There’s a lot of joy and sorrow and complicated emotions happening this December/pre-Tevet/Chanukah season. Sending love.

Jewish Calendar

We’ve got a few more days of Chanukah left wahoo! Do you need to see a menorah made out of T bottles, or a fancy rainbow electric one? Sadly both are sold out…but I love to window shop, and maybe you do too. The story of chanukah is the oil and also the military victory—depends on the beholder I guess. I appreciated learning from Shaul Magid’s Publicizing the Miracle or Publicizing Miracle?, and Miriam Anzovin’s 8 Unhinged Depictions of Judith and Holofernes in Art History. For fiction, Welcome to Night Vale had a chanukah episode! (i don’t listen to podcasts so I didn’t listen but it looks very cool). And for whimsy, check out this lovely chanukah shark embroidery a loved one sent to me.

There’s also a new song from friend of the newsletter Olivia Devorah called Judith’s in your Tent! Video (bottom of the page, but check out other seasonal songs on your way to it), lyrics (includes links to some additional recordings).

I have gotten a lot of renewed mental and emotional energy from lighting the chanukah candles with people this year, either in person (nights 1 and 5) or over video chat (nights 2 and 4). Hopefully you have been having a good time lighting the candles as well, by yourself, with family, or with others.

For that less jewish holiday also coming up (not goyishe rosh hashana, the other one), check out oy ikh vil nit keyn sakh af nitl (yiddish “all i want for xmas is you”).

Israel/Palestine, Antisemitism, and/or Antifascism

A group of Yidishistn Mit Palestine translated The Palestinian Call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions into yiddish.

The Time The FBI Tried To Get Meir Kahane's Jewish Fascists To Murder Black Panthers lol wtf. I am not sure fascist is quite the word for Kahane and his JDL (and i say this while also disapproving entirely of both the JDL and fascists) but what a story.

These tangles of American right-wing institutions continue today: see Mari Cohen and Alex Kane for Jewish Currents, The ADL Tried to Appease MAGA. The FBI Cut Ties with Them Anyway (and Top ADL Civil Rights Law Leader Quits, Accusing Group of Being 'Useful Idiot' for Trump; I’m surprised he stuck it out so long). Also Ben Lorber and Jess Schwalb’s The Zionist Right Has a MAGA Problem; see also Antisemitism tensions rise as NYC Young Republicans host the far-right and David M Perry’s The pro-Hitler problem with the American right. For individual jewish right wing misbehavior, Inside Stephen Miller’s Dark Plot to Build a MAGA Terror State (Full disclosure, I have not yet read most of these links past the headline. it’s been a rough news week, okay?)

Casual antisemitism is alarmingly happening, more to visibly jewish folks (like Orthodox people) than the rest of us, though none of us are truly safe from it. I’m working on an essay (possibly in the form of a zine) about antisemitism and anti-jewish structural oppression; stay tuned and feel free to express interest if you’d like to read or publish such a thing. Positive feedback would encourage me to work on and actually finish it.

When Power Confuses Equity for a Threat, from Rabbi Sandra Lawson.

And for some antifascism / hope, Solidarity Stitches Us Together: Rebecca Solnit on the confluence of World AIDS Day and the 70th Anniversary of Rosa Parks's Historic Protest.

Baruch Dayan haEmet

On the first night of hanukah, there was a shooting at a chanukah party on a beach in Australia. At least 15 have died, including a rabbi, and some reports say up to 40 were injured. I feel terrible and don’t know what to say. Wisdom comes from Rabbi Sharon Brous and understandable frustration from Em Hilton at the politicization of the horror.

Other Jewish losses recently include Tom Stoppard and Rob Reiner, as well as Sion Assidon.

Books and Language

Gashmius, the neohasidic online magazine, is accepting submissions on the theme of prayer anytime before 2/2.

This Morning Blessings Zine from Letter and Spirit press, originally created for a Jewish education program at Riker's Island, looks great!

One poem by Eliezer Shteynbarg, translated by Mo Martin. “This piece represents my effort to bring together Jewish resistance to Zionism and experimental translation.”

Check out this Map of Jew­ish Libraries!

