Beha'alotcha
Hello everyone! This week in Jewsletter we have: multiple zine-related links, pesach sheni, anti-queer anti-trans nonsense, links to book sales, and a babka for pet of the week!
I had plans on what I was going to focus on this week, but then a bunch of transphobia (and related problems) happened--systemically, not to me personally--so the heavy pieces of this email are more about that and other """culture war""" topics. You have been warned.
Jewish Calendar
Beha'alotcha
This week we read Beha'alotcha.
Beha'alotcha includes instructions about the pesach sheni, a second chance to celebrate our freedom from slavery in mitzrayim--and how fitting that we learn about this on the same weekend as Juneteenth, the celebration of Black American emancipation.
Juneteenth
There is a juneteenth kabbalat shabbat tonight bringing together some wonderful Black Jewish leaders, and the Jews of Color initiative has a resource list of events and writings about Juneteenth from Black jews.
Jews being bigots and bigots being antisemitic
Yep, we're gonna talk about Tablet publishing Jennifer Bilek, a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) conspiracy theorist who blames shady rich Jews for the rising numbers of trans people. I am not surprised they published a TERF; I am surprised it was this one in particular. For more about the links between transphobia and antisemitism, including Bilek's role, check out this Ben Lorber and Heron Greenesmith article from last year; for more on Bilek in particular, check out Christa Peterson's twitter thread about Bilek from March 2021. Jude Doyle has also written about the TERF antisemitism phenomenon with more of a focus on how right wing evangelicals fit in, perhaps explaining how it ended up in notoriously fascist-friendly Tablet. Sasha Senderovich, a jewish studies academic who was targeted by Tablet back in the Trump era, wrote an open letter to Tablet contributors asking them to stop in the wake of this transphobia and antisemitism.
Libs of TikTok is on one again/still too, inciting stochastic terrorism against drag shows and trans-affirming schools. It is not my favorite time to be trans and queer and jewish.
A court ruled Yeshiva University's LGBTQ student club must be given the same supports as other student groups. The group absolutely deserves the supports and denying this is homophobia. However, I do not know why discrimination is not allowed for YU under the argument that YU is not a religious institution, whereas christian universities are religious institutions and can do whatever they want.
On a better "Jewish religious freedom under the law" note, a synagogue in Florida is suing for access to abortion, as the laws currently on the books there are preventing abortion in all cases, including in cases where jewish law mandates it. See also Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg writing in The Atlantic: My Religion Makes Me Pro-Abortion.
https://twitter.com/jh_swanson/status/1537566199273467905
Tikvah fund's Jewish Leadership Conference is a shonde.
Also, Rabbi Jill Jacobs of Truah has a small thread about Rabbi David Wolpe's new gig at Maimonides Fund, a conservative (politically, not Conservative movement) fund behind the journal Sapir and other initiatives with a "viewpoint diversity portfolio", a phrase that makes me want to take to the sea and leave contemporary life behind.
By the way, if you saw a viral story going around about Ben and Jerry's new staff training including pro-Palestine videos, that was a lie: a clip from an optional staff event, which was part of an educational series on various justice struggles, was misrepresented as a mandatory training session.
Books and Language
https://twitter.com/Jewish_Bookery/status/1536083701221703684
Yesterday was trans jewish poetry day! See also: Ben Yehuda Press's pride month sale!
University of Illinois Press also has 50% off all their books, including an nice Judaic Studies selection.
There's some very cool old magic texts in the Cairo geniza.
Have you ever wondered what Death and the Endless (from Sandman) would be named in Yiddish?
More than shtetl and pogrom: inside the movement to translate yiddish, including modernists and more.
In Geveb is hiring a part time peer review editorial associate. The work is remote and the stipend is $1500.
Jewish Zine Fest is looking for submissions for their omnibus!
https://twitter.com/JustShteygin/status/1537844501665832961
Miscellaneous
Joey Weisenberg and Hadar Rising Song Institute have an online High Holidays Davening Training series starting in two weeks.
New York Magazine has a whole piece about the ongoing challenges in making sure yeshivas provide adequate secular education.
https://twitter.com/RJELevi/status/1537651776538681344
Disability Justice Torah Circles at SVARA are starting up again monthly as drop-in groups for disabled people, high covid risk folks, and people close to them.
JFREJ and T'ruah are leveraging their privilege for good, workers rights edition
Employees at the Jewish Daily Forward deserve a contract!
Smithsonian Magazine has a lovely article about restoring synagogues in the Venice ghetto.
https://twitter.com/aroluna_/status/1534755099284713473
Events!
New event additions to the list are bolded.
6/17 Juneteenth Kabbalat Shabbat 2022 with Rabbi Sandra Lawson, rabbinical student Dr. Koach Baruch Frazer, and Rabbi Josh Lesser
6/21 Queer Jewish Zine Workshop with Romemu queer kehilla
6/22 “Rae Dalven: The Life of a Greek-Jewish-American Woman” book talk by Adi Liraz (scroll down for english details)
6/23 The Poetry of Cultural Re-Creation: A Conversation with Irena Klepfisz on Jewish and Gender Identity
6/23 Salim Halali: Bringing Down the House. "In this workshop, learn a famous hit by Salim Halali, one of the greatest singers of 1960s North Africa. Halali was an Algerian, Jewish, and openly gay superstar who famously held 6-hour long concerts of chaabi (popular North African) music."
6/26 Matir Asurim prison pen pal training! More info at instagram
6/27 Resistance as Liberation: Judaism and Abortion Care, from Ratzon: Center for Healing and Resistance and the Jewish Anarchist Salon
6/30 Antisemitism and the Impact of Philanthropy on Public Discourse (part of a series)
6/30 Queer Ladino with Nesi Altaras
7/7 T'fillat Trans 101: An Introduction to Crafting Trans Ritual with the Trans Halakha Project (trans and/or nonbinary people only)
7/7, 7/14: Shmita immersive: rest as resistance with Rabbi Elliot Kukla at SVARA
7/10 Queer Yiddish Politics and Poetry: A Pride Celebration with Irena Klepfisz and Zohar Weiman-Kelman
7/29 Queer Disability Shabbat (queer and disabled jews only, please, but with expansive definitions on all three of those identity labels)
Jewish Pet of the Week
The jewish pet of the week is Babka! I know we have had at least one pet named babka before, but I don't think we've featured this one. Worst comes to worst you get additional pictures of a sweet little dog thing. I feel like we can all survive this consequence.
https://twitter.com/niais/status/1517648817155239936
Shabbat shalom!
<3
Meli