Beshalach
This week we read parshat Beshalach! It’s got the splitting of the sea in it, which is gorgeously calligraphed in torah scrolls around the world and part of the daily morning services. Image below from Wikimedia Commons.
An elected US Representative pulled some old-school antisemitism and said there’s a Rothschild-funded space laser out there us jews are in charge of, and Jewish twitter (myself included) took that idea and ran with it.
There’s also some bitter truth sneaking in with the humor, and some good critiques of ~jewish culture~ and how we treat jews who don’t quite fit in.
Through 2/6, the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival is focusing on Jewish Greece. You can read more info here, or skip to the films available for free streaming. I am in the wrong brainspace this week to process the holocaust-related films, but i might check out others like this documentary about a rebetika singer or this one about Jews who immigrated to Los Angeles from Rhodes.
I thought there should be another picture in here so here, have a fish.
I recently started following @TorahStudio on Instagram, and found out about both their weekly classes and their judaica hub, a spreadsheet full of judaica options focusing on stuff outside the standard synagogue gift shop.
Three books have caught my eye recently, two recently published and one not yet there. I cannot even tell you how much I want to read this new book about Maurice Sendak in queer and jewish context. There’s also one from anthropologist Rachel B. Gross called Beyond the Synagogue: Jewish Nostalgia as Religious Practice, a title which speaks for itself. The third book, There Is Nothing So Whole As A Broken Heart, is a jewish anarchist anthology available for pre-order from the publisher, which i have some friends in and am dearly looking forward to reading.
Events:
1/29 (today!) Kol Tzedek has an event about sephardi/mizrachi shabbat shira https://www.facebook.com/events/1377192605945799/
1/30 Halacha for Skeptics https://www.facebook.com/events/256289579244415
1/31 Boston Workers Circle tu bishvat seder https://www.facebook.com/events/227356375629762/
2/1 rad yiddish tu bishvat songs https://www.facebook.com/events/717041315619643/
2/2 and subsequent Tuesdays: spirituality in the siddur and the Haggadah https://www.facebook.com/events/436298127558611/ $10 per class
2/4 and subsequent Thursdays: a series of classes about Rebbe Bachman’s teachings specifically designed around getting through the dark times https://www.facebook.com/events/407428520477267/ / https://hec-web.scansoftware.com/cafeweb/tapestry?page=CommunityEducation&cnum=CIRCLC10&csec=86&sem=202100 / $120 for 8 sessions
2/12 next Trans Hallel zoom!
2/12-2/13 Rabbis for Repro has a reproductive rights shabbat
2/21 Kehilla is putting on an event about Building Anti-Racist Jewish Community
3/7-3/9 KlezNorth, a UK-based klezmer festival
3/17-8/31 Folklore of Ashkenaz YIVO class
The Jewish Pet of the Week this this week is Sasha, who had a very impressive glow-up since his adoption by my friend S (@gremlincrimes on twitter, send her your #roundhour pets) and is now downright majestic. I love his bounteous tail and his mischievous exploits very much.
Shabbat shalom,
Meli