Monthly Archives: December 2016

Syria (The End)

Posted on December 15, 2016 by zjb

As Russian and Iranian-Hezbollah  backed Syria regime forces finish off the rebellion against a dictator, all we do is watch the slaughter as it unfolds towards the end. Michael Kimmelman posts these very powerful images and video and so-so reflections … Continue reading →

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Virtue Ethics & Aesthetic Subordination (Jonathan Schofer)(Avot de Rabbi Natan)

Posted on December 15, 2016 by zjb

  Jonathan Schofer is without doubt among the most insightful and sensitive theorists writing about Jewish ethics mixing perspectives drawn from rabbinic source material and contemporary philosophy. His starting point is character or virtue ethics. The Making of A Sage: … Continue reading →

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Jewish Studies Post-Election: What Now and What Does the Future Hold? (AJS 2016)

Posted on December 13, 2016 by zjb

Organized by David Biale and others, these are two sessions on Trump and the state of Jewish politics (and Jewish Studies in the Age of Trump) at the upcoming Association for Jewish Studies conference AJS Post-Election Sessions Jewish Studies Post-Election: … Continue reading →

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Jewish Political Thought “Beyond Borders” Workshop (Katz Center)

Posted on December 12, 2016 by zjb

Jewish Political Thought beyond Borders Discussions of Jewish politics today all too often become discussions of borders. This day-long workshop will resist this temptation, finding, interrogating, and fostering Jewish political thought where it crosses boundaries—whether spatial, temporal, or disciplinary. It seeks to highlight new resources and modes in political thought that escape, erode, … Continue reading →

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Light & Dark Palette (Mark Rothko)

Posted on December 8, 2016 by zjb

Isaac Luria would have liked these dark palette paintings by Mark Rothko now on view at Pace.  Against psychological interpretations of art, the point is to argue that there is no direct identity between an artist’s mental state and what … Continue reading →

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Laura Levitt On (Not) Being Jacob Neusner’s Student

Posted on December 7, 2016 by zjb

Free from what she calls the “really real,” this is a powerful memory by Laura Levitt who studied under the wing of the late Jacob Neusner at Brown before launching her own spectacular career as a pioneer scholar of Judaism and … Continue reading →

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Abstract Affect (Agnes Martin)

Posted on December 6, 2016 by zjb

Agnes Martin’s work is an important chapter in “the spiritual in art” in modern western visual art. The fabulous retrospective on her is now on view at the Guggenheim. The first works were biomorphic, but she’s better know for her mature … Continue reading →

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Junction 48 (Tamer Nafar)

Posted on December 4, 2016 by zjb

Went to the JCC on the Upper West Side to see Junction 48, an Israeli Palestinian film co-written by Tamer Nafar and Oren Moverman and directed by Udi Aloni. At turns biting and sentimental, the movie is a biting and … Continue reading →

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Anthologizing American Jewish Thought (NYU)

Posted on December 2, 2016 by zjb

The swing of Jewish thought and philosophy out of Germany and into America starts with anthologies. Here’s what Michah Gottlieb is up to. It’s of a piece with anthological/editorial volumes organized by Ken Koltun-Fromm and Leonard Kaplan, Martin Kavka and … Continue reading →

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