Jewish Currents https://jewishcurrents.org/ Breaking news, analysis, art, and culture from a progressive Jewish perspective. Sign up for our newsletter! en-us Fri, 17 May 2024 16:49:43 -0400 Fri, 17 May 2024 16:49:43 -0400 After More Than 100 Arms Shipments to Israel, Biden Withholds One - Experts say the administration’s attempt to “send a message” to Israel falls flat as it skirts legal requirements to cut off arms transfers. https://jewishcurrents.org/after-more-than-100-arms-shipments-to-israel-biden-withholds-one Thu, 16 May 2024 14:51:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/after-more-than-100-arms-shipments-to-israel-biden-withholds-one Alex Kane The Right’s Anti-Israel Insurgents - A burgeoning anti-Zionist strain in the America First movement looks to capitalize on popular disaffection over Palestine for its own ends. https://jewishcurrents.org/the-rights-anti-israel-insurgents Wed, 15 May 2024 15:40:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/the-rights-anti-israel-insurgents Ben Lorber Yiddish Anarchists' Break Over Palestine - An exchange in the anarchist newspaper <em>Di fraye arbeter shtime</em> after the 1929 Hebron massacre offers a case study in Jewish discourse and political reaction after immense violence. https://jewishcurrents.org/yiddish-anarchists-break-over-palestine-1929 Fri, 10 May 2024 14:04:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/yiddish-anarchists-break-over-palestine-1929 Eyshe Beirich The Anti-Union Lobby’s Newest Weapon - Now armed with cynical antisemitism allegations, the corporate-backed effort to destroy unions is ramping up. https://jewishcurrents.org/the-anti-union-lobbys-newest-weapon-foxx-israel-palestine Fri, 10 May 2024 14:00:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/the-anti-union-lobbys-newest-weapon-foxx-israel-palestine Jeff Schuhrke Reviving the Language of Empire - Aziz Rana on revisiting the anti-imperialism of the 1960s and ’70s amid the return of left internationalism. https://jewishcurrents.org/reviving-the-language-of-empire Thu, 09 May 2024 13:03:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/reviving-the-language-of-empire Nora Caplan-Bricker Who Has the Right to “Disrupt” the University? - The very administrators now cracking down on student protests’ “disruptiveness” have been dismantling higher education for decades. https://jewishcurrents.org/who-has-the-right-to-disrupt-the-university Fri, 03 May 2024 11:16:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/who-has-the-right-to-disrupt-the-university Dennis M. Hogan Campus in Crisis - https://jewishcurrents.org/campus-in-crisis Fri, 03 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/campus-in-crisis Eli Valley Anatomy of a Moral Panic - The repressive machine currently arrayed against campus protests follows a familiar pattern. https://jewishcurrents.org/anatomy-of-a-moral-panic Thu, 02 May 2024 16:24:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/anatomy-of-a-moral-panic Adam Haber and Matylda Figlerowicz How Much Must We Sacrifice for Justice? - An investigation through Jewish text, in the wake of Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation for Gaza https://jewishcurrents.org/sacrifice-chevruta Fri, 26 Apr 2024 09:30:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/sacrifice-chevruta Lexie Botzum Weird Passover - https://jewishcurrents.org/weird-passover Fri, 19 Apr 2024 11:56:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/weird-passover Hal Schrieve Co-Resistance at a Crossroads - As anti-Palestinian violence in the West Bank reaches new heights, a beleaguered movement gathers to reflect. https://jewishcurrents.org/co-resistance-at-a-crossroads-masafer-yatta-west-bank-resistance Tue, 16 Apr 2024 17:00:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/co-resistance-at-a-crossroads-masafer-yatta-west-bank-resistance Maya Rosen Weeping for Babylon - Avi Shlaim discusses the factors behind the exodus of Iraqi Jews and how the concept of the “Arab-Jew” can chart an alternative future. https://jewishcurrents.org/weeping-for-babylon Mon, 15 Apr 2024 12:48:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/weeping-for-babylon Zvi Ben-Dor Benite “Nothing Is Immutable” - Literary scholar Saree Makdisi discusses Zionism’s structures of denial, imperial racial logics, and the horizon of