Articles
Since October 7th,
Jewish communities around the world have been shocked by society’s response to the massacre by Hamas in Israel. Many are wondering how a great number of academics, politicians and activists can continue to defend, and even celebrate, Hamas? Since the massacre and kidnappings, my work as a writer has focused on the development of antisemitism in the modern era: how violence against Jews evolved from campaigns justified in the name of religion and divine punishment, to campaigns justified in the name of humanity and national liberation.
ANATOMY OF A MODERN ANTISEMITE
Read full article here: The Times of Israel Blog
“Far from being non-thinkers, many antisemites seem to think quite a bit, and quite well. I have read, studied under, and personally known many intellectuals who have absorbed a meaningful degree of antisemitism despite having clocked in thousands of hours staring at a wall in thought. I should know how deeply they think, as I have spent thousands of hours myself trying to unravel their curated condemnations of Jews. Except it’s less about staring at a wall for me and more about knocking my head against it. Indeed, the most maddening part of antisemitism today is how sophisticated it can be. “Why are intelligent people falling for Hamas?” has become the question of the year. A neo-Nazi screaming on the street may be terrifying, but a scholar who can rework Mein Kampf into a social science classic— that’s trauma.”
JEWISH WOMEN, ISRAEL & THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMUNITY
Read full article here: Man & Culture Magazine
“Hamas’ failure to modernize its antisemitic rhetoric earlier in its history hasn’t presented a problem for the feminist and human rights organizations who have already forgiven and forgotten their ideological roots. In “liberalizing” the objectives and history of organizations like Hamas, anti-Zionist discourses have been able to maintain their validity and appeal to evolving political sensibilities over time while promoting the same fundamental message: That Jews possess neither the right to national sovereignty, nor the right to defend themselves against the legitimate Arab nations and Iran who desire their extermination.”
There is a well of untapped solidarity between progressive Jews and Haredim after Oct. 7: The two communities have more in common than one might think
Read full article here: The Forward
“In the late19th and early 20th century, socialist Zionist and Orthodox Jewish groups were both seen as “problematic Jews.” Liberal and socialist intellectuals were hostile to their Jewish populations as a “fifth column,” writing extensively on the inferiority of the Jewish faith and race and the threat they posed to the “universal” values of non-Jews. In both European and, later on, Arab states, Jew were thus presented with an ultimatum: Either leave your old nation behind for your new one, or forgo your rights, citizenship and safety… The mere suspicion of disloyalty could result in violent, collective punishment. Despite this, socialist Zionist and Orthodox Jews refused to accept the dismantlement of Jewish nationhood and remained proud of their people.”
MAY GOD SAVE US FROM HER OPINION:
A STORY OF WAR & FRIENDSHIP
Read full article here: The Times of Israel Blog
“When it comes to antisemitism, Ava and I don’t complement each other like we usually do. On most days, we’re akin to a quirky, amusing duo of podcast hosts. A modern Lucy and Ethel, if you will. Even on many serious subjects, we agree more than you might expect. There’s something about no-holds-barred conversations with someone you admire that’s grounding. It’s hard to let opinions run wild in your mind when a trusted friend enjoys bringing you back down to reality.
“But during the war, things have been different. Painful. Awful, even. The distance has been harder for us to bridge, let alone bear. She lives on Mars and I live on Neptune. And our wonderful friendship on Earth feels farther and farther away.”
THE ACADEMY, ZIONISM & MIZRAHI JEWS
Read full article here: Man & Culture Magazine
“The inequalities, persecution, and violence Jews experienced in Arab states remains unacknowledged by anti-Israel scholars for the following reason: Doing so would undermine their claim that a sole Palestinian nation-state would have offered – and could still offer – Jews full rights and equality under the law. Their scholarship consequently portrays the history of Arab nationalist movements in countries such as Egypt and Iraq as ‘pro-Jewish’, while simultaneously blaming Jews for provoking violent uprisings against them. Until this cycle is broken, anti-Jewish massacres and anti-Israel scholarship will remain forever intertwined with one another— the latter providing the narrative from which to justify the former.”
