Cheshvan 5786
Hello friends! This issue of Weird Jewish Digest was rush-produced on Friday due a minor chronic illness flare. Because of this, there are a few articles I’ve linked but not read. Sorry! It will probably happen again.
Jewish Calendar
The coming month is Cheshvan, the month without a holiday (frankly, we had enough in the last month). Marcheshvan is supposed to be bitter but I (and others) are experiencing a relief.
Israel/Palestine, Antisemitism, and/or Antifascism
Gaza and the ceasefire
the ceasefire we’ve been asking for for so long is finally arriving—we’re all on tenterhooks about whether it will hold, as i write this—and most of what I feel is an empty dry relief, and worry over what comes next. Will the bombs truly stop, and the hostages be released? Will adequate aid get in to gaza to help allay the man-made famine? Emily Tamkin’s I know exactly why leftists aren’t celebrating this ceasefire article echoes this (or i echo it, i suppose.) See also: Shaul Magid’s Being Human After Gaza and Jonathan Taubes’ Halachic Left dvar torah for Vzot Habrachah.
For 2 years, these US Jews sought a ceasefire. Their movement is 'just beginning.' For other Rabbis for Ceasefire developments, see Rebecca Alpert’s essay in The Revealer highlighting her journey to her current views.
This year, one of the high holy day sermons I read and enjoyed was by Rabbi Emily Cohen of West End Synagogue, about getting real about personal and communal reckoning with Gaza. (I also appreciated her other Yom Kippur sermon about death and mortality).
It can feel lonely to be a Jew with pro-Palestine views, but a Washington Post poll found Many American Jews sharply critical of Israel on Gaza—there’s actually a lot of us!
Mark Mazower wrote a longread for The Guardian on The origins of today’s conflict between American Jews over Israel (not pre-read).
other heavy stuff
The ADL doesn’t speak for New York Jews’ concerns, says Zohran Mamdani. He’s right and he should say it. (Also from Jewschool back in July collecting a bunch of ADL criticism).
Some more of Canary Mission’s finances have been unearthed, including (no surprise here) conservative-to-mainstream Jewish organizations. Expected, but disappointing.
Trump announced a list of liberal and left groups he considered associated with terrorism, including If Not Now and Jewish Voice for Peace alongside ActBlue and Open Society Foundation. More from Jewish Currents about this and other attacks on Soros and OSF here.
There’s two leftist takes on antisemitism I saw float by in the same day (which I have not yet read, sorry!):
part 1 and part 2 of Ben Lorber’s What Antisemitism Is, What It Isn’t, and Why It Matters
Saul Elbein’s The Myths of Antisemitism, which on first glance looks like it has some spicy takes I may or may not agree with but nevertheless looks interesting.
See also (and also not yet read by me): Nexus’s antisemitism report The Shofar Report: A Call to Defend Democracy and Confront Antisemitism, “the Nexus Project’s answer to Project Esther.” (writeup by Arno Rosenfeld in The Forward here)
and a hopeful finish to the heavy section from Rabbi Sandra Lawson: The Shofar’s Call: Why 5786 Demands Sacred Resistance
Books and Language (and poetry and music)
Not specifically a Jewish resource, but this Braille Resources for Reading Ancient Languages is so cool and contains classical/biblical hebrew!
Based on Bookishly Jewish’s review, As A Jew: Reclaiming Our Story From Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try To Erase us sounds like an interesting book!
Review of East End Jews: Sketches from the London Yiddish Press, edited and translated by Vivi Lachs and Barry Smerin
Miscellaneous
Thessaloniki’s Armenian minority and Jewish past are bound by a shared history of genocide
Andrue Kahn and Dania Rajendra wrote During the High Holidays This Year, We Are Reaching Toward an Abolition Judaism for Truthout. I long for more abolitionist judaisms so this was lovely to see.
At This Harlem Chef’s Table, the Rosh Hashana Menu Is Full of Ethiopian Spices
the Documensch newsletter interviewed Sarah Levin, executive director of JIMENA, to discuss understanding America’s Sephardic & Mizrahi Jews. See more about JIMENA’s study here, and another documensch interview about growing up in a jewish bookstore here
Classes and Events
Judaism Unbound’s eight week classes start next week. I’ll be taking Jewish Exile and Liberation myself.
For yiddish classes, check out the Workers Circle’s plentiful options (or Kadima’s queer yiddish selections). New Lehrhaus has an event series for Judeo-Kashani, the Endangered Language of Iran's "Little Jerusalem" as well, if your language interests lie elsewhere.
This November and December, check out Neuroqueer Talmud: Ableism, Power Dynamics, and Oppression in Rabbinic Literature.
Events
10/20 The Faith of Others: The Inspiration of Interreligious Dialogue in Light of Nostra Aetate, a Susannah Heschel lecture
10/21 Jewish Comedy and Musical Satire with David Misch
10/23 “Aleppian Wedding”—Songs from Shared Traditions: A Concert with the Aleppo Ensemble and Mohamed Alsiadi
10/23 Displays of Belonging: Polish Jewish Collecting and Museums, 1891–1941, with author Sarah Zarrow
10/23 The Tourist’s Guide to Lost Yiddish New York City book talk
10/27 Ilana Pardes on Ruth: A Migrant’s Tale (lecture)
10/27 Adventures of Max Spitzkopf: The Yiddish Sherlock Holmes book launch, with Mikhl Yashinsky
10/27 Modern Jewish Worldmaking Through Yiddish Children's Literature book talk
10/30 100 Objects from the Collections of the YIVO Institute (coffee table book event)
11/12 Robert Alter in Conversation: Approaching the 45th Anniversary of "The Art of Biblical Narrative"
11/16 UW Ladino Day 2025: Sephardic Homelands: Spanish and Portuguese Citizenship and the Question of Belonging Today
11/18 The Jewish Leonard Cohen with Jannie Dresser (3 session class)
Pet of the Month
The pet of the month this month is Leon, a worried poodle friend. He is four years old and loves when his family joins around the table for shabbat :)
Want to have your pet featured? send in your animal pic(s) in a reply to this email!
With love,
Meli