coexistence. https://jewishcurrents.org/nothing-is-immutable Fri, 12 Apr 2024 15:29:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/nothing-is-immutable Claire Schwartz Weaponization and Denial - Since October 7th, Israel’s use of evidentiary claims as justification for its devastation of Gaza has fed a countervailing strain of untruth. https://jewishcurrents.org/weaponization-and-denial Wed, 10 Apr 2024 11:36:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/weaponization-and-denial Linda Kinstler Chuck Schumer and Democrats’ New Line on “Netanyahu’s War” - The majority leader’s recent speech exemplifies his party’s effort to isolate Netanyahu and pacify voters without changing policy. https://jewishcurrents.org/schumer-speech-netanyahu-war-democrats-israel Tue, 26 Mar 2024 16:00:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/schumer-speech-netanyahu-war-democrats-israel Alex Kane Facing Amalek - Reading the biblical injunction to genocide amid a genocide https://jewishcurrents.org/facing-amalek Fri, 22 Mar 2024 11:03:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/facing-amalek Maya Rosen Between Exclusion and Exploitation - Israel’s far right wants to permanently replace Palestinian workers, but employing them has become key to maintaining the occupation. https://jewishcurrents.org/palestinian-workers-israel-far-right Wed, 20 Mar 2024 16:30:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/palestinian-workers-israel-far-right Jonathan Shamir The Suppressed Lineage of American Jewish Dissent on Zionism - In his recent book <em>Our Palestine Question</em>, historian Geoffrey Levin uncovers the long history of American Jewish concern for Palestinian rights. https://jewishcurrents.org/the-suppressed-lineage-of-american-jewish-dissent-on-zionism Wed, 13 Mar 2024 12:37:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/the-suppressed-lineage-of-american-jewish-dissent-on-zionism Emma Saltzberg Israeli Aid Policies Drive Starvation - US initiatives to airdrop and ship aid to Gaza are logistical workarounds to a political problem. https://jewishcurrents.org/israel-policy-starvation-gaza-aid Tue, 12 Mar 2024 17:30:00 -0400 https://jewishcurrents.org/israel-policy-starvation-gaza-aid Elisheva Goldberg and Maya Rosen “A Counterrevolution Always Comes” - Vincent Bevins on the lessons that the global mass protests of the 2010s hold for our moment. https://jewishcurrents.org/vincent-bevins-if-we-burn-mass-protests-2010s Wed, 06 Mar 2024 11:50:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/vincent-bevins-if-we-burn-mass-protests-2010s Alex Press Understanding Biden’s Settler Sanctions Strategy - The administration’s sanctions on Israeli settlers are an attempt to mollify its disillusioned base without confronting the Israeli government. https://jewishcurrents.org/understanding-bidens-settler-sanctions-strategy Tue, 05 Mar 2024 17:00:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/understanding-bidens-settler-sanctions-strategy Alex Kane Maqam for a Green Silence - "Al-Khidr’s only condition for the prophet to join him on his journey was Moses’ unconditional silence. Moses said he was up for it, and the saint said, 'You won’t be able to bear it.'" https://jewishcurrents.org/maqam-for-a-green-silence Fri, 01 Mar 2024 16:21:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/maqam-for-a-green-silence Fady Joudah Pro-Palestine Politics Hit a Wall in Keir Starmer’s Labour Party - The leadership of the UK’s main opposition party has managed to contain internal dissent over Israel’s war on Gaza. https://jewishcurrents.org/pro-palestine-politics-hit-a-wall-in-keir-starmers-labour-party Tue, 27 Feb 2024 15:35:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/pro-palestine-politics-hit-a-wall-in-keir-starmers-labour-party Dahlia Krutkovich and Jonathan Shamir Put Up, Take Down - A hostage poster diary comic https://jewishcurrents.org/put-up-take-down Mon, 26 Feb 2024 09:00:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/put-up-take-down Solomon Brager “The Scenes in Rafah Are Straight From a Nightmare” - Three displaced Palestinians describe unlivable conditions in a city bracing for imminent Israeli invasion. https://jewishcurrents.org/the-scenes-in-rafah-are-straight-from-a-nightmare Tue, 20 Feb 2024 13:01:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/the-scenes-in-rafah-are-straight-from-a-nightmare