Jewish Currents
https://jewishcurrents.org/
Breaking news, analysis, art, and culture from a progressive Jewish perspective. Sign up for our newsletter!en-usFri, 19 Apr 2024 12:17:26 -0400Fri, 19 Apr 2024 12:17:26 -0400Weird Passover -
https://jewishcurrents.org/weird-passover
Fri, 19 Apr 2024 11:56:00 -0400https://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 -0400https://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 -0400https://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 -0400https://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 -0400https://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 -0400https://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 -0400https://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 -0400https://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 -0400https://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 -0400https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://jewishcurrents.org/the-work-of-the-witness Sarah Aziza Israel's Defense -
https://jewishcurrents.org/israels-defense
Wed, 10 Jan 2024 12:08:00 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://jewishcurrents.org/us-complicity-israeli-war-crimes Alex Kane ADL Heaven -
https://jewishcurrents.org/adl-heaven
Fri, 01 Dec 2023 12:04:00 -0500https://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 -0500https://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 -0500https://jewishcurrents.org/never-again-after-october-7th Linda Kinstler Amid a Settler Onslaught, Protective Presence Activism Falters - As settlers rampage, Israeli and international activists are struggling to leverage their relative privilege to protect Palestinians in the West Bank.
https://jewishcurrents.org/amid-a-settler-onslaught-protective-presence-activism-falters
Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:30:00 -0500https://jewishcurrents.org/amid-a-settler-onslaught-protective-presence-activism-falters Aman Abhishek Toward a Sober Assessment of Campus Antisemitism - In a moment when many American Jews are afraid—and their fear is being used to erode civil liberties—we must examine the incidents coming across our screens with calm.
https://jewishcurrents.org/toward-a-sober-assessment-of-campus-antisemitism
Tue, 28 Nov 2023 13:14:00 -0500https://jewishcurrents.org/toward-a-sober-assessment-of-campus-antisemitism Ben Lorber The Problem of the Unionized War Machine - Union workers in the US weapons industry present a paradox for anti-war labor activists, but a history of “conversion” campaigns offers a route through the impasse.
https://jewishcurrents.org/the-problem-of-the-unionized-war-machine
Wed, 22 Nov 2023 10:39:00 -0500https://jewishcurrents.org/the-problem-of-the-unionized-war-machine Jeff Schuhrke The Push to “Deactivate” Students for Justice in Palestine - Civil liberties experts say a law banning “material support for terrorism” is being used to quash pro-Palestine speech.
https://jewishcurrents.org/the-push-to-deactivate-students-for-justice-in-palestine-sjp
Tue, 21 Nov 2023 14:43:00 -0500https://jewishcurrents.org/the-push-to-deactivate-students-for-justice-in-palestine-sjp Alex Kane Hostages’ Families Fight to Be Heard - The families of those held in Gaza have faced violence and neglect in their quest to retrieve their loved ones.
https://jewishcurrents.org/hostages-families-fight-to-be-heard
Wed, 15 Nov 2023 19:16:00 -0500https://jewishcurrents.org/hostages-families-fight-to-be-heard Maya Rosen Israel’s War on Journalists - By casting reporters as Hamas accomplices, Israel seeks to discredit critical coverage—and to justify unprecedented violence against Palestinian journalists.
https://jewishcurrents.org/israels-war-on-journalists
Wed, 15 Nov 2023 14:25:00 -0500https://jewishcurrents.org/israels-war-on-journalists Jonathan Shamir Hayim Katsman’s Vision of Struggle - In a 2019 paper, a scholar and activist killed by Hamas on October 7th imagined a way forward for the Israeli left.
https://jewishcurrents.org/hayim-katsmans-vision-of-struggle
Tue, 14 Nov 2023 13:37:00 -0500https://jewishcurrents.org/hayim-katsmans-vision-of-struggle Hayim Katsman […] - "They did not mean to kill the children. / They meant to."
https://jewishcurrents.org/joudah
Fri, 10 Nov 2023 17:31:00 -0500https://jewishcurrents.org/joudah Fady Joudah Crisis at the 92nd Street Y - A recent controversy suggests the post-October 7th political landscape will pose existential challenges for Jewish institutions trying to maintain pro-Israel politics alongside a broad cultural mission.
https://jewishcurrents.org/crisis-at-the-92nd-street-y
Wed, 08 Nov 2023 17:43:00 -0500https://jewishcurrents.org/crisis-at-the-92nd-street-y Mari Cohen