April 23, 2021

Acharei Mot/Kedoshim

Hello! We are somehow already on parshat Acharei Mot / Kedoshim, another two-in-one. There’s a lot in here: the original scapegoat, That One Line about homosexuality which I’m not interested in discussing, the ten commandments (reprise), quite a few rules about sacrifices, and (as we pass into kedoshim) rules about ethics and/or holiness, including “love your fellow as yourself”.

I’ve had a few of my mistakes pointed out to me lately by patient friends (and/or reasonably impatient activists). Two relate to previous issues of this newsletter: one, fregyl gertovski reminded me the song This Land Is Your Land has been criticized many times over the years by indigenous people, and white jews singing about how this land is our land is not actually particularly leftist, progressive, or otherwise helpful. This land does not belong to us, even when the “us” in question is meant as an equalizer; some people have ties to the land that others don’t, having ancestors who lived here before our european ancestors arrived and made a whole mess of things.

The other, also relating to indigeneity, is the Jerusalem Declaration. Both Al Jazeera and Jewish Currents posted very worthwhile Palestinian critiques of the Judaism declaration this week, pointing out that they continue to center Israel and Jews rather than Palestinians. I am still working through my own feelings and opinions on the specifics, but wanted to make sure to share these perspectives. Especially since last night, right-wing israelis marched calling for genocide in a recent trend towards being even more terrifyingly racist, which has been part of a longterm violent escalation.

On a lighter note, my favorite weekday siddur Siddur Masorti is getting a shabbat and festivals version. They’re soliciting submissions of art and poetry from sephardi/mizrachi artists/poets.

Jewish Rhody did an article about Shterna Goldbloom’s photography of queer jewish life.

Do you need low fodmap jewish food recommendations?

Ellen Gruber Garvey at Lilith Magazine posted a heartfelt blogpost about her experience cleaning out her deceased friend and mentor housing activist Frances Goldin‘s apartment, including the signs Goldin wore or carried at marches.

For decades, Fran carried her sign, “I adore my lesbian daughters: Keep them safe,” written in gracious script, enhanced with glitter, to the march. She had two, who had left their New York birthplace for California and upstate. But whoever went to the march with her could be one of her lesbian daughters for the day.

The Jewish Standard profiled musician and politician Isabel Frey this week. My favorite track on her album is Dire Gelt (lyrics and translation), a tune which hits the spot for many renters particularly during the pandemic–I’m sure i’m not the only one who saw a rise in social media posts like “does my landlord need to provide a working refrigerator?” this past year.

Khartoum’s secret cemetery: Piecing together fragments of a lost Jewish past in revolutionary Sudan

Rubbish-strewn grave yard emerges as symbol of immense social change after Islamist dictatorship swept away

There’s a twitter thread about antisemitism breaking down a new paper‘s data and poking fun at Bari Weiss, who is frequently wrong about things.

Sometimes all you need is the article title: What’s the Matter With Jewish Studies? Sexism, Harassment, and Neoliberalism For Starters. I would actually argue that jewish continuity logic is not neoliberal at heart, but it is certainly terrible and enforces sexist and deeply heterosexual normie life expectations as the only way to be jewish.

If you’re jewish and 22-32 years old in one of these cities and want to move judaism in a progressive direction, Bend the Arc’s Jeremiah Fellowship might be relevant to your interests. It’s unpaid but there’s no fees involved, with a 25 hour a month time commitment.

Hamaqom’s classes starting in May include The Dead Sea Scrolls and Their World for $72-$120 and The Power of the Story: Wisdom Stories, Gospel Parables, Zen Koans, Sufi Tales, and Hasidic Masters for $90-$150.

The Boston Worker’s circle has a $60-120 class on sephardim and race and racism based around Dr. Devin Naar’s talks for the Sephardic Brotherhood of America with live discussions afterwards facilitated by other experts. The class is three sessions starting 4/29. All three sessions (1, 2, 3) of Dr. Naar’s original lecture series are on youtube.

Events!

4/24 Café Yiddish-lite, an online cabaret from Boston-based Cafe Yiddishkayt

4/24-25 Building the Religious Left conference from DSA’s Religious Socialist groups

4/25 International Women’s Talmud Day 2021

4/25 Chana Rein teaching Make Here Israel: The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Approach to Zionism and Diasporism Hishbati info, register here

4/25 Experiencing Jewish Music in New York: A Virtual Tour, a talk by Professor Tina Frühauf

4/27 Conversion Activism: The Evolution of the Laws of Conversion and Its Relevance to LGBTQ+ Inclusion from an Orthodox perspective, put on by Eshel

4/29 Mending The World As Jewish Anarchists: Book Launch & Discussion, Independent Jewish Voices Canada edition

4/29 Lag B’Omer w/Rabbi Lucía & freygl, a Non-Zionist Lag B’Omer celebration with text study and art making ($18-36)

4/29 a Lag BaOmer 101 lesson from Rabbi Ruth Adar

4/29 “Make me a King” - a Yiddish Drag King Pepi Littman “‘Make Me A King’ follows a Jewish Drag King named Ari and their real-life hero, Pepi Littman, who carved out space for Drag Kings over 100 years ago. Our conversation will be joined by Dr. Phil Alexander, Ashleigh Loeb AKA Rabbi Schmeckie, and Natalie Arle-Toyne.” (project kickstarter, event registration)

5/1 Yiddish May Day Shabes from Boston Workers Circle. Program is in yiddish with translation into english.

5/2 Yakov Rabkin teaching Jewish Messianism in the Face of Crises in the 1930s Hishbati info, register here

5/2 Queer Jews: A 20th Anniversary Symposium in Memory of David Shneer, a 20 years later event about an anthology

5/2-5/3 Jewish Psychedelic Summit

5/4 From Interfaith Family to the Rabbinate: Three Communal Leaders’ Jewish Journeys

5/5 The Jews of Ottoman Izmir: Dina Danon in Conversation with Devin E. Naar

5/6 Nostalgia & Reality: Black & Jewish Relationships in the 1960s and Beyond

5/6 Reflections of a Muslim Scholar Studying Halakha, a talk from Rabea Benhalim, Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Law School

5/14 The Jewish People of Color National (Virtual) Shabbaton

5/16 Shavuot (?!), including a queer women’s torah workshop

5/23 From Northwestern University’s Arab-Jewish Culture, Identity, and Language: Past and Present series: Performance and Conversation With Tair Haim, Acclaimed Soloist of the Band A-Wa

The Jewish Pet of the Week this week is Poppy Cadillac, who was found under the hood of a cadillac as a kitten! She is lovely and has a whole instagram account full of pictures ready for you to check out.

Until next week,

Meli