Monthly Archives: November 2018

Sharp Critical Response by President of Pitzer College To Haifa BDS

In addition to violating core principles of academic inquiry and freedom, recent campaigns by BDS to end study abroad in Israel should be recognized as a body blow targeting Jewish students and Jewish Studies. Rightly concerned about the impact of … Continue reading

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(Contact) My Commute (Phish)

Pretty much, this is how I feel about my commute, my car, and the tires on the road, relaxed behind the wheel speeding east on I-80 in New Jersey on the way home. But let me be more precise: The … Continue reading

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Martian Sunset

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(The Mediator Descends) Notes on “Roman Catholicism and Political Form” (Carl Schmitt)

After working through material on the politics of the Bavli, I’m now cleaning up my files and decided to dump these reading notes here at the blog for further reference and for the general interest of anyone out there invested, … Continue reading

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Knife in the Back (Fascist Graphics Design in Israel)

(Found this composite image at Avner Gvaryahu’s Twitter feed, @AGvaryahu) (The image on top was published in the mass circulation and free, Sheldon Adelson funded Yisrael Ha’Yom) (Gvaryahu is executive director of Breaking the Silence) (The reference is to claims from … Continue reading

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Vibrant Matter of Painted Objects (Yoshiaki Mochizuki)

Wandering around Chelsea last summer, we stumbled into Marlborough Contemporary and got to see Palenville, a solo show by Yoshiaki Mochizuki. It was not immediately clear what these things are. Jewel-like things, they turned out to be paintings. They are … Continue reading

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Religion, Education, State (Haredi Yeshivot & the New York Board of Regents)

Students of American religion, American Judaism, and Jewish political philosophers might want to pay attention. The headline reads “Yeshivas Get Curriculum Reviews As Orthodox Power Wanes in New York” and the ramifications for haredi Jewish life and American Jewish life … Continue reading

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(Lachrymose) Floating Jews and Other Black Squares (Chagall, Lissitzky, Malevich)

O Me O My, I’ve been lachrymose, this time at the Jewish Museum having seen Chagall, Lissitzky, Malevich: The Russian Avant-Garde in Vitebsk, 1918-1922. The exhibit is super cool, showing art made by Chagall with these two masters of the … Continue reading

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(Vitebsk) Communist Still Life (Mikhail Kunin)

Not the greatest painting that came out of the early Soviet avant-garde school at Vitebsk led by  leading lights Chagall, Malevitch, and Lissitzky. But here it is, Art of the Commune, a charming little Communist still life painting from right … Continue reading

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Snow Storm Commute

In the car last night outside with others just north of Scranton. What an amazing adventure. And nightmarish. Safe and sound inside Fortress Volvo on this nine-hour punch through snow and ice, and so many disabled trucks and cars, spun … Continue reading

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