WOMAN OF VALOR: FEMININITY IN THE JEWISH TRADITION
Read full article here: Man & Culture Magazine
“We often think of pious women as being devoted to kindness and charity. The stereotypical religious wife and mother today is a woman who gives tirelessly and unconditionally— a woman who would never dream of saying no to anyone who asks for her help. Yet this image lies in stark contrast to the righteous women of the Old Testament. The core examples of femininity in Jewish thought and scripture are strongly biased towards acts of boundary-setting, unpopular judgments, and difficult choices. Choices which required unimaginable strength to make.
From the perspective of Jewish mysticism, the actions of these women shouldn’t be surprising. In Kabbalah, femininity is associated with the act of judging while masculinity is associated with the act of giving.[1] The male desire to give of himself, to influence, and to expand is complemented by the female desire to maintain boundaries, to strengthen, and to refine.”
THE ORIGINS OF MODERN ANTI-SEMITISM
University of Chicago, MA Thesis in Political Theory
“In modern liberal discourses, Jews were often judged more harshly than their non-Jewish counterparts and given greater share of the burden in preventing antisemitism. And yet even more significant is that such conclusions were justified by intellectuals and politicians from within a framework of rational political thought. Political toleration of and prejudices against Jews were no longer framed within the context of religion in the modern era, but rather from within a context of ‘reason’. Liberal thinkers also claimed that reason, not Christianity, would be the intellectual mechanism through which Jews would eventually be able to join Christians in proper realization of the ‘self’. It was precisely liberals’ belief in the inherent rationality of their moral, ethnic, and religious prejudices against Jews which allowed them to flourish undetected in modern liberal politics.”
THE POLITICS OF EMPOWERMENT
Read full article here: Nashim Magazine
“This is the beauty of being a modern woman living in a democratic country. We each have the freedom to explore and choose from a wide-range of philosophies, in pursuit of becoming the happiest, most empowered versions of ourselves. Just by spending one hour in Barnes & Noble, one can discover everything from the codes of confidence to the secrets of Parisian women to the unlocking of work/life balance to the benefits of medicinal crystals which are maybe, potentially, an updated version of Kabbalah water. But what I find most interesting is the ability of these trends to leave women largely uninformed and unaware of the gigantic amount of time, money, and emotional breakdowns we have no idea we’re about to invest, in order to achieve and sustain spiritual enlightenment.”
MY NEW ORTHODOX IDENTITY
Read full article here: Kveller.com
“For many newly religious and ‘born religious’ women who interact heavily with the modern world, the fight to appear enlightened and well-balanced at all times becomes internalized because you genuinely want to be this impressive and sophisticated woman. Whether it’s the longing to excel in your spiritual pursuits, to have a marriage that always radiates confidence and contentment, or to succeed in your career while casually bouncing a baby on your knee— many of us have wanted at some time or another to show the world that we are intelligent, empowered, spiritual women. And it can be exhausting.”
I WAS HER AND SHE WAS ME: Breaking Barriers in Prenatal/Postpartum Anxiety and Depression
Article Published in print only for FYI Magazine. Please inquire for access.
“As mothers we often feel an obligation to allow everyone to visit and meet the new baby, even when we desperately need time alone to recover from emotional and physical distress. I have talked to women of all different backgrounds who have had panic attacks while people sing to the baby in another room, who have cried uncontrollably while a phone rings in their hands nonstop, who have left a room in tears while guests whisper, ‘Do you think she’s depressed?’. It’s happened millions of times. Mothers sitting on their beds, in their nursing chairs, locked in their bathrooms, crying alone while the living room fills up with people who have come to play with their beautiful child. As one young mother confessed, ‘When the guests left, I sat down on my parents' basement steps and started crying so hard I could barely breathe. My poor husband was like, ‘Huh? What’s wrong? You were fine one second ago’ and I couldn't even answer. I felt like speaking one more word would be too much effort for me.”