Monthly Archives: October 2012

Islam, Europe, and the Jews

Posted on October 25, 2012 by zjb

 How do you balance the need to be alert without going overboard? I liked this piece in Haaretz a couple of weeks back. It promotes a less hysterical view about the subject of Islam, Europe, and the Jews. On the … Continue reading →

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Transparency (Art & Perception)

Posted on October 24, 2012 by zjb

I was just sitting in the car waiting outside, illegally parked at a fire hydrant when I took this picture of my kid’s art project. It was sitting flat on the corner of the dashboard (?). What first caught my … Continue reading →

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Israel Apartheid

Posted on October 23, 2012 by zjb

When Jimmy Carter wrote Palestine: Peace not Apartheid almost everyone in the Jewish community got into a lather. The word “apartheid” stuck in everyone’s craw. That was back in 2006, Israel was governed by Ehud Olmert. There was a war … Continue reading →

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The Pre-Debate & After-Debate (Politics)

Posted on October 23, 2012 by zjb

All the FB friends are dissecting this bit and that bit and sending up the memes about the debate last night between Obama and Romney about foreign policy, but we all know that the debate itself was so-so  in terms … Continue reading →

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A Jewish Thought and Culture Blog (Lebanon)

Posted on October 22, 2012 by zjb

“Philosophy and Law” is a  Jewish thought and culture blog that stumbled across me the other day when I posted about Syria. The “reading log” at the website suggests a completely new and generative orientation to Jewish thought and philosophy. … Continue reading →

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Syria (Shame)

Posted on October 21, 2012 by zjb

I’m astonished as to how little my friends on the liberal-left talk about Syria, this refusal to commit to a position, not one way and not the other. Sure it’s complicated. And no one wants to see another Iraq. But … Continue reading →

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Politics (Israel, Hamas, and the Enemy-Enemy Distinction)

Posted on October 20, 2012 by zjb

A lot of us academics who want to theorize “the political” don’t really understand the subject. Why do self defining radical academics turn to that fascist bastard Carl Schmitt? It’s Agamben’s fault, right? My guess is that Schmitt is just … Continue reading →

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Shadow & Swimming Pool (Photography)

Posted on October 19, 2012 by zjb

[William Meyers, Parade Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the End of WW II, Springfield, VT, September, 1995“] This is one of my favorite photographs ever. I saw it at the home of the photographer, William Meyers, and was immediately drawn … Continue reading →

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World Chance De-personalization (Contemporary Art & Ancient Judaism)

Posted on October 19, 2012 by zjb

Finally finished reading Michael Swartz’s Signifying Creator: Non-Textual Sources of Meaning in Ancient Judaism. This is not exactly new territory for Swartz, who’s scholarship explores magical practice and mystical prayer in the ancient Jewish world. This is a neat little … Continue reading →

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New Jewish Heroes & Functional Rebbes (Shaul Magid)

Posted on October 18, 2012 by zjb

If  not for this, then what’s a “Jewish Philosophy Place” for? I’m always happy to post pdf’s of published articles written by friends and colleagues. I’m recommending this one by Shaul Magid, FROM SAINTHOOD TO SELFHOOD IN AMERICAN JUDAISM: ARTSCROLL’S NEW JEWISH … Continue reading →

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