Zak Hania, Ahmed Totah, and Sameera Wafi Israel's Crackdown on Hebron - Intensified restrictions on Palestinian life in the West Bank city, introduced after October 7th, could become permanent and even spread elsewhere. https://jewishcurrents.org/israels-crackdown-on-hebron Tue, 13 Feb 2024 15:45:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/israels-crackdown-on-hebron Maya Rosen The Campaign to Abolish UNRWA - The recent defunding of the aid agency is part of a longstanding effort to extinguish Palestinian refugees’ dreams of return. https://jewishcurrents.org/the-campaign-to-abolish-unrwa Tue, 13 Feb 2024 14:28:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/the-campaign-to-abolish-unrwa Peter Beinart J Street’s Pro-War Stance Prompts Staff Departures - The liberal Zionist lobbying group’s support for Israel’s assault on Gaza has sparked staff dissent and alienated onetime allies. https://jewishcurrents.org/j-streets-pro-war-stance-prompts-staff-departures Fri, 09 Feb 2024 17:44:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/j-streets-pro-war-stance-prompts-staff-departures Mari Cohen What the Israeli Public Doesn’t See - In largely ignoring the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the Israeli media both shapes and reflects public opinion. https://jewishcurrents.org/what-the-israeli-public-doesnt-see Wed, 07 Feb 2024 15:38:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/what-the-israeli-public-doesnt-see Elisheva Goldberg An Israeli “Buffer Zone” Could Shape Gaza’s Post-War Reality - By creating a militarized border area inside Gaza, Israel has started shrinking the Palestinian territory while opening the door for future Jewish settlements. https://jewishcurrents.org/an-israeli-buffer-zone-could-shape-gazas-post-war-reality Tue, 06 Feb 2024 17:30:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/an-israeli-buffer-zone-could-shape-gazas-post-war-reality Alex Kane What the UAW Ceded in Endorsing Biden - Union leaders have not only betrayed their ceasefire call, but also backtracked on their fight to redefine the labor movement as a truly political force. https://jewishcurrents.org/what-the-uaw-ceded-in-endorsing-biden Fri, 02 Feb 2024 11:00:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/what-the-uaw-ceded-in-endorsing-biden Aparna Gopalan “You Cannot Study Israel Without Palestine” - A conversation with the editors of the new academic journal <em>Palestine/Israel Review</em>, which advocates a “relational approach” to studying the region’s intertwined histories. https://jewishcurrents.org/you-cannot-study-israel-without-palestine Wed, 31 Jan 2024 18:18:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/you-cannot-study-israel-without-palestine Mari Cohen “Even as We Are Trying to Help, We Are Being Attacked” - Three humanitarian workers in Gaza describe the challenges of providing aid while struggling to survive. https://jewishcurrents.org/humanitarian-aid-workers-gaza-dispatches Tue, 23 Jan 2024 16:06:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/humanitarian-aid-workers-gaza-dispatches Jameel, Juliette Touma, and Mohammed Al Khatib The “Postcolonial” Colonization of Kashmir - In a new book, historian Hafsa Kanjwal charts India’s decades-long consolidation of power in the occupied region. https://jewishcurrents.org/the-postcolonial-colonization-of-kashmir Mon, 22 Jan 2024 11:00:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/the-postcolonial-colonization-of-kashmir Deeksha Udupa Regional War: An Explainer - Answers to common questions about the broadening war in the Middle East. https://jewishcurrents.org/regional-war-an-explainer Wed, 17 Jan 2024 16:00:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/regional-war-an-explainer Alex Kane and Jonathan Shamir The Work of the Witness - Three months into a livestreamed genocide, we must ask—what does all this looking do? https://jewishcurrents.org/the-work-of-the-witness Fri, 12 Jan 2024 08:30:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/the-work-of-the-witness Sarah Aziza Israel's Defense - https://jewishcurrents.org/israels-defense Wed, 10 Jan 2024 12:08:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/israels-defense Eli Valley “Not a Day Goes by Where I Don’t Think About Leaving” - Two Biden administration staffers describe growing internal dissent over the