JEWISH WEEK: 10 CULTURE MOMENTS

I really enjoy Liel Liebovitz's cultural writing for the Jewish Week. He seems passionate about many of the same things I myself am passionate about. (But this isn't only about Jon Stewart.)

So I was happy to see he'd created a Top Ten list of cultural moments that "made a difference." And then, lying in wait like bandits on the road, was #6:

Esther, Queen of Pop: It’s hard to think of something Madonna hasn’t done in front of cameras. She shoved her tongue down Britney Spears’ throat. She simulated masturbation while wearing a wedding dress. She wore leather and donned a whip. Still, when Madge went on ABC’s “20/20” on June 18, jaws dropped: the former material girl announced that instead of Madonna, she is now named Esther. “In the metaphysical world, I wanted to attach myself to another name,” she told ABC’s Cynthia McFadden. “I read about all the women in the Old Testament. And I loved the story of Queen Esther. She saved the Jews from annihilation.” While committing no such heroic feats, Madonna certainly saved the Jews from boredom. Her visit to Israel in September was one of the most titillating events in recent memory, landing a smiling Esther, dressed all in white, on the front pages of Israeli tabloids. Even though she’s not Jewish, anyone who could make the name “Esther” sexy deserves the Jewish people’s gratitude.

Harumph.

JEWISH WEEK: 10 CULTURE MOMENTS

I really enjoy Liel Liebovitz's cultural writing for the Jewish Week. He seems passionate about many of the same things I myself am passionate about. (But this isn't only about Jon Stewart.)

So I was happy to see he'd created a Top Ten list of cultural moments that "made a difference." And then, lying in wait like bandits on the road, was #6:

Esther, Queen of Pop: It’s hard to think of something Madonna hasn’t done in front of cameras. She shoved her tongue down Britney Spears’ throat. She simulated masturbation while wearing a wedding dress. She wore leather and donned a whip. Still, when Madge went on ABC’s “20/20” on June 18, jaws dropped: the former material girl announced that instead of Madonna, she is now named Esther. “In the metaphysical world, I wanted to attach myself to another name,” she told ABC’s Cynthia McFadden. “I read about all the women in the Old Testament. And I loved the story of Queen Esther. She saved the Jews from annihilation.” While committing no such heroic feats, Madonna certainly saved the Jews from boredom. Her visit to Israel in September was one of the most titillating events in recent memory, landing a smiling Esther, dressed all in white, on the front pages of Israeli tabloids. Even though she’s not Jewish, anyone who could make the name “Esther” sexy deserves the Jewish people’s gratitude.

Harumph.