Monthly Archives: May 2016

Irano-Jewish Hebrew Illumination (Shanameh)

Posted on May 31, 2016 by zjb

Not your Ashkenazi book illumination, these Iranian Jewish book illuminations are identified as mid- to late 17th century. Full of violence, they transpose the Jewish narrative takes shape as if drawn from the Shanameh (Book of Kings)  the classic and … Continue reading →

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Get ‘Em Outa Here (Trump)

Posted on May 30, 2016 by zjb

Donald Trump voice-overs with footage of anti-black violence during Civil Rights era sit-ins. The creator of this short visceral clip, Marianne DeMarco is a genius. It first appeared at Mother Jones. Watch the whole thing:

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Not a Rabbi (I Try to Explain)(Jewish Studies)

Posted on May 30, 2016 by zjb

The editors at the Bulletin for the Study of Religion were nice to include me in their series, “So You’re Not a Priest, Scholars Try to Explain…To Others” about academic scholars of Religion. You can read my post here. Not a … Continue reading →

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Illuminated Hebrew Nudes

Posted on May 29, 2016 by zjb

I never seen this kind of thing before, the nude in illuminated Hebrew manuscripts. The first is from a Scroll of Esther, probably German, ca. 1700. It is suggested that these are either allegorical figures or allude to Ahashverosh’s selection … Continue reading →

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Lag Ba’Omer (Conflagration)

Posted on May 26, 2016 by zjb

Fire is a critical ritual marker in Judaism. On the combustible nature of religion,  you can read here about Lag Ba’Omer forest fires in Jerusalem. There are more pictures here. Sometimes ritual gets out of hand. You just need to know … Continue reading →

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Benjamin Brown on Halakhic Labor Law: Statist or Democratic?

Posted on May 24, 2016 by zjb

One of [Alan Brill’s] favorite articles by Prof. Benjamin Brown of Hebrew University has recently been translated and revised. It was first given in 2006 and here it is online a decade later with more documentation. “Trade Unions, Strikes, and … Continue reading →

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Glass and Stone (New Ways Alongside Around St John the Divine)

Posted on May 24, 2016 by zjb

I’ve been tracking this project since they broke ground. With people moving in, the new real estate alongside the north wall of St John the Divine proceeds apace. It looks like the space is about to open up in a … Continue reading →

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(Horizontal) Demonic Desires (Ishay Rosen-Zvi_

Posted on May 23, 2016 by zjb

A few quick notes on Demonic Desires: “Yetzer Hara” and the Problem of Evil in Late Antiquity. Like all scholars of rabbinics, Rosen-Zvi parses carefully through tannaitic, mishnaic, amoraic, and post-amoraic sources. This is my general takeaway. 1] The yetzer  (translated … Continue reading →

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East Side Ziggurat

Posted on May 22, 2016 by zjb

Walking up Lexington Avenue, I stumbled across this architectural marker, calling attention to this building at the corner of E. 81st Street. Cued by the landmark plaque, I looked up. You can already see low to the ground the start … Continue reading →

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“Indecent” (Paula Vogel and Sholem Asch)

Posted on May 21, 2016 by zjb

A play about a play about lesbian love, history, religious hypocrisy, and the clash between free expression and community norms, Paula Vogel’s Indecent is now at the Vineyard Theater in NYC. “Created with the director Rebecca Taichman, “Indecent” is inspired by Sholem … Continue reading →

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