Coal of Fire: Translations of the Hebrew Bible and other writings by Atkinson Davenport looks fascinating—I believe it takes the story of Ruth and Naomi and interprets it poetically.

Miscellaneous

The Jewish Diaspora Movement: “As young people break with established Jewish organizations over Gaza, a new kind of Judaism is flourishing.” by Shane Burley

“Flowers for Our People […] reimagines iconic figures from Jewish texts through the lens of LGBTQ+ Jews of Color, weaving together ancient stories and contemporary expressions of identity to affirm the timeless presence of LGBTQ+ Jews of Color within the Jewish community.”

Henry Louis Gates Jr is doing a series on Black and Jewish communities in the US some time in 2026. I’m sure it will be interesting; I wonder how historical vs present it will be, and how explicit it will be about Israel’s actions causing some rifts in the recent past.

Rediscovering a History of Jewish Anarchism: [a] Handcrafted transcript, including presentation slides and images, of an information-rich March 2025 online event hosted by Firestorm Books exploring Joseph Cohen's monumental history of Jewish anarchism in America.

Diva Nigun’s store cracks me up, including the gay enough for rabbinical school stickers; see also Gay Rabbis are Good, Actually and Torah study provides rare, revelatory glimpse into the Jewish wisdom tradition, offering insight and concern

Yudi and the 50 Gates is a new project from Miriam Jayne, formerly of Throwing Sheyd: “a song called “The Monster”about golems and anxiety and what keeps us safe and it rocks pretty hard.”

Check out this article in Lilith Magazine by G. Samantha Rosenthal about progressive Jews in Appalachia after 10/7.

Orthodox Judaism is making space for women’s religious leadership – even without traditional ordination

Classes and Events

So many classes this time! Some of them are listed before the events list, some within. There’s mini-courses from Judaism Unbound including Queering Kedusha (Holiness) through Jewish Craftways, Hasidism and Neo-Hasidism, and The Torah of Kink! There’s also a couple interesting intensive courses in the Torah Studio starting in January: The Sacred Temporary: Talmud Skill-Building in English and Parshanut: Intro to Commentary.

The Boston Workers Circle has a class in January titled Bread and Roses: How Jewish Women Shaped Early 20th Century Activism. The (non-Boston) Workers Circle will be running Yiddish, Race, and Antiracism: A Five-Session Course with Anthony Russell. For a more intense jewish antiracism experience, check out Kirva’s Dismantling Racism from the Inside Out!

In the Shadows: Uncovering Anonymous Possibility and Rabbinic Black Bloc, a Shel Maala class this Jan-Feb taught by my in-person talmud teacher Tzali! The American Council for Judaism will be running Terms of Service: An Exploration of Covenant and Jewish Collectivity (with Shel Maala) and Judaism in Times of Fascism: An Eight Week Course on Theory and Practice, too.

Are you Jewish and “a current, lapsed, or aspiring farmer”? If so, check out Jewish Farmer Network’s Torah of Farming course!

Events!

12/20-12/25 Yiddish New York, which includes virtual versions of many sessions

12/21 TransHallel Tevet

12/21 Modern Jewish Worldmaking Through Yiddish Children’s Literature, a book talk with Miriam Udel

12/21 Kwanzakkah 5786/2025 Celebration Registration from Black Jewish Liberation Collective (I believe this is primarily for Black Jews)

12/22 Jews, Money, and 2025 Session 3: Putting the World Back Together (JLF event; check out recordings of sessions 1 and 2 on their youtube)

12/22-1/5 Terms of Service: An Exploration of Covenant and Jewish Collectivity

12/23 Christmas in Yiddish Tradition

12/25 LIDER MIT PALESTINE Concert (hybrid)

1/15-1/29 Radical Jewish Reading Circle: Rosa Luxemburg with New Lehrhaus

1/15-1/20 Intro to Mussar with Kirva

1/19-2/2 Vanity of Vanities: Meaningless from Ecclesiastes to Today

1/25 Gather and Grow at Home Virtual Chevra Kadisha Conference

Pet of the Month

The Jewish Pet of the Month is Bridget, who loves her dreidel toy!

With love,

Meli