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From Joe Lieberman paper dolls to Jewfros
BY KATE COHEN
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Heeb magazine’s catch phrase has been, "We’re the kids your rabbis warned you about." It’s not a tag line that publisher Joshua Neuman is particularly fond of. ("Kinda cheesy," he says.) But Heeb’s content to date (it’s put out three issues so far) does bring to mind an editorial board that spent its youth in the back row of a synagogue, plotting ways to spike the Shabbat grape juice. Neuman will be in town next week promoting his irreverent New York–based Jewish-culture magazine, which he describes as "simultaneously edgy and shticky. Where else will you find a Neil Diamond centerfold?" Neuman will be speaking at Tufts and Harvard, where he spent two years getting his master’s of theological studies at the Divinity School. "I was kinda a gefilte fish out of water over there," says Neuman. But after taking a stab at punk-rock stardom with a band called Elders of Zion, he has since put his degree to good use, teaching Jewish thought and culture at New York University. Neuman hopes to share what he calls Heeb’s "unique vision," while also getting a sampling of Jewish life outside of the magazine’s Lower East Side bubble. Although Heeb has become well-known for its smart outlook on topics ranging from Allen Ginsberg to Jewfros, Neuman feels like the latest issue is its best yet. It features a nude and tattooed Eve on the cover and Joe Lieberman paper dolls inside. "I think it’s sexier than any issue we’ve had so far," says the publisher. Should we take the paper dolls as Heeb’s official presidential endorsement? "You can dress the guy who led the charge for the anti-raver act in a sweat suit with glow sticks. That guy’s a total douche bag." Although it would be hard for the magazine to steer completely clear of serious politics given current circumstances, Heeb usually prefers to put its own cheeky spin on American Jewish life. For Neuman, "Brooklyn is the Jewish homeland ... had the chicks in Israel paid any attention to me on my teen tour — then I might have a totally different attitude about the subject." Still, the publisher did find it in his jilted heart to okay a spread on sexy Israeli expats for the upcoming issue. Neuman’s speaking engagement at the Tufts University Hillel will be followed by a release party at Venu, set to the labors of DJs Static, Elyte, and Miztah Lex, and it may include some special Heeb-style surprises. "In the past our parties have had punk-rock covers of Fiddler on the Roof, a drunk and horny Santa," says Neuman. "Maybe we’ll bring Hasidic go-go dancers to this one." Joshua Neuman will speak at the Harvard University Hillel at 7:30 p.m. on October 14, and at the Tufts University Hillel at noon on October 15. The release party takes place at Venu, 100 Warrenton Street, from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Cost is $10.
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