Monthly Archives: June 2012

Israel-Palestine and Liberal Judaism in North America (response to Hayyim Rothman)

Posted on June 19, 2012 by zjb

The reason why I think Israel matters is because I’m thinking that the rightwing rot from over here rolls over there and the rot over there makes an impact over here. I think shoring up and projecting a North American … Continue reading →

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Israel-Palestine and the Future of Liberal Judaism in America (Apocalyptic Impressions)

Posted on June 18, 2012 by zjb

    What shocked me the most, and I’m not sure why it did, about the recent report about the changing face of the Jewish community in New York (less secular, more orthodox and ultra-orthodox) is how much it reminds … Continue reading →

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Gilt Bronze Religion (Material Culture)

Posted on June 18, 2012 by zjb

(at the Metropolitan Museum of Art) Art refracts the material character of religion. The religious action is metalic. Nothing fleshy here. The gilt bronze accentuates the corporeal hurt, even as the metal makes it unreal. I’m not sure how this works. … Continue reading →

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Sheldon — Conservative Money, the New Face of American Judaism, & Election 2012

Posted on June 17, 2012 by zjb

$100,000,000 is a lot of cash to blow on defeating President Obama in November, but not for Sheldon Adelson, the Las Vegas casino magnate whose wealth is estimated at $25,000,000,000. Is this too the future face of American Judaism, of … Continue reading →

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Posted on June 17, 2012 by zjb

I am going to continue reblogging from Tokyo Green Space. One because of the decorative quality of a good garden blog. And two, because of the intrinsic interest in gardens: the combination of the organic and the artificial. Gardens are … Continue reading →

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Blockhouse (Romantic Ruin Urban Park)

Posted on June 17, 2012 by zjb

When Olmstead and Vaux acquired this tract of land, now the northwest end of Central Park, they preserved the Blockhouse because they liked the idea of a romantic, historic ruin. It’s located in “The North Woods.” As romantic ruins go, … Continue reading →

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Freedom and Conservative Claptrap – Liberal Judaism and the Changing Face of the “New York Jew”

Posted on June 17, 2012 by zjb

I’ve been thinking about the new study by Steven Cohen about the changing face of the New York Jewish community –more orthodox and ultra-orthodox, less liberal. A part of me thinks that this is not a big story. It has … Continue reading →

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Posted on June 15, 2012 by zjb

So little time, so much Zizek to read. Forget it. Way to the left of me, Perverse Egalitarianism is a great blog. I’m hoping Mikhail fisks the new Zizek book on Hegel. This way I won’t have to read it. … Continue reading →

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Posted on June 15, 2012 by zjb

Has Jewish philosophy ever been “organic” or is it always synthetic?

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Aesthetic Religion (Plato’s Cave before Plato’s Cave)

Posted on June 15, 2012 by zjb

A couple of weeks back there was an article in the NYT Science Times about the flute found at the Hohle Fels Cave in southwestern Germany, which they now date back 42,000 to 43,000 years, not 35,000. That’s really old. I … Continue reading →

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