Archive
When I first told my friends that I had committed to Brandeis University for college and that I was planning on joining Hillel, the first response was that I would be kicked out without preamble. It has been one full year, and I am still here, leading Kabalat Shabbat using the very same melodies I […]
The Penguin, starring Colin Ferrel, Cristin Millioti, and Rhenzy Feliz, released its first episode this week to much praise. A televised sequel/spinoff of Matt Reeves’ 2023 film, The Batman, it plans to show viewers Oswald Cobb’s rise to power in the criminal underworld following the death of Carmine Falcone, aka The Roman. The 8-episode series […]
As the Fall semester sets in across the country and 8 PM sunsets begin to fade away, there is something on the mind of many college students – what clubs do I join? From the many pre-professional business frats to the local community advocacy groups, there are an overabundance of options for students wanting to […]
This weekend I had the pleasure of watching the recent film ‘Kneecap’ starring the titular Belfast-based rap trio, Kneecap. With their tracksuits and Beastie Boys-esque beats, one might have approached the film expecting a boyish romp through Belfast or perhaps a simple coming of age flick told through Irish language music. However Kneecap are anything […]
Five years ago, after publishing my first big piece, I received an email. How dare you? You’ll be hearing from my lawyers. Or something along these lines. I’d written a basic coverage piece about a local high school party, where red solo cups had been arranged to look like swastikas in a game […]
“With all the languages you learn, Akiva,” he told me, “you can’t let yourself forget your mother tongue.”
The role of the Jewish artist, as Sasha Jonah Lazer once wrote, is to make diaspora irresistible. Onward. I wouldn’t come to know entirely what this meant until my junior year of college when I enrolled in a Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) language course at Penn, my home institution. I had already grown my fervor for […]
I. Looking “The right to look is not about merely seeing. It begins at a personal level with the look into someone else’s eyes to express friendship, solidarity, or love. That look must be mutual, each inventing the other, or it fails.” – Nicholas Mirzoeff, “The Right to Look” Growing up, I hated davening. The […]
This essay is part of Gufim: Our Jewish Bodies, a 2024 series by New Voices writers that explores embodiment, physicality, and our relationships to our bodies through a Jewish lens. Gufim focuses on disability & chronic illness, eating disorders and body liberation, queer/trans experiences, race/racism, and more. Our writers explore these issues through writing, art, […]
As long as I remember, I have maintained a belief in the Evil Eye. To me, this boils down to the simple idea that the way you speak, whether about yourself, other people, or future events, can have an effect on what comes to pass. In addition to this, I believe in the power of […]