian Frazer — and moderated by former CL columnist Hollis Gillespie — at Park Tavern.
2) Neil Halstead and Long Knives play the Earl.
3) Eyedrum hosts the Concert to Close the School of the Americas.
4) Papa Grows Funk plays Smith’s Olde Bar.
5) Mates of State play the Loft.
(Photo courtesy Comedy Central)
Today’s Air Loaf features CL’s Chanté LaGon and Curt Holman chatting about the MJCCA Book Festival, running through Nov. 22.
Air Loaf is broadcast weekdays on 1690 WMLB-AM at approximately 8:10 a.m., 12:20 p.m. and 6:20 p.m.
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1) The MJCCA Book Fest continues with an appearance by New York Times writer Lily Koppel and her book, The Red Leather Diary.
2) Telepathe and Diplo play the Masquerade.
3) Usher performs at the Tabernacle.
4) Food Networker Alton Brown and author Shirley Corriher discuss BakeWise at Margaret Mitchell House & Museum.
5) Butch Walker plays the Loft.
(Photo courtesy Lily Koppel)
When Atlanta native and former editor of American Jewish Life Benyamin Cohen felt his Jewish faith faltering, he did what any other lost soul in the Bible Belt would do – he went to church.
The son of an orthodox rabbi, Cohen spent a year going from Christian rock festival to megachurch service to Catholic confession on a quest for higher learning. He chronicles his experiences in the funny and insightful memoir My Jesus Year. Cohen appears at the Barnes & Noble in Buckhead this Sunday and again at the MJCCA’s 17th annual Book Festival in November.
I was particularly intrigued by the following quote of yours: “What are they [Christians] doing so right that we Jews are doing so wrong? Is their church experience simply more fun?” Would you describe your pre-book perceptions of Christians and modern Christianity and explain what you mean by “right” and “wrong” in the above statement?
Wow, that’s a tough question. I never looked at it like that. I certainly don’t see one religion as being right and another as being wrong. What I do think, though, is that there are a lot of aspects – in any religion – that has room for improvement. Judaism may be thousands of years old, but that doesn’t mean we can’t improve on, say, how we reach out to newcomers. Churches do an amazing job of outreach and marketing themselves to new visitors. In the book, I tell a story of how I got preferential treatment (first-time visitor parking in the front next to the handicapped spots) at a megachurch in Lithonia. Once I walked inside, I was treated like a rock star. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing when a wandering Jew walks into a synagogue for the first time. That’s my long way of saying we’re doing something “wrong” and Christians are doing something “right”. (more…)
