Ask Annie

1) Women in skirts bending over. Really? That is what lead someone to this blog? I'm not even dignifying that with a question. Ew.

2) Can Kaddish be said for anyone?

Define "anyone." Generally kaddish (a prayer recited in honor of the dead) is said only for immediate family and/or spouses, but some interpretations are broader than that. I know of a few Reform Jews who have said kaddish for friends, substituting the words "al yoshvei tevel" for "al kol yisrael." (All those who dwell on earth, as opposed to the entire nation of Israel).

3)Guilty pleasures Jews, or What guilty pleasures do Jews have?

I'd assume that that is a question you'd have to ask on a case-by-case basis, especially since guilt is so subjective.

4) Madame Butterfly Feminism, How can feminism be used as a lens through which to examine Madame Butterfly?

Well, the story lends itself to feminist criticism. The story is rife with issues of gender, including, but not limited to the sale of Butterfly to Pinkerton by the marriage broker, her total reliance on him for financial support, and the dynamics of divorce in Meiji Japan. Basically, Madame Butterfly would not be a feminist heroine. She waits for three years for her "husband" to return, and when he does, and requests sole custody of their only child (whom he has never met, nor had prior knowledge of) she gives in, and then kills herself. She isn't even angry at him, just sad. Lame.

5) Matzah, celiac, Can people with celiac disease eat Matzah?

They probably shouldn't. Celiac disease disrupts the absorption of nutrients into the small intestine, and is aggravated by gluten. People on a gluten-free diet could either try to get gluten-free matzah (matzah can be made out of any of 7 different grains, not just wheat), or just give it a pass. I wish that I could.

Ok, these are pretty lame. People, if you are going to find this blog through random search terms, at least they should be interesting.

But for the record, while we're talking about advice: Amy Dickenson is a jerk. For instance, in today's column I can't really disagree with her advice (much as I'd like to), but she calls one person "immature" and chastises the other for being "extremely wasteful." Abby would have gotten the point across in a much more tactful way.