New Contributor: Jason Kapel

Jason KapelTC Jewfolk is excited to announce our new contributing writer, Jason Kapel. Here is what Jason has to say:

About me? Well, I’m a self aware liberal who works for one of the country’s largest health insurance companies. Last week I didn’t know whether to join the protestors outside our building or shout them down. Apparently centuries of Jewish guilt running through my veins isn’t enough for me to deal with.

But there is more to me than internal conflict and guilt. I’ve just come off the two most interesting and unexpected years of my life, resulting in new perspectives on love, family, faith, and the Twin Cities area. Perspectives I hope to share with you in the coming months.

As far as my Jewish street cred: I grew up in St. Louis Park, and was named, consecrated, bar mitzvahed, confirmed, and married at Temple Israel. I send my kids to the Minneapolis Jewish Day School, play bass guitar at some musical services at Temple Israel, am a board member of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation Young Leadership, and a member of the Federation marketing committee.

And now, as a contributing writer for TCJewfolk – the hub for hip Jewish stuff in the Twin Cities, I’m adding to the street cred. While I’m definitely not “hip” (I’m a single parent who lives in the suburbs and works in the corporate office of a fortune 50 company), “stuff” is the word in the last sentence that speaks to me. Assuming I don’t get voted off the island too quickly, I’m looking forward to writing about stuff I relate to – being a musician, third generation survivor, B’nai Brith softball player, single parent, one-time business owner, etc. – and the connection between those topics and our community. I hope, through my articles, we’ll find interesting corners of the Twin City Jewish culture that we can explore together.

New to blogging, I’m also excited about the opportunity for you to contribute comments, creating a dialog by bringing your diverse experiences and opinions to the topics. So, yeah, do that.