Shvat 5785
Welcome to the jewsletter for Shvat!
Jewish Calendar: Tu Bishvat
Time’s continuing to roll on, day by day. The days are lengthening, and spring is making its way to us. Tu biShvat always reminds me of this even as it comes in the near-endless-feeling winter season where I am.
I made some zines a few years ago (one tu bishvat haggadah and one about celebrating tu bishvat on stolen land with Thursdsay Bram) and I am still proud of them. Let me know if you use one or both of them in your tu bishvat seder!
Israel/Palestine, Antisemitism, and Antifascism
Elon Musk (ugh) did a nazi salute (!) at the inauguration and the ADL (ugh) was like “well let’s not be too hasty. i’m sure you’re just a little high-strung” (not exact quote) about it. People (not just me) have a lot of feelings about this.
The debate is hot (at least in the UK) over whether antisemitism is “another form of racism” or its own thing. I don’t have a horse in this race; I don’t know anything about Runnymede Trust, the org in question, but I agree that “encourag[ing] alliances between Jews and other victimized groups” is the way to go.
Harvard settles antisemitism lawsuits with promises to police anti-Zionist speech. I’m aware there’s no easy answer here but what a mess. See also the Harvard Crimson article about it, which emphasizes the involvement of the IHRA antisemitism definition, and Joshua Shanes (a professor of Jewish Studies there) talking about the IHRA and JDA definitions of antisemitism.
I’ve stumbled upon a couple relevant academic articles thanks to some relevant academics i’m bluesky friends with, neither of which I’ve managed to have time to read yet:
The Growing Rift between Holocaust Scholars over Israel/Palestine, by Shira Klein
I was going to link Defending Jews From The Definition of Antisemitism by Itamar Mann and Lihi Yona from the UCLA Law Review’s site, but it seems to have been taken down. It seems there is still a copy available elsewhere online but I’m not sure what happened.
Books and Language
27 Jewish Books We’re Excited About in 2025 from HeyAlma includes a food memoir that looks great, historical fiction about Trotsky, and multiple romances.
I’m trying a new thing here and embedding a public bluesky post:
If you want to make a catapult-thingy with a tail but you only know Old Yiddish, I’ve got the book for you! Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Cod.hebr. 235 https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/view/bsb00035014?page=42
— Sam Spinner (@samspinner.bsky.social) 2025-01-17T17:57:29.556Z
Qedushtaot Cycle for Yom Meturgeman (Translator’s Day)—I thought the explanation for this was an interesting musing and reframing.
Bookishly Jewish interviewed The Pomegranate Gate author Ariel Kaplan in advance of the release of the next book in the series (which I am so excited for, btw, The Pomegranate Gate was great).
It’s that time of year again: the 74th National Jewish Book Awards Winners have been announced!
In Art Spiegelman Won’t Shrink Back From Controversy, David D’Arcy discusses (among other things) Spiegelman’s plans to write a book about Gaza with Joe Sacco. Won’t that be interesting.
Miscellaneous
R’ Danya Ruttenberg had a post with many excellent photos about tattoos and Jews.
Brayndl the Zogerin from Mendele Moykhe Sforim’s “Di Klyatshe” is a nice little excerpt.
Der Tkhines Project, www.spontaneousprayer.com, is recruiting yiddish speakers of intermediate level and up and songwriters to join a Yiddish Tkhines Songwriting Cohort!
Neo-hasidic Gashmius magazine has put out a call for submissions on the theme of bodies for their volume 4. I bet they’d love some trans-ass neohasidus written by one (or more) of you. :)
Events and Classes
Svara is having an online event series of conversations covering the history and future of the rabbinate and of jewish leadership, weekly from 1/26 through 2/9.
Hebrew College has some online classes for the public starting in February, including LBGTQ+ Jews in Film and Television and A (Neo) Hasidic Take on Practical Spirituality.
Ashir shirah: Singing Kabbalat Shabbat and Reading Torah in Moroccan Nusach, from Laura Elkeslassy and Let My People Sing, is a multiweek class from 2/7-6/6
From 2/9-3/9, Olivia Devorah Tucker is teaching Clothed in Holiness: An In-Depth Exploration of the In-Dwelling Presence
Hadar Cohen is teaching a four session Arab Jews: Culture & Politics course in March and April.
1/27 Religion and Just Peace: in which Shaul Magid talks about Aaron Shmuel Tamares’ pacifism
1/29 Rosh Chodesh Shvat
2/2 Yiddish Sing-Along with Cindy Paley from the Workers’ Circle
2/6 Yidish in ale lender: Yiddish around the World, with Christa P. Whitney
2/13 Tu Bishvat
2/20 Seeking the Hiding God conversation at Oxford Interfaith Forum (book link)
Pet of the Month
Today’s Pet of the Month is my very own Jambalaya! She’s been pet of the month before but sometimes you gotta give extra love to your little local sweetheart.
If you’ve got a pet you want featured, let me know! Send me a photo and the pet’s name and I’ll be happy to put them in next month.
Until next time,
<3
Meli