The prophetic project of return — and what it must yet become.
Went down the rabbit hole today researching alllllll the links in the chain from the expulsion from Spain in 1492 to the establishment of the state of #Israel in 1948. I won’t go into all the details in this post – this needs to be a book – but here’s the upshot: This is not … Read more
Hot Take 🔥🔥🔥 The event that catalyzed the dawn of modernity in general, and of modern Zionism in particular, was the expulsion of the Jewish people from Spain in 1492.
Really enjoying this preliminary research situating the Arizal within the emergence of modern #Zionism and reading Lurianic kabbala as a Zionist project. Immigration, political organization, autarky, ecology – just a few of the relevant elements promoted in the Arizal’s teachings and activities.
I have my thoughts about the death penalty and they’re complicated and truthfully undecided, but just focusing on policy for a sec: I’m just saying… if the death penalty is too harsh for a citizen, it’s too harsh for a resident. Not only does discriminating between them in applying the death penalty further entrench the … Read more
The land needs the rain. I’m grateful for it. I’m also grateful to live in a safe, dry home, with a heater. And not in a tent on a rubble-strewn mudslide of a street running between the ruins of bombed-out stores and apartment buildings, struggling to keep the freezing wind and downpour away from my … Read more
Time for a New Deal for this country? – annexation (better sixty years late than never) – citizenship for all (regardless of ethnicity or religion) – education for all (no more UNRWA or unregulated schools) – national service for all (whether in the military or in public service projects and corps) – economic reform (massive … Read more
Zionism for Palestinians? I’ve been having great discussions with listeners to The Z Word ‘s first episode, my conversation with Palestinian author Mo Husseini . A central point of not conflict nor disagreement but, rather I would say, creative tension, between Mo and I was in the relevance of Zionism to Palestinians. Mo represented an … Read more
Who invented the Jews? Who invented the Palestinians? “Sand explained during a newspaper interview his reasons for writing the book: “I wrote the book for a double purpose. First, as an Israeli, to democratise the state; to make it a real republic. Second, I wrote the book against Jewish essentialism.” Sand explained in the same … Read more
Zion is mentioned 196 times in Isaiah. 64 times in Jeremiah. 130 times in the Twelve Prophets. 152 times in Tehillim. 441 times in the Talmuds (374 in the Zohar!) 98 times in the Ashkenazi liturgy. 228 times in the Mizrahi liturgy. Over 1400 times in the most popular collections of responsa literature. But yes, … Read more
The Z Word – open and honest conversations with Palestinians and Israelis about Zionism, the land, the conflict, and the hope for a shared future… These are going to be an amazing series of convos. Barukh Hashem, I have some great guests lined up.