Yitro
For some reason over 100 people are signed up to read this! I am so thrilled, and a little nervous about doing it right, now that I actually have an audience. Not that this has stopped me from flying by the seat of my pants.
Today we have a parsha named after a pretty cool dude: Moses’s father-in-law. Yitro teaches Moses to delegate. Be like Yitro. Rabbi Jeremy Markiz writes about Yitro and burnout recovery in a free post from his newsletter. Not sure I agree with his definition of self-care but as a piece of his argument, it works.
Fun fact shabbat is anticapitalist.
Happy Bandcamp Friday! Brivele has a new album out, and another delightful socially distanced music video:
Apparently there’s something called the Great Jewish Craft Off which has potential to be pretty cute. The contestants have made some pretty cool stuff! Brought to us by the Moishe House folks, I believe.
An obnoxious person did a really bad thread blaming Jews for antisemitism, and namedropped the Frankfurt School as part of it. Former Jeopardy contestant Arthur Chu does a decent explainer thread (including screenshots of Bad Dude’s tweets). CW Nazis and how being oppressed by them can radicalize people but like, in the good direction.
I have not yet read this article comparing Donald Trump to Sabbatai Tzvi, but it looks interesting.
Speaking of reactions to nazis, real and fictional, I deeply love all comparisons of Mandalore to Judaism. It’s a creed you can be born or adopted into and both are equally valid; strong community vibes; recent attempted genocide by (space) nazis and its resulting problems; zeh haderech/this is the way.
Purim is coming up 2/25-2/26. Enjoy a megillah reading from Megillah Across Brooklyn, Kol Tzedek, JOFA (Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, who also has a really good learn-to-read-megillah app), and probably many many others. Or go to a virtual party! Or send people a care package! Or make triangle cookies! Lots of options.
Passover planning has already started for some people far more on top of things than I am. Escape the Plagues, a family-oriented social justice passover puzzle game, launches 3/1, for instance, and also:
It is still February, aka Black History Month. Read something by a Black Jew today, and maybe attend this event on 2/24.
February is apparently also jewish disability advocacy month. The events organized by the Federations seem (unsurprisingly) mostly from a liberal viewpoint and aimed at nondisabled jews. Let me know if you see anything by and for disabled people!
Anyway, Events! Repro Shabbat! Abortion is important!
2/7 Jewish Belonging for Every Body: Weight Stigma & Mental Health by Rabbi Minna Bromberg, PhD, fresented by Fat Torah & Ruderman Synagogue Inclusion Project
2/7 Queer Nigun Project is doing a recording session for Jail Solidarity, the results of which will be shared with people incarcerated in NYC jails.
2/10 The author of that queer jewish maurice sendak book I mentioned last week has a book talk!
2/12 next Trans Hallel zoom!
2/12 next of Rabba Rona’s queer kabbalat shabbat services!
2/16 Protests, Panthers, and Politics: Rethinking Blackness in Israel from Brandeis. Zoom registration link
2/19 Urban Adamah and Wilderness Torah Kabbalat Shabbat, if you’re looking for “song, poetry, meditation, and prayer” to bring in Shabbat
2/21 Kehilla is putting on an event about Building Anti-Racist Jewish Community
2/22 ALEPH (the Alliance for Jewish Renewal) is having a webinar about the ecological roots of Pesach.
2/24 premiere broadcast of 'I am Jewish: Honouring Black Jewish Experiences'
PURIM is 2/25-2/26! See my list of Purim events above.
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 week is Eloise Judy Chetrit! I love her face. Perpetually startled cats are the best, y/y? She is an active adventurer during the week and rests on shabbat, as we all should. Her human Micha runs a Sefardi/Mizrachi havdalah service on zoom weekly and it is lovely.
<3
Meli