Bo
Today is the 9th of Shevat and we read Parshat Bo this week.
For some reason, I have a lot more rabbi content than layperson content this week. Weird! Before we jump into RabbiTown, New Voices posted this wonderful conversation with Jewish Currents fellows Chaya Holch and Miriam Saperstein about the Jewish Left through the publication’s history.
Rabbi Andy Kahn did a neat thread about Jewish atheism, which digs into some of the ways Judaism’s relationship with belief in G-d is different from Christianity’s.
Ben Yehuda Press will soon republish 3 out of print works by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, including the particularly relevant to my interests Down-to-Earth Judaism.
Reconstructing Judaism, the movement that I and others stubbornly and/or accidentally continue to call reconstructionist judaism, has appointed Rabbi Sandra Lawson as Director of Racial Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. I’m glad she’s being paid to do some of the work she’s already been doing, and that she’ll have room and insitutional permission to do more.
Rabbi Emily Cohen asked about what Jewish online programming people want. I don’t know but maybe you do!
Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg published an opinion piece column at MSNBC titled “The right-wing Christian movement shouldn't control the abortion narrative”. Yep. Kudos to her and her editors for using trans-inclusive framing around abortion. I’m not new to reading what R’ Ruttenberg has to say on abortion so there’s not much new to me in this, but it’s still good and still needs to be heard.
Too many clergy have kept their distance from what they fear may be an unpleasant or polarizing topic. It's time to educate our communities and make space for a conversation many have long desperately needed. Our religious communities should be places where anyone who has terminated a pregnancy, or may ever do so, feels welcome and supported. They should be places where people understand what their traditions teach about these issues. And they should be places where everyone understands the importance of fighting for reproductive health, rights and justice for everyone.
I’m looking forward to seeing what else Twitter’s favorite Rabbi brings to the MSNBC readership.
Rabbi Justus Baird wrote an excellent piece on collective (or communal) apology for Zocalo Public Square.
Let’s exit the rabbi zone and go shopping. I love several of the prints in Wendy Elisheva’s etsy shop, including this tribute to Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz and also this sheep with a pomegranate.
Art is rad.
It is almost Tu Bishvat! Frutikas Alegre! Register here for the Seattle Sephardic Community’s gathering about it.
Just like last time, new events are marked with an asterisk.
1/24 Tour Italy via the music of italian jews: Cantanta Ebraica $20
1/26 there’s a radical tu bishvat seder $18-36 run by actual experts and professionals, unlike mine, which will be by the seat of my pants
1/26 a sephardic education event about Tu Bishvat (see big embedded picture above)
1/27 i am gonna have an internet seder about the trees holiday at 6pm PST using my zine haggadah.
Saturdays at 5:30 PST Micha Chetrit runs a weekly sefardi/mizrachi havdalah. Email him at smhavdalah@gmail.com for weekly reminders.
1/27-2/6 The Los Angeles Greek Film Festival is focusing on Jewish Greece. More info here, films available for free streaming here.
2/12 next Trans Hallel zoom!
3/7-3/9 KlezNorth is a UK-based klezmer festival that will be online this year.
3/17-8/31 Folklore of Ashkenaz YIVO class
The Jewish Pet of the Week this week is B’elanna! She works as an emotional support animal and also chief engineer of a starship wow.
Shabbat Shalom!
<3
Meli