Archive
Too often, Israeli Apartheid Week degenerates into an argument over its own name.
It’s all rhetoric. If you believe that the situation in Israel and the Occupied Territories today is analogous to apartheid, so be it. And if you believe that it’s a poor analogy, that’s fine too. Either way, it’s all rhetoric. And either way, choosing your place within the intense campus debate (by which we mean shouting match) about Israel-Palestine based solely upon your beliefs about the use of a single word is irresponsible, simplistic and narrow-minded. No real debate can come from wordplay.
How do you tell the Purim story to kids? [Forward] Jewish tales often feature a lot of (ahem) adult content. The Torah/Tanakh is ripe with plenty of sex, violence, prejudice, and more. Sometimes the Torah warns us about the dangers of these things. Other times, like in the story of the Megillah, violence in particular […]
Yeah, remember when I said Occupy AIPAC was going to be across the street from AIPAC Policy Conference? Well…they crossed the street. Liza Behrendt, a recent graduate of Brandeis University and a current member of the Avodah service corps in New York, interrupted a session with the help of CODEPINK organizer Alli McCracken, shouting that she […]
The first reaction I had upon reading that students were repaying their loans late at higher rates than ever was cynical, and entirely justified. To all the banks losing money because college students haven’t paid their loans back: are you really surprised? Most top colleges in this country cost upwards of $50,000. That’s more than a good […]
Suspended by Skin Color? [NY Times] New data from the Department of Education has shown that although African Americans comprise less than a fourth of the nation’s public school systems, their share of suspensions and other disciplinary action is disproportionately high, suggesting that they may face harsher disciplinary action in school. “Education is the civil […]
Legendary fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg’s mother was in Auschwitz 18 months before she was born. Born Diane Simone Michelle Halfin on December 31, 1946 in Belgium, her parents, Leon and Liliane Halfin, were both Jewish. Her mother’s greatest gift to her was the conviction that “fear is not an option,” Von Furstenberg said at an United […]
I can’t figure out how to embed the podcast, though that would have been ideal: In this week’s podcast, host Josh Nathan-Kazis [a former editor of New Voices] talks with Forward Washington correspondent Nathan Guttman about the odd collection of groups that make up the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Then, with […]
Two op-eds caught my eye over the weekend. They got me wondering where the middle ground is between belligerently attacking anti-Israel sentiments and ignoring them while spewing lovely factoids about Israel. In one op-ed, the founders of the David Project take issue with their organization’s new direction, arguing — as summed up in the headline […]
Today’s Required Reading shared a story about a set of atheist billboards directed at two cities with heavy Muslim and Jewish populations. Each print the name of God in Arabic and Hebrew. The billboards are sponsored by a group called American Atheists. Using the name of God to describe religious narratives as “myths” is (surprise, […]
One-part comedy routine, one-part slam poetry and all Palestinian advocacy. This is the recipe for Remi Kanazi, a Palestinian activist and poet who spoke at American University Students for Justice in Palestine’s final event for Israel Apartheid Week on March 2. “I think I’m funny but I’m not, so bear with me,” Kanazi said. “The […]