Judaism
Weekly Torah Commentary Perashat Vaera: What's In a Name?
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…The new name signifies a new mode of relationship…
art
"Art Is My Occupation": Rethinking the Role of Artists in the Movement
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As a member of the self-identified “slash profession” – writer/organizer/educator/whatever pays the rent that month – I have learned how to wear multiple hats. How to move between different worlds and code-switch my headgear to meet a particular place and community. Alright, I got this big event coming up tonight…should I wear the Kangol, the fitted, or the yarmulke? (Correct answer: all three.) Sometimes, though, it’s a struggle figuring out which slash to bring out in which situation. Take Occupy.
Politics & Society
Whither Israel’s Social Justice Movement & Peace?
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Recent opinion polls consistently show a majority of Israelis optimistic about their lives and satisfied with the direction of the country, despite their massive support for last summer’s social protests.
Culture
Fractured Temples: Vodou Two Years After Haiti's Earthquake
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Those of us who recognize and respect Vodou’s complexity know we must defend it because the religion remains trapped in stereotypes making it extremely difficult to dispel geopolitically driven myths too entrenched in the spectacular.
General News
"Judenrat Jon" Stewart
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When Jon Stewart is called a “smug, self-loathing Jew” by a right-wing Jewish personality (who is often called upon by conservative pundits to wax political), it’s tempting to dismiss the comment as a disgusting tribal dig. When Jon Stewart is called a Judenrat who “would have been first on line to turn over his fellow Jews in Poland and Germany” by this same hawkish voice, it’s tempting – even though this voice has a visible platform – to just ignore the comment as the product of the Republican, FOX-inspired echo chamber. However, ignoring these comments wouldn’t just be dangerous, it would be to allow a growing brand of hatred coursing through America’s veins – produced on the fringes – to continue infecting our public discourse (and public opinion) on matters both foreign and domestic. It’s a hate-filled islamophobia that masquerades as patriotic, as anti-terrorism, as proudly American and Zionist (as though the two are synonymous). It’s a brand of hatred that the current GOP seeks, a hatred it feels it needs, a hatred it foments for perceived political gain at great cost to civil society.
General News
The Power of Thank You: A Final Reflection on "All American Muslim"
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Next Sunday is the last installment of “All American Muslim,” the reality television series on TLC that was the target of fringe, anti-Muslim hate rhetoric. Interfaith authors reflect on the show’s impact and extent their thanks to everyone involved in getting the show’s message out.
General News
There's Something They're Not Telling Us… President Signs Indefinite Detention Law
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What could possibly have caused even some of the most liberal and conservative of members of Congress to vote for such sweeping power, handed to whoever happens to be president, for as long as “the long war” (as the Pentagon supposedly calls it), continues?
General News
All The News That's Not So Fit To Ignore: A Hamas Leader Rejects Tactical Violence, Israeli Foreign Ministry Rejects Tactical Peace, Ultra-Orthodox Sect Rejects Israeli Ideals, And Mossad Chiefs Reject Idea Of An Iranian Nuclear Threat
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What could explain the cone of silence when Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal announced that Hamas had decided to switch tactics and accept peaceful means to end its struggle with Israel? Meshaal even accepted the idea of using the 1967 borders as the basis for a Palestinian state. Yet he was ignored and the offer was called unserious.
Christianity
From Many, One Nation: The Affirming Message of "All American Muslim"
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We are community leaders from the three Abrahamic faiths who don’t normally look to reality TV to teach lessons of faith and religious freedom. But TLC’s new show, All American Muslim, is doing just that. It’s also come under recent attack from Islamophobic extremists who seem to have forgotten the values on which this country was founded. Rather than tune out in protest, as Americans, it’s time to tune in. On an upcoming segment this Sunday, commemorating the 9/11 tragedy, the audience meets real-life first responder Mike, who speaks of the bond of loyalty he shares with his fellow first responders and his heartfelt sense of loss for those who heroically gave their lives on 9/11.
Culture
Hanukkah & History: the Dangers of Demonization
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Hanukkah provides a cautionary tale. Sixteen years after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, we should be warned against the dangers of fratricidal hatred, of demonizing our political foes, and of failing to understand the need at times for compromise and accommodation.