What it is, what it isn’t, and where it shows up.
For 3600 years, being Jewish at its core meant being accepted by a Jewish community. Not descent from a special family. Not lip service to a particular dogma. When Jewish society existed in Israel, many immigrants from Africa, Asia, and even Europe were accepted as full citizens. When Jewish society was forced to reconstitute in … Read more
The fact that there is extremely legitimate basis for very valid and trenchant criticism of the policies of the state of Israel and its institutions, does not in any way make the dubious framing of violence against Jewish people in the diaspora as understandably (!) reactive to those policies any less morally bankrupt. Hell it … Read more
I am not persuaded that Israeli soldiers are Nazis. There is so much that separates your average soldier from an actual Nazi, just as there is so much that differentiates the Israeli state’s pointless military occupation of the West Bank and patchwork of anti-Palestinian policies, from the mobilization of an entire civilization for the express … Read more
Chabad is a diverse, complex, and trans-dimensional organization. I have personally had great experiences with Chabad rabbis and families. I greatly respect their community building and social work, and I find their Torah to be very thought-provoking, even when I disagree with specific claims they may make or conclusions they may reach. (For example, the … Read more
As MAGA slowly embraces its antisemitic roots, will they lose the Jewish Republican vote? (Relatedly, is “Latinos for Trump” still a thing?) “Although the fortunes of many have been wiped out, although their professions have been taken away from them, and although they live in a state of rigid suspense and fear of the moment … Read more
After I called out Grok for relying on “X sentiment” of Mamdani critics and anti-Mamdani propaganda, and asked for a “facts and figures” based approach to answering the question “Based on all known statistics and trends, is antisemitic vandalism, harassment, and violence – justified as anti-Zionism – likely to increase, decrease, or stay the same … Read more
“My dearly beloved fellow New Yorkers, It’s an honor and privilege to not only be one of you but to fight for this opportunity to represent and lead you – all of you. New York is a city that is strong because of its diversity, not just in terms of of culture – although we’ve … Read more
Thoughts on the current situation, on this evening after the departure of Shabbath: This is a dangerous time to be a Zionist. On the one hand, Nazi- and Soviet-era anti-Zionism is alive and infecting both the modern Islamic world and Leftist movements worldwide. Propagandists have successfully equated Zionism and genocide in the minds of millions … Read more
On October 7th, 2023, the Hamas military invaded southern Israel. For an entire day, they systematically murdered every Jewish person they found. Their stated goal was to join with Hezbollah forces scheduled to invade northern Israel on the same day, and together with militant cells in the West Bank successfully wipe out millions of Jewish … Read more
The racing of Jewish people as “white” has a lot to do with developments in American racial politics over the course of the 20th century and little to do with contemporary or historical Jewish people. In actuality, Jewish people are of West Asian descent and have since absorbed the genes of other human communities on … Read more