Ohio has a new Subway!

Yes, Ohio has a new subway and I'm not talking about public transportation! Apparently some Jews in Cleveland have accomplished one of my own personal dreams by establishing a Kosher Subway restaurant in the U.S.

I'll be moving to Columbus on Friday to begin my new position as rabbi of Congregation Agudas Achim, and I'm sure I'll visit Cleveland a few times during the year, if for no other reason than to have a little Kosher subway.

Here is an excerpt from the article that appeared in the Cleveland Jewish News:

'Subway guy' helps open kosher Subway@theJ

By Alan Smason, Staff Reporter

Thanks to a strict diet of health-conscious Subway sandwiches, Jared Fogle may be less than 50% his former size, but he is still 100% Jewish and delighted to be associated with the first North American kosher Subway, recently opened at the JCC.

"I think it's great," says the 28-year-old Fogle, in talking about the Subway's new location and its foray into kosher. "I'm very proud of it, and hopefully, it will be the first of many to come."

Although he doesn't heavily promote his Jewish background, Fogle still feels a connection to Judaism. "I grew up in Indianapolis, and the JCC was a big part of my life," he boasts. "I spent many summers at the JCC, so to have a Subway at the JCC means a lot to me."

Known to millions today as "the Subway guy," Fogle became an overnight celebrity after filming his first TV commercial for Subway in January 2000. In it, he admitted to shedding 245 pounds in one year by adhering to a low-fat diet of no breakfast, two Subway sandwiches a day and diet soda or water. Fogle also added exercise - mostly walking - to round out his regimen.

"It just clicked," Fogle said as he described his dieting experience. "I lived next door to a Subway on campus, and I basically asked 'What if ...?'" [more]

Jewish Summer Camping

A lot of summer camps begin today so I thought it would be nice to blog about Jewish summer camps. There is a great radio program available for download here from the University of Michigan Frankel Center's website. My friend Jonah Geller, executive director of Tamarack Camps and the Fresh Air Society, is featured on this program. Deborah Dash Moore, the director of the Frankel Center, is also interviewed on the program along with Riv-Ellen Prell and Albert Vorspan. I attended a lecture given by Prof. Prell this past winter at University of Michigan with Michael Wolf, director of Camp Ramah in Canada. Prof. Prell explained how Jewish summer camping is such an important way to get Jewish children to think more seriously about their Jewish identity. Well, no surprise there, but it is critical that more people hear that.

The Foundation for Jewish Camping, headed by Jerry Silverman and founded by Elise and Rob Bildner of New Jersey, is really advancing Jewish summer camping and is to be commended for their work. Should the Jewish community put more emphasis on Jewish camping for the sake of our future as a people? I know the answer is Yes!

Here is a sermon I delivered at Congregation Agudath Israel in Caldwell, New Jersey in 2003. I updated the sermon and delivered it at Beth Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor last summer after returning from Camp Ramah in Canada where I served as Rabbi-in-Residence for a session.

John Paintsil and his Israeli Pride

I was thrilled to hear about Ghana's soccer star John Paintsil, who also plays for the Hapoel Tel Aviv team, and how he waved the Israeli flag after scoring a goal during a recent World Cup soccer match. The Forward covered the story in this week's edition, however, according to a Yahoo! News report earlier in the week Paintsil's Israeli pride seemed to irk the Egyptians just a bit. Hapoel Tel Aviv issued a statement expressing pride in its player, and a Jerusalem Post writer declared, "At last we have an ambassador for Israel who doesn't care about politics."

Unfortunately, two days after the flag waving, Ghana's team spokesman apologized, calling Paintsil's act "naive." He insisted that Paintsil didn't "act out of malice for the Arab people or in support of Israel."