US’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. https://jewishcurrents.org/biden-staffers-describe-growing-dissent-over-gaza Tue, 09 Jan 2024 15:00:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/biden-staffers-describe-growing-dissent-over-gaza Alex Kane The Epidemiological War on Gaza - Disease is poised to become an even deadlier second front in Israel’s assault on the besieged Strip. https://jewishcurrents.org/epidemiological-war-on-gaza Fri, 05 Jan 2024 14:12:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/epidemiological-war-on-gaza Maya Rosen Top Executive Leaves ADL Over CEO’s Praise of Elon Musk - Yaël Eisenstat’s departure is the most prominent instance of post-October 7th dissent within the organization. https://jewishcurrents.org/top-executive-leaves-adl-over-ceos-praise-of-elon-musk Wed, 03 Jan 2024 13:56:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/top-executive-leaves-adl-over-ceos-praise-of-elon-musk Mari Cohen and Alex Kane “A Day in the Life of Abed Salama” After October 7th - Nathan Thrall on his new book and the escalating repression of pro-Palestine speech. https://jewishcurrents.org/a-day-in-the-life-of-abed-salama-after-october-7th Tue, 19 Dec 2023 15:00:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/a-day-in-the-life-of-abed-salama-after-october-7th Mari Cohen Democrats Slam Lack of Congressional Oversight on Israel Arms Sale - Despite its stated concern about the civilian toll in Gaza, the Biden administration is using emergency powers to expedite weapons transfers to Israel. https://jewishcurrents.org/democrats-slam-lack-of-congressional-oversight-on-israel-arms-sale Thu, 14 Dec 2023 13:30:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/democrats-slam-lack-of-congressional-oversight-on-israel-arms-sale Alex Kane Israel’s “Humanitarian” Expulsion - The Israeli right is capitalizing on the aftermath of October 7th to build support for a permanent transfer of Palestinians out of Gaza. https://jewishcurrents.org/israels-humanitarian-expulsion Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:30:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/israels-humanitarian-expulsion Jonathan Shamir The Luminous Dark - How can we understand Hanukkah in a way that rejects colonial conceptions of light and dark? https://jewishcurrents.org/the-luminous-dark Tue, 12 Dec 2023 15:50:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/the-luminous-dark Lexie Botzum Harvard Is Ignoring Its Own Antisemitism Experts - The university’s new advisory group on antisemitism elevates political concerns over academic integrity. https://jewishcurrents.org/harvard-is-ignoring-its-own-antisemitism-experts Mon, 11 Dec 2023 13:28:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/harvard-is-ignoring-its-own-antisemitism-experts Peter Beinart Progressive Zionists Choose a Side - In attending the November 14th March for Israel and refusing to call for a ceasefire, many progressive Jewish groups have cast their lot with the Jewish mainstream. https://jewishcurrents.org/progressive-zionists-choose-a-side Fri, 08 Dec 2023 15:04:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/progressive-zionists-choose-a-side Mari Cohen Building the Case for US Complicity - Despite stacked odds, Palestine advocates are pursuing legal avenues to charge American officials with aiding and abetting Israeli war crimes. https://jewishcurrents.org/us-complicity-israeli-war-crimes Tue, 05 Dec 2023 16:30:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/us-complicity-israeli-war-crimes Alex Kane ADL Heaven - https://jewishcurrents.org/adl-heaven Fri, 01 Dec 2023 12:04:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/adl-heaven Eli Valley The Abolitionist Logic of “Everyone for Everyone” - A call from the families of hostages contains the seed of true safety. https://jewishcurrents.org/the-abolitionist-logic-of-everyone-for-everyone Fri, 01 Dec 2023 11:01:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/the-abolitionist-logic-of-everyone-for-everyone Dan Berger “Never Again” After October 7th - Scholars of the Holocaust discuss the mobilization of Jewish memory in the wake of Hamas’s attacks and Israel’s war on Gaza. https://jewishcurrents.org/never-again-after-october-7th Wed, 29 Nov 2023 17:26:00 -0500 https://jewishcurrents.org/never-again-after-october-7th Linda Kinstler